Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Articles”
Lara Schopp Articles, Carla Aday, Senior Minister Blog
Today as I write, our high school mission team sits exhausted and exhilarated on a plane home from Ecuador. Watching their posts on Instagram and Facebook this week I was carried back to memories of my first international mission trip to Guatemala when the scales fell from my eyes and …
Lara Schopp Articles, Carla Aday, Senior Minister Blog
“At arrival of gratitude, theology slid away like a heavy coat.” -Leif Enger, Virgil Wander I love three things about this quote. First, I love that gratitude arrives. It’s hard to force gratitude. You can practice politeness and teach folks to say “thank you” but the deep awareness that life …
Lara Schopp Articles, Tyler Heston
Last week, thousands gathered both in person and online for the funeral of Christian author and speaker Rachel Held Evans, who died unexpectedly at the age of 37. Evans spent most of her life in Tennessee, where she was raised as a conservative Evangelical. In her twenties, she began to …
Lara Schopp Articles, Give, Staff Messages
I always get to write a newsletter article during the time you are responding to the stewardship campaign. Coincidence? I don’t think so. It is so I get to tell you each year how you amaze me. This church can’t make the difference it makes without you! The gifts that …
Lara Schopp Catherine Stark-Corn
If only there was only some way to capture the tone of voice when a four-year-old blurted out, “It’s so beautiful!” The shock, excitement and reverence this little guy shared as he stopped to take in a huge, bright yellow dandelion was truly contagious. One would think we were in …
Lara Schopp Articles, Carla Aday, Senior Minister Blog
The early morning walk along the Mediterranean Sea and the mosaics in the floor of the 5th century synagogue were stunning. But the image that stands out in my mind after our first full day in Israel is the “tel.” Tel means mound and we visited Tel Megiddo where 25 …
Lara Schopp Articles, Corey Meyer
This year our Easter Offering raised over $18,000! Thank you to everyone for your generous gifts and commitment to promoting sustainable and responsible practices for our environment. It is our dream that with our donations Bridging the Gap here in Kansas City can continue to its mission to connect environment, …
Lara Schopp Articles, Carla Aday, Senior Minister Blog
When I arrived at Divinity School I met the Dean of Students, Joan Forsberg. She was kind of the campus miracle worker. She could figure out a registration knot or repair a financial aid glitch or help you solve a vocational crises. Both students and faculty relied on her to …
Lara Schopp Carla Aday, Senior Minister Blog
I heard once that children are born with faith. But as they mature into teens and adults, we rob them of it. We teach them the “right” answers rather than letting them revel in the holy mystery. Oftentimes parents worry about how to teach a child to navigate the death …
Lara Schopp Articles, Children & Families, Staff Messages
By Lindsay Howes, Director of Children’s Ministry It has been a joy and honor to serve these last five years as the Director of Children’s Ministries. Getting to know more families and children in our church community has been a blessing. Working with individuals from our church for Vacation Bible …
Lara Schopp Articles, Mike Graves
By Dr. Mike Graves When I was only part-time at Country Club Christian Church, and still serving part-time on the faculty at Saint Paul School of Theology, I actually had three offices, including the one at home. That meant I had three sets of bookshelves for all those volumes. When …
Lara Schopp Carla Aday, Senior Minister Blog
It felt unusual. Peaceful but unusual. When we stepped of the plane in Nashville to visit our son, we were not there for Parents Weekend or setting up a new apartment or graduation. We have outlived our usefulness as parents. And so it was time to enter a new season. …
Lara Schopp Articles, Carla Aday, Senior Minister Blog
Now that Ward Parkway has been repaved, we can drive at full speed. Winter slowed us down. Between the icy sidewalks, the sub-zero temps and the potholes, we were forced to pause. Spring brings a new urgency.
Lara Schopp Articles, Staff Messages
By Lara Schopp, Director of Communications Here’s my idea,” I say. I yammer on for about 10 minutes trying to explain what I’m thinking. My colleague Leslie Tenjack tilts her head to the side and makes ‘that’ face…the one I know means she has no idea what I’m talking about. …
Lara Schopp Articles, Congregational Care, Joe Walker
By Rev. Joe Walker, Minister of Congregational Care Summer is all about doing things a little differently, isn’t it? Get out of your comfort zone, leave your Zip Code in the rearview mirror. Explore exotic locales, eat food you can’t identify, get bit by different kinds of mosquitos, sleep in a …
