Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - June 7, 2024
June 7, 2024
Dear Resurrection Family,
I’m writing this eNote from Kearney, Nebraska. Every year at this time the Bishop convenes the Great Plains Annual Conference. All clergy from Kansas and Nebraska are required to attend, and at least one layperson for each clergy is elected by their local churches to attend. I believe there are about 750 United Methodist Churches in the Great Plains Conference. There are over 1,100 delegates here, including 55 of us from Church of the Resurrection.
We kicked off yesterday with our opening sessions including voting to approve five candidates for commissioning or ordination who are, or have been, a part of Resurrection. I’ll mention them below. The next two days will include worship, reports, discussion and debates on various proposals from the Great Plains area, votes on these issues and our budget, times for learning, and fellowship. Sunday morning will be our ordination service, and later that morning the bishop will read the names of every pastor in the Conference and where they will be assigned for ministry during the coming year (in the United Methodist Church the bishop assigns pastors on an annual basis though often leaving them in the same church for many years – Sunday will be my 35th time to be assigned by the bishop as Resurrection’s senior pastor).
WORSHIP THIS WEEKEND: BECOMING LIKE CHILDREN
This weekend, Pastor Scott Chrostek, will share a message from our sermon series called High Dive: Daring to Go Deeper (at Resurrection West, Pastor Bill Gepford will be preaching). Last week we were challenged to think about how we can meet people where they are – particularly emerging generations – and share the message of Jesus in ways that speak to them. This week, his message Becoming Like Children will consider what it takes to take risks and live boldly. We’ll explore how we might press past our fears and push ourselves beyond our comfort zones for the sake of the Gospel – exactly what Jesus and the apostles did. Here’s a fun video teaser you could share with a friend and invite them to worship.
If you’re in town, join us at one of our six locations this weekend. If you are traveling or outside Kansas City, join us online at cor.org/worship.
VBC: “THE JESUS TOUR” IS COMING SOON!
This weekend in worship we’ll share a fun video promo for our annual Vacation Bible Camp. VBC is July 15 – 19 at all six of our locations. You won’t want to miss “The Jesus Tour,” an exciting adventure for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade (during the 2023/2024 school year). Register your kids and grandkids here. We can always use more volunteers, so sign up and join your kids and grandkids for this fun week.
COMMUNITY JUSTICE MONTH AT RESURRECTION
June is community justice month at Resurrection, and we are highlighting many of the opportunities we have to live into the Micah 6:8 scripture: “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.” One opportunity this month is to engage in Juneteenth celebration opportunities. On June 15, Resurrection will be at the Juneteenth Overland Park Celebration at Prairie Fire, where we’ll have an info booth and a banner in the parade. This festival is all about fostering unity and helping people learn more about their neighbors, and if you’re in the area, join us. Then, on June 22, we’ll host a community Juneteenth celebration along with St. James United Methodist Church at our Leawood campus. This family-friendly celebration will be a night full of music, dance, and learning — you don’t want to miss it! You can find more information about this celebration on our website.
CELEBRATING ORDINATIONS AND COMMISSIONINGS
- Lauren Baker Thomas will be ordained as a Full Elder. Lauren previously served at Resurrection and is now serving as a Chaplain at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
- Jenifer Schultz will be ordained as a Full Elder. Jen serves as a pastor at Resurrection Brookside.
- Ally Drummond will be ordained as a Full Deacon. Ally serves at Resurrection Leawood.
- Josh Seifert will be commissioned as a Provisional Elder. Josh served at Resurrection and has been appointed to begin serving July 1 at Old Mission UMC.
- Jessica Lovell who has served at Resurrection Overland Park was commissioned as a Provisional Elder.
GLEN SHOUP APPOINTED TO HERITAGE UMC
For the last 14 years, Glen Shoup has served on our pastoral staff at Church of the Resurrection. He served as a congregational care pastor, then in senior leadership, and since COVID, he has led our efforts at preparing worship for television, and online and preparing our sermons for use at our locations. He’s also given key leadership in our worship and tech ministries. Glen recently completed his Doctorate of Ministry with an emphasis on preaching from Duke and has been hoping to return to weekly preaching as the senior pastor of a congregation. This Sunday Bishop David Wilson will be appointing Glen to serve as the Senior Pastor of Heritage United Methodist Church at 128th and Quivira. Join me in sending notes or cards to express your appreciation for Glen’s ministry of these last 15 years and praying for him as he begins his new appointment.
2024 KC PRIDEFEST AND PARADE THIS WEEKEND
Resurrection will have a welcoming booth at KC Pridefest June 7 – 9 at Theis Park, near the main stage, so stop by and say hello. Some churches have closed their doors to the LGBTQ persons. Our involvement at the Pridefest is a way for our congregation to say that all are welcome at Resurrection. Our volunteer team will also be walking in the family-friendly parade on Saturday morning – look for them and join the fun! You can park safely at our convenient Resurrection Brookside lot and catch a complimentary shuttle bus straight to the heart of the celebration. For more information, click here.
RESURRECTION MERCHANDISE WEBSITE OPENS ONLINE
As you see the Resurrection logo on materials, it’s good to be able to explain the theological significance of the icon stands for. There’s more, but here are a few of the things to note:
- The cross represents the love and grace of God seen in Jesus’ death for us.
- The octagon was an early sign of the resurrection – its eight sides represent the eighth day of Holy Week – Easter – thus representing the resurrection. Because of its association with the resurrection, the octagon shape came to be used of baptismal fonts, hence the octagon, and the circle within, reminding us of our baptism.
- The variations of shapes and colors represent an authentic community where diverse people meet and find a place to belong.
DON’T MISS OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP THIS MONTH!
- YOUNG ADULT BLOCK PARTY– Food trucks, yard games, connection and fun, Tuesday, June 11, 6 – 8 pm, at Resurrection Brookside.
- SCHOOL MAKEOVER – Woodland Early Learning Center (711 Woodland Ave, Kansas City, MO 64106), June 20 – 28. Register to serve here.
- MEN’S PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT – Saturday, June 15, 9 am – noon, at several area locations. Registration here.
- RUMMAGE SALE – Donation drop off will be Sunday, June 9, and Monday June 10, and sale June 13-14 at Resurrection Leawood. Details are on thewebsite.
NEXT WEEKEND SUMMER REVIVAL: GOD AND THE COSMOS
I’ll be back in the pulpit next weekend as we kick-off our annual Summer Revival with God and the Cosmos. I love astronomy. I’ve got a telescope at home through which I can see thousands of night sky objects. There are constantly amazing things happening in the heavens – the eclipse in April, the Northern Lights being seen (with our phone’s cameras) last month and the nightly movement of the constellations, stars the planets across the sky.
The biblical authors saw all these things as a reflection of God’s glory, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1). They saw God’s glory and majesty in the heavens. Beginning June 16, we’ll be exploring what science teaches us about the cosmos, how the heavens declare the glory of God, whether there might be life on other planets and more.
I’ve enjoyed having conversations with two former NASA scientists this last week, listened to interviews with astrophysicists, and read a couple of books looking for connections between astronomy and faith, all of which excites me as we prepare to kick-off our summer revival, God and the Cosmos on June 16.
VESPERS THIS TUESDAY NIGHT
Join me for Vespers at 7:30 pm Central Time on Facebook Live which you can access here. I’ll give you a sneak peek into the upcoming sermon series on God and the Cosmos.
Have a great weekend, and join us for worship!
Adam
P.S. Check out your location newsletter on Tuesday for more opportunities to get connected with Resurrection. Here’s the link to subscribe.
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.
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