This Advent season is like no other. Many of us have altered how we will celebrate Christmas. In our household there have been some discussion about how to handle gifts – our boys are at the age where experiences were more the standard gift than a thing. It has us …
Candles for Christmas – Mike Graves
On three Monday nights in November, a bunch of us gathered online for a course called “Saints of Our Time.” The word saints conjures up halos in artwork and names like Saint Augustine or Saint Teresa, heroic people who achieved great things in the name of serving God and community. …
Finding Our Way – Carla Aday
I had been to my Granny’s little house in the country (Frost, Texas to be exact) hundreds of times but almost every time, I rode in the back seat of my parents’ sedan. Now I was in my own car, driving home from college and it was my assignment to …
Annual State of the Church Meeting
If you missed the annual State of the Church meeting, you can view a recording, the meeting slide show, and the 2019-2020 annual report here.
Now More Than Ever
Now more than ever, we know what truly matters: friends, family, kindness. Though this season has been challenging, the spirit, grace and hope that has risen up among us inspires.
Staff Transitions, May 8, 2020
Reverend Corey Meyer has tendered his resignation effective June 30, 2020. Rev. Meyer was serving a three year position scheduled to conclude in December of 2020 but decided that this was a good time to make this professional transition. He writes: There is deep gratitude in my heart for the …
Easter Offering Thank You
Thank you for your gifts to the Easter offering, which supports two nonprofits who serve individuals in our community who do not have access to quality health care, KC Care Health Center and Care Beyond the Boulevard.
Love Was Born – Carla Aday
Luke 2:15-20 “When the angels had left them . . . . . “ Sometimes in our romanticizing of Christmas we assume that we should be on a spiritual high throughout the month. But we grow more and more tired and weary as the sacred day approaches. We assume that …
Glory – Mike Graves
Luke 2:8-12 It never fails when we take a group to Israel, we spot shepherds watching their sheep. Not by night, as Luke tells it, because we’re always in bed early, exhausted by the day’s activities. But every group we’ve taken has seen them. Usually it’s Bedouins, nomadic people of …
The Visit of the Wise Men – Catherine Stark-Corn
Luke 2:1-7 Every year as my family unpacks our holiday decorations and we unwrap various nativity sets I recall a conversation from my seminary years. In a class we were talking about the season of Advent and a classmate shared a tradition in her family practiced while she was growing …
Angels – Lara Schopp
Luke 2:13-14 At first, one of the baby angels hid behind her mother. Her older sisters were laughing and admiring one another’s wings, but this particular angel was nervous, brow furrowed; skeptical. A new angel family arrived, bringing more commotion and excitement, dancing and singing; waving of golden star wands …
Signs of Hope – Joe Walker
John 3:16-19 True story: The other day I was driving down the street and there was a guy on the corner with a hand-lettered sign, “Jesus Loves You John 3:16.” As I drove past him, I realized there was a second guy standing about the middle of the block with …
Wilderness – Tyler Heston
Mark 1:1-3 Did you know the traditional Christmas story is only found in two of the four Gospels in the New Testament? The elements that make up the common nativity scene come from Matthew and Luke; Mark and John cut to the chase and begin with Jesus’ ministry. However, Mark’s …
Time – Corey Meyer
Romans 13:11-14 You know what time it is! Right now, as I write, my phone, watch, laptop, and clock on the office phone are displaying the time. At this very moment in Kansas City it is 2:13 p.m. At least, that is what the scientists, astronomers, and engineers of technology …
Words, Words and More Words….Catherine Stark-Corn
Luke 1:46-49 Words have been the topic of much discussion in my home lately as my high school student has hit a point where they are working on essays that have a targeted number of words. This frustrates him as he either has too many or not enough – and …