Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - April 12, 2024

Dear Resurrection Family,

I had my once-every-ten-year colonoscopy last week. I tend to think there is a sermon illustration or spiritual point in most things, and this weekend in my sermon I’ll share my insight from my colonoscopy – a bit of humor; yet, I think, a memorable way of thinking about our spiritual life!

THIS WEEKEND IN WORSHIP – COLONOSCOPIES, ECLIPSES AND RADICAL LOVE

Brennan Manning once said “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” This weekend we’ll continue in our three-part series of messages entitled, Restoring Faith. We’re looking at why 40 million people have dropped out of church in the last 23 years, and what kind of church and/or Christian would demonstrate such an authentic and compelling faith that some of these might just come back. The aim is not just to connect with today’s non-religious and nominally religious people, but to discover a deeper and more compelling faith in each of our lives.

This weekend I’ll propose that the kind of churches and Christians today’s non-religious and nominally religious people will find compelling are those who love radically. We’ll see why this is hard, why a spiritual colonoscopy might help us be more loving, and we’ll look at concrete examples of what ordinary people and churches might do to love our neighbors, our enemies, and the people near and dear to us. I think this would be a great weekend for you to invite your unchurched friends.

INTERESTED IN JOINING RESURRECTION? COFFEE WITH THE PASTORS THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 14

Have you been “visiting” Resurrection for a while? Are you ready to officially make this your church family by joining? Every few months we hold Coffee with the Pastors at all our locations – an inspiring two-hour event where you can meet others, find out more about the history, vision and purpose of Resurrection, what it means to be a Christian, a United Methodist, and a Resurrection member. The last 15 minutes is our joining service, a meaningful time in which you and the other attendees can officially join the church. This Sunday, April 14 at 2 pm we’ll host Coffee with the Pastors (the next one isn’t until fall). Childcare is provided, and you can register and get the details here.

FAMILY RECOVERY PANEL APRIL 25

If you are feeling lost or unsure how to help a loved one struggling with addiction, you’re not alone. On Tuesday, April 25, Resurrection Recovery is presenting a panel discussion, moderated by KMBC 9’s anchor, Lara Moritz, that will offer a unique opportunity to hear firsthand experiences from a diverse group including counselors, individuals in recovery, CIT officers (Crisis Intervention Team), and family members. Dinner starts at 5:30 pm, followed by a moderated discussion from 6 – 7 pm. Panelists will share their stories, insights, and valuable resources to help you navigate this challenging situation. This evening of understanding, strength and hope will offer strength, support, and a path forward for you and your loved one: https://resurrection.church/recovery/

DO YOU HAVE FRIENDS IN CHARLOTTE, NC?

If you have friends or family who live in Charlotte, North Carolina, I’d love you to invite them to join me on Wednesday, May 1 at 7 pm at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, as I give my presentation on Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith. The event is free. I’ll already be in Charlotte for General Conference and this event will begin right after General Conference is over for the day.

FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT TRIP THIS FALL

Resurrection, through Education Opportunities Tours, is offering a unique trip this fall. You can join Pastors Cheryl Jefferson Bell and Robert Johnson as they follow the footsteps of the Civil Rights movement. The trip, September 10 – 16, 2024, begins in Birmingham where you will tour the 16th Street Baptist Church and have an expert guide lead you through the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. You will visit Tuskegee University, spending time at its legacy museum and then the Tuskegee Airman National Historical Site. In Montgomery, you will see the Freedom Rides Museum, Dexter Baptist Church and the Parsonage where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived and pastored, and so much more. The trip will conclude in Atlanta where you will see the King Center, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, worship at Cascade United Methodist Church and enjoy some free time in the city. Find out more about the trip and its all-inclusive pricing here, for questions concerning the trip contact Matt.Bisel@cor.org.

JUST FOR DAD… AND YOUR KIDS

If you’re a dad in the Kansas City area, we have several opportunities throughout the spring and summer months for you to meet and build relationships with other dads and spend some quality fun time with your kids. Once a month we’ll gather at Meadowbrook Park for coffee, donuts, and a brief moment of prayer, and then enjoy some time in the park for play and conversation. Our next gathering is on April 20 from 9 – 11 am. You can find out more about Dads in the Park by going to cor.org/next.

LEAWOOD GENERATION TO GENERATION PROJECTS

If you live in Kansas City, you likely have heard that the sales tax vote that would have funded a new stadium for the Royals failed. What happens now? Here’s a note from Pastor Scott Chrostek that captures well what all of this means for us:

Our architects have been working hard on revised designs for the renovated Student Center and for the new chapel. The outdoor playground contractor is finalizing the plans with our team. I just saw, yesterday, the latest work on the Student Center and it’s going to be way cooler than anything we’d shared during the campaign. And last week, I saw the latest plans for the permanent chapel designed for our weddings, funerals, 7:30 am worship, baptismal services and more.

You may recall that, for cost reasons, we asked the architects to go back to the drawing board on the chapel in January. We wanted something that might better fit with the architecture of buildings A and B, a more cost-effective design, and one that captured in architecture a gospel story. I’m really excited about the new design they came up with! The building committee will be reviewing it next week, giving their feedback to the architects. Then we’ll be sharing the design with you on Mother’s Day Weekend.

JOIN ME FOR VESPERS THIS TUESDAY

Join me this Tuesday night for Vespers at 7:30 pm Central Time on Facebook Live:
https://www.facebook.com/PastorAdamHamilton/

GENERAL CONFERENCE 2024 | APRIL 23 – MAY 3

Since 1784, the United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies have held a gathering, generally every four years, to set the policies, positions, and procedures of The United Methodist Church. Just over 800 delegates gather from around the world, half laity, half clergy, elected from their respective regions. Only the General Conference can speak on behalf of the entire United Methodist Church. It also sets the budget for the denomination’s mission and ministry for the upcoming four years.

This General Conference will be historic in many ways, as it looks to remove language about homosexuality first inserted in 1972, about which the UMC has been in conflict ever since. The hope is to return the Discipline, regarding restrictive language about homosexuality, to the pre-1972 Discipline which did not include the current language. It will allow pastors to determine who they will marry, and Boards of Ordained Ministry in each annual conference to determine fitness for ministry of all ministerial candidates.

As you may know, the special-called session of the General Conference in St. Louis in 2019 passed legislation allowing churches in the US to disaffiliate from the denomination over policies related to homosexuality. About 25% of our churches left, most very small churches, but some larger ones as well. We still have 22,000 churches in the U.S., and 36,000 total U.S. and around the world.

There are five of us from Resurrection who are delegates to General Conference: me, Pastors Cheryl Jefferson Bell and Anne Gatobu, Dan Entwistle and Steve DeWilde who is a delegate through the Missouri Annual Conference.

That’s all I’ve got time to cover today. Don’t miss worship this weekend and bring a friend!

Adam