Friday, January 15, 2016
Hello Church of the Resurrection,
My siblings and I took our mom to New York for a few days this week in honor of her 70th birthday. She’d never been but always wanted to go. It was great fun. We ate too much. We walked a lot and laughed a lot. We visited the Met, ate pizza and pasta, saw two Broadway shows and even watched the filming of one of the morning shows. It was a trip none of us will ever forget. (I posted a pic on my Facebook page of us standing outside of one of the Broadway musicals we saw – one of the best I’ve ever seen – you can see the pic by clicking here).
Among the sites we visited were the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. As we were visiting these two places I could not help but think about the next two sermons: This weekend I’m preaching on The Bible, Immigration and Refugees and next weekend I’ll preach on Islamic Extremism. Lady Liberty is the beacon of immigrants and refugees, and 9/11 a reminder of the horrible events wrought from the hands of Islamic extremists.
My intent with this sermon series is to help us take a thoughtful look at issues that divide our country, learn from one another and find common ground.Here's a link to a four-minute video about the polarization in American politics. These videos are meant to foster conversations among friends, and I hope that you'll take a look and share it with your friends.
This weekend we’ll seek to understand the debate about immigration, a debate that will loom large in the elections this year. The Bible doesn’t tell us precisely what policies we must support regarding immigration. Like most things, the issue is complex. The Bible does help us understand God’s heart, character and will and, surprisingly, it does speak about immigrants and refugees with some frequency. These ideas should inform our thinking as Christians as we consider questions of both undocumented aliens and those seeking refuge in our country. I believe you’ll find this weekend’s message both informative and inspirational.
Next weekend (January 24) we’ll consider a Christian Response to Islamic Extremism. In preparation for that message we’ll host a Forum on Islamic Extremism this coming Tuesday night from 6:30 to 8:30. We’ll have two guest speakers from the US Army Command and General Staff College and a panel discussion that will include two local leaders of the Islamic community. This event is next Tuesday night, January 19th, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Find out more by clicking here.
Last weekend I announced the total of our Christmas Eve offering. This offering will be used to benefit children in poverty with half being used for projects in Kansas City, the other half in the developing world. Among the projects we’re focused on is a partnership between Resurrection, Avenues of Life and the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools to help children and youth who are homeless at various times during the school year. In case you missed the announcement,you gave $1,154,000 in the Christmas Eve special offering. I’m so proud of you, of your generosity and sacrifice. Your gifts will have a significant impact upon thousands of children in Kansas City and around the world.
Tomorrow, Saturday, January 16, at 12:00 pm, we’ll host our annual Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon catered by Gates barbecue. We’ll hear from Desiree Monieze, the Director of Avenue of Life, who is our partner in our work with the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools. We’ll also hear from Kerry Wrenick who works in the KCK school district. You’ll hear more about where a portion of your Christmas Eve offering is going and how it will change the world. Join me for lunch. Please click here to make your reservation, tickets are $10.
On Monday you are invited to come to the church to serve the communityat one of six service projects. Of these six, I just noticed that two are already full on the website but spaces are still available to serve at the four others (as of the time I’m writing this!). Click on this link to find out how you can serve for a couple of hours on Monday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
We have two important meetings coming up later this month that I’d love for you to put on your calendar now. In the past we held our annual Church Conference/Business Meeting in conjunction with our All Church Gathering. This year we’re splitting these two to allow more time for each.
On Tuesday, January 26, at 6:30 pm, we’ll host our annual Church Conference Business Meeting at Resurrection Downtown. This is the meeting where we vote on our budget, church lay leadership, review pastoral compensation and more. Everyone is welcome but only members have a vote. This is the first time we’ve held this annual meeting at Resurrection Downtown – you’ll have a chance to see the property we’re planning to purchase for the location of Resurrection Downtown’s permanent home. If you have any questions, contact dan.entwistle@cor.org.
On Friday, January 29 from 5:30 to 8:15 pm we’ll hold The Gathering – our annual evening of vision casting and fellowship. We’ll share the latest scoop on what’s happening at our campuses, and what our priorities are for the year ahead. We’ll be joined by the Africa University choir from Zimbabwe who will perform for us as we begin the meeting. The night starts with supper at5:30 pm, then we’ll head into the Leawood sanctuary for an inspiring evening together! Please register online so that we have enough food and childcare. There is no cost for the chili supper though donations jars will be available if you can help offset the cost. For questions please contact randy.meyer@cor.og.
In just five weeks we’ll kick off the season of Lent. This year, as a congregation, we’ll read the Gospel of John together. We’ll launch small groups and opportunities on Tuesday nights for you to read and study the gospel with others from the church. Click here to see the video promo for our Lenten focus on John. I just posted an excerpt from chapter one of my new book on John on my blog. If you are interested, you can read it here.
Finally, this weekend as we continue our study on the issues that divide, I’d like to encourage you to register to vote. This weekend at Leawood, West and Blue Springs there will be a team of volunteers ready to assist you to register to vote or to apply for an advance mail ballot. I’m proud that you are a politically diverse congregation – what unites us is our desire to follow Christ and to positively impact the world in his name. I’ll never encourage you to vote for a particular candidate. I do want to encourage you to vote and to allow your faith to shape your views on issues.
I need to get back to working on this weekend’s sermon. Know how proud I am of you and the generosity you showed to children whose names you don’t even know on Christmas Eve!
See you in worship!
Adam
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
913.897.0120
www.cor.org
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