Two- year-old George bounded down the center aisle with his big brothers and plopped down on the red carpeted steps in front of the communion table. Two seconds into the children’s sermon George stood, climbed up and cozied himself right into Rev Joe Walker’s lap. Though we were only eight minutes into the 9:01 worship service, with offering, communion and sermon still to go, for me the worship was already complete.
I wish I read more poetry. Sometimes it seems like it takes too much concentration. But even as a novice poetry reader, I followed the work of Mary Oliver. She had an uncanny ability to paint a picture and awaken the soul with just a few words. After she died last week, Read More...
The snow, even days after it has fallen and as it turns brown and black from foot and road traffic, is absolutely wonderful to me. The frozen precipitation paints fresh beauty into familiar landscapes.
I have a handwritten copy of a history presentation about our church. It was written and presented by Marjorie, a charter member of our church. She was a little girl, living a stone’s throw from the church, in the early 1900s. She recalls that the land where our church stands was part of the Wornall Homestead.
I’ve just returned from Florida where I attended the annual conference for Disciples of Christ pastors. After a full day of intensive meetings, dialogues and lectures...
Rev. Catherine Stark-Corn, Interim Minister to Children and Families The Christ child is born – the new year is here and this is the week I begin to feel a bit deflated after all the build-up through Advent and anticipation of Christmas. It’s not that the Advent and Christmas seasons disappointed. It Read More...
It happened so quickly. Immediately I tried to replay, rewind, undo, but while waiting in the ER, reality set in, I broke my arm on Dec. 20. All it took was a slip of the boot on a pool of greasy water on a tile floor in a darkened hallway of a Read More...
Lara Schopp, Director of Communications W hen Glen Miles was the Senior Minister, he used to tell a story about good-hearted and well-intentioned lay leader who was passionate about a church project. “Glen, we’ve got to tell more people about this. Nobody knows it’s happening. We need to promote it. It needs Read More...
Rev. Mike Graves, Scholar in Residence and Minister of Spiritual Formation When I was in seminary, there were days I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that what was being presented was a piece of trivia that would never come in handy, not in my daily life as a follower of Read More...
I had heard about “pop up” restaurants and “pop up” retail shops but until last Sunday I had never heard a “Pick up” choir. One of our elders invited Dr. Paul Tucker to designate a Sunday where anyone who wanted to could sing in the choir on one Sunday. All you had to do was show up at 10:00 a.m. that day to rehearse the anthem for the 11:00 a.m. service.
Some families celebrate Christmas with the precision of a Bach cantata and some with the creative improvisation of a jazz medley. Both can be beautiful. But while we are in the middle of it, sorting out which traditions are essential and which are flexible can be tricky. The goal of course is Read More...
Rev. Corey Meyer, Director of Mission Partnerships Last February I received an e-mail from Lance Jesse, our chairperson of the Grants & Special Offerings Team, saying that we had two checks to deliver to some of our mission partners who were the recipients of our Christmas Offering. I thought, “Great! How kind Read More...
I drive into the parking lot and the snow has been removed. A nursery attendant greets me with a smile and warm handshake in the children’s wing. She stands in the hallway ready for the little ones to toddle in. I walk into the parlor and smell the fresh brewed Roasterie coffee.
Paul Cutelli, Director of Technology “…I hope that the world turns and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with Read More...
Dina Pannabecker Evans, Executive Director, Operations, and Co-Director, Music The wealth of time and talent shared by volunteers here at Country Club Christian Church is a constant source of amazement to me. We are grateful for the difference these gifts make to the life of the church and its surrounding connections, be Read More...
