April 14, 2024

Asbury Sunday Worship:

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

10:00 am: Sunday School

11:00 am: Live-Streamed Worship

Native American Ministries Sunday is April 14

Click above to watch a short video!

The Native American Ministries Sunday celebration is on April 14. On this Special Sunday, we gather to celebrate the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to the United Methodist Church and to our society.

Your gifts to the Native American Ministries Special Offering strengthen Native American ministries in annual conferences and provide scholarships for Native American seminarians. Half of our gifts stay with local ministries in this conference, and half support the work of Native American United Methodist ministries nationally.

Ways to give: Cash or check, designating NAMS on your offering envelope or memo line. Online via Easy Tithe; under "Other Fund," please write "NAMS" in the notes section. 

Let’s celebrate Native American Ministries Sunday and declare God’s divine love on April 14!

Oklahoma Racial Justice Encounter Presentation: Sun. April 14 at 10 am

In celebration of Native American Ministries Sunday on April 14, Pastor Jeff and Pastor Daekyung are going to give a presentation during the Sunday school hour (10-11 am) in Hager Hall.

They will be talking about the Great Plains Oklahoma Racial Justice Encounter trip they went on from March 7-11. Everyone is invited to come and hear them talk about their experiences.

Kansas City Musical Club Benefit Concert: Sunday, April 14 at 2 pm

The Kansas City Musical Club held auditions in March for their 2024 Music Scholarships. A total of $7,000 was distributed to nine individuals chosen to receive scholarships for the upcoming school year.  

A showcase featuring several of these young scholarship winners from KU, UMKC, and Park University will be held in the Asbury Sanctuary on Sun. Apr. 14 at 2 pm. All are welcome to attend this free concert featuring vocals, cello, and violin, as well as an after-concert snack reception.

Donations are encouraged and will be added to the 2025 Scholarship Fund.

Special Lydia Circle Presentation: Tuesday, April 16 at 7:00 pm

Lydia Circle member Susan Smith will share with us about a recent trip she and 19 other family members made to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of her uncle’s service in WWII. 

Her uncle was a crew member on the last flight of the Lonesome Polecat, which was shot down over France in 1944. The family attended a ceremony at the American Cemetery in Normandy.

Please come join us on Tue. Apr. 16 in the Parlor at 7 pm for this meaningful program and some good fellowship.

Help Volunteer for the UWF Book Sale!

Volunteers are needed to help set-up, work, and tear-down the UWF Book Sale. Sign-up to work with a friend!  All are welcome! 

Set-up: Thursday, April 25 from 9 am-10:30 am & 10:30 am-Noon

Help sell: Friday, April 26 between 7:45 am-5:15 pm & Saturday, April 27 between 7:45 am-2:15 pm (each selling shift is approximately 2 1/2 hours long)

Tear-down: Sunday, April 28 from Noon-1:30 pm

Click on the following link to sign up: Help Volunteer.  If you need assistance with signing up, contact Paula Blood at pdblood@sbcglobal.net or 913-205-0100. THANK YOU!

Church Council: Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 pm

Asbury's Church Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 pm in the Parlor. All Asbury members are welcome to attend this open session. If you have any questions, please call the church at 913-432-5573.

Travel More with Pastor Daekyung - Trip to Africa Starts in May!

We’re happy to share the plan for the Asbury Travel More Project for 2024! Like last year, we’re going to have hands-on experiences of diverse cultures in the KC area. This year, we’ll meet mostly on Saturdays. Children and youth are always welcome (we encourage them to be accompanied by adult family members)! Click here if you’d like to take a glance at the last year’s trips.

Here is the 2024 schedule:

• May: Trip to Africa 
• August: KC Annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival 2024
• September: Trip to Japan
• November: Trip to Spain

Registration for the Trip to Africa is now open. Please call the church at 913-432-5573 or email Pastor Daekyung (daekyungk@visitasbury.org) by Thursday, April 25 if you would like to join. The Trip to Africa itinerary is below.

Week 1: Eating Lunch (Going Dutch) - Saturday, May 4 at noon at African Dream Cuisine in Lenexa

Week 2: Visiting the Ushindi United Methodist Fellowship - Saturday, May 11 from 11 am-1:30 pm at The Hub Argentine (3730 Metropolitan Ave, Kansas City, KS 66106)

Week 3: Watching the Movie “The Good Lie” (2014/PG-13 rated/1h 50m) - Saturday, May 18 at 10:30 am in the Asbury Parlor 

Snacks for Kids Ministries

For the next couple of weeks, we will be collecting pre-packaged snacks for our kids ministry in the Welcome Center.

Pirate's Booty, Cheese-Its, veggie straws, chips, Scooby snacks, mini muffins and Goldfish (no rainbow or other dyes) have been some past favorites. If you have any questions on what is most needed, please contact Katherine Newman at katherinenewman67@gmail.com.

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

College Care Packages

Did you know that every semester we send goodies to our college students to encourage them to finish the semester strong? We invite you to partner with our Family Ministries in this important outreach to our college students. It just takes three easy steps!

1. Select an envelope from our table in the Welcome Center.
2. Purchase item or make a monetary donation for the amount listed on the envelope for the item. 
3. Return the item and the envelope or your monetary donation in the envelope.

This is a great way for Asbury to remind our college students that we are here for them, care for them, and are praying for them. If you have any questions, please contact our Director or Family Ministries, Heather Jackson, at heatherj@visitasbury.org.

Used Book Collection for United Women in Faith

We are asking that you save all your gently used books and donate them for the UWF book sale taking place April 26-28. We will accept books of any kind, any genre, any size! Exceptions: no damaged books, encyclopedias or textbooks, please. We will also accept gently used puzzles, games, DVDs, CDs and LPs.

Drop off your gently used books and other items at Asbury from now until April 21 on the designated cart in the west narthex. Any unsold items will be donated. All proceeds from the sale will go to support UWF missions!

Help Send a Kid to College

Asbury’s scholarship program has been awarding post-secondary tuition assistance to eligible applicants for over thirty years. Who’s eligible? Any full time vo-tech/degree seeking student connected to Asbury. Awards are not based on needs or merit, but simply on love. Last year the Asbury Endowment Committee awarded thirteen scholarships at $1000 each. This year we are expecting between twelve and fifteen applicants. A majority of funding will come from endowed funds and The Morris Family Scholarship. However, the committee is asking for your help to fund the remainder of our dollar needs.

Please show your love for our students by making a donation to the scholarship fund. To help us meet this goal, please make your gift by April 30. You may pay with check or online through Easy Tithe. Select “Other Fund” and enter “2024 Scholarship Fund” in the notes section or memo line of your check. Gifts from Qualified Charitable Donations or appreciated securities can be facilitated by contacting the church office at 913-432-5573 or Dan Clevenger (danc@visitasbury.org)

Thank you so much! The Asbury Endowment Trustees.

Asbury Scholarships: Sign Up through April 28

The Asbury Endowment Committee invites any Asbury member who will be a full-time vocational/technical school or degree seeking student to apply for a scholarship for the 2024-2025 school year.

Funding for these scholarships have been provided by bequests and memorial gifts from the Asbury community who believed in the importance of higher education. We hope all students will apply, and we look forward to reviewing your applications. 

You can find the application online at www.visitasbury.org. If you would prefer a hard copy, please click here to email our Director of Communications, Sharlynn Verner. All applications must be returned to Asbury on or before Sunday, April 28, 2024.

Food Drive this Saturday, April 13

The Asbury Food Pantry is having a Food Drive! Join us on Saturday, April 13 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Hy-Vee at 75th and State Line in Prairie Village. We'd also love if you want to volunteer to help out - just contact Rosie Sanders at roseann.sanders@gmail.com for more information.

Asbury Children's Center Cereal Drive

The Asbury Children's Center hosted a cereal drive that ended on Wednesday, with the proceeds going to the Asbury Food Pantry. The really fun part is that they created a domino train of cereal boxes leading to the food pantry! Check out some of the photos from the fun event below.

And don't forget - it's not too late to donate cereal for April! We'll be collecting it all month long as our "Food of the Month." 

Local Recycling Events: Help Care for our Community and our Earth

As our Asbury Missions Team continues to rise to the challenge of adopting social principles for sustainable policies and practices, they would like to encourage everyone to remember the "3 R's" of waste management - Recycle, Reduce, and Reuse.

Reusing still-useful items help to reduce our overconsumption and help to save landfill space. Paying attention to what's in our cleaning and household products help us to avoid things that might pollute or otherwise harm our environment.

And we all know about recycling! Check out some of the ways some local businesses are offering help with recycling beyond our weekly curbside pickups.

City of Shawnee Annual Recycling Event: Saturday, April 13 from 8-11 am

• Free: Household batteries, computer towers, stereos, speakers, cameras, microwaves, printers, most electronics with a cord
• For a small fee: Computer monitors ($25), TV's of any size ($40)
• Learn more at https://www.cityofshawnee.org/

Large Appliance Recycling & Shredding Event: Saturday, April 13 from 9 am-12 pm

• Free: Large appliances (refrigerators, ovens, air conditioners, etc.)
• No small appliances accepted; documents for shredding accepted for $5 per box.
• Learn more at https://www.opkansas.org/events/appliance-recycling-event/

Overland Park Recycling Extravaganza: Saturday, April 20 from 9 am-3 pm

• Free: Medications; electronics and small appliances up to 10 lbs., tires (up to 8 per person)
• For a small fee: TV's ($20)
• Other items will be accepted for donation, such as clothing, building materials, and toys. Check out https://www.opkansas.org/city-services/trash-recycling/recycling-extravaganza/ for a full list and to learn more.

Electronics Recycling & Shredding Event: Saturday, June 1 from 9 am-12 pm

• Free: Electronics and small appliances
• For a small fee: Documents for shredding ($5/box), CRT monitors ($5), CRT and Projection TV's ($30), LCD TV's ($20)
• Learn more at https://www.opkansas.org/

Midwest Mission Distribution Center Trip: September 22-27, 2024

Be a part of this fun, worthwhile, and uplifting experience at the MMDC in Springfield, IL (www.midwestmission.org). No matter your skills or abilities, there is an important job that needs you!

Work activities might include refurbishing bikes and sewing machines, building desks from old wooden bleachers, or assembling sleeping mats. Other tasks could include assembling flood buckets or supply kits (tornado, birthing, hygiene, etc.). In the evening, enjoy fellowship at the Comfort Inn where we will stay. The Mission Scholarship Fund will cover material costs payable to the MMDC. Individuals will be responsible for lodging, transportation and meal costs. All participants are encouraged to use scholarship funds available through the Asbury Mission Team. Questions can be referred to Dan Clevenger at danc@visitasbury.org. Reserve your slot by July 15!

MMDC Mission Statement: We send tangible resources to those in need to make an intangible difference in their lives through hope and empowerment.

Save the Date

Family Ministries Book Club

Family Ministries Book Club will next meet on Tuesday, April 16 at 7 pm. All adults are welcome to join. We're reading A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, by Nathan Thrall (link to book).

Kids Hour

Kids' Hour is a great way for kids to make friends and build community while learning Bible stories. Kids (PreK - 5th grade) are invited to join the fun of exploring Bible stories through weekly rotations such as art, music, games, cooking, drama, science, and videos. 

Kids Sing: Sunday, May 12 (Mother's Day)

Rehearsals begin this Sunday, April 14 during the Children's Church time (11 am service) for the Mother's Day Kids' Sing.

Kids will also rehearse on the following Sundays: April 28 and May 5.

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 in the Kids Sing rehearsal.

Save the Date

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!

GodSquad: July 29 - August 2

GodSquad is our annual service week for those in 4th - 6th grade. We will serve at a variety of local nonprofits throughout the week. Participants will meet at the church at 9 am each day and head to the service sites, and will return to the church by 1 pm daily. Click here to register your child today!

Coffee and Convos: Sundays at 10 am

All 6th - 12th grade youth are invited 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

This week, we're having an offsite Fun Night for our youth!

For more information, please contact our Director of Family Ministries, Heather Jackson, at heatherj@visitasbury.org.

Save the Date

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. Deadline to register is April 17. Register today!

If you would like more information, please email heatherj@visitasbury.org.

GodSquad: July 29 - August 2

GodSquad is our annual service week for those in 4th - 6th grade. We will serve at a variety of local nonprofits throughout the week. Participants will meet at the church at 9 am each day and head to the service sites, and will return to the church by 1 pm daily. Click here to register your youth today!