If you have news to share in the weekly church email newsletter, please notify Jonathan Bacon or Larry Birkby by Noon on Sunday each week. If you have people to add to the prayer list, please contact Kennetha Kuttler.

Don’t forget to join us each week for the Sunday Morning Mission Road Worship Online and for the Wednesday Evening Prayer Circle on Zoom!

IN THIS ISSUE:

THIS SUNDAY’S WORSHIP: ZOOM ONLY!

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS ON ZOOM

CONCURRENT IN-PERSON AND ZOOM CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP

THIS SATURDAY: NEXT FOOD PANTRY DROP OFF!

INFORMATION REGARDING IN-PERSON WORSHIP

MISSION ROAD MESSAGES/SERMONS ON YOUTUBE

And More…

THIS SUNDAY’S WORSHIP: ZOOM ONLY!

Due to technical issues and the availability of participants to be at the church, this Sunday, April 25, 2021, the worship service will be on Zoom only. We invite you to join us from your home. The worship theme is “The Lord Is My Shepherd” with Paul Bennetts as the speaker. Jane Landrum will preside and Caryn Brown will serve as the worship planner. Caryn Brown will provide the PowerPoint. Zoom hosting duties will be shared by Roxann Kosmicki, Clint Reine, and Jonathan Bacon.

You are invited to join us online starting at 10:30 AM for conversation and fellowship with the worship activities beginning at 10:45 AM.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS ON ZOOM

The Mission Road Adult Sunday School Class will begin studying “Speak To The Bones: How to Be a Prophetic People in a Time of Exile” by Richard A. Brown (former manager of Herald House) on Sunday, April 25, 2021. The class session begins at 9 AM and will conclude by 10 AM.

The publisher describes the book in this way: Christians are wondering just what’s going on in the church these days. How to discern what’s behind the changes keeps scholars as well as church leaders and members busy.

Pews are emptier and the people still sitting in them are older. Offering plates are lighter, too. As a result, congregations see no other choice but to reduce staff and cut back on programs and ministries. In our consumer-oriented, profit-driven culture, it’s all about the numbers, after all.

Churches are measured and judged by the same standards as every other institution: Market Share (the size of the weekend crowd); Income (the money in the offering plate or from direct bank deposits); Physical Presence (the church building and its campus, often more shopping mall than sacred place); Products and Services (for others or just the members).

Speak to the Bones (whose imagery is drawn from Ezekiel’s remarkable vision of the Valley of Dry Bones) tells the stories of Nathan, Elijah, Amos, Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, and Paul. Their examples offer a pattern for 21st-century Christian disciples to speak, not merely as individuals but as inspired communities dedicated to the “kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

The book is available on Amazon for $7.99 plus tax for a total of $8.72. That doesn’t include shipping. If you do not have Amazon Prime (free shipping) contact Jonathan Bacon; he’ll use his Amazon Prime membership to get you free shipping to your home.

CONCURRENT IN-PERSON AND ZOOM CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP

The Mission Road Congregation reopened on Easter Sunday. While this coming Sunday will be Zoom only, we hope to resume a combination of in-person and online meetings using Zoom very soon. The access weblink for all Zoom sessions is the same and listed below.

7 PM Every Wednesday – Prayer Circle on Zoom.

9 AM Every Sunday – The Adult Sunday School Class meets on Zoom.

10:30 AM Every Sunday – social gathering time on Zoom in preparation for worship. This week, Zoom only!

10:45 AM Every Sunday – Sunday Morning Mission Road Worship accessible on Zoom. This week, Zoom only!

THIS SATURDAY: NEXT FOOD PANTRY DROP OFF!

The Mission Road Congregation continues to serve an important need by providing food supplies, school supplies and new or gently used clothing for the Central Avenue Center of Hope. Please add the following drop off dates to your calendar. We’ll be at church between 10 AM and noon on these dates to accept your donations!

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Saturday, May 9, 2021

Saturday, May 23, 2021

MISSION ROAD MESSAGES/SERMONS ON YOUTUBE

If you missed a Sunday morning message (sermon or homily), you’ll now be able to view them on YouTube. The Community of Christ – Mission Road channel can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiCbae5dTgl0cmF9b672skAyPXl-5o1lM (or by using the shortened, easier to remember weblink: https://tinyurl.com/MissionRoadYouTube).

We are only posting the sermon or Sunday message portion of each service due to copyright concerns. Also please note that in some cases, Zoom failed to record the service.

New videos will be posted during the week following each message/sermon.

TITHES AND OFFERINGS

Please remember that church expenses continue. If you are not attending in-person please remember to support the church financially. Mary Reichenbach, the Congregation’s Financial Officer has indicated that contributions can be mailed to her house (10223 Briar Dr., Overland Park, KS 66207) or the church (7842 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS 66208), or you can sign up for eTithing on the World Church website https://www.cofchrist.org/etithing). Any of these options will enable you to continue your regular contributions.

If you use the eTithing site, select the United States link and then scroll down to Mission Road Community of Christ. When you click on that page, there will be an option in the upper right-hand corner to ’sign up’ to create your account and enter either your bank account information for direct debit or a credit card to charge your contribution, or ’sign in’ if you have already set up your account. You may also choose a one-time contribution or a continuing contribution. Most of the contribution options on our tithing envelopes are available on the Mission Road eTithing page. If you have additional questions about electronic contributions, please contact Mary.

SUMMER 2021 CAMPS SCHEDULED

Doniphan Reunion – June 11 – 15

Middle School Camp – June 20 – 25

Senior High Camp – June 20 – 25

Junior Camp – June 27 – July 1

Chihowa Reunion – July 11 – 16

Youth Quest – July 22 – 24

Spectacular – July 24 – 31

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.

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 are trying to be sure everyone in the congregation has access to periodic news updates and information on congregational activities.

OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE VIA EMAIL

The email address for general church drafts of your Order of Worship and church business (Clint Reine) is mrcoc

The email address for CFO business (Mary Reichenbach) is mrcoccfo

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 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.