Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - April 14, 2023

April 14, 2023

April 14, 2023

Dear Resurrection Family,

What a great Easter we had last weekend! Thank you to each of our volunteers and staff who helped make the 22 services possible at all of our locations. It was really beautiful and moving. Thank you to all who joined us!

In my sermon last weekend I shared Zae Romeo’s story. Click here to see a short clip of Zae on The Voice. I think you’ll love this! If you are a teen, or have a teen, you can see Zae every Wednesday night at youth group as he leads youth at Leawood in worship, and on Sundays you’ll hear him lead us in worship most weekends in The Foundry and often at 9 am and 5 pm at Leawood.

One final word about Easter worship: Each of our locations saw a significant increase in
in-person attendance over last Easter as people continue to return to in-person worship since COVID. Downtown was back in the Kauffman Center for the first time since COVID and it was terrific. This was Resurrection Brookside’s first Easter and they had 940 people attend! It was exciting to see this historic location filled with people. West (Olathe), Overland Park, Blue Springs and Leawood each had great crowds and moving worship. For those interested, I’ll share the total attendance next week in the eNote, but in-person was up 3,800 over last year. It was great to have so many people back in in-person worship!

THIS WEEKEND IN WORSHIP: “YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES”

This weekend we conclude our series on the Words that Changed the World: The Message of Jesus, by turning to the very last words of Jesus. Just before he ascended to heaven, he turned to his disciples and said, “You will be my witnesses…” I’m looking forward to this message and worship this weekend. Our location pastors will be preaching at each location to focus the message for each of our locations and Pastor Scott Chrostek will be preaching at Leawood. This will be a very powerful message that you won’t want to miss!

BOOKMOBILE DRIVE THIS WEEKEND

Also, don’t forget: this weekend, you are invited to help us “stuff the bookmobile” by bringing new and gently used children’s books for distribution through the bookmobile and reading programs. If you have children or grandchildren, this is a great way to help them experience the joy of giving! Details are here. Last year we distributed 25,000 gently used books and 35,000 new books through our Bookmobile giving children in Kansas
City the joy of owning their own books.

WHY? SERIES BEGINS IN WORSHIP NEXT WEEKEND

Suffering and tragedy are, sadly, a regular part of life. And many wrestle with the question, “Why?” We wonder, if God is good and loving, why do such tragedies happen? Why doesn’t God stop them? Some say things like, “Everything happens for a reason” and “It must have been the will of God.” Beginning April 22/23, we’ll devote four weeks to making sense of God’s will and God’s work in our world, suffering, and hope. Each of us knows someone who really needs to hear these messages. Those of you who worship with Resurrection have or will receive a note from me with two invitations to this series for you to share with your friends. I encourage you to be in worship for these important messages and to reach out to a friend who has wrestled with these questions and invite them to join you. Here’s a promo about for the series.

FOSTER CARE INFORMATION GATHERING

In my Easter message, I invited you to consider whether Christ may be calling you to the ministry and mission of fostering or adopting children. We have an informational forum coming up on Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 pm in Leawood’s Wesley Chapel for those who would like to know more about Foster Care. Can’t make the meeting? You can still fill out the sign-up form and a member of our team will call you. Click here for the link.

JOIN ME TUESDAY FOR EVENING OF QUESTIONS

I frequently receive questions like: Is there a hell and who goes there? Is Jesus the only way to salvation? What is the eternal fate of people of other faiths? What happens to our souls at death, and can we talk to our deceased loved ones? Is the Bible inerrant? Is it always meant to be read literally? How do we read the difficult passages? What if we have doubts? What is on the horizon for the UMC denomination? And, how does our faith relate to the major social issues of our time?

I’ll be fielding your questions this Tuesday and the next, April 18 and 25, from 6:30 to 8 pm CDT. This will be held in the Leawood sanctuary and live streamed on resurrection.church/live and my YouTube channel. This will be in place of my Vespers for the next two weeks, so if you usually join me for Vespers, join me in-person or online at 6:30 pm this Tuesday. You can register for this event and submit a question that you’d like to see me include. I’ll try to cover the most frequently asked questions. Click here to register and submit your questions.

SERVE SATURDAY TOMORROW INCLUDES CREATION CARE PROJECTS

This month’s Serve Saturday event will have some special orchard/gardening projects in celebration of Earth Day which falls on April 22. Select a project and sign up to serve here.

FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION – LEARNING FROM PRESIDENT TRUMAN’S AHA MOMENT

I hope you’ll join Pastor Emanuel Cleaver from St. James UMC and me for a special program on Saturday, April 22, from 9 am–noon in the Leawood Foundry. An “aha moment” is when something happens that forever changes how you see the world and your role in it, and President Harry Truman had a Civil Rights aha moment that moved him from his segregated upbringing to desegregating the military and federal agencies and the ripple effect that followed. Together we’ll learn from the Truman Library director about Truman’s actions after he felt a personal connection to injustices, and then discuss with other participants our own personal power and how it can be used for the betterment of all. This unique opportunity is sponsored by Allies for Racial Justice, our partnership between Resurrection and St. James UMC. Here’s the link to register.

RESURRECTION AND THE ROYALS FAITH NIGHT AT THE K ON MAY 27

Get your tickets now and invite your friends and then join us for Faith Night at the K on Saturday, May 27, when the Royals take on the Washington Nationals. The game is at 3 pm, but get there a bit early if you want to see me throw out the first pitch! I’m getting a bit of coaching to avoid a repeat of Travis Kelce’s recent opening pitch! We’re excited to partner with the Royals for this fun family event. After the game, the COR Worship Collective will lead an on-field worship experience with music and testimonies from Royals players. Use this link to order your discounted tickets.

RESURRECTION RECOVERY BEGINS NEW STUDY NEXT THURSDAY

Resurrection Recovery groups welcome anyone affected by substance, drug or alcohol abuse or addictions of any kind, including those struggling with mental health concerns. Groups meet in person every Thursday at all of our locations and also online. On Thursday, April 20, a new 12-Step Recovery Workbook Study will launch. This faith-based workbook was written by Resurrection staff in Recovery. Learn more here.

SEVENDAYS KINDNESS WALK SUNDAY EVENING

I mentioned last week that the SEVENDAYS 2023 Kindness Walk coming up on Sunday, April 16, from 4-7 pm, and it starts and ends at Resurrection. The walk itself begins at 5 pm. There will be food trucks and entertainment. If you plan to worship at Leawood Sunday at 5 pm, please be aware that there will be some road closures and traffic congestion. The B and C parking lots will be busier than usual. The best way to get to the parking near Building A will be to enter from Nall or from the farthest south entrance from Roe.

The Kindness Walk brings people from throughout the city together to walk the 1.3 miles to inspire kindness and understanding as the path to overcoming evil with good. If you would like to learn more or sign up to join the walk, here’s the link. Your registration fee supports the work of SevenDays as they impact schools and communities creating a ripple of kindness.

AT THE LAKE WRITING

On Monday of this week, LaVon and I came to our place at the Lake of the Ozarks so I could complete the final edits of a book I’ve been working on over the last year called, Wrestling with Doubt: Finding Faith. It is based on a sermon series I shared with you in January of 2022, and I’m writing it as if I were having a conversation with the reader about the doubts that they struggle with.

Most days I begin with a three-mile prayer walk, then I spend the rest of the day sitting on the deck, books and computer before me, writing. LaVon brings me dinner outside and I keep writing, finally coming in at sunset to work inside. It’s been quiet, but for the sound of geese, birds singing and an occasional boat. The dogwoods and redbuds are in full bloom now and it’s been a beautiful week to write.

I got stuck on chapter three this week, doubts arising from the violence attributed to God in scripture, as well as other things people struggle with in the Bible. My problem was that each time I’d take a run at the chapter, I would write far too much for this short book. I was trying to summarize 300 pages of my book, Making Sense of the Bible in ten pages. I ended up rewriting the chapter three times before it finally felt right. If you have a minute, I’d love it if you would pray for me as you are reading this, that God will help me complete this manuscript and that it will be helpful to people who are struggling with doubt. I’ll be worshiping online Sunday morning and back for the Kindness Walk on Sunday evening.

I’m looking forward to worshiping with you and hearing Pastor Scott’s sermon this weekend!

Adam

P.S. Make sure you check out all the exciting things that are happening at Resurrection during the season of Lent at resurrection.church/next.

Adam Hamilton

Resurrection Senior Pastor

Reverend Adam Hamilton is the senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection and the author of 22 books. He has been married to LaVon since 1982, and she has been a critical partner in every dimension of Adam’s work. They have two daughters and one granddaughter.

Adam’s writings are known for helping readers make sense of challenging theological questions, exploring the significance of the biblical stories, and equipping Christian leaders to be more effective in their work. He earned his MDiv from Perkins School of Theology and graduated with honors from Oral Roberts University with a degree in Pastoral Ministry.

Learn More About What's Happening Now at Your Location

Watch for the “Next” newsletter in your email on Tuesday. This newsletter includes a personal message from your location pastor (Wendy, Anne, Bill, Penny, Joshua and Ashley) and opportunities for you to engage and connect at your location. If you’re not receiving it right now, you can sign up here.

Weather Alert:

Programming Note: