MISSION ROAD CONGREGATION EVENTS AND PROJECTS

A BIG THANK YOU FROM THE PASTORS

Thank you to the Mission Road Congregation for all the nice gifts, Christmas cards and gift cards to enjoy. It has been a blessing to serve as your Pastors and we thank you for your gifts of appreciation. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each of you and your families, may the spirit of Christmas be with you all year.

THANK YOU TO SANTA AND MRS CLAUS

Thank you to Santa and Mrs. Claus for stopping by the Fellowship Hall after our Vesper Service last Sunday evening. It was a fun time for everyone.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPIC

The Adult Sunday school class continues to the study of “The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present Day,” Volume 2, by Justo L. Gonzales.

On Sunday, December 29, 2019, Jane Landrum will lead the discussion of Chapter 29 (“A Shifting Landscape: Latin America”) on page 363.

EXPLORING CHALLENGES DISCUSSION GROUP

The Exploring Challenges discussion group will resume meeting on Sunday afternoon December 29 at 4:00 PM in the Church Library.

Dennis Wood is leading the discussion group to explore issues that affect Mission Road’s future. United States demographics and cultural trends are issues that confront not only Mission Road but also all Christian churches in the U.S. The hope is that discussing these issues will help us better understand how to meet those challenges and fulfill Mission Road’s purpose and reason for being.

Discussion will focus on recent articles from the Herald, and two books: "Beyond Resistance" and "Christianity for the Rest of Us."

NEXT BOOK CLUB MEETING APPROACHES

The All Good Books group’s next meeting is scheduled on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 7:00 PM in the Church Library. Note that this is the second Thursday of the month rather than our typical third Thursday.

The book club will discuss “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover and everyone is invited to attend.

Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag". In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one’s life through new eyes and the will to change it.

Discussion questions for the memoir are available at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/books/educated-tara-westover-discussion-questions.html

MISSION ROAD CALENDAR

Wednesday, December 25, 2019 – No Saint’s Chorale practice and no

Prayer Circle. Enjoy Christmas with your friends and family.

Sunday, December 29, 2019, 8:45 AM – Breakfast (provided by Bob Andes), join us for conversation and fellowship!

Sunday, December 29, 2019

· Nursery available – 9:15-11:30 AM, in downstairs Nursery.

· Children’s Sunday School class – 9:15-10:15 AM, taught by Mary Reichenbach.

· Teen’s Sunday School class – 9:15-10:15 AM, taught by Clint Reine.

· Adult Sunday School class – 9:15-10:15 AM, discusses "The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present Day Volume 2" by Justo Gonzalez, taught by Jonathan Bacon, Paul Bennetts, Marilyn Gairns, Jane Landrum and Dennis Wood in the Church Library.

Sunday, December 29, 2019, 10:30 AM – Paul Bennetts will speak on the theme “Seek Refuge” with Clint Reine presiding and serving as worship planner. Pennie Bunkers will offer the ministry of music. Steve Holben will provide the PowerPoint.

Saturday, January 4, 2020, 9:30 AM – Disassembly and storing of the Christmas decorations until next season.

Monday, January 6, 2020, 7:00-9:00 PM – Mission Bells rehearsal in the Church Sanctuary.

WORSHIP and SPECIAL MUSIC AT MISSION ROAD

If you are not able to attend the Sunday Worship services at Mission Road, you can listen to our posted podcasts each week. If you miss our worship services and wonderful musical ministry, please join us for the peaceful Spirit of Worship. Links to our weekly podcast are listed below.

MISSED LAST SUNDAY’S SERVICE?

Audio recordings of past worship services are available online at https://bit.ly/2MSgZW8. This is a short URL for a Google Drive folder with past recordings.

Recordings are located in folders corresponding to the year (e.g., 2017, 2018). If you missed a Sunday, this provides you a way to hear the music and the message.

Each audio recording begins with the date of the service (20190224 represents February 24, 2019). The date is followed by a dash and the first initial and last name of the speaker.

NOTE: If you experience problems playing these audio files be sure you’re running the latest version of your browser or try a different browser. In some cases, you may be required to download the audio file before playing it.

The following list includes some recent audio recordings:

22 December 2019 Vespers Service recording, filename 20191222-Vespers.mp3

22 December 2019 message by Jonathan Bacon, filename 20191222-JBacon.mp3

15 December 2019 message by Ron Millard, filename 20191215-RMillard.mp3.

8 December 2019 message by Steve Holben, filename 20191208-SHolben.mp3

1 December 2019 message by Jane Landrum, filename 20191201-JLandrum.mp3

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WITHOUT EMAIL OR FACEBOOK ACCESS?

If you know someone in the congregation that does not have email and does not use Facebook, please let Jonathan Bacon know. We’re trying to be sure everyone in the congregation has access to periodic news updates and information on congregational activities.

FOR FUTURE CHURCH CLOSINGS

In the future, if inclement weather forces the cancellation of church services at Mission Road, we’ll post the closing on our church Facebook page, send a message to the church email list and list the closing on KCTV Channel 5 and KSHB Channel 41.

Be sure to check the TV listings for either "Community of Christ – Mission Road" (KSHB 41) or "Community of Christ – Prairie Village" (KCTV5). The listing will be under one of those two names.

CONCERNING PRAYER REQUESTS

Please know that any member of the congregation can post prayer requests or share information about members and events on the Mission Road Members Only Facebook page. You do not need to send the information for approval to anyone. In fact, doing so may slow down the dissemination of your request. Be sure to include the person needing prayers and what situation has occurred (if you wish to share that information). If your post concerns an event or news item, be sure to include the basics in your posting (such as who, what, where and when).

For prayer requests, if you do not have access to Facebook, then please call Paul Bennetts our Congregational Pastoral Care Coordinator.

IMPORTANT CONGREGATIONAL LINKS

The Mission Road Congregation hosts the following social media sites:

Congregational (public) website at www.mission-road.org

Facebook Page (public) at https://www.facebook.com/MissionRoad.CoC

Facebook Group (open only to congregational members) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/MissionRoad/

The link to Mission Road worship service audio recordings at https://bit.ly/2MSgZW8

The All Good Books discussion group website at https://allbooksclub.wordpress.com/

Visit and "like" each of these sites to keep up-to-date on congregational news.

CONGREGATIONAL NEWS EMAIL

If you have news items and calendar additions or changes that need to be included in the congregational news email, please contact Larry Birkby. His email address and phone number are both in the Church Directory.