Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - January 9, 2026

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SERVE WEEKEND, JAN. 17-19

On Saturday, Jan. 17, and Monday, Jan. 19, we honor the enduring legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is not a day off, but rather it’s a day on, where we gather thousands of people to go out into the community to serve! We have more than 1,400 spots for all ages to serve in the community as well as on-site at Resurrection! Click here to register. Many of these are family-friendly and a great way to participate with your children.

We have Faith Walk milestones for each grade of elementary school. (Learn more about the Faith Walk here.) The 4th-grade milestone is Serve, and we invite 4th graders and their families to join us as we celebrate this faith milestone and discover the joy of serving together in the community and at church during MLK weekend.

NEXT STEPS TO LIVE THE INTENTIONAL LIFE IN 2026 

We had a great turnout for our event last week on “Living the Intentional Life,” on how we can deepen our connections with God in the coming year. So, what’s the next step? If you were unable to attend, we have a downloadable resource that you can find here. Also, on this web page, you’ll find information on next steps and opportunities for study and community at Resurrection. Living the Intentional Life is offered at the Brookside location Monday, Jan. 12.

DON’T MISS STUDENT MINISTRY WINTER KICKOFF SUNDAY

Middle and high school students are invited to kick off 2026 on Sunday, Jan. 11, from 2-5 pm with laser tag, bowling, unlimited arcade games, pizza and soda at the Main Event in either Olathe, KS or Independence, MO. Check it out and get registered here, or just show up and register on site.

RESURRECTION HOSTS AMERICAN PUBLIC SQUARE EVENT ON POLARIZATION AND RELATIONSHIPS ON FEB. 19

I think we can all agree that political polarization is a concern in our country, and it sometimes extends to our important relationships. Resurrection is partnering with American Public Square to host a special program that offers insight and solutions. I’ll be moderating an interview with author and psychotherapist Dr. Jeanne Safer and her husband, historian and political commentator Richard Brookhiser. Dr. Safer has written the book I Love You, But I Hate Your Politics, drawing from their own relationship. This event will be at 6 pm in the Leawood Student Center (Building C) and will also be live-streamed. You can learn more and register here.

OPEN SPOTS ON SPRING GLOBAL SERVE TRIPS

• April 19 Borderlands – This trip to the El Paso/Juarez border is a time of learning and inspiration as we partner with Abara, an organization that sees the daily challenges first-hand. You’ll learn about migration root causes, border policies and current realities.
• April 25 Honduras Men’s Trip – Travel to Honduras and work alongside our friends at Rain of Blessings church in the rural town of El Obraje in the Honduran countryside.
• May 28 Uganda – This team will partner with Uganda Counseling and Support Services (UCSS) – a non-profit that focuses on holistic community development in the areas of health, education, food security, economic empowerment, and leadership development.

STUDENT MINISTRY SUMMER SERVE TRIPS

We also have spots available for our Student Summer Serve Trips for middle or high school students. Our 6th graders will be serving in Kansas City with some of our local mission partners, 7th and 8th graders will head to Fayetteville, Arkansas to work with Ozark Mission Project, and high schoolers will travel to Altamonte, Tennessee to partner with Mountain T.O.P. These trips are a great way for students to join God’s mission and make a real impact through hands-on service, and if you register by March 1, you’ll receive a 10% early bird discount. You can register here.

HOLIDAY GENEROSITY IS CHANGING LIVES

Our mission team shared with me that in 2025, we had the highest level of engagement in our holiday Joy in Serving activities during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Through serving in the community with our mission partners, donating to our neighbors in need locally, and supporting global initiatives, your generosity has a tremendous impact. I am so proud and grateful for each of you!

MY COUNTRY ‘TIS OF THEE 

In 1831, a seminary student at Andover Theological Seminary named Samuel Francis Smith wrote what was, until 1931, often considered our national anthem, America, or as it is commonly known, My Country ‘Tis of Thee. (In 1931, the Star Spangled Banner was made the official national anthem.) It is sung to the same tune as the UK’s national anthem, God Save the King.

My country, ’tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing:
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims’ pride,
from every mountainside
let freedom ring!

I love our country. I love what America stands for and represents. I love its diversity, its freedoms, and its democratic form of government. I love the beauty of our land, its “rocks and rills, its woods and templed hills” (v.2). I love how, at its best, it is a beacon of hope for other nations and people around the world.

LaVon forwarded me an article this morning with the results of an NPR/IPSOS polltaken early last month, which found 61% of Americans believe America should be a moral leader in the world. I believe this too. But between 2017 and 2025, the number of Americans who believe we are that has dropped from 60% to 39%.

Among the top fears in our fear survey were concerns about a lack of empathy in our country today, the divisiveness in our country, and the direction of our country. Two-thirds of you ranked these as your top concerns, double any other concerns in the survey. I feel this deep in my heart as well.

As you know, last Saturday, US Special Forces abducted Venezuela’s president, Nicholas Maduro, and his wife, bringing them to the US for trial. I’ve had people ask me, “What are your thoughts on this?” Like many, I have mixed feelings about this action. On the one hand, Maduro presided over the virtual destruction of his nation’s economy. Somewhere between 50 and 90% of Venezuelans live at or below the poverty level in what should be one of the wealthiest nations in the hemisphere. Maduro led a corrupt and repressive regime that violated human rights. In the last election, tallies at election sites indicated he lost the last election 35% to 65% while he claimed he won with 52% to 42% and refused to give up power. The thought that he is no longer in power and that the 28 million people in Venezuela might have a better future is a good thing.

But removing the leader of another nation, as we did, feels reminiscent of the darker days of our past. I wonder, are we sanctioning the idea that, because we have the strongest military in the world, we, rather than the people of those nations, have the right to remove leaders at will? And if we hope to be a moral leader, a model for other nations, does that give a signal that other nations can remove the leaders of their weaker neighbors when they deem it appropriate? Even if we deem Maduro’s removal to be morally justified, insinuating, as members of the administration did this week, that this might be a model for our military intervention in other nations, or to take over land we want, makes us the hemisphere’s bully, not a beacon of hope or a nation to be admired.

Will we be a moral leader, or a nation that rules as if “might makes right?” Will we follow international law, or freely set it aside? Are we moving toward a foreign policy that sees us engaging in more such actions? And will what follows in Venezuela be a flourishing democracy, or a more repressive regime? These are the questions I’ve been wrestling with, and I’ve spoken with both Republicans and Democrats who are wrestling with these questions as well. I don’t have clear answers, but I do have a vision for the kind of country I hope we will be, a place where our land is bright with freedom’s holy light, and that represents this same freedom and light for the world.

Our fathers’ God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our king.

Fear is often behind our actions and the crises we find in our world today. Don’t miss the chance to join us in worship these next few weeks as we focus on the various fears that are a part of our lives, and how we live fearlessly.

In Christ’s love,

Adam