Asbury Alive Newsletter - February 25, 2024

February 25, 2024

Asbury Sunday Worship:

9:00 & 11:00 am: Worship in the Sanctuary

10:00 am: Sunday School

11:00 am: Live-Streamed Worship

THU FEB 22

Saving Grace. 6 pm in the Parlor. A soup supper will be provided.

SUN FEB 25

Good Neighbor Experiment Check-in. 6 pm via Zoom.

MON FEB 26

Bible Study with Pastor Jeff. 10 am in Room 208. All are welcome.

TUE FEB 27

Lenten Musical Meditation. 6 pm in the Sanctuary. All are welcome to join Pastor Kim for a half hour of music and restoration.

WED FEB 28

Lenten Faith and Film Study. 11 am in the Parlor. We continue to examine the film "Silence."

VIEW ALL EVENTS

“And the Spirit immediately drove Jesus out into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12).
“And immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus” (Mark 1:18).
“And he stood up and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them, so that they were all amazed” (Mark 2:12).
“But a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about Jesus, and she came and bowed down at his feet” (Mark 7:25).
“And immediately Jesus got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha” (Mark 8:10).
“Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it’” (Mark 11:1b-2).

Do you see something those verses have in common? Did you notice there was a repeated word? Yes. It’s the word “immediately.” It makes us feel something is urgent when we read through the Gospel of Mark. Then, what insights would this sense of urgency give into a life as a disciple? That’s what we are going to think about this Sunday as we continue with the “Driven: The Way of Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark” sermon series. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. in worship this Sunday.

I also want to remind you there are some special class offerings for Lent:

Sundays at 10:00 am (Parlor): Lenten Study of “The Gospel of Mark” by Amy-Jill Levine
Tuesdays at 6:00 pm (Sanctuary): Lenten Musical Meditation
Wednesdays at 11:00 am (Parlor): Lenten Faith and Film Study
Thursdays at 6:00 pm (Parlor): Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being

Peace,

Pastor Daekyung

Prayer Requests

Find Your Thing

Upcoming Events

Good News Experiment Weekly Mini Experiment

This week as you think about the gifts you bring and the gifts you share in your communities, take a few moments to respond to these questions:

Gifts of the Head: What is something you know so well that you could teach it to someone else?
Gifts of the Hands: What is something you love to build, make, or do with your hands?
Gifts of the Heart: What is something you are so passionate about that it moves you to action?
Gifts of the Spirit: What is something that you have gained wisdom in that you could share with someone else?

Where do you see these gifts at work in your neighborhood? How could you share any one or all of these gifts with your neighbors?

Zoom link for the GNE Weekly Check in on Sunday at 6 pm:

Click Here to Join

KanCare Expansion Presentation: Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7:00 pm

60 of the 104 rural hospitals in Kansas are at risk of closing their doors. As a percentage of total rural hospitals in the state, Kansas has more hospitals at risk of closing than any other state in the US, with 68% of rural hospitals facing closure. Care which is not reimbursed is a major factor causing the closures.

Please join our Church and Society team on Thursday, February 29 at 7 pm in the MSR as we welcome Lacey Kennett, Director of Communications for the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, to join us for a special talk about Medicaid expansion in Kansas and how we can help.

Ms. Kennett will help us navigate what Medicaid expansion would look like and what it means for Kansas. All are welcome to attend this special event.

Sacred Grounds: Saturday, March 2 at 10 am

We'd love to invite all our women and young ladies to our meetup, Sacred Grounds, on Saturday, March 2 at 10 am in the Asbury Cafe.

Come join us for coffee, cocoa bombs, coffee cake, and conversations with friends!

Kids Ministry Snack Drive

For the next couple of weeks, we will be collecting pre-packaged snacks for our kids ministry. Donations may be dropped off at the front desk.

Pirate's Booty, Cheese-Its, veggie straws, chips, Scooby snacks, mini muffins and Goldfish (no rainbow or other dyes) have been some past favorites. We have enough fruit snacks, so we don't need any of those this time around.

Thanks so much for your donations and helping out our Asbury kids!

Women's Celebration Sunday: Sunday, March 3

Asbury's United Women in Faith will be presenting “Women’s Celebration Sunday” on Sunday, March 3. We will have displays in the west narthex showing what UWF does, and we’ll also be presenting mission pins to two recipients at the second service.

Looking forward to having you join us to help celebrate our Asbury ladies!

Scout Troop 299 Pancake Breakfast: Sunday, March 3

Scout Troop 299 is holding a pancake breakfast on Sunday, March 3 from 8 am to 1 pm in Hager Hall. Tickets are $5 if you purchase them before the event, or $7 at the door.

If you would like to purchase tickets, visit the Scout table in the Welcome Center this Sunday. Thanks for supporting our local Scouts!

Lenten Musical Meditation:

Tuesdays from 6:00-6:30 pm, Beginning February 20

You are invited to a half-hour meditation in the Sanctuary during Lent, beginning at 6 pm.

The meditation features the reading of scripture, poetry, prose, or prayer, piano performance by Pastor Daekyung Kim of several hymns beautifully arranged by various composers, and a time for meditation in silence.

Lenten Faith and Film Study, The Sequel: Wednesdays from 11 am-12 pm, Beginning February 21*

Join Pastor Jeff on Wednesdays in the Parlor during Lent (Feb. 21 - Mar. 20), as we examine Director Martin Scorsese’s 2016 adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s novel Silence.

We’ll look at scripture and other sources to better understand our own faith journey during these 40 days of Lent. We’ll examine scenes and have discussion from 11:00 am to noon. A light soup luncheon will follow. Click here to sign up online, or call the church office at 913-432-5573!

Candy Needed for Easter Egg Hunt

We'll be collecting candy for the Easter Egg Hunt for the next four Sundays. Fun sized candy works best in the eggs, and we always need plain M&Ms for our youngest egg hunters.

Candy donations may be placed in the basket on the Easter Egg Hunt table in the Welcome Center. We also welcome monetary donations to help purchase candy. Simply write "Easter Candy" in the memo line of your check, or on the giving envelope for cash donations. To give via EasyTithe, select "other" from the dropdown menu and type "Easter Candy" in the "note" box.

Thank you for helping our kids have a fun Easter weekend!

Coins for Lent – Outpouring of Love: A Lenten Activity for Everyone

Our four youth participating in the Great Plains Conference Leadership Lab this year will be engaging in a web of relationships, resourcing, and experiences that culminate in eligibility for a pilgrimage to Greece where they will follow the Journeys of the Apostle Paul.

Let’s help with their trip cost by completing the “Coins for Lent Giving Calendar" (click here for link). Please contribute a dime or quarter for every item on the giving calendar. You may want to simply collect loose change and give whatever coins you have for each item. Deposit your weekly coin collection in the “Outpouring of Love” jar found in the Welcome Center. There you will also find paper copies of the calendar and related information. Our giving will conclude on Holy Saturday, March 30. Have fun giving!!

Do you have an event you would like to be listed on the calendar?

Please call the church office or email Phyllis Williams at phyllisw@visitasbury.org.

Want to include something in the weekly Alive Newsletter?

Please submit all material by WEDNESDAYS AT NOON for inclusion

in the Thursday newsletter, or it will be posted the following week.

Questions? Contact Sharlynn Verner at sharlynnv@visitasbury.org. Thanks!

Electronic Fund Transfer
Online through Easy Tithe

Text the word 'Give' to 913-774-6060

Help Serve Lunch at Lazarus Ministries on Saturday, Mar. 9

We need six people to either help serve lunch or assist in the Lazarus Boutique on Saturday, March 9 from 10 am - 1 pm at Lazarus Table (Linwood United Church, 3151 Olive, KCMO, 64109). Come out and help with a wonderful mission opportunity!

Lunches are served 'restaurant style,' so kitchen volunteers can assist with hosting, greeting, plating, and/or serving. Lazarus Boutique volunteers serve as personal shoppers to guests, assisting people one on one in finding clothing, hygiene items, linens, or other household goods they may need. Contact Mark Able at markable41@gmail.com for more info, or click here to sign up!

Click here to sign up!

IHN Host Week at Asbury Begins March 10

Asbury’s next IHN service week begins on Sunday, March 10 and ends on the morning of Sunday, March 17. Right now, we have a grandfather with twins and preschoolers, and two single women in the program.

If you can help with staffing, food, laundry, set-up or take-down, please sign-up in the Welcome Center this week, or contact Linda Stinnett at lgstinnett@kc.rr.com.

If you are interested in providing a meal, please contact Kim Peck at kimleypeck@gmail.com. Thank you for your help with this incredible ministry!

Leawood UMC Food Pantry Donations

A huge thank you goes out to the Leawood UMC youth group, which collected 290 cans of soup in their Souper Bowl Food Drive to donate to the Asbury Food Pantry.

Added to the donations from Prairie Baptist Church Early Childhood Center and our own Asbury members, we have reached an amazing total of 500 cans of soup for the Asbury Food Pantry! We're so thankful to all for your incredibly generous donations.

Pictured are members of the Leawood UMC youth group with Barb Beadle, the Treasurer of Leawood UMC.

Save the Date

Family Ministries Book Club

Family Ministries Book Club will next meet on Tuesday, March 19 at 7 pm in the Prayer Room. All adults are welcome to join. We're reading The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore (link to book).

Can't make it in March? Join us in April when we read A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, by Nathan Thrall (link to book).

Kids Hour

Kids (PreK - 5th grade) are invited to encounter, interact, and engage with Bible stories through different learning styles and activities at their own level.

We will spend multiple weeks focused on a single Bible story by exploring multiple rotation options: art, music, games, cooking, drama, science, videos and more!!

Kids Sing Rehearsal Begins This Week!

We'll continue rehearsals for our Palm Sunday Kids' Sing this Sunday during the Children's Church time at the 11 am service! All PreK - 5th grade students are invited to participate. No need to sign-up, just come on Sunday.

Rehearsal Sundays: Feb. 25; March 3 & 17

Offering song: Palm Sunday (March 24)

For more information contact our Kids' Sing Director, Alicia Wolff, at alicat7475@gmail.com.

Sunday Nursery Hours: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm

9 am: The nursery is open for children who need it up to 3rd grade.

11 am: The Nursery is open on Sundays for children aged infant through 5-years-old (if they haven’t started Kindergarten yet). Children who have started Kindergarten are encouraged to join the Kids Sing rehearsal.

Save the Date

Parade of Palms: Sunday, March 24

All children are invited to join us at either the 9 am or 11 am worship service to lead our parade of palms. Children will parade around the sanctuary during the opening song while waving their palm branches.

Easter Egg Hunt: Sunday, March 30 at 10 am

All children are invited to Bennett Park at Rosewood Dr. and 77th Street on Saturday, March 30 for a community Easter Egg Hunt and to meet the Easter Bunny! The egg hunt starts at 10 am. For more information, contact heatherj@visitasbury.org.

VBS Registration is Open!

Join us for some VBS fun June 16 - 20 from 6-7:30 pm! An optional light meal will be served at 5:30 pm.

Our 3-year-old through 4th grade campers will explore timeless Bible stories that show how biblical characters trusted God in the face of their own fears, and went on to do great things in God’s name. Click here to register your 3-year-old - 4th grade student today!

Coffee and Convos: Sundays at 10 am in the Youth Lounge

All 6th - 12th grade youth are invited to meet in the Youth Lounge (3rd floor west) at 10 am for a time of connecting and diving deeper into their faith while they enjoy food and beverages.

Youth Group: Sundays at 6 pm in the Youth Lounge

Come for dinner and the planning of Sunrise Service. All youth (6th-12th grade) are encouraged to participate in Sunrise Service.

Save the Date

Sunrise Service: Sunday, March 31 at 7 am in Hager Hall

All are welcome to come and worship with us at 7 am in Hager Hall, as the youth lead all of us in a celebration of resurrection! A pot luck breakfast will follow the service.

Youth Service Trip: June 1-9 in Slidell, LA

Youth (Grade 6 -12) are invited to spend the week of June 1-9 serving in Slidell, LA this summer with the Epworth Project. In addition to our work, we will spend a day in New Orleans.

We try to keep the cost of our service weeks under $200, and we have 25 spots available. Register today!

Watch this space for more details, or you may also email heatherj@visitasbury.org with questions or for more information.