Weekly Word
Note from Bob Sperry, director of giving
Thank you for your faithful, ongoing support—it means so much to our church. As we move to our new giving platform, please take a moment to transfer your recurring gift using the instructions in the email from Pushpay so it continues without interruption. About half of you have done so already! You may have seen earlier emails from Pushpay and felt uncertain because they didn’t come directly from Village Church, but they are part of this process. Our goal is to have all recurring gifts transferred by May 1, 2026. Please reach out if we can help in any way. –Bob Sperry, 913-671-2325
Serve
Be the Church Night – this Sunday, April 19. Let’s serve together at the Mission Campus! Join us at 5 p.m. for pizza in Friendship Hall, followed by various service opportunities from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for people of all ages.
Special April Collection at Antioch – This month we are collecting travel-sized shampoos, lotions, and soaps for care kits to distribute to our houseless neighbors. After worship on May 10, we will assemble the kits; a great way to serve on Mother’s Day!
Blood Drive – 1-6 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, Room 132 (Mission Campus). Save a life on a Tuesday! Sign up HERE (use code BT) or simply walk in.
community partner update:
Cross-Lines
Thanks to your generosity, time, and belief in their mission, 2025 was a year of meaningful impact at Cross-Lines. Last year, the Cross-Lines Community Kitchen served 52,554 meals—each providing a moment of fulfilling respite with nothing asked in return. Incredible volunteers gave 14,423 hours of their time. And that’s only part of the story! Read their 2025 impact report for more info.
You can be part of this effort, too. Each month, Village volunteers offer to help prep and serve a meal to about 150 people at the Community Kitchen (718 Shawnee Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas). Your giving at Village Church also helps fund the food we buy and serve there. Thank you for all the ways you demonstrate Christ’s compassion to our neighbors.
Engage, Grow, Celebrate
Tiffany Stained Glass Window Tour & Lunch – 9 a.m. Thursday, April 23. See the nation‘s largest church collection of Tiffany glass windows at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Topeka. After a docent-led tour, we’ll share lunch together. Find more info and register HERE.
Seniors Afternoon – 1 p.m. Friday, April 24, Room 230 (Mission Campus). Enjoy games and social time with other seniors. Bring your own board games and spread the word. Questions? Email Deana Petty.
75th Anniversary Parade – Prairie Village is celebrating 75 years with a parade on Mission Road at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 2 and Village Church is participating with a 1950s-themed float (to honor our founding in 1949). The Engagement committee needs 100 volunteers to walk alongside our float handing out candy to the attendees. We also need people to assist with float prep. Email Carol Solenberger if you can help.
ADULT FAITH FORMATION
Climate Change: God’s Gift of the Milankovitch Cycles – 9:30-10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 19, Room 126 (Mission Campus). Without greenhouse gases emitted by human activity, scientists believe earth would be in a prolonged period of gradual cooling due to the superimposed effects of the 3 Milankovitch Cycles. If we act quickly, wisely, and faithfully, we can restore God’s planet.
Community Reading Circles – 6:15 p.m., Wednesdays April 15-29, Room 126 (Mission Campus). Village Church has been invited to participate in an initiative of the Christian Century Magazine‘s Narrative Project called “Community Reading Circles.” The hope is to nurture hospitality, deep listening, and faithful imagination in our faith community. Please register HERE.
Religious Conflicts in Matthew’s Community: Confronting Religious Conflicts as Disciples of Jesus – 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays through April 27 & May 4, Room 126 (Mission Campus). Biagio Mazza, theologian and Scripture scholar, will explore the way in which the Matthean community worked through tensions, ultimately producing a gospel that continues to speak to the tensions that any believing community experiences. Please register HERE.
The Gospel of John – 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays April 15-29, Room 132 (Mission Campus). Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka will explore the Jesus that John portrays and how the gospel both deepens and lifts our faith and faithfulness. Register HERE.
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Thursday Nights Together – Calling all Antioch families with children K-12! Join us for bi-monthly programming on Thursday nights. Save the date of April 16 and reach out to Dr. Aaron Redburn to sign up.
Music & Drama Camp – 1-4:30 p.m. June 8-12 plus a performance at 7 p.m. on Friday night. Kids who have completed K-5 are invited for a fun week as we prepare “Are We There Yet?” (a musical about Moses and the journey to the promised land). Register HERE (if your child will be able to participate in the Friday night show).
CONGREGATIONAL CARE
Love to garden? You would be perfect to help keep our memorial garden beautiful! Light weeding and simple upkeep required. Contact Linda Alley, 913-671-2327.
music ministry
Requiem – 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26, Kauffman Center. The Village Chamber Choir, UMKC Conservatory Choirs, and the KC Civic Orchestra present Gabriel Fauré’s “Requiem.” Get your free tickets HERE.
Kansas City Wind Symphony presents “Celebration!“ – 7 p.m. Sunday, April 26, Mission Campus Sanctuary. Join us for a free, end-of-season festival of audience favorites, featuring selections from ”West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein.
Presbyterian Women
Celebration of Faithful Women – 5:30 p.m. tonight Tuesday, April 14 (Mission Campus). Help celebrate the 2026 Faithful Women of Outstanding Service honorees: Judy Frame, Julie O’Connor, and Louise Woodward.
Mahjong Mondays – 6:30-8 p.m., April 20. Play Mahjong on the second (Mission Campus) and third (Antioch Campus) Mondays each month. Please RSVP to Carol or Lisa to ensure adequate supplies and players.
Let’s Paint – Connect with other women and indulge your creative side at Pinot‘s Palette on Tuesday, April 28 from 6-8 p.m. Register HERE.
YOUng Adults
Y.A.M. (Young Adult Ministry) Night – 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays, April 15, 22, & 29. All 20s and 30s are invited to dinner and fellowship in Room 8. At 6:15 p.m., we’ll join Rev. Dr. Nishioka’s class on the Gospel of John in Room 132.
Picnic in the Park – 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21. Calling all young adult with kids: Bring the whole family to Porter Park (7301 Roe Ave.) for an evening packed with food, laughter, and fun! No cost, just sign up.
youth ministry
We celebrated our 29 confirmands last evening with snacks, certificates, conversation, and time spent with our Session members. They will be introduced to the congregation at 11 a.m. worship on Sunday, April 26 at the Mission Campus.
green tip of the week
Take shorter showers and use a low-flow showerhead – According to the UN, the world has entered a “global water bankruptcy” era—75% of the world’s population is currently water insecure.
Worship Times
MISSION CAMPUS: 9 and 11 a.m. (Sanctuary) and 4 p.m. for the Gathering service (Friendship Hall) Sundays
ANTIOCH CAMPUS: 10 a.m. Sundays
Let’s stay in touch.
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