Weekend Update - May 10 & 11

The Holy Spirit was here this weekend! (It was Pentecost, after all.) Here are a few of my own highlights, and I hope you'll add yours to the comment section:

Saturday, May 10
- Johnny Cash showed up at worship Saturday evening! Well, okay it was actually just one of his songs - we sang "Ring of Fire" as a way to celebrate Pentecost.
- Justin Zeigler presented the scripture in movement as three readers shared the story of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-21.
- Danny, Judy, and Andy accompanied the music this week - the first time all three have been together.
- Mike Shepard became a member of the congregation through profession of faith. Welcome Mike! Mike also won the "Name That Tune" moment when he shouted out "Louie, Louie" - although it was a VERY close contest.

Sunday, May 11
- Worship opened with a parade as the Chancel Choir led the congregation in singing "This Little Light of Mine" as the kids marched through the sanctuary with Pentecost wind socks they had made themselves. Wow! What a way to start a worship service!
- The Cherub Choir shared a special anthem called "I Think of Jesus." Thanks, kids and Erin!
- The children of the congregation said "Thank You" to all of our "moms" for being with us and helping us learn as much as we can about God and the church in Sunday School, W.O.W., and Kids' Choirs.
- Justin and Cameron danced while Reo accompanied them on guitar as the scripture for the morning was read - it was an interpretation of the Pentecost story in Acts 2:1-21.
- Martin Slimmer won the "Name That Tune" moment when he correctly identified the song "Louie, Louie" in the sermon.
- We thought about how Pentecost teaches that our connection in the Holy Spirit is more about understanding than it is about language. Our understanding transcends the words we speak.
- Darrell Mashburn was baptized, and he, Elise Taluja, Michele Janson, and Lisa McGinnis joined the church by profession of faith. Liz Isaacs, Judy Slimmer, and Martin Slimmer joined the church by transfer of membership. Welcome to all of our new members!
- We shared in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

"It is more important to understand one another than it is to figure out the words being spoken." - Rev. Andy Bryan

Weekend Update - May 3 & 4

It was a busy, busy weekend for Northtown UMC! Here are some of my own recollections; please add you own in the comment section:


Both Saturday and Sunday Worship Services:
- In worship, we celebrated the ministry of generosity in hearing from all of our ministry teams, what has been happening and what opportunities are in the future. We all heard opportunities for service in the ministries of hospitality, worship, faith development, and mission and service. Many took advantage of the opportunity to volunteer!
- Another part of our generosity celebration is the "Tree of Generosity" in the foyer - a chance to share together in the wonderful things we've done as a congregation recently. Please take a moment to stop and read the "ornaments" haning on the tree, and add your own. Or maybe you could add an ornament sharing something you have witnesses someone else doing in service.
- Finally, we all renewed our financial discipleship promises together as an act of worship. This extravagantly generous congregation had thirteen new promises made, which bring our annual total of promises to ONE HUNDRED TWO! Thank you for your generosity.


Saturday, May 3
- The BUMMS (Brotherhood of United Methodist Men in Service) hosted a pancake breakfast to raise money for sending kids to church camp - food, fun, fellowship, and fundraising!
- A good crew of folks worked around the church yard during the day, raking, cleaning up sticks, pulling out dead bushes, cutting up a downed tree, and generally sprucing up the outside of the building to make it more hospitable and welcoming for the community.
- In worship Saturday evening, we sang a song especially appropriate for a service about generosity - "I Can't Give You Anything But Love." It was fun!

Sunday, May 4
- The Chancel Choir offered a wonderful anthem celebrating our baptism in the body of Christ - "Come Be Baptized."
- Jacob and Richie Isaacs were baptized in the worship service. Jacob and Richie are the sons of Liz and Rich Isaacs.
- After worship, the youth invited everybody to have a taco for lunch downstairs, as a fundraiser for their summer mission trip to North Carolina. Yum!

(Special thanks to the Generosity Team members for their work on this weekend's services, and to Bill Grant, John Campbell, Judy Slimmer, Pam Wark, Marilyn Henegar, and Edna Smith for their ministry presentations.)


Next week is Pentecost - everyone try to wear red if you can!

Weekend Update - April 26 & 27

It was another wonderful weekend at Northtown UMC! Here are some of my own memories; please add your own in the comment section.

Saturday, April 26th
- We welcomed a guest preacher in worship as a part of the Open Pulpit Ministry - Jane Brown of North Cross UMC. Thank you Jane for sharing the word with us.
- We heard about the C.U.R.E. for relationships - Compliments, Understanding, Recognition, and Empathy.
- The congregation sang many wonderful new songs from the Faith We Sing songbook, including "From the Rising of the Sun," "Make Me a Servant," and "Walk With Me."

Sunday, April 27th
- A new Sunday School class kicked off - "Parenting with Love and Logic" - all who care for children are invited to participate in upcoming weeks.
- Dr. Suess made an appearance in the form of the book "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut." The great theologian reminds us all that "If you read with your eyes shut you're likely to find that the place where you're going is far, far behind."
- The sermon focused on Paul's time in Athens (Acts 17) and asked us all to consider where the equivalent of the Athens Marketplace is in today's world, and how we can go there and look to see our community and learn the language by which we might translate the Gospel.
- Anderson Allen Bears brought his family forward for his baptism, which was a wonderful celebration for everybody! Welcome "Baby Bear"!

Stop. Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look, what's going down?

Weekend Update - April 19 & 20

It all started Friday night, with another wild and wooly "Trivia Night" in Fellowship Hall. The theme was "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and the Trustees really outdid themselves with this one! Thanks to ALL who put this fun time together, and to those who came for the fun, fellowship, food, and fundraising! Over $800 was raised for our Trustees "Rainy Day Fund."

Saturday, April 19
- We had a "Holy Spirit Pep Rally" at the worship service, with streamers, balloons, and a make-your-own-Holy-Spirit-pennant decoration table.
- Worship featured the 70s rock classic "Spirit in the Sky," done Andy and Danny style!
- We focused the service on the Holy Spirit, as it is revealed through the story of Stephen in Acts 6 and 7.

Sunday, April 20
- The Holy Spirit caught some people by surprise Sunday morning, as the worship service started right off with a centering song, "Spirit of the Living God, Fall Afresh on Me."
- A guest soloist, Erin Riley, sang with the choir in a wonderful rendition of "Down to the Water to Pray." Erin also gave an offertory - thanks, Erin!
- Emma O'Dell was baptized, a special moment in part because of the four generations of her family present and in another part because of how we have held her and her parents in prayer for so long last fall due to the complications of Amanda's pregnancy. It was a powerful Holy Spirit moment!


So, what do you remember from last weekend? Please feel free to add your rememberances in the comment section:

Weekend Update - April 12 & 13

It was a weekend to think about church - What is the "church" exactly? What does the church do? How much has the church changed since the very first church, described in Acts chapter 2?

Jurgen Moltman writes, "[The church] cannot adopt its social order from the way in which the society in which it lives is run, or allow its social order to be determined by that; for it has to correspond to its Lord and to represent new life for society."

How are we, as the church, "representing new life for society"? How is Life Revealed through the church?

Saturday, April 12
- The B.U.M.M.S (Brotherhood of United Methodist Men in Service) met Saturday morning for breakfast and a program; unfortunately the speaker had written down 8 P.M. instead of 8 A.M. so they had to make do with just listening to themselves!
A group of BUMMS convened at the church parsonage to gather and remove limbs and brush from behind the back fence - and they stuck it out even in the sleet and snow!

- At worship that night, we sang Imagine by John Lennon, a song that can be interpreted as imagining the fulfillment of God's reign on earth, when all divisions will end and all will know the love, grace, and peace of God in all its fullness.

- We also sang a couple of old favorites, They'll Know We are Christians By Our Love and closed the service with He's Got the Whole World In His Hands. It was pretty fun!

- Lay Leader Dave Wood presented "When Tomorrow Comes" - announcing the congregation's upcoming Centennial Celebration, distributing congregational surveys, and celebrating the generous bequest of Charles and Rosemary Hey, which will come to approximately $400,000 when received in full.

- After worship, everyone shared a piece of birthday cake!

"The church is the Church only when it exists for others." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Sunday, April 13
- Sunday School classes continued full throttle, with preschoolers, elementary students, high schoolers, and adults gathered all over the building to grow in knowledge and love of God. It is always an inspiring hour!

- "Welcome Home," a class for new members and those considering membership, met for the second of three sessions. Several from that class are intending to join the church as full members on Sunday, May 11th, Pentecost Sunday.

- In worship, Trustees Chair Mark Conarroe gave the "When Tomorrow Comes" presentation Dave Wood had given the night before.

- The Promise Choir shared a beautiful anthem called "Do You Know Your Shepherd's Voice?" that featured lovely harmonies. Thanks to the kids and Erin Bryan for that moment of worship!

- The Chancel Choir presented How Great Thou Art for an offertory anthem that featured Walter Baucom with a solo and Trish Ferguson signing the words.

- Operating with the definition of church as "a community who gathers to realize the teachings of Christ," we thought together about the earliest church described in Acts 2, and how we might today learn from them.

"...Christians dwell in the world, but do not belong to the world." - Unknown author

Weekend Update - April 5 & 6

This past weekend, we lifted a prayer of joy for the upcoming appointment of Rev. Kate McClain to First UMC, North KC. Kate is currently serving at Oak Grove UMC, and will begin her ministry here on the last Sunday of June, 2008. Welcome to Northtown, Kate!

The sacrament of Holy Communion was the centerpiece this weekend, as we continued the Easter theme of "Life Revealed." This week, the Emmaus story provided the theme, as Christ is revealed in the breaking of the bread.

I hope you all add your own thoughts and memories in the comment section below:

Saturday, April 5
- Adam Gordon-Lauck and Amanda Seward were married at 12:00 noon in St. Louis. Adam is the congregation's Director of Student Ministries. Congrats!
- Saturday worship was led by Ken Winkler, Dave Kemp, Danny Fowler, and Judy Slimmer. Thanks to all of you for your leadership, and your willingness to give so generously of your time and talent.

Sunday, April 6
- "Welcome Home!", a class for new members and for those considering membership, began today. There are two more sessions, April 13 and 20, beginning at 9:10 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Feel free to join.
- The kids re-enacted the story of the Road to Emmaus at the Talking Box time, with very dramatic performances by three of our aspiring thespians.
- We thought about "recognition" - to recognize Christ is somehow to grow in understanding and knowledge about who Christ is, which reminds us of the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah and announced by Jesus. In this New Covenant, all will know God, because God's law will be written on our hearts.
- The sacrament of Holy Communion was shared by all.
- The congregation was led by Kathryn Smith, Wendy Thomas, Cooper Hedenskog, and Kyle Carpenter in the singing of "Let Us be Bread" in preparation for the sacrament.
- Erin Bryan and Kyle Carpenter sang a wonderful duet during the serving of communion, and Gina Snearly and Keith Sandrock played a beautiful duet for the offertory. Thanks to all four for your generous sharing of time and talent.

"...it is through Intentional Faith Development that God's spirit works in us, perfecting us in the practice of love as we grow in the knowledge and love of God."

- Bishop Robert Schnase, "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations"

Praise God for a wonderful weekend in Northtown!

Weekend Update - March 29 & 30

The second weekend of the Easter season was another wonderful celebration here in Northtown. Here are a few of the things I remember from this past weekend:

Saturday, March 30
- Cameron Carney joined the band - but he didn't bring his super cool North Kansas City High
School bass with him. Maybe next time!
- Mama Edna read us the story of "The Lamb and the Butterfly" with a zig and a zag and a ziggety zag.
- The congregation sang the song "Worlds Apart" from the musical "Big River."
- The focus was on how we percieve God through our lived experiences, and how God is revealed in ways that are different for different people.
- When Holy Communion was served (as it is every week), we centered on how the sacrament is one of the numerous ways that God's presence in our lives is mediated. God is revealed in and through the bread and the cup.

"If witnesses to a car wreck tell different versions of that story, imagine how many different versions of the story witnesses to God will tell!" - Rev. Andy Bryan

Sunday, March 31

- The Praising Bells Choir rang a special musical offering in worship called "Jesus Shall Reign" that was a wonderful part of the service.

- The Talking Box was an Audio Talking Box this week, and we danced to the Monkees singing "I'm a Believer" - in honor of the apostle Thomas's statement of belief in the risen Christ.

- The Chancel Choir offered a fascinating anthem from Africa that featured both English and the native African language - Justin Zeigler sang the solo part.

- The words of St. Francis of Assisi framed our theme as we again thought about how God is revealed through the world around us.

"Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us." - Francis of Assisi

- We prayed together, both spoken and musically, the prayer of St. Francis that we might be channels through which others experience the revelation of God, as well.

Please add your own rememberances to the comments below: