CCUMCThe Connection

april2020

CANCELLED OR POSTPONED EVENTSRead more on p. 2

LEGACY UPDATEA living gift from Sydney Ann AtkinsRead more on p. 4

MUNICIPAL ELECTION IN KC HAS CHANGEDRead more on p. 5

CONGRATULATIONSto Delaney DunnRead more on p. 5

WORSHIP CONTINUESRead more on p. 2

KC URBAN STRINGS STILL ACTIVERead more on p. 6

MOBILE CAMP PLANS CONTINUERead more on p. 7

FROM THE PASTORRead more on p. 8

EASTER LILIES & CHURCH CONFERENCE UPDATERead more on p. 9

INSPIRATION & PRAYER ABOUND!Read more on p. 3

CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER UPDATERead more on p. 5

SOUPER SUNDAYSRead more on p. 5

2 / CCU MC

Cancelled or Postponed for Health & Safety Reasons• SAT., APRIL 4 Blue River Clean Up “Mission of the Month” -- Postponed until Sat., Oct. 10• TUES., APRIL 7 Municipal Election in KC MO -- Postponed until June 2• TUES., APRIL 7Circle of Friends at Kingswood -- Cancelled• FRI., APRIL 24 Urban Strings concert -- Postponed• MON., MAY 25 Te Deum concert -- Cancelled• EVERY WEDNESDAY – 10 A.M. Prayer Group -- Continues at home• EVERY WEDNESDAY – 7:30 P.M. Choir Practice -- Postponed

Worship CONTINUES During lock-down because of the Corona

Virus (COVID 19), Sunday morning gatherings at CCUMC are postponed until further notice. Instead, join us for worship on your computer or cell phone, Sundays at 10:45. There will be inspiring music, dynamic preaching and a new sense of fellowship each week.

To access the worship service, go to Countryclubumc.org and tap on “live stream…”

And if you miss it on Sunday morning, go to the Sermon Page. Sermons from 2019 and 2020 are archived there and ready to watch.

CCUMC / 3

Inspiration & Prayer ABOUND!Members of the Board and others were asked recently to brainstorm on ways to give support to the church family as well as the whole community during these tough times. Upcoming events include:• Karen House is playing the CCCUMC organ to broadcast hymns and/or chimes daily at 10:45 for the community to enjoy.• Mon.-Sat. Pastor Keith presents a daily devotion on Facebook at 11:00 am, with music and prayer.• Bible verses written in chalk on the church sidewalks for neighbors to read• Inspiring scripture on small signs scattered throughout the yard• A lawn banner with inspirational thoughts• Devotional quotes written by church members posted on Facebook and church website• Encouraging ways to pray for others• Reminders to pray the Lord’s Prayer each time you wash your hands. It takes 20 seconds!

Beautiful services are planned for Palm Sunday, April 5, and Easter, April 12, even though the church is closed. Find a palm branch to wave and parade around your home. Have an Easter egg hunt in your apartment with your kids. Put on your Easter hat and plan to sing with great gusto “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” Celebrate Holy Week with friends and family when you join us online at 10:45. Go to Countryclubumc.org for the live streaming programs.

Celebrate Palm Sunday & Easter Day At Home

By Ann Vernon

4 / CCU MC

LIVING GiftsBy Linda Neal

Art, in its myriad forms, has always been one of the more glorious expressions of our response to God. We at Country Club UMC have been blessed with many artists throughout our 100+ year history in our Chancel Choir, Bell Choir, our instrumentalists, those who express their faith through written meditations, poems and prayers, and through our

many visual artists. Hopefully you have enjoyed our gallery of the paintings provided to us by Arlie Lane, Art Whorton, Don Vernon, Gary Mehl, and others as displayed in the Family Foyer and Library. One of our most prolific artists is Sydney Ann Atkins, who received her B.A. degree, majoring in oil painting, from Southern Methodist University. She has donated her talent to all of the UMCs where she and Rev. Gene Atkins served, and at CCUMC we often display her hand-crafted wall hangings and large banners during the various seasons of the church. Sydney Ann was commissioned to create a special work for our 2016 renovation, and her interpretation in oil paint of the Parable of the Sower is displayed on the west wall of the Family Foyer.

Sydney Ann Atkins with her banners in the Upper Room.

CCUMC / 5

APRIL 2020With more parents staying home or working from home, the need for child care has changed. CDC is on hold until the “all clear” is sounded and folks get back to work.

Child Development Center UPDATE

Souper SundaysThank You! to all those who contributed soup for our Souper Sunday Mission last month. Between our congregation and those who attended the Urban Strings Concert in early March, 158 cans of tomato, chicken noodle and vegetable soups were collected for Harvesters.

Dozens of low-income families will have a healthy lunch because of you.

CONGRATULATIONS to Delaney Dunn, who did a fundraiser during

March for Americans for the Arts. Delaney sold her original paintings as part of an 8th-grade project, and raised $400 for this national organization. Americans for the Arts is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and art education, ranging from music to film-making, from comedy to dance and the visual arts. Delaney is the daughter of Holly Mehl, and the granddaughter of Gary and Carole Mehl of our church.

Municipal Election in KC has ChangedThe Missouri election scheduled for April 7 has been moved to Tuesday, June 2, because of COVID 19. Look for a postcard in your mail from the election board clarifying place and time to vote.

6 / CCU MC

KC Urban Strings STILL ACTIVE

Anne Calvert is still teaching violin even though her studio at the church is closed during the Coronavirus shut-down. The 18 kids and 1 or 2 adults are now learning remotely on Zoom during the day, both as individuals and as a group. Anne says that in late April instead of performing a program in our sanctuary, they will do

“Front Porch Concerts.” This phenomenon since COVID19 has musicians playing instruments or singing from their decks and porches to share music with the neighbors. Our students will

do the same from their homes. Kansas City Urban Strings will also appear soon on YouTube with videos, giving the students more opportunity to perform for the public.

Children in Columbus, OH play for housebound women in the neighborhood.

People in Italy have begun playing concerts on their balconies to bring hope and pass the time during quarantine.

Follow up on Sunday, March 22, a special offering was scheduled to benefit UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. This organization provides disaster response and recovery, global health and other programs to help communities recover from hard times. A few envelopes were shared with the 18 people in attendance on March 15, but others will have an opportunity to contribute in the near future. More information will follow.

UMCOR SUNDAY

Did You Know …The Kansas City School District has food distribution centers set up to give food to school kids and their families when there are no classes. (Public school kids usually get breakfast and lunch at school. Having regular, healthy meals helps with learning!) There is also a special sign-up link for families who don’t have transportation and need direct delivery of food. This includes homeless kids and those in special ed. programs. Thanks to Linda Neal, CCUMC has recently connected with the KC Public Schools’ coordinator of Partners in Education. You will be learning more about how we can help our local children in school.

CCUMC / 7

MOBILE CAMP Plans ContinueSo far as we know, camp is still on! As of late March, 18 children have signed up from our church, Central UMC and St. John UMC. There are still openings available for the summer camp to be held June 15-19, 2020. Sponsored by NextGen Ministries, the camp (for children ages 6-12) offers experienced leadership and counselors. Campers may sign up for Technology, Creative or Athletic classes. The day camp will be held at Central

UMC, 51st and Oak. To register see nextgencamps.org. Cost for the week is $125 per child; CCUMC scholarships are available if the price is too steep for a family.

Volunteers are also needed to help prepare lunches for the campers, to host workers for each night, and provide transportation. See Pastor Keith, Blythe Jones or Terra Snyder to volunteer.

Strength in TribulationDid you know that our United Methodist Hymnal was divided into many different sections and sub-sections? One of the sub-sections is “Strength in Tribulation.” In this sub-section are such classic hymns like: Stand By Me (When the storms of life are raging, stand by me); I Want Jesus to Walk with Me (When I’m troubled, Lord, walk with me); Beams of Heaven as I Go (I do not know how long ‘twill be, nor what the future holds for me, but this I know: if Jesus leads me, I shall get home someday); We’ll Understand It Better By and By; What a Friend We Have in Jesus; Nearer, My God, to Thee; How Firm a Foundation; We Shall Overcome; Be Still, My Soul. What great hymns these are, and what great comfort they are in the midst of our current tribulation. The theme of most of these hymns is that when we face troubled times in life, God’s power will get us through.

Fear is probably the strongest feeling we have to face in this pandemic we are suffering. Fear for our physical health and our financial well-being. Regardless of who we are, where we live or what we know, fear in one form or another threatens our composure and strives to rob our lives of hope. All of us are too human to be freed totally from fear. But we can be faithful enough to prevent such worry from having the last word.

“Be not afraid” is one of the more prominent themes of the Bible. It was the message of the angels to the shepherds in the field when they came to announce the birth of the Messiah. It was a message that Jesus was constantly proclaiming to the disciples and the multitudes. Remember when Jesus slept in the boat in the midst of a mighty storm. The disciples were scared for their lives and Jesus peacefully slept. They woke him saying, “Lord, rescue us! We’re going to drown!” And he responded, “Why are you afraid?” and he calmed the sea (Matthew 8:23-27). The disciples were so frightened by the waves that they had forgotten who was in the boat with them. If you gaze only at the stormy moments in life, you will

never experience the power of God’s redeeming presence in the midst of the storm. Not only did Jesus calm the waves in the water, he calmed the fears in the hearts of his followers. And what happened in that boat can happen with us now. God’s power is stronger than our fear. Our faith will not keep us from being afraid, but it can assure us that even when we are afraid we will never be alone. Regardless of the winds and the waves and the pandemics about us, God’s never-ending strength is beneath us, forever holding us up even when life appears to be pulling us down.The Golden Gate is the inlet from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. It has a terrible reputation of being stormy and of creating treacherous weather conditions in the batting of an eye. When engineers were planning to build a bridge across the Golden Gate, much thought was given to the prevalence of the stormy weather to be encountered.

Deep down below the surface of the bay they drove the pilings into solid rock and upon the pilings several huge towers were erected. Next they flung cables from the towers across the Golden Gate and anchored them securely in the rock on both sides of the bay. Then, from the cables they hung the bridge.

When angry storms arise in San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge will actually move and sway in the mighty winds. But it refuses to give in to those winds and waves because it is anchored securely on the solid rock below. The same is true with people of faith. God will not shield us from the frightening winds and waves of human existence. But God’s power will support us when they come along. God’s power is stronger than our fear. Even in our stormy moments and frightful times we live in like today, we live abundantly because we know for certain that underneath us are God’s “Everlasting Arms” (Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.)

by Keith Morgan

8 / CCU MC

FROM THE PASTOR

Palm Sunday and EasterWe will be celebrating Palm Sunday and Easter via live stream this year. That is contrary to some initial communication, but I have changed my mind. With the length of the “stay at home” order getting longer with no clear date of removal of the order, I think it is best we go ahead and celebrate these two great holidays online. Then when we return to face-to-face worship we will have a great celebration of Resurrection/New Life. We’ll sing Easter songs and have trumpets, etc. It will be a great moment to be back together and we will celebrate.

This also means we will have a live stream Maundy Thursday Service. It will be on Thursday, April 9, at 7:00 pm. I hope you will join us for all the services. Peace, Keith.

by Keith Morgan

CHURCH Conference

As you know, we had scheduled a church conference for Sunday, March 29, to vote as an entire church on becoming a campus of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. Because of the “stay at home” order we are under to help prevent the spread of Covid 19, the church conference has been postponed to a later date. Our Discipline stipulates that members of the congregation must be present to be able to vote. No phone, mail, or conference call votes are allowed. Therefore, no date for the church conference will be set until we get the “all clear” to meet in groups. We will keep you posted.

Easter LiliesThe Easter Lily is a symbol of new growth, resurrection and hope. Easter Sunday, April 12, although our church will worship online rather than physically, there will be traditional lilies on the altar. You may sponsor one for $10 each as an honor gift or in someone’s memory. Sign up with Bethany in the church office (816 -444-1212 #2001) or email: office@countryclubumc.org., and mail a check to the church. After the service, you may pick up your plants under the south awning. Contact: Cathy Oesterling.

Good Shepherd congregation worshipping on Sunday.

CCUMC / 9

FROM THE PASTOR

10 / CCU MC

Country Club United Methodist Church400 West 57th • Kansas City, MO 64113

Pastor: The Rev. Keith W. MorganChurch Administrator &

Connection Layout Design: Bethany Buchanan

Connection Editor: Ann Vernon

Office Hours:Mon.-Wed., Fridays: 9 am – 1 pm

NOTE: Thursday: 7:30 am - 11:30 am

Phone:816-444-1616E-mail: office@countryclubumc.org

Website: www.countryclubumc.org

To make new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

OUR MISSIONWe are a

RECONCILING congregation.We at Country Club United Methodist Church welcome and affirm into the full life and ministry of our church, people of every race, ethnicity, age, faith history, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, family configuration, physical ability, mental ability, educational status and economic status. We celebrate the gifts that God sends through the diversity of God’s people, and declare ourselves to be a Reconciling Congregation.