The Weekly Word

“When we know better, we do better.” –Maya Angelou

2025 Meneilly Visiting Scholar

Over the two-part series, more than 150 people turned out over the weekend to learn more about cultural appropriation from Dr. Liz Bucar of Northeastern University. She discussed how if we pick and choose aspects of various religions based on what we like, then we need to be attentive to what is being borrowed and why a particular practice is attractive. If you would like to watch those sessions—which included discussions on yoga and pilgrimage—you will find them on our YouTube channel.

Walking with Jesus

lenten sermon series

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.

Serve

Hey, Gardeners! We’ll soon be prepping our Community Garden and Butterfly Waystation at the Village Food Pantry and could use your help. It’s a great way to do something outside—weeding and harvesting veggies—while making a difference! Email to share your green thumb.

Engage, Grow, and Celebrate

Calling All Artists! Plans are underway for our 19th annual Art & Hors d’oeuvres event on April 4. Local artists of all ages are invited to share their work with the community. For questions or to submit your work, email .

adult faith formation

Substance Abuse: Pastoral Care Mental Health Series – 6:30-8 p.m., Wednesday, March 12, Rooms 126/127. This session, led by Prairie Sky Counseling Center therapist Ryan Speed, will provide an overview of substance use and its impact with a focus on reducing stigma and promoting understanding.

Village Forum Class, “Mercy is Entering the Chaos” – 9:30-10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 16, Room 126. Pastor Rick Behrens from Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, Pastora Carmen Flores, and Trinidad Raj Molina will share what is happening in the community regarding the chaos created by the mass deportation currently instilling fear among God’s immigrant children. You will hear about courageous movements happening here and will be invited to take action.

Welcoming the Poor, the Outcast, and the Stranger: The Gospel According to Luke and Its Challenge to All Christians – 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays, March 10-31, Heritage Dining Room (230). This series, led by Biagio Mazza, focuses on Christian hospitality, the Eucharist, and how to emulate Jesus’ inclusive love in our daily lives.

music ministry

UMKC Choirs & Orchestra featuring Mozart’s “Solemn Vespers” – 3 p.m. this 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 is open!

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

Moms Group – 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, March 12. Moms and their littles are invited to join on the second Wednesday each month for our new Moms Group. Meet us in the Young Adult space for faith, fellowship, and food. 

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 space 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. Preschool enrollment 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.

Kids Day Out – There are spots remaining for the 2025-2026 Kids’ Day Out school year! If your family doesn’t need full-time childcare, but you’d love to give your young child the opportunity to grow, play, and socialize in our nurturing, faith-based environment, KDO is for you.

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 this 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.

Your refrigerator consumes a large portion of the energy used in your home. Cleaning the coils will help it operate more efficiently. All you need is a vacuum cleaner. *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.

Annual Congregational Meeting & Lunch – The Village Church Session has called for this meeting to be held Sunday, March 23, immediately after the 11 a.m. worship service (Mission Campus). All are invited to share a lunch in Friendship Hall to reflect on our ministry in 2024, hear a report about the 2025 budget, and our plans for the upcoming year.

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“Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here”

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. John 14:26

We are not called to do this work unaided or alone. Everyone is needed. Everyone has a part to play and an offering to make. As people of faith, we dream of a world where love overcomes hate, justice repairs oppression, and peace replaces division. Yet, we sometimes grow weary, believing that change is too slow or that hope is naïve. But God’s Spirit is at work—bigger, deeper, and wider than we imagine. Our call is to trust in that power, to participate in the holy work of transformation, and to never stop believing in a love that can do more than we dare to hope.