You Can Be a Part of the Solution in the Immigration Crisis

Dear Resurrection Family,

I hope you are doing well today on this beautiful Friday before Palm Sunday!

This Weekend: Palm Sunday and the Last Supper

This weekend is Palm Sunday – the beginning of Holy Week. The week begins with Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, the people waving their palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

By Friday, some of those same people would be shouting, “Crucify him!”

I’d like to encourage you to join us for worship this weekend. We’ll start by joining in the singing of the Hosanna, palm branches waving. But in the sermon, I’m going to focus on the events of Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, when Jesus shared his Last Supper with the disciples, then prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Take this cup from me, yet not my will, but thine be done.” Finally, we’ll end remembering what happens to the disciples that night.

We’ll share Holy Communion together at the end of the message – if you worship online or on television, be sure to have bread or crackers and wine or grape juice ready.

If you are comfortable, and you live in town, I’d love to encourage to join us in person on Sunday at 9 or 11 am at any of our campuses. We’ll share the unleavened bread of communion as you are leaving the service. It will be moving and powerful.

Worship with Us Online, on Television or In Person

We have multiple ways you can worship with us this weekend.

• Join us in person at any of our campuses at 9 or 11 am. We have plenty of seating and safety protocols including social distancing and masks are in place.
• Worship on KMCI (Channel 38) at 8 and 11 am. This is a great service to invite your Kansas City friends to check out. To find where KMCI is on your cable provider click here.
• Online worship is still the best way to experience our complete service and to interact with us during worship. At cor.org/live we offer the option of a beautiful traditional service and an inspiring modern service – the sermon is the same at both. These services are played Saturday at 5 pm, Sunday at 7:30, 9, 11 am and 5 pm. After Sunday, they are available throughout the week. All times are Central.
• Access our worship service via our YouTube channel starting Saturday night at 5 pm, then anytime after that you can watch “on demand.”
• Stream our worship to your smart TV via Apple TV, ROKU, Amazon Fire or Google TV. To find the channel search for “Resurrection Online” and look for our cross and flame logo against a blue background.

Regardless of when you worship, be sure to sign in by going to cor.org/next or by clicking here. And while you’re at cor.org/next, check out the opportunities coming up in the next week.

Easter Worship Options at Resurrection – Reservations Required for In-Person

We will have in-person services at each of our locations at 7 am, 9 am and 11 am on Easter Sunday, April 4. To ensure physical distancing, we have limited capacity to 50%, so reservations are required using this link. Masks are required, and safety measures like touchless services and smaller music groups are in place to ensure your safety. Care for children 2 and under is available during services with reservation online.

Volunteers Needed for Easter Worship

We will need additional volunteers to assist with our in-person services, sharing hospitality with all those coming to worship for Easter. Check you campus pastor’s enote for needs at your campus.

Easter Worship Services Online

Beautiful worship services with inspiring music and the same Easter message will be livestreamed at cor.org/live at our regular times on Saturday, April 3, at 5 pm and Sunday, April 4, at 7:30 am, 9 am, 11 am and 5 pm. We will broadcast on KMCI Channel 38 on Sunday, April 4, at our regular 8 am and 11 am times, and will be adding a service at 2 pm. Services are also available on the Resurrection YouTube channel and through the Roku, Apple, Google and Amazon streaming services on your smart TV.

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Tenebrae Service – Beautiful!

Maundy Thursday is when Christians traditionally observe the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples.

On Thursday, April 1, the COR Worship Collective will lead us in online worship at 7:30 pm (Central). This “Tenebrae” service reminds us of the trial, sentencing, execution, death and burial of Jesus. Through beautiful music and the movement from light to dark we prepare our hearts for Easter. This service will also be available for replay on Good Friday, April 2.

Outdoor Prayer Walks and Online Prayer Vigil

During Holy Week, we invite you to join in some special prayer experiences – online and outside. Both our Leawood and West locations have outdoor prayer walks that are open during daylight hours.

Printed guides you can pick up at the walk or digital guides you can download are provided. Use these as you spend time in prayer, remembering and reflecting on Jesus’ life through stations along the walk.

Then on Friday, we observe a Good Friday Prayer Vigil. Set aside time during the day, and join us online where you will find guided prayers as we remember and reflect on Christ’s crucifixion. Links to the prayer walk and Good Friday guides can be found at cor.org/next or cor.org/Easter.

Special Vaccine Clinics Continue

Since February, Resurrection has hosted COVID Vaccine clinics at our Leawood campus, administered by Advent Health. Following the state priority guidelines, by the end of this weekend 35,000 doses will have been administered to those who have come to Advent’s clinic at Resurrection.

I’m grateful for the Advent team and the Resurrection volunteers who have helped make this possible. Our volunteers have gone above and beyond welcoming people and helping them through the registration and vaccination process, demonstrating the love of Christ in real ways.

Advent and Resurrection are teaming up in two special distributions of vaccines – one next week to persons with special needs through our Matthew’s Ministry, and another this week for vulnerable populations associated with one of our partner schools, Ridgeview Elementary School.

I am so proud of the many ways you are caring for and serving our community!

Ways You Can Be a Part of the Solution in the Immigration Crisis

Last weekend, one part of my sermon focused on the children and families who have entered our country through our southern border and how we can help them. I also mentioned ways we can help children in Honduras to find a future with hope in their own country. I want to mention a few opportunities for you to help.

• The Juan Wesley School needs more child sponsors. Click here for child sponsor opportunities around the world.
• Mission Adelante needs volunteers to help immigrants with language and citizenship test prep. Cheryl McMorris and Denise Williams are regular volunteers in these capacities and would gladly help onboard more volunteers.
• Click here to learn about ways to serve with Jewish Vocational Services or contact Julie Doane specifically about opportunities to begin mentoring refugees with JVS. julierdoane@icloud.com.
• Fill out this form to indicate a general interest in serving the KC and global immigrant and refugee community.

LaVon and I sponsor a number of children at the Juan Wesley School – it is rewarding knowing we are helping these children have a chance at a real future in their own country, and many of them are going to college and working to be the change their country needs. I hope you’ll consider doing something to welcome children in Christ’s name, or to help them have a future with hope!

Interested in knowing more? Here is a short video you might be interested in watching on your own, as a family or as a small group. This 13-minute documentary highlighting the story of a Catholic nun and others working on the border is called Oh Mercy and you can watch it here.

See you this weekend, in person, online or television!

Adam