Weekly eNote from Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 8 January 2016

Weekly eNote from Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 8 January 2016

Friday, January 8, 2016
Dear Resurrection Family,
This weekend we kick off our new sermon series, The Issues that Divide: Building Bridges, Tearing Down Walls. Nearly three quarters of all Americans, Republicans, Democrats and Independents, believe that the hyper-partisanship in our country is making it hard to address the problems we face as a nation. This weekend we’ll kick off the series by looking at some of what’s wrong in American politics, how we can become part of the problem and what we might do to be part of the solution.
In preparation for this weekend’s sermon, I interviewed political mediator Mark Gerzon, author of The Reunited States of America(he’s a political mediator who was called upon by Congress in the 1990’s to help bridge the divide between the parties). I spent time with Congressman Kevin Yoder by phone this week asking for his take on the polarization in American politics. This afternoon I’m interviewing Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn who now co-chairs The American Public Square, an organization aimed at bridging the divide in partisan politics. Among the books I’ve been reading for these sermons, in addition to Gerzon’s, is Greg Orman’s, We Can Do Betterand Jack Danforth’s, The Relevance of Religion: How Faithful People Can Change Politics, as well as others.
I think this sermon series is really important; the divisions in our country and how we’re practicing politics is not only unchristian but it is a real threat to our nation. I think we, as a congregation, might be able to make a difference. I hope you’ll plan to join us this weekend in worship. Here’s a link to the video promo for this series: cor.org/bridges. Simply copy and then paste the link into your Facebook or Twitter posts, or share it by email with your friends.
Listen up, Chiefs’ fans: Wear your Chiefs’ gear Saturday night or Sunday to worship. I’m recording the game Saturday night starting at half-time so that I can lead worship Saturday night. What an exciting season for the Chiefs’ – who would have thought this was possible after the 1-5 start to the season. Exciting!

• Monday, Jan. 18, is the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. We have activities on Saturday and Monday to celebrate and honor Dr. King’s legacy.
• Saturday, Jan. 16, join us for a luncheon catered by Gates BBQ ($10) and hear directly from the local recipients of our Candlelight Christmas Eve offering. Representatives from Avenue of Life and the Kansas City, Kansas School District will talk about the work they are doing to make a difference in the lives of homeless students and families in our community. Tickets are on sale in the Leawood Narthex this weekend or online at cor.org/MLK.
• If you are off school or work on Monday, Jan. 18, join us to make it a “day on” by serving in the community. We’ll have a variety of serving opportunities, including family friendly options, available. Learn more and register at cor.org/MLK. The church offices will be closed so our staff can join in serving.

Whether you are new to Resurrection, or you’ve been coming for a long time, navigating the many different programs and events offered can be overwhelming. We have two opportunities coming up to help answer your questions about Resurrection and the Christian faith:

• Discover Resurrection is this Sunday starting at 12:30 pm in the Leawood Narthex. This 90-minute gathering includes a light lunch and conversation about the values and beliefs of The Church of the Resurrection, the United Methodist denomination, how you can get connected, and concludes with an optional tour of the campus. Children are always welcome.Here’s the link to register.
• Alpha is a great place to start exploring your faith in a friendly setting. Any and all questions are welcome. Classes are available on Monday evenings and Wednesdaymornings. This Monday evening, Jan. 11, 6:30 in the Student Center, we’ll have an Open House where you can have dinner, hear from past participants, and decide if Alpha is right for you. There is no charge for the open house. To learn more or to register, visit cor.org/alpha
• On Tuesday, January 19 at 6:30 pm in our Leawood sanctuary we’ll sponsor a special forum on understanding Islamic extremism. We have two guest speakers from the Army Command and General Staff College speaking, followed by a panel discussion with our speakers and two local Islamic leaders. We’ll look at the forces that gave rise to Islamic extremism, the beliefs and agenda of these groups, and how extremist Islam differs from Islam as practiced by Muslims in our community. Here's the link to register for this event.

Finally, I wanted to include a couple of pictures of the new Leawood Sanctuary. The “sails” – the vertical roof elements that represent the seven days of Holy Week – have begun to be installed. I find it hard not to drive by the new building each day and just sit in the parking lot imagining what the building will look like and how it will feel when we are finally worshiping in it this time next year. I pray as I sit there for the men and women building this building for their safety and blessings, and I pray for God’s Spirit to be hallowing this building, and preparing it to be a holy place that will draw people to God for hundreds of years to come. Click on these pics below to see a larger version of each. You can also check out the progress with the live cam by clicking here.
I look forward to seeing you in worship this weekend!
Adam Hamilton

Instillation of the seven panels rising above the limestone base of the new sanctuary is under way. These panels represent the days of creation, the wholeness of life, and the seven days of Holy Week.

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue

Leawood, Kaansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120

www.cor.org
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