WHY DO THE INNOCENT SUFFER?

Dear Resurrection Family,

This morning I was speaking with one of our members, Eddie Connor, about this weekend’s message, Why Do the Innocent Suffer? This message will conclude our series of messages, Wrestling with DOUBT, Finding Faith. Some of you know Eddie – he’s a remarkable man and his story is a story of someone who experienced terrible loss, but instead of turning away from God, found hope and sanity through his faith in God. Eddie lost two children to a rare form of cancer, and several years later, his wife. I’ll share part of his story, and his insights, with you in this weekend’s message. I want to tell you more about the message, as I think this is a sermon EVERY ONE OF YOU will find helpful, and you may have many friends who need this message.

THIS WEEKEND’S MESSAGE: WHY DO THE INNOCENT SUFFER?

This weekend in worship we’ll conclude our series of messages on Wrestling with DOUBT, Finding Faith, by turning to the number one reason people turn away from faith; we’ll look closely at the top reason I hear from atheists and agnostics for why they struggle with believing there is a God: Why do the innocent suffer?

The question is asked a variety of ways. On our Doubt survey we took in December these were some of the actual questions from those who took the survey: “Why was I abused by my parents?” “Why do little children have to suffer?” “Why did my daughter, a pastor, die from cancer?” “Why didn’t God not create a world without natural disasters?” “If God is all powerfully, why doesn’t God stop suffering?”

This weekend we’ll consider these questions and how we make sense of suffering. We’ll look at the assumptions behind the common refrain of Christians in the face of suffering, “Everything happens for a reason,” and why that might not be the right response to suffering. We’ll then look at why some people turn to God, rather than away, in response to suffering. Tomorrow morning, I’ll post on Facebook and Twitter a one minute video invitation for you to share with your friends, inviting them to join us. I believe you and your friends will find this sermon deeply meaningful.

Invite a friend to join you for worship!

IN PERSON at one of our five locations:
—Leawood location at 7:30, 9, 11 am (traditional at 11 in the sanctuary, modern at 11 in the Foundry) or 5 pm
—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
TELEVISION on KMCI Channel 38 at 8 am or 11 am
ON DEMAND on YouTube throughout the week

ARE YOU READY TO BE A RESURRECTION MEMBER?

If you’ve been worshipping with us – in person or online – and you are interested in making Resurrection your church home, join me this Sunday, February 6, at 2 pm online for our “Coffee with the Pastors.” Grab a cup of coffee, and tune in on Zoom for this inspiring gathering where you’ll learn more about the church, get to know our pastors and staff and you’ll learn what it means to be a member of the church and a follower of Christ. Then, toward the end, there is a short joining ceremony for those ready to become members. We typically have about 100 people join us for our Zoom “Coffee with the Pastors.”

Register for Coffee with the Pastors →

FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH

This week marked the beginning of Black History Month. Our team has put together some very interesting resources honoring the contributions Black Americans have made to our country, city and the United Methodist Church. Parts of the history are difficult to hear, but it’s important for us to learn and grow as we strive to love our neighbors and create a world that looks more like the kingdom of God. Each week we’ll have suggestions of things you can do to learn more about Black history.

Here are a couple of suggestions for this week. I’ll share more next week. Additional resources, as well as the link to the full list of opportunities are on our website.

• Tomorrow, Saturday, February 5, The League of Women Voters is presenting an online program at 9 am on “Segregated History.” The program is free but registration is required. It will be a virtual program at 9:00 am on Saturday morning.
• In celebration of Black History Month, the Royals and Royals Charities are covering admission to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for the entire month of February.
• The National Museum of African American History & Culture, part of the Smithsonian in Washington DC, is celebrating Black History Month through the lense of Black Health and Wellness. Click the link above – this is an excellent and fascinating resource. You can also visit many other parts of the museum virtually at the website.
• Link to VoiceMap, and take a guided tour in Kansas City to learn about the history of segregation in Kansas City. I’m excited about this resource and plan to take this tour myself this month. Take your family or friends on a 90-minute drive throughout Kansas City, starting at Shawnee Mission East High School and making your way through the city while listening to the guided tour via your phone, hearing the story of Kansas City’s own history of segregation.

I’ll be picking up some of these themes in my Tuesday Night Vespers on February 15 and 22. I’d love you to take advantage of the many opportunities to learn about Black history during the month of February.

Learn more →

FEBRUARY BLOOD DRIVE – FIVE DAYS, FOUR LOCATIONS

Donating blood is an easy way to share the love of Jesus with our neighbors, and you can potentially save a life! And, we’re expanding our Resurrection Blood Drives, with four locations and five days where you can donate blood over the next two weeks. If you’ve had COVID recently, it is my understanding that you can donate blood on the 11th day after your symptoms have resolved. Appointments are encouraged and walk-ins will be worked in as space allows. Masks are required by The Community Blood Center. Just click on the location for details and a registration link.

• West: Monday, February 7
• Leawood (Building B): Monday and Tuesday, February 14 and 15
• Blue Springs: Thursday, February 17
• Overland Park: Thursday, February 17

We are happy to welcome back our volunteers to help register folks and serve refreshments at our blood drives this month. If you’d like to get involved in this life-saving ministry, just click here to choose a slot to serve.

FEBRUARY ONLINE CLASSES BEGIN THIS WEEK

• A Bible study intro called “Meet Your Bible” meets Mondays, Feb. 7 – March 28, 9:30 – 11:30 am CST OR Wednesdays, Feb. 9 – March 20, 6:30-8:30 pm CST. This is an 8-week class that provides an overview of every book in the Bible.
• “Saving Grace,” an online financial planning class meets on Tuesdays, Feb. 8-March 15, from 6:30-8 pm CST.
• We have other class options beginning in person at our locations. Go to cor.org/events and select your location to check them out.

SACK HUNGER FOOD DRIVE

Our food drive continues this week, and you can help us “Sack Hunger” in our community in three ways:

• Donate Food – Pick up a grocery bag at all of our locations after worship this weekend, fill it with the items on the shopping list, and bring it back with you to worship by February 13 or the collection drop off on February 19. You can also find the grocery list on the website.
• Donate Funds – We’ll use your gifts for bulk food purchases, as well as fresh items. Here’s the online donation link. If you prefer to give by check, please note “Food Drive” in the memo area. LaVon and I just made our contribution this morning, but plan to purchase food as well.
• Volunteer – Sort donations, stock shelves, deliver food, and assist with the food pantry and Food Mobile. If you’re interested in serving with Hunger Stoppers, learn more here.

Learn more about Hunger Stoppers →

SERVE SATURDAY COMING UP FEBRUARY 19

Sorting donations, serving meals, building storage shelves, shopping with our neighbors in need – these are just a few of the opportunities to serve our community on Saturday morning, February 19. Go to the signup page to select where you want to serve and sign up today!

TUESDAY NIGHT VESPERS

This week, at Tuesday Vespers on Facebook Live, I’ll be interviewing Eddie Connor who I mentioned in the opening of this eNote. Eddie lost his wife and two children to cancer. I want him to share his story with you, and I believe you will be moved as I have been each time I speak with him. Join me at 7:30 pm CT on Facebook Live, at my Facebook page: Pastor Adam Hamilton on Facebook. You’ll also be able to view it on my Facebook page or the church’s YouTube page after Tuesday night.

This last week’s vespers was a bit long and had some technical problems when it first went live. We have since divided the video into two shorter posts. The first on Christianity and Cremation and the second is Questions About Unanswered Prayer. You can check them out here.

BEWARE OF SUSPICIOUS EMAILS AND FRIEND REQUESTS FROM ME

Recently, someone created a fake email account, using my name and soliciting gift cards. Please delete and don’t respond to anything like this. When I communicate with our congregation, it is through a cor.org email address. (For large distributions like this e-note, it comes from a SendGrid account, so the email address is @sg.cor.org.)

We also have an ongoing problem with people creating fake Facebook pages and inviting people to be my friend. My Facebook page is public, and you don’t need a friend request – all you have to do is go to the page and select to follow it. If you are not sure if something is legitimate or have questions, you can direct them to comadmin@cor.org and we’ll check it out.

I’m really looking forward to worshipping with you this weekend!

Adam