This Week's News - December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

The wrapping is complete, Santa’s sleigh is loaded (only some assembly required and don’t forget batteries). The day is almost here. What is it that we long for on this holy day called Christmas? I suspect that our deepest longing is what I John 4 describes as the whole purpose of God in human life: love. “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us and God’s love is perfected in us”. My hunch is that giving and receiving genuine love is at the heart of all our longings. None of us really longs for a new toaster or a new set of mittens, though we might truly enjoy the gifts. But to know that we are beloved by someone else, even by God, and to feel within ourselves the energy to freely give away love to a stranger or a person we share a home with is to feel completely alive.

Christmas is the season for remembering that our faith is not a set of abstract concepts. It's a grandmother’s wrinkled hand baking cookies and a warmth pack handed out to a man who sleeps in a tent all winter. The poet W.H. Auden puts it like this in his poem “For The Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”:

“Remembering the stable where for once in our lives

Everything became a You and nothing was an It.”

Christmas is not a creed but a baby, not a set of ideals but intimate love unfolding in the messy stable of our own lives.

Barbara Brown Taylor wrote a sermon called “God’s Daring Plan” in which she describes how God spent thousands of years trying to build a relationship of love with human beings. Nothing seemed to get humanity's attention. And so God convened a conference with the angels and laid out a new strategy involving a baby. The angels thought it was genius but they worried about what people might do to the child. Maybe the child would need superpowers to disappear if need be.

“God thanked the archangels for their concern but said no, he thought he would just be a regular baby. How else could he persuade them that he knew their lives inside out, unless he lived one like theirs? There was a risk. He knew that. Okay there was a high risk, but that was part of what he wanted his creatures to know: that he was willing to risk everything to get close to them, in hopes that they might love him again.”

Grace and Peace,

Carla

WORSHIP WITH US

Worship with us in person at 9:01am (sanctuary), 10am (chapel) or 11am (sanctuary)

Click HERE to view our live stream.
Miss last Sunday's worship? Watch it HERE.

Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022

Streaming Service Only

Worship online at 9:01, 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. for Christmas reflections from all five clergy and special music.

In Today's Newsletter, Keep Scrolling to see...

Church Happenings - Christmas Eve Service Information
Adult Enrichment - New Adult Sunday School Class
Mission & Outreach - Hear from the organizations the Christmas Offering will support
Children & Youth - Service Project with Scraps KC on Dec. 27
Young Adults - Roots Events
Save these Dates - New Sermon Series begins Jan. 8
Life of the Church - Elder/Deacon Winter Retreat

CHURCH HAPPENINGS

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES

Saturday, Dec. 24

5:30pm | Children and families service. Children will be invited to dress as angels or shepherds and will join the Holy family during the service.

Music will be joyfully led by a vocal trio and accompanied by an instrumental trio (piano, sax, and bass). Prelude to the service will feature gospel arrangements composed by our bassist Sam Copeland and saxophone solos played by Zak Pischnotte along with dancing by our guest dancer. O Holy Night sung by Alex Goering, tenor.

This service will also be live-streamed at cccckc.org.

8pm and 11pm | The magic of Christmas comes alive in candlelight and song during these traditional services featuring the Kansas City Brass with choir and organ.

In traditional fashion, music will be provided by the KC Brass Quintet, organists Dr. Peiyao Yu and Sharee Thompson, and pianist Dr. Yi Zhang. The traditional David Willcocks, O Come, All Ye Faithful with Fanfare will be used and the choir will present two anthems one of which will be accompanied by brass, 4-hand piano, and organ. O Holy Night sung by Alex Goering, tenor and Variations sur un Noël, Op.20 by Marcel Dupré played by Dr. Yu for Postlude.

The 8pm service will be live-streamed and rebroadcast at 11pm at cccckc.org

CHRISTMAS DAY

Sunday, Dec. 25

Country Club Christian Church - Streamed only. Worship online at 9:01, 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. for Christmas reflections from all five clergy and special music.
Swope Parkway Community Christian Church Worship - CANCELED due to weather

AFTER CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 26. The church will be closed.

NEW YEAR'S DAY

Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 | One Service at 10:30am. Rev. Joe Walker will be preaching. Childcare will not be available during the service. The service will also be available streaming at cccckc.org.

MISSION AND OUTREACH

Learn more about the organizations benefiting from this year's Christmas Offering.

Click on the video above to hear from the three organizations benefiting from this year’s Christmas Offering: Jerusalem Farm, Sheffield Place and Amethyst Place. Your generosity is appreciated as these agencies seek to transform lives in our community. You can give by:

Clicking HERE to donate online
Putting cash gifts in a “Christmas Offering” envelope available in pews and place in offering plate.
Placing checks in offering plate, notate “Christmas Offering” on memo line
Texting the word ‘Christmas’ to 816-484-3399

ADULT ENRICHMENT

NEW ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, Jan.15, 10am.

We are excited to launch a new Sunday school class for the new year to serve folks in middle adulthood! Are you in your fifties or sixties and looking for a space to connect with others? Stop by Room 301 for a chance to connect with others, discuss potential topics and activities and enjoy some snacks.

GREIF AND FAITH LUNCHEON: THEN AND NOW

Tues., Jan. 10, 12pm. Rev. Rita Kendagor shares about her husband’s medical crisis and death after only 8 years of marriage with a 6-year-old and baby on the way. Small group discussion following the presentation.Complimentary box lunch, free-will donation appreciated. Held at Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd. Register HERE.

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE

Sept. 5 - 14, 2023

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land has been called “the fifth Gospel,” and for many people, it’s the trip of a lifetime. This trip starts in Galilee, coming down the Jordan valley, and culminates with some of the most cherished sites in and around Jerusalem. This Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is being led by Dr. Mike Graves and Dr. David May. To see a detailed itinerary and more information, click HERE.

The cost is $4,800 per person, double occupancy. It includes round-trip airfare from Kansas City, ground transportation, 4-star hotels, and two meals per day, as well as entrance into all the sites and gratuities. A $300 deposit is due in May of 2023. Space is limited, so signing up ASAP is encouraged. If interested in participating, email Dr. Graves.

HUMAN RIGHTS PILGRIMAGE

Oct. 23-26, 2023

Join us on an educational and relational journey to better understand racism in our country and to consider ways to work toward dismantling it. Led by Rev. Carla Aday and Dr. Claudia Highbaugh. This pilgrimage to Birmingham and Montgomery, AL, includes visits to the National Peace and Justice Museum, the Tuskegee Airmen Museum, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Freedom Riders Museum. Estimated cost is $1250 per person, double occupancy, or $1,600 single occupancy. Scholarships available. More information at cccckc.org/human-rights-pilgrimage/. CLICK HERE for more information, brochure and registration.

MISS A MONDAY NIGHT CLASS? These classes will be recorded and posted the following Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on our YouTube channel. Click HERE to catch the new classes when they are published.

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CHILDREN AND YOUTH

BABIES AND BREAKFAST

Saturday, January 14, 9:30-10:30

Children 3 and under, bring your family for breakfast! We will be serving pancakes and have toys available. Come meet parents with children of similar age.

CLUB KIDS (3rd - 5th graders)

TIS THE SEASON OF GIVING! YOU CAN GIVE TIME ON DEC. 27

Service Project with Scraps KC

We know there are many days off and we are hopeful you can make time for serving with Scraps KC who is arranging their current space to create a year round school supply sorting area and need extra hands to help prepare the area. We will be lifting, moving, carrying etc.

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 1 - 4pm
5th graders and above
Meet at church at 12:30 pm and will return by 4:30 pm
RSVP to April aprilb@cccckc.org so we can secure enough drivers.

Families are welcome to meet us at Scraps at 1:00, just let us know. Scraps KC ~ 3269 Roanoke Road | Kansas City, MO 64111

REMINDER! CLUB KIDS TEXTING UPDATES. Stay tuned with all of our activities via text reminders!

YOUTH GROUP (Middle & High Schoolers)

YOUTH DONUTS & DISCUSSION, Sundays at 10am,Youth Center.

Youth are invited to a weekly Sunday morning gathering including donuts (or other sweet treats) and good conversation. Youth will split up into middle school and high school groups for activities & discussion.

Consent & Release Form is required for any youth attending youth ministry events.

SUNDAY SCHOOL CONTINUES | 10 - 10:45am

Worship & Wonder: Pre-school - 1st grade
Footsteps in Faith: 2nd - 5th grade
Donuts & Discussion: 6th - 12th grade

YOUNG ADULTS (Ages 20's to 30's)

SAVE THE DATES! DETAILS TO COME!

ROOTS Brunch | Sunday, Jan. 8

ROOTS Dinner & Discussion | Tuesday, Jan. 17

If you are in your 20s and 30s, take part in a variety of socials, service projects, and opportunities to study the Bible and our faith. Details at linktr.ee/cccckcroots, or @cccckcroots on Instagram.

SAVE THESE DATES

NEW SERMON SERIES BEGINS JAN. 8

As the calendar turns to January we often resolve to get more physically fit or adopt healthy life patterns for personal growth. We will look at the letter of Phillipians to see what guidance is offered for setting a spiritual path. Paul offers advice like be bold; strive side by side; shine like the stars; press on, and find contentment.

HURRY! REGISTRATION ENDS SOON!

Christian Community Camp will be July 29 - Aug. 5. Take part in hiking, horseback riding, fishing, crafting, relaxing, and fun at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Co. with folks from our congregation.

Find out more on Sunday, Jan. 8 in The Parlor

LIFE OF THE CHURCH

ELDERS and DEACONS

Please mark your calendars with these upcoming events:

ELDER / DEACONS WINTER RETREAT

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. 8:30 - 11:30am

Featuring guest speaker, Rev. Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens who serves as the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She is the first person of color and second woman to lead the denomination. Since her election in 2017, Rev. Hord Owens’ ministry actively reflects the Disciples’ priority of being an anti-racist church, being a movement for wholeness, welcoming all to the Lord’s table as God has welcomed us. Her exhortation to the church is “Let’s be the church we say we are. It is in being who we say we are that we actively bear witness to God’s limitless love for all.”

Tues., April 11, 2023. 6 - 7pm | Elder/Deacon Meeting

All meetings will be in the Social Hall with a Zoom option.