MISSION ROAD CONGREGATION EVENTS – MONDAY, JULY 12, 2021

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.

IN THIS ISSUE:

THIS SUNDAY’S WORSHIP

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS: JESUS OF NAZARETH

MIDLAND MISSION CENTER VIRTUAL REUNION – IN PROGRESS

NEXT FOOD PANTRY COLLECTION

JULY 25 MISSION ROAD WORSHIP & ADULT CLASS PLANS

REVISED COVID CHURCH GUIDELINES

And More…

THIS SUNDAY’S WORSHIP

The Sunday, July 18, 2021, the worship theme is “Listen to the Prophetic Voice.” Kennetha Kuttler will offer the message. Karen Birkby will preside and serve as the worship planner. Brian Libeer will provide the PowerPoint and host the Zoom session assisted by Paul Bennetts as co-host.

You are invited to join us at church or online for worship starting at 10:30 AM.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS: JESUS OF NAZARETH

The Mission Road Adult Sunday School Class is now studying “Speak to The Bones: How to Be a Prophetic People in a Time of Exile” by Richard A. Brown. This coming Sunday, Dennis Wood will continue the discussion of Chapter 7 (“Jesus of Nazareth: Dueling Empires”). The class session begins at 9:15 AM each Sunday morning in the Church Library and on Zoom.

Note that we are skipping Chapter 6 until Paul Bennetts is available to teach that chapter.

MIDLAND MISSION CENTER VIRTUAL REUNION – IN PROGRESS

The theme for the Virtual Reunion is “Let Peace Dwell Here.” Registration is now open at https://khnatyshyn.wufoo.com/forms/mcoqcz1042ir4o/

ADULT CLASS REUNION MATERIAL

Thursday, July 15 at 7 PM

Thursday, July 22 at 7 PM

INTERGENERATIONAL DAY-LONG EVENT

Saturday, July 24 from 11 AM to 8:30 PM

MISSION CENTER WIDE WORSHIP SERVICE

Sunday, July 25 at 10:30 AM

NEXT FOOD PANTRY COLLECTION

The Mission Road Congregation continues to serve an important need by providing household goods and clothing (new or gently used) or food for the Central Avenue Center of Hope. Please add the following drop off dates to your calendar. Members will be at church between 10 AM and noon on these dates to accept your donations!

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Saturday, August 7, 2021

JULY 25 MISSION ROAD WORSHIP & ADULT CLASS PLANS

There will be no in-person worship on Sunday, July 25, 2021, because of the Mission Center Wide Worship service on Zoom. Be sure to register for the service at https://khnatyshyn.wufoo.com/forms/mcoqcz1042ir4o/

The Adult Sunday School class on that date will be Zoom only (using the regular Mission Road Zoom weblink for access).

REVISED COVID CHURCH GUIDELINES

Dear Mission Road Congregation,

Our primary focus is concern for the most vulnerable among us – those with immune disorders, underlying health conditions, and those who may not had a shot. Our concern extends to not only members but guests who might join in our worship. Because we have their interests at heart, we show compassion by moving cautiously as we continue with in-person worship.

Many of you have approached us with questions on when we would be able to lift the mask mandate and after consultation with the mission center, masks will no longer be required at church. Some may wish to wear their masks and social distance. We ask that whether masked or unmasked, we do not pass judgment or make assumptions about our brothers and sisters in Christ. Masks and hand sanitizer will continue to be available. Hymnals will also be returned to the pews.

Our congregation is a community and so much of our closeness is built upon personal connections. While we will not yet be providing a morning breakfast, we invite people to arrive early to fellowship and gather. Hand shaking and hugging is okay if both parties are comfortable with it. Just please be mindful that the transition from isolation to togetherness is a journey that some may take more cautiously than others. We ask that you respect each other even in your desire to express love and care.

For anyone who needs water, they are welcome to bring their own with them. This includes coffee or tea from outside our building as we will not be providing any snacks or drinks. We do have some small bottled water in the refrigerator in the kitchen.

We acknowledge these pasts several months have been a struggle for all of us. It’s critical that we refer to the primary focus listed above as we move forward. Let us remain mindful of the most vulnerable among us and keep our enduring principles as a church ever at the forefront of our thoughts, especially these: the worth of all persons, the sacredness of creation, responsible choices, unity in diversity, blessings of community.

Announcements will be made to provide additional information about our gatherings. These guidelines will apply to all in-person meetings including Sunday School. We will continue to provide Sunday School, and Sunday Worship via Zoom as well as in-person worship at Church. If, you have any thoughts or concerns that you’d like to share with the pastors privately, do not hesitate to contact us.

Blessings to all, Larry & Karen Birkby, Co-Pastors

2022 CARAVAN TRIP

Youth and families interested in the tentative 2022 senior high caravan trip (campers must complete 9th–12th grades in spring 2022), please fill out this survey: http://bit.ly/CaravanSurvey

SUMMER 2021 CAMPS SCHEDULED

Youth Quest at Mission Road – July 22 – 24

IN-PERSON AND ZOOM CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP TIMES

The Congregation will offer a combination of in-person and online meetings using Zoom. The access weblink for all Zoom sessions is the same and listed below.

7 PM Every Wednesday – Prayer Circle on Zoom.

9:15 AM Every Sunday – The Adult Sunday School Class meets in the church sanctuary and on Zoom.

10:30 AM Every Sunday – Sunday Morning Mission Road Worship in-person and accessible on Zoom.

We are excited to have our building back open for in-person worship as well as enabling access by Zoom for those who wish to worship from home. We are providing in-person worship as much as possible under the guidelines. It is our desire to meet in-person as well as providing a worship service that those on Zoom can enjoy.

We are looking at other internet service providers and hope to update the audio & visual equipment in the next few weeks. We will provide more information as we learn about our options.

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 as soon as possible 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.

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 (Kennetha Kuttler) 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.