Weekly Updates from Pastor Adam - May 13, 2022

Dear Resurrection Family,

As you read this eNote, I’m somewhere in the air on our 18-hour return trip from Poland. Five of us from Resurrection were there to meet with Ukrainian and Polish church leaders and refugees to see how we can best support the church’s efforts to care for refugees as well as those who have remained in Eastern Ukraine. You have demonstrated remarkable generosity, giving over $750,000 to this effort to date – I am so proud of you. I’ll tell you more about the trip and what we hope to do at the end of the eNote.

But first, I want to encourage you to be in worship this weekend as we continue in our series on Five Keys to Relationships that Last.

THIS WEEKEND’S MESSAGE: Six Essential Words for Relationships that Last

As we turn to our third of five keys to relationships that last, we’ll focus on “Resolving Conflict, Showing Grace.” The key will be found in six words no healthy relationship can survive without. This key is essential not only for marriages and romantic relationships but for every relationship. We’ll learn from our survey, of over 7,500 married people, how often you have conflict, what you fight about, and how you deal with conflict. Over 2,000 singles took the survey, of whom 900 were divorced. We’ll learn the top five causes of divorce. And then we’ll see how the Bible, and Jesus in particular, speak to the issues of conflict resolution and grace. LaVon and I will also weigh in by video as we share a bit about our conflicts. Every one of us needs this message.

We’ll also be honoring high school, college and graduate school graduates this weekend. We have a special gift for our graduates at all of our locations. We’re so proud of all of our graduates, and we’ll be praying for you at every service.

Since I’ll be arriving home tonight, and have had little sleep this week, I’ve asked our location pastors, at each of our locations, to preach this message and share their own reflections on this key. Pastor Wendy Lyons Chrostek will be sharing the message on TV and online. Don’t miss this weekend in worship, and invite your friends and family.

Invite them to join you in person at one of our five locations:

Leawood location at 7:30 am in Wesley Chapel, 9 am in Sanctuary, and 11 am traditional in Sanctuary and modern in Foundry) or 5 pm in Sanctuary

Downtown location Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 or 11 am

Blue Springs, Olathe (West) and Overland Park locations Sunday at 9 or 11 am

Online at cor.org on Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 7:30, 9 and 11 am or 5 pm

On KMCI Channel 38 television at 8 am or 11 am

On demand on YouTube throughout the week

GOING TO THE NASCAR RACE SUNDAY?

Sunday morning I will be at Central UMC near the Plaza to answer their questions as they consider whether to become a location of Resurrection. Then in the afternoon, I’ve been asked to give the invocation at the NASCAR race. If you are there or watching on TV, join me for the opening prayer!

CHURCH CONFERENCE

A Church Conference has been called for Tuesday, May 17, from 6 – 6:45 pm in Room B251 at Leawood to vote upon our Staff Parish Relations Committee’s recommendation of church member, Dr. Tiffany Anderson, as a candidate for pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church. Dr. Anderson is one of my heroes – she serves as Superintendent of Schools in Topeka. She’s been recognized nationally as one of the most remarkable school superintendents in the country. She sees her work as her calling and ministry, caring for kids and their families. While working full-time as a superintendent, and already possessing a doctorate of education, she attended seminary and will be receiving her master’s degree this week.

The Church Conference will also vote upon the Staff Parish Relations Committee’s recommendation regarding pastoral compensation for the coming year. Voting is limited to members of the church, but anyone may attend. Participants may either be in-person for this event or may participate via Zoom. Registration is not required. To join the conference, join the Zoom call here at 6 pm on May 17. For more information, email Dan.Entwistle@cor.org.

MAY BLOOD DRIVES TO MEET CRITICAL LOCAL NEEDS AND OFFER HOPE TO UKRAINIANS

Donating blood is an easy way to share the love of Jesus with our neighbors, and you may save a life! This time of year, with school breaks and travel, blood donation needs always increase. This week, the Community Blood Center announced an alarming drop, and Resurrection’s Blood Drives will be critical to our community.

Also if you donate blood this month, you will provide hope to millions of Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to flee Ukraine. Global Blood Fund is raising funds to support a rehoming program that matches Ukrainian refugees with host homes across the UK, Canada and the United States (http://rehomeukraine.org/). Kansas City’s Community Blood Center will donate $1 to Global Blood Fund’s Ukrainian support efforts for every donor at any of the Resurrection blood drives in May.

Blood drive dates and times are listed below. Appointments are strongly encouraged. Walk-ins will be safely worked in as space allows. Masks are optional. Just click on the location name for details and a registration link.

West: Monday, May 16, 10 am

Leawood: (Building B): Monday and Tuesday, May 23-24, 8 am-8 pm

Blue Springs: Thursday, May 26, 2 pm

Overland Park: Thursday, May 26, 2 pm

ONLINE COUPLES’ RETREAT MAY 21

“Relationship Refresh” is a half-day online retreat, offered Saturday, May 21, from 10 am – 1 pm CDT. Led by Resurrection pastors and counseling director, you and your partner can join an online Zoom link from your home, to laugh, reconnect and hear practical ideas to refresh your relationship.

Register Today →

SERVE SATURDAY NEXT WEEK

There’s a great opportunity for you and, if you have kids, your family, to join us for our upcoming Serve Saturday, May 21. We have a variety of places and projects for you to select from, you can view the opportunities here. Just pick where and when you want to serve, sign up, and then go directly to your selected serve site next Saturday.

Sign Up to Serve →

ROCK THE BLOCK WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Here’s another chance to positively impact our city: Join Habitat KC and Church of the Resurrection to “Rock The Block” in Olathe on Saturday, May 21. More than 100 volunteers are needed to revitalize the Lakehurst neighborhood by helping homeowners with minor exterior home repairs such as painting, porch repair, landscaping and more. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old, and a parent or guardian must accompany all volunteers under the age of 18. Lunch is provided. This is a great opportunity to serve our community and love your neighbor in a tangible way, but you must register by 3 pm on Monday, May 16. Sign Up to Serve →

REGISTER FOR CONFIRMATION THIS FALL

It’s time to register for our fall confirmation class. Confirmation is the time in a student’s life when they claim faith for themselves. Through Confirmation, students have the opportunity to explore their faith by asking questions, digging deeper, serving others and learning more about God and the Church. They will journey alongside adult mentors and participate in a small group of their peers. At the end of Confirmation, students will be invited to make a public commitment to Christ and become a full member of our church community. Confirmation begins September 18 and is open to students in 8th-12th grade. You do not have to be a member of Church of the Resurrection to participate.

Register here →

TUESDAY NIGHT FOR VESPERS – UPDATE ON THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

This Tuesday night I’ll be coming to you live from my home for Tuesday Vespers – 7:30 pm CDT on Facebook Live. I’ll share a bit about our trip to Poland, but my focus will be an update on the future of the United Methodist Church (UMC). As you may know, a new Methodist denomination formed May 1. There are few churches that have joined the denomination, but in the next couple of years it is likely that 15% will leave the UMC to join this new denomination. What is the latest news and what does it mean for Resurrection? I’ll share my reflections and hope you’ll join me. Check out my Facebook page: Pastor Adam Hamilton on Facebook for Tuesday Vespers. If you “follow” you’ll be notified when I go live. You’ll also be able to view Vespers on my Facebook page or on the Vespers YouTube page after Tuesday night.

A FEW REFLECTIONS, AND VISIONS FROM OUR TIME IN POLAND

Five of us from Resurrection joined a team of five from two other United Methodist Churches in North Carolina, in traveling to Poland this week. Our aim was to listen, learn, and to discern what God would have us do to support the Ukrainian people in the midst of the war. As you know, millions of Ukrainian women, children and older adults have fled their homes with 3 million passing through Poland. Many remain in Poland.

This week, we spent time with the General Superintendent of the UMC in Poland and two of his three District Superintendents, listening to their recommendations and visions for how we can help them care for refugees. We also met with the District Superintendent leading all of the United Methodist churches in Ukraine. There are a total of 58 UMC’s in Ukraine and Poland. Most are small, but they have been amazing in seeking to welcome refugees into their churches and homes.

Among the highlights: We sat outdoors with a family of refugees, who had baked fresh bread to share with us. As we broke bread together they told us their stories, sang for us and we shared scripture and prayer together. Two were United Methodist pastors, and we discussed ideas for supporting refugees. It was deeply meaningful.

We visited three UM churches serving refugees. We stopped by the largest refugee center in Europe, and we walked to the border with Ukraine among the international aid tents where 80,000 people a day were entering Poland at its peak (today that number is greatly reduced).

Here’s a bit of what we’ve learned and some of our plans:

Many have asked if volunteers are needed to go to Poland to help with refugees. This does not seem to be a need right now, at least not through the United Methodist Church. There appeared to be plenty of volunteers at the border. But in Ukraine, when the war is over, there will be needs.

We have already distributed $160,000 in aid prior to our trip. It was used to help set up churches to welcome refugees including funds for food, shelter, water, clothing, and medicines. We’re purchasing a mobile emergency room through Heart to Heart – the Ukrainian Health Ministry has requested 12 of these units. These are portable units that will be deployed in Ukraine near the front lines. These are $140,000 each – I’ll share pictures a week from now in worship. We’re providing additional supplies and medication for local churches helping refugees. The request of the large temporary shelter, housing up to 4,000 people a day in Warsaw, was for bottled water and toiletries – we’ll be purchasing these in Poland and having them delivered in the next few weeks. We’ve set aside funds for trauma therapy for children and their mothers who fled Ukraine – the Ukrainians and Polish are evaluating the need and how best to meet the need. We’re evaluating a proposal from the Polish UMC to complete a “House of Hope” near the border that could house refugees and, following the war, be used for a host of outreach purposes. These are some of the major needs that we’ll be funding from your generous donations over the next month.

As we spoke with the refugees, I shared with them photos of the signs my mom has in her yard, with the colors of the Ukrainian flags, inviting people to pray for Ukraine. I mentioned the yellow and blue ribbons on trees in my neighborhood. I told them of your prayers and concern for them. One woman broke out in tears and spoke of how much this means to them – that they are not alone in this. Each spoke of how grateful they were for your care and prayers. Would you join me, once more, in praying for the people of Ukraine and for the people in Poland and other countries who are welcoming strangers into their homes and churches?

I am very proud of you, Resurrection – your heart for people and the way you generously serve God by serving others.

In Christ’s love,

Adam