The Weekly Word

Africa Bound!

a village team returns to thwake after 7 years

A group of 17 persons—including Revs. David Nzioka and Maggie Johnson Phillips—will be returning to Thwake, Kenya in June. Beginning in 2010 with the formation of the Thwake Village Partnership, Village Church has invested resources, time, prayer, and friendship in the secondary school, girls’ home, church, clinic, and birthing center in Thwake and its roughly 4,000 residents. The last Village-sponsored trip was in 2018, although a medical team had planned a trip in 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic brought travel to a halt. Learn more and help support this ministry HERE.

Lenten Sermon Series

walking with jesus

Theologians describe Jesus’ ministry as “peripatetic” because he moved from place to place. He did not just settle in Nazareth and tell everyone to come to him. He walked around, visited with people, and talked and ate with them. In the five Sundays leading up to Palm Sunday, we will travel with Jesus from his temptation in the wilderness to meeting fishermen on the beach to eating with a tax collector in Jericho. Along the way, we will grow in our faith and faithfulness just as the disciples did as they walked with Jesus.  Worship in-person or online HERE.

This Sunday, March 2, Rev. Chad Herring will be in the pulpit preaching on the transfiguration of Jesus. Our lives are a collection of mountain-top experiences and moments in valleys. At the midpoint of his public ministry, Jesus has a literal mountain-top experience. When his disciples suggest that they stay on the mountain, Jesus leads them back down because they cannot stay there. This is an important learning for us, too. As wonderful as those experiences are, we cannot stay there. We must travel back down to the valley.  

Serve

Volunteer Opportunities Fair – This Saturday, March 1 from 1-4 p.m. there is a volunteer fair happening at Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church (9400 Pflumm). Find ways to get involved and serve locally and nationally. Register HERE.

Cross-Lines Volunteer Opportunity – Every month, Village Church serves a meal to 150-250 people at the Cross-Lines Kitchen—an outreach for people experiencing homelessness. Join us on Friday, March 14, to serve lunch to our neighbors in need. Jim Bolton coordinates the Mission Campus team while Laura Assyia manages the Antioch group. Learn more and sign up HERE or email Jim Bolton.

Engage, Grow, and Celebrate

adult faith formation

Pastoral Care Mental Health Series: Divorce & Blended Families – 6:30-8 p.m., this Wednesday, Feb. 26, Room 126/127, Mission Campus. Therapist Tanya Hessong of Prairie Sky Counseling Center will delve into the emotional and practical challenges of divorce and blending families—equipping participants with an understanding of family restructuring. You will leave with strategies to foster a compassionate and non-judgmental space for individuals navigating these changes.

Meneilly Visiting Scholar – Last call! Register now for “Stealing my Religion,” a two-part lecture series featuring Dr. Liz Bucar, professor of religion, Northeastern University: Feb. 28 and March 1. What does it mean that the majority of Americans now claim they’re not religious? How is that different from being spiritual? This free series will also be live-streamed.

The Men’s Group at the Antioch Campus invites others to join them as they visit the Johnson County Museum (87th and Metcalf) on Saturday, March 1, from 10-11:30 a.m. with lunch to follow at Strang Hall. Museum admission is $6, or $5 for seniors. For those who wish to carpool, meet at Antioch at 9:30 am. Sign up in the Antioch Narthex, call 913-681-8180, or HERE.

music ministry

Last Saturday Village Choir members served at Pete’s Garden whose mission it is to “rescue” surplus food from KC restaurants & caterers, package it, and get those meals on the tables of our neighbors in need. The group repackaged almost 575 meals, labeled more than 3,200 lids, and packaged more than 10,000 labels for their Kids Feeding Kids program! See more photos on our Facebook Page.

UMKC Choirs & Orchestra featuring Mozart’s “Solemn Vespers” – 3 p.m. Sunday, March 9, Mission Campus Sanctuary. Free admission.

Presbyterian women

MOTS (Moms of Teens) – Are you interested in talking to other moms with teenagers? Join us for coffee and connection on Saturday, March 8 from 8:30-10 a.m. in the Young Adult Space, Mission Campus.

Celebration of Faithful Women – 5:30 p.m. April 8 in Friendship Hall, Mission Campus. All women are invited to attend as we honor the faithful service of Joy Biard, Lisa Harrison, Georgia Klein, Susan Satterlee, and Marvie Sneegas. Registration opens March 1.

youth Ministry

Summer Trips are Here – Registration is now open for three awesome experiences for youth: A mission trip to Seattle (for students who have completed grades 7-12), our annual journey to Montreat (for completed grades 9-12), and a middle-school float trip (for completed grades 6-8).

young adults

Y.A.M. (Young Adut Ministry) Night – All 20s and 30s are invited to join us every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. We’ll enjoy dinner in Friendship Hall, followed by time together in the Young Adult Room for games, Scripture, and connection. Come as often as you can—we’d love to have you!

Children & family ministry

Village Preschool Turns 50! Help us celebrate half a century of nurturing young lives. Email photos of your kids’ time at Village Preschool to Lisa Wright (please include the year). Then join us for an Open House from 5-7 p.m. April 4—alongside the annual Art & Hors d’oeuvres event.

Enroll Your Little Ones – Preschool enrollment (and Kids Day Out registration) is happening now at the Mission and Antioch Campuses. Learn more HERE. Questions? Contact Sarah McKee regarding the Mission Preschool and Paula Benefiel at the Antioch Preschool. It is also time to sign up your kids for our awesome summer camps and programs — think: music & drama camp, Family VBS, science and art pop-up camps and more!

Pastoral care & Counseling

Growing Through Grief – If you are grieving, you’ll find support and comfort here. The first session of this 5-week class starts on Thursday, March 6, at 1 p.m. and will be every Thursday through April 3. Registration is required; contact Linda Alley, 913-671-2327.

green tips of the week:

‘Earthkeeping’ Lecture; A Call to Arms: Protecting Children from Chemicals Causing Disease – 8:30-11:15 a.m. Saturday, March 29 (Mission Campus) with keynote speaker Carey Gillam, in partnership with Grace Covenant Church. Learn more and register here.

Make sure your home’s air filters are clean and changed regularly, typically once a month. This will allow air to flow properly and ensure that your furnace and AC are working at peak efficiency. *Village Presbyterian Church is a certified Earth Care Congregation.

New Member Class – Have you joined the church in the last year? Have questions about being Presbyterian? Want to learn more about Village experiences? Join us on Wednesday, March 12, 6:30-8 p.m. in Room 230. Email Carol Solenberger to RSVP.

---

“Jesus, however, is not interested in universal, theoretical, or poetical love. For him, love does not consist primarily in words, sentiments, or feelings. For him, love means the great, courageous deed. He wants practical, and therefore, concrete love.”

–Hans Küng (Swiss Priest, theologian, and author)