Weekly Update from Pastor Adam - October 24, 2025

The holidays will be here before we know it, and this weekend we’re beginning our Joy in Serving projects as we work together to provide holiday meal bags, meat vouchers, and hot meals to families and individuals in our community who are facing food insecurity. From Oct. 26 through Nov. 9, you can pick up a meal bag at any of our Resurrection locations, fill it, and then drop it off at any of our Resurrection locations. If you’re not able to fill the bag yourself, you can make a donation online, and volunteers can fill it for you. This is a great opportunity to serve our neighbors and make a real difference in families’ lives in our community. Details are online here.

In the coming months, we will be sharing ways you can spread holiday joy to those in need, both locally and globally. Watch my eNote, your location email on Tuesdays and the website for opportunities.

We have a really fun community event coming up on Nov. 7! GloWild at the Kansas City Zoo is one of Kansas City’s best seasonal attractions, and Resurrection has a special opportunity to be part of it. At GloWild, you get to walk through the zoo at night as it is fully decorated with giant light displays, and this year our Christmas at Resurrection cast members, musicians and kids’ choir are going to be performing at the event from 6:30-8:30 pm near the penguin exhibit. And because they are performing, Resurrection members are receiving a significant discount on tickets. All you need to do when you arrive at the zoo to purchase your tickets is simply mention Resurrection, and you’ll get a discounted ticket for $18, which is the lowest price option. This is an awesome event, and great for families, and I hope you can join us to support our cast and musicians and enjoy a beautiful evening with your family and friends.

The Resurrection Foundation is offering a free online Estate Planning Seminar on Monday, Nov. 10, from 6 – 8 pm. Experienced estate planning attorneys from the Resurrection congregation will share helpful information to prepare you to take the next step with your professional advisor. You’ll learn about essential topics like wills, trusts, and asset protection strategies, with practical advice for every life stage. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to update your existing plans, this informative session offers valuable guidance for securing your future. You can learn more and get the online link here.

On Sunday, Nov. 16, all of our 3rd graders will be receiving their own Bible as a gift from the church during worship. This is a significant milestone of faith for all of our 3rd graders. As a follow-up, we’re hosting a retreat for all of these 3rd graders and their grown-ups on Friday, Nov. 21, at 5:30 pm, where they’ll gather for food, fun, and some great faith activities as they explore how to use their new Bibles. This retreat is a way for families to connect and grow together in faith, so if you have a third grader, plan to join us for both the Bible presentation and the retreat, and you can get all the details at register at cor.org/next.

I watched a film this week that I think you might find interesting – a documentary called Unbroken about a family of seven Jewish children who, after their mother was taken to Auschwitz, were slated to be taken to Auschwitz as well. They were rescued by their neighbor, a farmer, who, with his wife and the town mayor, hid them for two years at an orchard in Worin, Germany. The film was produced by Beth Lane, the daughter of one of those children. It is a fascinating history and very moving.

I mention this as I learned that there will be a special screening of the film, followed by a Q&A with Beth Lane, the film’s Director/Producer/Writer, on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 pm at the Glenwood Fine Arts Theater in Overland Park. Beth made the film in her quest to uncover answers about the plight of her mother and six siblings. It’s a powerful and timely film exploring hope, resilience and being an upstander. You can watch the trailer here and see where it is streaming. If you’d like to attend the special screening, you can get tickets here. The film is appropriate for children middle school age and above; parents should use their discretion for younger children.

This month, as we celebrate 35 years, we encourage a goal for our members to serve 35,000 hours. Those hours include volunteering through the church (teaching Sunday School, ushering, greeting, serving on Serve Saturday, packing weekend snack packs, collecting food, etc.), but it also includes everything you do in serving others on your own or volunteering with other organizations. The idea is less about 35,000 hours and more about each of us intentionally serving.

If you can take a moment to log your service hours, all you have to do is text the word serve to 913-914-2600, and you’ll receive a link to log your hours. Do this every time you serve this month. Again, any type of serving others in our community counts, whether it’s with Resurrection or another organization, or something you do individually, like helping out at your child’s school or caring for a neighbor.

On Nov. 2, I’ll begin a new sermon series called The Generous Life, exploring how God’s lavish giving shapes the way we’re meant to live. For those of you who tithe, give your first tenth to God, I wonder if you would be willing to share your stories with me – how you came to do this, why, and your experience of tithing. As I prepare the sermons, I’d love to hear your stories and the impact tithing has had on your life. If you’d be willing to share, please email your story to my Executive Assistant Stephanie Hubers here.

As of today, many government workers will no longer be paid. SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food support – an average of $6 per person per day to 40 million Americans – though having contingency funds, sounds as though they may not distribute them. WIC, which provides support for 6 million women, infants and children, sounds as though it will no longer provide funds in November. I’m basing this on the latest news I could find today.

In light of this, our November Joy in Serving food drive is more important than ever. Please note the holiday bag article above. I’d like to ask you to consider doing something to help.

I wanted you to know that one day this week, as a small token of encouragement to one of the most challenging jobs, no longer receiving a paycheck, you provided lunch and supper for air traffic controllers at Kansas City International Airport, thanks to Resurrection member Kris Campbell’s suggestion. I sent a note on your behalf to encourage these government workers who are not going to receive their next paycheck. They were very grateful.

Both parties in Congress and the President are playing a “game of chicken” that affects 1.4 million government workers and millions of low-income people. I am praying as I write these words that both sides will feel pressure to compromise and to come up with a solution that resolves this current crisis. I know Republicans blame the Democrats and Democrats blame the Republicans. Politics works through the art of compromise. That compromise will eventually come, but I hope, for the sake of all who are affected, that it comes soon.