Weekly eNote from Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 1 April 2016

 Weekly eNote from Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 1 April 2016

Friday, April 1, 2016
Dear Resurrection Family,
I want to take a moment to thank all of you who volunteered and made Easter at Resurrection happen last weekend. From the parking lot crew who worked in the rain and snow, to the nursery workers, the ushers and greeters to the mug delivery team, the CART teams and the tech teams and all of the musicians and vocalists and so many more. I think about the choir and orchestra members at Leawood who arrived in the dark and rain about 6:15 am and didn’t leave until 12:15 pm; thank you to all who gave of your time to help make worship happen last weekend. The services at all locations were beautiful. Despite the snow and rain we still had 27,600 people attend worship at one of our campuses or online.
This weekend we’ll conclude our Lenten series on John by looking at the story of Doubting Thomas, who was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them on that first Easter. Jesus appeared to him later, showing him his hands and side, and inviting him to believe. I know you’ll find the message will speak to you.
Next weekend we begin our series on Second Chances. Christ’s ministry was focused on offering second chances – on demonstrating that God is the God of the Second Chance. The series will focus on gospel stories where Jesus offers second chances – redemption and restoration for people others might have written off. In the first sermon I’ll focus on divorce. We’ll look at the various passages about divorce in the Bible and Jesus’ ministry with a woman who had been divorced five times. If you’ve been divorced, or you know someone who has been or is going though a divorce, this sermon will offer hope.Here's a link to the promo for the sermon if you'd like to share it.

<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>

An exciting bit of news from our Downtown campus: Resurrection Downtown just announced the totals for their capital campaign focused on purchasing ground and building the first phase of their permanent sanctuary. Their goal was $6,000,000 and they raised $6,400,000! As you know, this will be the first new church building built in Downtown Kansas City in over 80 years. Both Resurrection Downtown and Resurrection West had 2,000 people for worship on Easter – also very exciting!
We have a special event we’re hosting on Thursday, April 21 that you might want to be a part of. The American Public Square is meeting at Resurrection Leawood for a conversation called, The Crossroads of Religion and Politics. I will be part of a panel of religious leaders and politicians - liberal, conservative and those in between - who will address questions raised by both former Ambassador Allan Katz and KCPT’s Nick Haines. There is a reception at 5 pm and the program will be from 6 to 8 pm. This is an American Public Square event and registration is required. Tickets are $10 and you can register by clicking here. Bring your small group for a fascinating conversation about religion and politics.
This coming Monday, April 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Pastor Daniel Trujillo, from our partner church in Ciudad Espana, Honduras will speak in the Wesley Chapel, giving updates from the congregation and school that you have built there. Everyone is welcome for this event.
Just a reminder to plan to be a part of the Seven Days of Kindness coming up April 12-18. Each day there are different activities planned with the focus of fostering understanding and spreading kindness. Seven Days was started in response to the deaths of Teresa LaManno and Resurection members Bill Corporan and Reat Underwood. I hope you’ll join me for the Seven Days Walk from the Jewish Community Center to Resurrection Leawood on Monday, April 18. The walk is not only a great time of fellowship, but it is a witness to the community of the desire to overcome evil with good. There will be food trucks and terrific music as a part of the event. Register here (t-shirts for the event are only available for those who register before April 3), www.givesevendays.org.
In addition, to the Walk, there is a series of special events being held throughout Kansas City. On Thursday, April 14 Malcolm Graham will speak at Resurrection. He is the former North Carolina state senator whose sister was killed in the shooting at the AME Church in Charleston. He now serves as a vocal advocate for overcoming hate. You’ll be inspired by his witness. Find out more about this and the other Seven Days events here, www.givesevendays.org.
I want to end by sharing with you that one of our facilities team members, Freddie McNeal, passed away this last week. Many of you knew Freddie - while cleaning our building he always had a kind word for anyone he saw and his smile always lit up the room. He took seriously extending the love and welcome of Christ and this church. I’m reminded of Psalm 84:10 as I think of Freddie, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Freddie’s service will be tomorrow at 11 am in the main sanctuary with visitation from 9 to 11. I thank God for Freddie – he made a difference here.
I have to run! Have a blessed day!
Adam Hamilton
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue

Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120

www.cor.org
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