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Hey Asbury!
I just concluded a Zoom meeting with some conference youth and youth leaders. We were discussing how ministry during this pandemic is different, and the youth were sharing how some of their peers weren't quick to buy into virtual ministry. Their expressed fear was, "it won't be like it was." In other words, it won't be "normal."
As humans, we love our routines. We love to know what to expect, and personally, I always have plans A-F at the ready, anticipating as many twists and turns as possible. Yet, I had not planned for what happened in March. I was starting to create a plan. I had signed up for Zoom in anticipation of test running some of my team meetings in March, in case COVID-19 arrived in Kansas and we couldn't meet in person. My test run became the real deal and I, like everyone at Asbury, quickly began to adapt to ministry in a virtual space in real time.
What I learned, and what I shared with those I met with this morning, is that different doesn't mean bad. As people who are part of a movement, we are called to: embrace change, to be different, and to not be lulled into complacency by routine and normalcy. This weekend, as we celebrate one of the most important changes for our faith - Pentecost, I am reminded that both reaching new people with the good news and the renewal of the church are almost always accompanied by change. I hope you will join us online this weekend as we explore what this means for us today.
Finally, I want to echo Pastor Gayla's words and thank you for the incredible support that you are giving during these challenging times. Your generous stewardship has allowed us to continue our ministry, and even expand our care to people in our community who are hungry and hurting. As our Asbury sign says: "Building closed. Church open."
Heather
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Psalms of Lament, Hope, and Praise:
A Bible Study for NOW
Join Pastor Lee Johnson for a Virtual Bible Study to be offered on Thursday evenings in June from 7-8 p.m.
Each night will focus on three different Psalms - one of lament, one of hope, and one of praise - as we begin a summer unlike any other.
The study will be live via Zoom on June 4, 11, 19 and 25.
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Please click on the link below to read a letter from our Bishop, Ruben Saenz, Jr., sharing some of his thoughts about reopening church buildings as Kansas and Nebraska move into new phases of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Prayers of Joy and Concern
Did you know that you can submit a prayer request online? We are always keeping our Asbury family in prayer!
If you would like to submit a prayer request for yourself or someone you know, please visit
https://www.visitasbury.org/pastoral-care/.
If you would like to visit our Prayers of Joy and Concern page, you may find it here:
https://www.visitasbury.org/pastoral-care/current-asbury-prayer-requests/.
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Ready to Take the Leap
into Membership?
Are you ready to become a member of Asbury United Methodist Church? Be a part of history as we receive new members during a time when we are not even meeting for in-person worship!
We will receive new members (using Zoom)
in June. Let us know if you are ready to join
by contacting Julie Woodman and Michelle Funk, Directors of Connectional Ministries, at [email protected].
We look forward to welcoming new friends into the Asbury family!
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 30 Days of Laughter Starting in June!
Would you like to receive a daily message that brings a smile to your face and maybe even makes you laugh? On June 1, we will begin "30 Days of Laughter!" Each day, you will receive a joke or funny story to brighten your day and hopefully release the healing power of laughter.
To sign up, please email Sharlynn Verner, Director of Communications, at
[email protected]
, and she will place you on a special email list for your daily dose of laughter!
And just in case you're not sure if you want to sign up, here's a joke that might help you decide...
Why did the elephant sit on the marshmallow?
So she wouldn't fall in the hot chocolate!
Gun Violence Awareness Day | Friday, June 5
Friday, June 5 is Gun Violence Awareness Day. Did you know that m
ore than 38,000 people die from gun violence each year? Of those 38,000 gun-related deaths, 62% are suicides (about 23,500), 35% are homicides (about 13,300) and 3% to 4% are accidental shootings (about 1,200). This number puts deaths from firearms as the third leading cause of injury-related deaths nationwide, behind poisoning and motor vehicle accidents.* To commemorate Gun Violence Awareness Day, we would like to encourage everyone to
"Wear Orange" on Friday, June 5, to fight for a future free from gun violence. If you would like more information, please visit
https://wearorange.org/
.
Vision Quilt - Fighting Gun Violence with Love
Inspired by the worldwide r
eaction to the AIDS Memorial Quilt of the 1980s, t
he founders of Vision Quilt hope to replicate that response with a digital quilt suited to the age of social media, seeking
to e
mpower communities to create their own solutions to gun violence through the power of art and inclusive dialogue
. The virtual quilt is composed of individual 18" x 24" panels, either mailed to Vision Quilt or uploaded online, and then displayed online, allowing them to be seen by millions all over the country and the world! Anyone interested in making a panel for Vision Quilt is invited to do so. Please visit
https://www.visionquilt.org/make-a-panel.html
for more information.
Community Blood Center Blood Drive at Asbury | Sunday, June 28 from 9 am to 2 pm in Hager Hall
Community members are urged to make an appointment to donate at the upcoming Asbury United Methodist Church Blood Drive on Sunday, June 28 from 9 am - 2 pm.
Appointments are REQUIRED; walk-ins will not be accepted at this time. Make an appointment at
https://bit.ly/3bTAhSP
or call 1-877-468-6844.
All donors are asked to wear masks to their donation. Temperatures will be checked at the door and social distancing protocols will remain in place. For more information regarding CBC's response to COVID-19, please visit
https://smarturl.it/CBC_COVID19FB
. If you have any m
edical eligibility questions, please call 800.688.0900. Thank you so much!
Helping Our Neighbors Through Our Food Pantry
 How awesome is it that what began as a couple shelves outside our front door with cans of food and some rolls of toilet paper has turned into a much-needed resource for struggling families in our community!
We are happy that our ministry has continued to grow so that we can serve as many people as possible. That being said, we are always welcoming donations from people who are in a position to help! We're always accepting non-perishable food items of any kind, but three items that are especially helpful to hungry families are as follows: macaroni and cheese, pasta, and pasta sauce. These are especially helpful since these items can feed an entire family. Items for the household are welcome as well - these include disinfectants such as Lysol, hand sanitizer, and, of course, toilet paper!
Items may be dropped off in our back parking lot by the main entrance. If you can't drop off items at the church, Steve Trenholm is willing to come by your home and pick them up - outside, of course! Call or email Phyllis at the church office (913.432.5573 or
[email protected]) and she will let Steve know about food that can be picked up.
Lastly, you can also donate money to Asbury UMC, noting that it is for the "Food Pantry." Steve and the church staff will use this money to purchase food for our food pantry.
Thank you Asbury members and friends for helping us help our neighbors! Your continued generosity with our food pantry ministry is incredibly appreciated.
 Planning Ahead - Nametags for Church!
Brand spankin' new nametags are being printed for church members for that day when we all get to meet together again! If you have not had a nametag in the past, please send Phyllis Williams your information by either calling the church office at 913.432.5573 between 9 am and 4 pm Monday through Friday, or via email at
[email protected].
<--- Click on the
Church Calendar logo for upcoming Asbury events! Do you have an event you would like to be listed on the calendar? Please call the church office or email Phyllis Williams at
[email protected]. For inclusions in the e-Alive or weekly bulletins, please contact Sharlynn Verner at
[email protected].
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We still need your help to keep our operations running during this tough time of needing to close down. Coronavirus has made things challenging for everyone and Asbury is no exception! Please consider giving to the church electronically through one of these four ways:
- Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT)
- Online through Easy Tithe (www.easytithe.com/visitasbury)
- Text the word "Give" to 913-774-6060
- Download our giving app, "Church by Ministry One" (find Asbury under zip code 66208)
Also, you can still just write a check and send it in the mail! Our mailing address is as follows:
Asbury United Methodist Church
5400 W. 75th St.
Prairie Village, KS 66208
We love you all and appreciate each of you so much. Stay safe and healthy!
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In this week's Bible study, Rev. Lee Johnson discusses
"The Day of Pentecost," God's giving of Jesus'
promised Holy Spirit to his believers.
How does the Spirit move through and work in us?
Click on the link below to read more!
All of Rev. Lee's Bible studies can be found on the Asbury website under the tab
"Bible Study in Anxious Times," at www.visitasbury.org. We hope you that you find
these studies enriching and thought-provoking!
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Missing Sunday School and Bible Studies? Sign Up for Zoom
to Stay Connected!
Everyone's talking about Zoom these days! Are you feeling a little behind the curve? That's okay, we all do sometimes. But if you're missing your friends and want to sign up for a FREE Zoom account to use for Sunday school classes, small groups, or just visiting with your friends & family, let me assure you - it's easy!
All you need to do is follow these steps, and you'll be Zoomin' in no time!
- Go to Zoom's sign up page at https://zoom.us/signup. At the top, you can enter your email in the box labeled "Your work email address." Even though Zoom asks for a work email, a personal email will work fine!
- Check your email inbox for an activation email from Zoom. Click the "Activate Account" button in the email.
- On the page that opens up in your web browser, fill in your first and last name and a password.
- On the next page, you can invite other people to create a free Zoom account via email. You can skip this step if you want.
- Next, you'll be given a link to your personal meeting URL and will have the option to click an orange "Start Meeting Now" button to start a test meeting. If you click that orange button, you should be prompted to download the Zoom desktop app. Follow the prompts to install the app.
- After you've installed the Zoom app, you'll see buttons to "Join a Meeting" or "Sign In." To start your test meeting, click "Sign In."
- On the next screen, enter the email and password you just used to sign up for Zoom in your browser.
- Once you're logged in, make sure you're on the "Home" tab, and then click the orange "New Meeting" button in the Zoom app. Your meeting will start. Now you're ready to Zoom!
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Some retirement places and nursing homes are allowing people to send notes, pictures, etc. to the people living there who cannot have visitors right now. I have checked with Lakeview Village and they are still allowing mail deliveries. If you are interested in doing this, please let me know and I'll send you a list of addresses for some of our Asbury folks living at Lakeview.
 2. Food Pantry
Asbury has a food case outside its main entrance. If you have non-perishable food, please drop some off on the case outside, or you can always order from Amazon and have it sent to the church. If you are in
need of food, or know someone else who might be in need, please let them know they can drive by and
grab some food from the case. If you have any questions about the food pantry, please contact Steve Trenholm at [email protected].
 3. Hero Hearts
The other day while walking my dog, I saw hearts in windows with the names and job titles of "essential" workers and healthcare professionals. I thought this was an amazing way to honor those who have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can create your own hearts for your windows, and/or email our Director of Family Ministries at [email protected] names and job titles, and we will create hearts for social media and the windows at the church.
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Children's Sunday School
Preschool
:
Emails containing the week's story sheet and at-home activities for this week's lesson "Pentecost" (Acts 2:1-41), will be emailed out on Saturday night.
PreK-K: Emails containing the week's lesson, "Pentecost" (Acts 2:1-41), will be emailed out on Saturday night. Heather will make a video and post it to Facebook on Sunday. Follow the Facebook page to stay up to date:
https://www.facebook.com/Asbury-Childrens-Ministry-206583193254141/
1st-3rd Grade
:
Emails containing the week's lesson, "Pentecost" (Acts 2:1-41), and activities will be emailed out on Saturday night. Heather will make a video and post it to Facebook on Sunday. Follow the Facebook page to stay up to date:
https://www.facebook.com/Asbury-Childrens-Ministry-206583193254141/
4th-5th Grade: We will have Sunday school via Zoom at 11 am this Sunday. A link will be emailed to parents on Thursday. We will be discussing the lesson "Philip Welcomes an Ethiopian" (Acts 8:26-40).
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Sunday school at 10 am via Zoom. An email containing a link to the meeting will be emailed out to students prior to Sunday.
Youth Group - 6 pm
Youth Group will be via Zoom. Youth can use a phone or computer to connect to the meeting. Heather will email out meeting link and password. Youth are encouraged to grab a drink, snack, or even dinner to munch on during the meeting. We are treating the online meeting just as we would a face-to-face meeting and we will keep the 6 pm start time.
Wednesday Check-in and Prayer
6 pm: 6th-9th grade students are invited to connect and pray on Zoom. This short time of connecting will be about 15-30 minutes. Check your emails for the Zoom link or email Heather at
[email protected] for the link.
7 pm: 10th grade through college-aged students are invited to connect and pray on Zoom. This short time of connecting will be about 15-30 minutes. Check your emails for the Zoom link or email Heather at
[email protected] for the link.
Mission Trips
High School: Virtual Mission Trip with DOOR June 1 - June 5! Youth and sponsors will be meeting with staff from DOOR Chicago and DOOR Atlanta. The meetings will center around the work DOOR does and discussing ways to do indirect service in the time of COVID-19. We will be put into three groups and have the opportunity to "pitch" to DOOR on Thursday. The indirect service can be centered on Chicago, Atlanta, or locally. Each breakout group, with the guidance of their Asbury adult sponsor, will develop a plan for their chosen location/agency that we can work on and bring to fruition at Asbury.
Stay up to date on all that's happening in youth ministry by following our Facebook page!
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SHOPPING ON AMAZON?
2. Search "Asbury Methodist Church"
3. Select the Prairie Village location...and SHOP!
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