Weekly eNote from Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 8 April 2016
Friday, April 8, 2016
Dear Resurrection Family,
This weekend we kick off our new sermon series, Second Chances. We’ll look at some of the gospel stories where Jesus restored people, giving them a second chance in life. Each of these stories relate to our own need for second chances. This week we’ll look at the story of Jesus’ ministry with a woman who had been divorced five times and we will consider how Jesus would approach divorced people today. (Interestingly, the question of divorce was also the focus of one part of a new document the Pope released this morning.)
We’ve all been affected by divorce, whether we ourselves have been divorced, or a family member or friend. The Bible itself offers us mixed messages regarding divorce, from Abraham sending Hagar away, to Moses allowing it, to Ezra requiring those Israelites who married foreigners to get divorced, to Malachi saying that God hates divorce. When we come to Jesus’ words we see him both discouraging divorce, and in our scripture this weekend, restoring a woman divorced five times.
By the way, we sent out a survey to the congregation this week inviting those who have been divorced to respond. If you’ve been divorced, feel free to take the survey by clicking here. We’ve had over 1,700 people take the survey so far. I’ll share with you data from the survey in my sermon, including the leading reasons people divorced. If you’ve been divorced, don’t miss this message. If you have a friend or family member that is divorced, don’t miss this message. If you are married and hope to avoid divorce, don’t miss this message. If you think some day you might be married, don’t miss this message! I’d encourage you to invite your friends who have been divorced to join us for this sermon – I believe it will be a blessing to them.
Are you interested in joining the Church of the Resurrection?The process for joining is to attend a Coffee with the Pastors at any of our campuses. At Coffee with the Pastors you’ll spend time hearing from me and for those at our other campuses, you’ll hear from your Campus Pastor. We share with you a bit of the church’s story, the expectations of membership and then we have a brief joining ceremony. It is an inspiring event. Our next Coffee with the Pastors at the Leawood campus is on Sunday, April 17 from 2 to 4 pm. Please register online by clicking here. Childcare is available.
In this year of Presidential politics, we’re hosting a gathering I think you’ll want to be a part of. The American Public Square is presenting, Crossroads of Religion and Politics on Thursday, April 21 in the Leawood sanctuary. The event will begin with a reception at 5:00 pm in the Narthex with the program beginning in the Sanctuary at 6:00 pm. Panelists include State Senator Steve Fitzgerald, Rev. Jim West, the lead pastor of Colonial Presbyterian Church, Jennifer Butler CEO of Faith and Public Life and me. This will be an interesting array of perspectives from conservative to progressive. We’ll look at how our faith should impact our politics and some of the issues about which Americans are divided. Former US Ambassador to Portugal, Allan Katz, will be moderating. Click here to register.
Sign ups have started for this summer’s Vacation Bible Campat the Leawood Campus (watch for dates from your campus pastors at our other campuses). The theme this summer: Meet the Royals!Our kids – current K through 5th grade will learn about important biblical kings and queens while having a ball with games, crafts, music, drama and more. Check out the Leawood Vacation Bible Camp website by clicking here. You can sign up to volunteer and register your kids there as well. Remember our VBC usually fills up so register early.
Did you know that check use has declined by about 7% each year for the last 12 years? Likewise, the use of cash is declining dramatically and some are predicting that ATM’s will be phased out over the next 20 years as younger generations no longer use cash to pay for things. At the same time some predict that payments using mobile phones will rise 42X over the next decade. Over the last ten years debit cards have taken the place of cash and checks for most of us, particularly Millennials. But many anticipate that mobile payments – payments made using the mobile phone, will eventually replace debit cards. All of that is to say that churches are asking what taking the offering will look like in the future.
Already at Resurrection 50% of our members give electronically – this is why you see less and less in the offering plate. We’re grateful for all of you who give this way – it has a huge positive impact on the church. This weekend we’re adding PushPay to the options people have to donate. PushPay allows persons to either download an app for giving, or to text to give. It is simple and allows those who don’t carry cash or checks to give from their smart phone. To find out more about PushPay click here or go to our website to give online.
Looking for a great family and free activity tonight? Check out our Children’s Choir’s musical, “The Kingdom Connection.” We have 175 children in our kid’s choir and they’ll share their musical tonightat 7 pm at the Leawood Campus sanctuary. Don’t miss this evening of music, inspiration and fun! The musical is free and your kids or grandkids will love it – and so will you!
I’ll give a brief mention that this week Abingdon Press released my latest book, based upon a sermon series I preached last year, the book is called Half Truths: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves and Other Things the Bible Doesn’t Say. There is a video and leader’s guide available for small groups. The book gave me a chance to expand the sermons and include material I could not include in the messages. It focuses on five common Christian clichés that are, at best, half true; then it considers truths that better capture the truth we find in Jesus. The book is available from our bookstore or online at Amazon, Cokesbury, Barnes and Noble, CBD and most other online bookstores.
I’ll end where we began. One of the ways to help our youth have a better chance at success in marriage is teaching them about love and relationships now. On April 15 our RezLife youth ministry is hosting, Above All Else: Love, Relationships, Purity and Dating– an event for teens and their parents. Best-selling author and speaker, Vicki Courtney will share, alongside our youth ministry staff. The event is for 6th-12th graders and their parents and will be held from 7 to 9:30 pm on Friday, April 15, in our student center at Leawood. Click here to register or for more information.
I would ask you to be in prayer for our District Superintendent, Rev. Bruce Emmert and his wife Melissa. Bruce’s father, Virgil L. Emmert, Jr., passed away on Wednesday. Bruce is the pastor who shepherds all of the United Methodist Churches in the Kansas City District. Please be in prayer for his family!
It’s going to be a great weekend in worship. Don’t forget, if you have a friend who has been through a divorce invite them to join you for our new sermon series, Second Chances. Here’s the video promo for the series – please share it with them and on your social media.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/160407965?color=ffffff&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/160407965">Second Chances Promo</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/churchoftherez">Church of the Resurrection</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
See you this weekend!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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