Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - April 19, 2024

Dear Resurrection Family,

I’m sorry this is a bit late today; it’s been a very full week!

Last weekend we welcomed 174 new members at Resurrection. I had the joy of hearing the stories of many of these who joined at the Leawood location – you are making a difference, Resurrection, and many of these were people who had dropped out of church, or never gone, but who found Christ through your love and welcome. It was so moving. This is confirmation weekend, and we’ll have 224 youth making their profession of faith in Christ. I’ll be leading the Leawood service tomorrow at 2:00 pm – I’m so excited!

Here’s what’s coming up at Resurrection…

THIS WEEKEND IN WORSHIP – ARE CHRISTIANS HATEFUL LEMMINGS?

This weekend we conclude our three-part series on Restoring Faith in which we’ve been looking at why 40 million people have dropped out of church, and what kind of church might be authentic and compelling enough that some would want to come back. In 2006 Elton John said that religion, “turns people into hateful lemmings and it is not really compassionate.” I love Elton, and I understand why he might feel that way. Millions of people have similar views of “organized religion” today. This weekend we’ll consider if this is true, we’ll look at the reasons Christianity saw explosive growth in the second through fourth centuries, and again in the Methodist movement of the 18th through the mid-20th century and why I think these reasons might be important for us to remember today. We’ll look at the two sides of the gospel, and how we can avoid being uncompassionate, hateful lemmings!

What is a lemming you might ask? A lemming is a small rodent that was falsely believed to blindly follow their leaders in jumping to their deaths – which became a metaphor for people who blindly follow and do things that are harmful to themselves or others.

Invite a friend to join you this weekend for worship!

CONFIRMATION CELEBRATION SATURDAY

This weekend we will be confirming 224 Resurrection students. Confirmation is, for Christians, similar to Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah for our Jewish friends. This school year these 8th-12th graders have been meeting weekly in confirmation classes where they have explored their faith in small groups led by a mentor, worshiped regularly, and served in worship and in the community. Some have been raised in the church and at confirmation they confirm what has been true for them most of their lives. Others are new to faith. Confirmation ceremonies are this weekend. On Saturday, April 20, in the Leawood and West (Olathe) sanctuaries at 2 pm. On Sunday, April 21 in the Blue Springs and Downtown sanctuaries at 9 am and at Brookside at 11 am.

Congratulations to our confirmands! I am so proud of these students and their commitment to following Christ at Resurrection. Talking with them makes me excited about the future of the church! You can see the complete list of confirmands here.

WELCOME NEW RESURRECTION MEMBERS

Last Sunday, we had 174 people join Resurrection during our Coffee with the Pastors, 138 adults and 36 children. There were 123 from Leawood, 12 from West, 12 from Downtown, 3 from Blue Springs, 9 from Overland Park, 6 from Brookside, and 9 from Online. Take a look here at the complete list of new members. There may be a friend, neighbor, or co-worker who you can welcome personally. If you joined the church last Sunday, please be in worship a few minutes early as we ask our existing members to pledge their support for our new members.

It was exciting to see those of all ages who are committed to growing in their faith and serving others at Resurrection. I always meet people who share that they came to Resurrection because a friend or family member invited them. Who are you sharing your church with?

GLOBAL EDUCATION SPONSORSHIPS THIS WEEKEND

You can make a difference in the lives of children and families around the world through our Global Education Sponsorship Program. This annual initiative allows you to directly support our partner schools in Uganda, Malawi, South Africa and Honduras. Your contribution provides essential resources for these schools. After worship, this weekend, stop by the table in the Narthex to learn more from a member of our mission team or go to the website to give a one-time gift or recurring donation here.

EARTH DAY IS APRIL 22

Monday is worldwide Earth Day, a day set aside to honor and celebrate our remarkable planet, and there are a variety of activities throughout the community this weekend in honor of Earth Day. As Christians, Earth Day reminds us that we are called to be stewards of God’s amazing creation. Scripture teaches us that, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.” When God created the earth, he created humans to tend it on his behalf. Our planet is among God’s greatest gifts to us and reflects the handiwork, artistry and glory of God. The United Methodist Church has created a video with stunning images and the beautiful words of a prayer written by Bishop Ken Carter that you might use as a special Earth Day reflection. Here’s the link.

GIVING GARDEN CELEBRATION MAY 4

The Resurrection Giving Garden is a community justice initiative to grow fresh, organic produce for those facing food insecurity. If you are interested in the ministry and would like to learn more, we have an Opening Day Celebration on Saturday, May 4, from 10 am-noon. Last year, the Giving Garden donated over 10,000 tomatoes and nearly two tons of fresh produce to Kansas City families through Resurrection’s Food Mobile and Food Pantry at Overland Park. Here’s the link to register for the opening day celebration and volunteer times.

FAMILY RECOVERY PANEL APRIL 25

If you have a loved one struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Plan to join Resurrection Recovery for a special panel discussion on Thursday, April 25, from 6-7 pm. Moderated by KMBC 9’s anchor, Lara Moritz, the panel 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. Here’s more information.

GENERAL CONFERENCE 2024 | APRIL 23 – MAY 3

I’ll be leaving Monday for the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina (Dan Entwistle, Pastor Cheryl Jefferson Bell and Pastor Anne Gatobu as well as Steve DeWilde, a lay person at Resurrection Brookside, are also delegates). This is a big deal for United Methodists.

This last Tuesday on my Vespers, I walked through the most important things coming before General Conference, including a little show and tell of some of the editions of the Book of Discipline I own going back to 1808. The General Conference, among other things, determines the policies and statements that make it into the Book of Discipline. You can click here to watch my Vespers from last week.

If you are interested, I, along with some other delegates, shared a General Conference Preview on a podcast produced by the Great Plains Annual Conference. You can download and listen here. You can also watch the deliberations the second week, here’s the link.

As you pray each morning next week, please remember this important work going on in Charlotte. Pray for God’s presence and the discernment of the delegates as we make decisions that will impact our denomination’s future. I am excited, and I am hopeful.

JOIN ME FOR VESPERS THIS TUESDAY LIVE FROM GENERAL CONFERENCE!

This Tuesday night I’ll be coming to you live from General Conference for Tuesday Vespers on Facebook Live. Join me Tuesday night at 7:30 pm Central Time here.

Looking forward to Confirmation and worship this weekend!

Adam