Hillcrest Transitional Housing will be hosting a wine tasting and dinner at Atlanta Bread Company on Sunday, August 10, in the Summit Woods Crossing Shopping Center from 4:00 – 6:00pm. The cost is $20 per person with half of the proceeds to benefit Hillcrest Transitional Housing.
Hillcrest is a 90-day transitional housing program that helps a homeless family achieve self-sufficiency through a high accountability budgeting and life skills educational curriculum while living in a fully furnished, rent-free apartment. Families that enter the program have over a 95-percent chance of being self-sufficient upon graduating the program, and over an 80-percent chance of remaining self-sufficient after 5 years. First Church has sponsored an apartment at the Eastern Jackson County location since it opened several years ago.
Monday, August 04, 2008
College Age "Back-to-School" Send-Off
Join us the morning of Sunday, August 10 between services in the Office Conference Room for a get together before you head off to school for the fall. We plan to have a coffee bar and give you an opportunity to share your college address with us. Please make sure your friends know. You can e-mail the church office at office@firstumcbs.org with any questions or check out the Facebook group "FUMC College Age Group."
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
News from the Pastor
Dear Friends,
A generous member of the congregation recently gave me a copy of a book entitled The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning. It was a generous gift. In one section of the book the author is writing about the significance of Jesus enjoying table fellowship with all kinds of people. He says, “Sadly the meaning of meal sharing is largely lost in the Christian community today. In the Near East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity, and forgiveness-the shared table symbolizes a shared life.” These words come in the midst of a powerful statement of the radical nature of God’s grace shown to us in Jesus Christ. Christ ate with, shared fellowship, and showed love to all kinds of people.
This weekend we will celebrate Holy Communion in all four of our Worship Services. Sometimes we act as if this is simply a ritual act, important because it helps to keep a memory of Jesus alive. However, being invited to the Lord’s Table is not simply symbolic. Nor is it simply a ritual. Communion is more than a reminder of the Last Supper when Jesus invited the Disciples to share with him at the table. And, it is more than a foreshadowing of our invitation to the Heavenly Banquet at some future time. You and I are invited to his table here, now, in this time. Christ is here. Christ both invites and receives you at the Table. You are invited to begin, or to renew, your relationship with him. By inviting you, Christ is offering to share life with you.
As we gather for worship the Scripture reading will be Luke 24:13-35. It is the Resurrection appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They walked and talked with him for several miles, but in the breaking of bread their eyes were opened. Then they knew it was Jesus.
Manning also comments, “In modern times it is scarcely possible to appreciate the scandal Jesus caused by his table fellowship with sinners.” The Good News of the Gospel has not changed! God knows us and loves us. We are invited to the Lord’s Table! Christ will share his life with us! Some invitations you receive ask for an R.S.V.P. This time there is no need. Just come.
Grace and Peace,
Steve Campbell
A generous member of the congregation recently gave me a copy of a book entitled The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning. It was a generous gift. In one section of the book the author is writing about the significance of Jesus enjoying table fellowship with all kinds of people. He says, “Sadly the meaning of meal sharing is largely lost in the Christian community today. In the Near East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity, and forgiveness-the shared table symbolizes a shared life.” These words come in the midst of a powerful statement of the radical nature of God’s grace shown to us in Jesus Christ. Christ ate with, shared fellowship, and showed love to all kinds of people.
This weekend we will celebrate Holy Communion in all four of our Worship Services. Sometimes we act as if this is simply a ritual act, important because it helps to keep a memory of Jesus alive. However, being invited to the Lord’s Table is not simply symbolic. Nor is it simply a ritual. Communion is more than a reminder of the Last Supper when Jesus invited the Disciples to share with him at the table. And, it is more than a foreshadowing of our invitation to the Heavenly Banquet at some future time. You and I are invited to his table here, now, in this time. Christ is here. Christ both invites and receives you at the Table. You are invited to begin, or to renew, your relationship with him. By inviting you, Christ is offering to share life with you.
As we gather for worship the Scripture reading will be Luke 24:13-35. It is the Resurrection appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They walked and talked with him for several miles, but in the breaking of bread their eyes were opened. Then they knew it was Jesus.
Manning also comments, “In modern times it is scarcely possible to appreciate the scandal Jesus caused by his table fellowship with sinners.” The Good News of the Gospel has not changed! God knows us and loves us. We are invited to the Lord’s Table! Christ will share his life with us! Some invitations you receive ask for an R.S.V.P. This time there is no need. Just come.
Grace and Peace,
Steve Campbell
Monday, July 23, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Written on the road:
As we head back to Blue Spring, MO, we are excited to be home but we would also like to still be in Mississippi with our friends from Costa Rica. We enjoyed a great week of work and did many different jobs.
The times we have had were very amazing. You could ask any of us what our favorite part of the trip was and the answers would be varied. We actually did this and the answers are as follows:
Jack—Finally having the Costa Rica Initiative come to be!
Kathy—Our homeowner-Elaine…flooring team
Jo—Getting the opportunity to meet and work with the Costa Ricans.
Olivia—Making amazing new friends from Costa Rica and meeting other amazing people like Elaine.
Grace—The Costa Ricans…period.
Susan—Easy-The Costa Ricans
Christina—Getting to practice Spanish with the patient and loving Costa Ricans. It was so hard to say good-bye but I knew that I would see everyone in a year in Costa Rica.
LeAnn—Going on a tour with Sally and seeing the damage, also the fellowship.
Katie—Getting to see the Costa Ricans again. I love them and can’t wait to see them next year.
Cheri—When Ms. Josephs called us angels for helping her fix up her house.
Brenda—When we got to see the Costa Ricans and meet new people. The last night in Mississippi was the best!
Jamie—The looks on our homeowners’ faces after we completed our jobs. Also seeing the Crossroads at Hwy 49 and 61 was a fulfillment of a dream.
Mike—Talks with Sarah Harris, a 93 and a half year young lady who had lived her entire life in that area. Getting to know team members and 99 games.
Lori—Sharing the love and friendship with the homeowner we worked with all week was very rewarding. Also the appreciation she had for fixing her house made us feel like we were at the place God wanted us to be this week.
Jacob—The variety of people we have met, and worked with has been great. The genuine gratitude and appreciation for the work we did lightened my heart and made me proud of our mission team. Having the ability to share with others is a great blessing and one that I will always remember.
Christine—Talking to Ms. Harris and when my mom was sent back and us younger girls weren’t, she asked what had happened to her “little girls”. I thought it was so sweet that she appreciated our company so much.
Jan—Seeing our friends from Costa Rica again, and visiting with Ms. Sarah Harris, our first homeowner, who has such a strong faith and is so content despite the hardships that she has endured over the years.
As this is being written, we are really excited to get home and see our families. If you have any questions about our trip, please comment on the post or send a message to Christine. I am willing to answer any questions and if I need to I can pass them along to those who would know.
Please remember to look at our photos on our church site: firstumcbs.org under photo albums.
As we head back to Blue Spring, MO, we are excited to be home but we would also like to still be in Mississippi with our friends from Costa Rica. We enjoyed a great week of work and did many different jobs.
The times we have had were very amazing. You could ask any of us what our favorite part of the trip was and the answers would be varied. We actually did this and the answers are as follows:
Jack—Finally having the Costa Rica Initiative come to be!
Kathy—Our homeowner-Elaine…flooring team
Jo—Getting the opportunity to meet and work with the Costa Ricans.
Olivia—Making amazing new friends from Costa Rica and meeting other amazing people like Elaine.
Grace—The Costa Ricans…period.
Susan—Easy-The Costa Ricans
Christina—Getting to practice Spanish with the patient and loving Costa Ricans. It was so hard to say good-bye but I knew that I would see everyone in a year in Costa Rica.
LeAnn—Going on a tour with Sally and seeing the damage, also the fellowship.
Katie—Getting to see the Costa Ricans again. I love them and can’t wait to see them next year.
Cheri—When Ms. Josephs called us angels for helping her fix up her house.
Brenda—When we got to see the Costa Ricans and meet new people. The last night in Mississippi was the best!
Jamie—The looks on our homeowners’ faces after we completed our jobs. Also seeing the Crossroads at Hwy 49 and 61 was a fulfillment of a dream.
Mike—Talks with Sarah Harris, a 93 and a half year young lady who had lived her entire life in that area. Getting to know team members and 99 games.
Lori—Sharing the love and friendship with the homeowner we worked with all week was very rewarding. Also the appreciation she had for fixing her house made us feel like we were at the place God wanted us to be this week.
Jacob—The variety of people we have met, and worked with has been great. The genuine gratitude and appreciation for the work we did lightened my heart and made me proud of our mission team. Having the ability to share with others is a great blessing and one that I will always remember.
Christine—Talking to Ms. Harris and when my mom was sent back and us younger girls weren’t, she asked what had happened to her “little girls”. I thought it was so sweet that she appreciated our company so much.
Jan—Seeing our friends from Costa Rica again, and visiting with Ms. Sarah Harris, our first homeowner, who has such a strong faith and is so content despite the hardships that she has endured over the years.
As this is being written, we are really excited to get home and see our families. If you have any questions about our trip, please comment on the post or send a message to Christine. I am willing to answer any questions and if I need to I can pass them along to those who would know.
Please remember to look at our photos on our church site: firstumcbs.org under photo albums.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
July 20, 2007
Bittersweet –the only word perfect enough to describe today. We finished an amazing week of work on an amazing woman’s house, but also had to say goodbye to some close friends. The Costa Ricans set off today for their trek back to Atlanta for a relaxing day at Six Flags, then back to Costa Rica. It was our first day working without them and it seemed very quiet and somewhat sad. We miss them. A lot. Thank goodness it wasn’t a real goodbye, but more of just a “see ya later”. Although the distance may seem like a barrier, the anticipation of knowing we will see them again next summer makes it better. We’ve had a great week, made some awesome memories as well as new friends, and are bringing back so much more than we started with. Not a doubt in our minds we’d do it again in a heartbeat. We pray for safe travels tomorrow. We’ve had a great week, but we’re more than ready to get a good night’s sleep in our OWN beds…. God Bless!
Love Always,
Katie Adkins and Grace Hunt
Today was definitely the worst day for me. Saying goodbye to the Costa Ricans was very hard and even though it’s not a “real goodbye” it was still extremely difficult. A morning filled with good food, tears, and many camera flashes. All of the Costa Ricans are filled with so much joy and love. They were always laughing, smiling and telling jokes. I never knew someone that doesn’t even speak the same language as me could make me laugh as much as they do. Today working without them was like there was an empty space. The hammerings were no longer covered by their laughs and their natural warmness that they bring to a room was gone. It just wasn’t the same without them. One of the things that I noticed most this week was how the Costa Ricans kept saying, “Thank you” and “Thank you for this opportunity” but they weren’t the only things to gain something. It was a major win-win situation. I learned so much from them. My favorite thing that Linda, one of the Costa Ricans, said all week was, “Somos Uno” which means, “We are one.” It was so true. We grew together as friends and family and I will never forget any of them. Going home will be great, but not as great as all of the knowledge that we will be taking with us. As one of the managers of the camp says, “May you go with peace and the peace of God be with you, may your heads rest lightly on your pillows and your snores be silent. "
Take care,
Olivia Hunt
Photos at www.firstumcbs.org
Love Always,
Katie Adkins and Grace Hunt
Today was definitely the worst day for me. Saying goodbye to the Costa Ricans was very hard and even though it’s not a “real goodbye” it was still extremely difficult. A morning filled with good food, tears, and many camera flashes. All of the Costa Ricans are filled with so much joy and love. They were always laughing, smiling and telling jokes. I never knew someone that doesn’t even speak the same language as me could make me laugh as much as they do. Today working without them was like there was an empty space. The hammerings were no longer covered by their laughs and their natural warmness that they bring to a room was gone. It just wasn’t the same without them. One of the things that I noticed most this week was how the Costa Ricans kept saying, “Thank you” and “Thank you for this opportunity” but they weren’t the only things to gain something. It was a major win-win situation. I learned so much from them. My favorite thing that Linda, one of the Costa Ricans, said all week was, “Somos Uno” which means, “We are one.” It was so true. We grew together as friends and family and I will never forget any of them. Going home will be great, but not as great as all of the knowledge that we will be taking with us. As one of the managers of the camp says, “May you go with peace and the peace of God be with you, may your heads rest lightly on your pillows and your snores be silent. "
Take care,
Olivia Hunt
Photos at www.firstumcbs.org
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday – our fourth day of work.
Starting to see signs of project completion which is a great feeling. Our team (Jamie, Mike, Cheri, Christine, Jan, and Richard) finished our second project and started on our third. We won’t finish this one – but will be able to make progress on Friday. The roof crew from New Jersey finished with the tear off and re-shingling of their house. They started work at 6 am to beat the heat.
Tonight is Wil and Yolanda’s fourth wedding anniversary. We bought them two cards – one in Spanish and one in English (Hallmark comes through again). They went out to dinner and a romantic evening away from the dorm….can’t understand why they wouldn’t want to spend it with such a fun bunch.
The New Jersey team is leaving in the morning to fly back home and the Costa Rican contingent is trekking to Atlanta. We will miss both our old friends from San Isidro as well as our new friends from Morristown. A lot of good fellowship in the evening while sitting in the dining hall after devotions…many games, some late night snacking, and visiting with all. The food and hospitality of the people in Van Cleave and surrounding churches is amazing. They fix our food, entertain us, and run a great operation.
Tomorrow is our last work day and we will start the return to home on Saturday. The week has flown by as it does so many times in this type of endeavor. Even two years after Katrina, the damage and amount of people living in FEMA trailers is unbelievable. The leaders have told us the estimate to recover all of the damage will be twelve years. There is still a huge need for volunteers and contributions to the mission cause. I encourage anyone interested in coming to the gulf coast to see if they could stay and work from the base in Camp Hope. It truly is a blessing for anyone fortunate enough to meet and fellowship with this team of dedicated Christians. My hat is off to them and all of the many volunteers who have been to the gulf coast for mission work.
Costa Rica is always on our minds – Jack has set the date for our next trip (from Blue Springs FUMC) for the last week of July 2008. I am so glad to see all of our Costa Rican friends and only wish that the remainder of the team that did not get visas could be here. I hear that Hugo, Fanny, and Lauren are doing a great job of leading the work.
I look forward to being in San Isidro and at the K37 project next July and am so excited to see the progress the teams have made on the camp this year and look forward to helping complete the project. I also heard of another mission opportunity for anyone interested in contributing to a worthy Costa Rican project. Wil told me that they have received the donation of a Ford F250 four wheel drive with an extended cab. This vehicle is currently in the US and the truck and shipping to Costa Rica has been provided by generous donations. However, there is a need to pay taxes to bring the vehicle into Costa Rica. If anyone is interested in contributing to this worthy cause – contact Wil Bailey.
Bless everyone
Richard Hunt
Tonight is Wil and Yolanda’s fourth wedding anniversary. We bought them two cards – one in Spanish and one in English (Hallmark comes through again). They went out to dinner and a romantic evening away from the dorm….can’t understand why they wouldn’t want to spend it with such a fun bunch.
The New Jersey team is leaving in the morning to fly back home and the Costa Rican contingent is trekking to Atlanta. We will miss both our old friends from San Isidro as well as our new friends from Morristown. A lot of good fellowship in the evening while sitting in the dining hall after devotions…many games, some late night snacking, and visiting with all. The food and hospitality of the people in Van Cleave and surrounding churches is amazing. They fix our food, entertain us, and run a great operation.
Tomorrow is our last work day and we will start the return to home on Saturday. The week has flown by as it does so many times in this type of endeavor. Even two years after Katrina, the damage and amount of people living in FEMA trailers is unbelievable. The leaders have told us the estimate to recover all of the damage will be twelve years. There is still a huge need for volunteers and contributions to the mission cause. I encourage anyone interested in coming to the gulf coast to see if they could stay and work from the base in Camp Hope. It truly is a blessing for anyone fortunate enough to meet and fellowship with this team of dedicated Christians. My hat is off to them and all of the many volunteers who have been to the gulf coast for mission work.
Costa Rica is always on our minds – Jack has set the date for our next trip (from Blue Springs FUMC) for the last week of July 2008. I am so glad to see all of our Costa Rican friends and only wish that the remainder of the team that did not get visas could be here. I hear that Hugo, Fanny, and Lauren are doing a great job of leading the work.
I look forward to being in San Isidro and at the K37 project next July and am so excited to see the progress the teams have made on the camp this year and look forward to helping complete the project. I also heard of another mission opportunity for anyone interested in contributing to a worthy Costa Rican project. Wil told me that they have received the donation of a Ford F250 four wheel drive with an extended cab. This vehicle is currently in the US and the truck and shipping to Costa Rica has been provided by generous donations. However, there is a need to pay taxes to bring the vehicle into Costa Rica. If anyone is interested in contributing to this worthy cause – contact Wil Bailey.
Bless everyone
Richard Hunt
Thursday, July 19, 2007
A little History about the Costa Rica Initiative
By: Jack Marker
In 2005 FUMC had a team of older youth and adults participate in the first international mission trip for youth. On that team our host in San Isidro, Costa Rica was a young American missionary. His name was, and still is, Wil Bailey.
He was a very personable person. He visited with Richard Hunt and me about a dream he had. That dream was to take a team of Costa Ricans to the U.S. He explained that for many years the people of Costa Rica, and his group of people in San Isidro in particular had received the benefit of numerous American mission teams. Teams had built pastors’ homes, summer camps, school buildings, etc. Wil wanted to return the love by taking a group of Costa Ricans to the U.S. He, Richard and I discussed some logistics and said we would begin to see what it would take to bring a group to America.
And what do you know. Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. in 2005. In February 2006, Wil and I talked about the next team from FUMC going to Costa Rica. Wil exclaimed that now the opportunity was looking us in the face to bring Costa Ricans to the U.S. – Katrina Recovery and Repair.
On the 2006 trip Richard and Susan Hunt, Wil and I began to make plans.
Now we fast forward to February of this year. FUMC collectively supported the effort of the Costa Rica Initiative. It would be the first time, which we knew of, that a Missouri UMC would sponsor, support and join a mission team from another country for a joint mission project in the U.S.
Wil couldn’t have been more pleased. His dream was coming true.
And here we are on a joint mission project that FUMC can be proud of. Each member of the Costa Rica team is immensely thankful to FUMC for this opportunity that would probable never had happened. One Costa Rica team member cried when she addressed our team last night because she was so appreciative of FUMC’s effort, support and love for another team of missionaries.
And it doesn’t get any better than that!
We have been having trouble loading pictures to our church’s photo album but we will continue trying as much as we can.—Christine
In 2005 FUMC had a team of older youth and adults participate in the first international mission trip for youth. On that team our host in San Isidro, Costa Rica was a young American missionary. His name was, and still is, Wil Bailey.
He was a very personable person. He visited with Richard Hunt and me about a dream he had. That dream was to take a team of Costa Ricans to the U.S. He explained that for many years the people of Costa Rica, and his group of people in San Isidro in particular had received the benefit of numerous American mission teams. Teams had built pastors’ homes, summer camps, school buildings, etc. Wil wanted to return the love by taking a group of Costa Ricans to the U.S. He, Richard and I discussed some logistics and said we would begin to see what it would take to bring a group to America.
And what do you know. Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. in 2005. In February 2006, Wil and I talked about the next team from FUMC going to Costa Rica. Wil exclaimed that now the opportunity was looking us in the face to bring Costa Ricans to the U.S. – Katrina Recovery and Repair.
On the 2006 trip Richard and Susan Hunt, Wil and I began to make plans.
Now we fast forward to February of this year. FUMC collectively supported the effort of the Costa Rica Initiative. It would be the first time, which we knew of, that a Missouri UMC would sponsor, support and join a mission team from another country for a joint mission project in the U.S.
Wil couldn’t have been more pleased. His dream was coming true.
And here we are on a joint mission project that FUMC can be proud of. Each member of the Costa Rica team is immensely thankful to FUMC for this opportunity that would probable never had happened. One Costa Rica team member cried when she addressed our team last night because she was so appreciative of FUMC’s effort, support and love for another team of missionaries.
And it doesn’t get any better than that!
We have been having trouble loading pictures to our church’s photo album but we will continue trying as much as we can.—Christine
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
An interview with a member of the Costa Rica team
We interviewed Christian, a member of the Costa Rica team this evening after two days work. In February 2007, the Costa Rica team began making plans to come to the US. They raised money in their congregation and applied for passports and US visas. In April they found out that half of the team were denied visas, but many of those denied still helped with fundraising for the rest of the team. Felipe paid for his and another member’s passport and visa, but both were denied.
Christian has been married for 3 ½ years and has a two year old daughter named Valeria. He is a high school music teacher and plays guitar and signs very well. He also plays drums and piano. He likes popular and contemporary Christian music. In the future he would like to have a musical group and express God’s love through music in different places. We enjoyed Christian’s talents this evening during devotions.
He wanted to come to the US because he thought it would be a very unique experience and opportunity, and has always had a desire to go help others. This was a good chance to help. He has enjoyed meeting new people, including the people from FUMC who gave him the opportunity to come her, and meeting the resident of the home where his team is working. His favorite job was laying the laminate wood floor.
Interview with Local TV Station http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=6801988
Photo Album http://www.mychurchphotos.com/AlbumPhotos.aspx?id=30048&album=2030138
Christian has been married for 3 ½ years and has a two year old daughter named Valeria. He is a high school music teacher and plays guitar and signs very well. He also plays drums and piano. He likes popular and contemporary Christian music. In the future he would like to have a musical group and express God’s love through music in different places. We enjoyed Christian’s talents this evening during devotions.
He wanted to come to the US because he thought it would be a very unique experience and opportunity, and has always had a desire to go help others. This was a good chance to help. He has enjoyed meeting new people, including the people from FUMC who gave him the opportunity to come her, and meeting the resident of the home where his team is working. His favorite job was laying the laminate wood floor.
Interview with Local TV Station http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=6801988
Photo Album http://www.mychurchphotos.com/AlbumPhotos.aspx?id=30048&album=2030138
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
