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The above is a copy of Rembrandt's "St. Paul in Prison,"
one of Rembrandt's earliest known oil on panels, from the year 1627.
Dear Asbury Friends,
This weekend marks the beginning of Holy Week. Well, this is my favorite time in the Church. I must admit that this year, it caught me by surprise. I remember the exact moment I realized Holy Week was here - it's when the Palm branches (that Lindsey Lang had ordered) arrived to Asbury!
Have you ever wondered why palm branches were waved to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem on the day we call "Palm Sunday"? Wikipedia offers this explanation of the meaning of a palm branch: "The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. A palm branch was awarded to victorious athletes in ancient Greece, and a palm frond or the tree itself is one of the most common attributes of Victory personified in ancient Rome." As Jesus entered Jerusalem, palm branches were waved as a sign of his triumph.
Some of you have asked me why we call this weekend "Palm Passion Weekend." Like many of you, I grew up calling it "Palm Sunday." We have added the word "passion" to remind ourselves that this week that begins with joy will turn to sorrow - even suffering and death.
Pastor Lee and I, along with our amazing music staff, look forward to sharing worship with you online as we begin our Holy Week journey.
Blessings,
Gayla
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This Sunday is Palm Sunday! If you would like to pick up a palm branch for Palm Passion Weekend, they are available out at the main church entrance. You can bring a few cans of food for our food pantry and take a palm home!
Stay safe and healthy, Asbury friends.
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We need food! Our 24-7 food pantry that Steve Trenholm is managing, has been an incredible blessing to our neighbors. Steve comes at least twice a day to restock our outdoor food pantry. Thank you, Steve!
We've seen an increase in people using the food pantry, and we are starting to run low on some items. I'm guessing that there are people who are now running out of food at home. Perhaps there are people who might have been laid off and are no longer receiving an income. Can you help us help people in need?
1. 3 items we are in special need of: pasta, pasta sauce, and macaroni and cheese. These are especially helpful because they will make a complete meal for a family.
2. If you can't drop off items here at the church, Steve is willing to come by your home and pick them up - outside, of course! Call or email Phyllis at the church office (913.432.5573 or phyllisw@visitasbury.org) and she will let Steve know about food that can be picked up.
3. You can also donate money to Asbury UMC, noting that it is for the "Food Pantry." Steve and the church staff will use this money to purchase food for our food pantry.
Thank you Asbury members and friends for helping us help our neighbors.
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Sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Jon Mallard who passed away Thursday, March 26. Jon was a Asbury member and a faithful participant in the New Beginnings Sunday School class.
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Sympathy is expressed to Carol Ann Williams upon the death of her husband, John Williams, on Saturday, March 28.
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Sympathy is expressed to Fran Schrunk upon the death of her sister, Ruth Bowers.
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Asbury Scholarships | High School Grads and Graduate Students to Apply
 The Asbury Foundation Trustees welcomes all high school graduates and graduate students attending classes in the 2020-2021 school year to apply for scholarships. These scholarships are not endowed; our generous and gracious community provide the funds to keep these scholarships available, believing in the importance of supporting our community in pursuing higher education. We hope all students will apply and we look forward to reading the applications received. They are due Sunday, April 26. You can find the online form at
https://www.visitasbury.org/grow/scholarship-applications-2020-2021/
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Spring Dig is Cancelled!
 Cross-Lines Community Outreach, Inc. and the Spring Dig volunteer team are heartbroken that this annual event had to be cancelled. It has been an annual tradition for many of us and has raised much-needed funds for Cross-Lines' clients. Cross-Lines would like us to consider purchasing plants from one of the wonderful suppliers who have worked each year to provide healthy, beautiful plants at a good value while allowing for a successful fundraiser. All plant sales this year will go directly to the supplier, not Cross-Lines.
- Louisburg Nursery and Greenhouse - Open beginning April 3
10860 W. 271st Street, Louisburg, KS 66053
Phone: 913.837.2174
- Creekside Market - Open now and offering curbside pickup and delivery
800 E. Walnut (58 and J Highways), Raymore, MO 64083
Phone: 816.322.7333
Cross-Lines would welcome your tax-deductible donations through their website or mail:
Cross-Lines Community Outreach, Inc.
736 Shawnee Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66105
IHN Update
As with every other segment of our world, IHN has dramatically changed the way that they are serving guests.
Beginning Sunday, March 22, New Haven Seventh-Day Adventist Church (8714 Antioch Road) became the static host site for a minimum of eight weeks. New Haven graciously agreed to host guests through the duration of coronavirus. Originally, the Family Center was open during daytime hours with the church hosting at night, but that plan changed and New Haven is now hosting guests 24/7. This is such a wonderful gift! IHN staff continue to work from home.
- During this time, there will be no new admissions. Currently, we have one single woman and two families.
- The rotation will remain intact, but guests will reside at New Haven. During our next scheduled host week beginning May 10 (Mother's Day), we will have some responsibilities and will reach out to our volunteers when the tasks are confirmed. Many of our regular volunteers have offered to be "on call" for needs that New Haven might encounter.
- Guests who exhibit signs of a cold or other illness will be housed in a local motel.
How can you help? Provide financial support to IHN for expenses not anticipated when creating their annual budget. One example would be the cost of motel accommodations for a guest who is coughing or doesn't feel well. IHN would welcome your tax-deductible donations through their website or mail:
Johnson County Interfaith Hospitality Network, Inc.
6315 W. 110th Street, Overland Park, KS 66211-1509
Kansas Census
A
way to support our community, in addition to voting in the primaries and national election, is to fill out the Census. Have you filled it out? It should only take about 10 minutes. You can do it online or over the phone.
With the Kansas Legislature closed for the foreseeable future, and during this time of uncertainty, this is extremely important to do. Consider the following facts.*
- Every uncounted person costs the state of Kansas approximately $2,082 in federal funding.
- Population numbers derived from the decennial census are used to distribute over $6 billion in federal funds to Kansas every year.
- Census data is used to determine federal, state, and local voting districts.
- As it's only a once-every-10-year process, it's crucial to get the count right or states that are undercounted will be shortchanged for a decade.
Fill out your 2020 Census form and turn it in. Then get 5 or 10, or more, of your friends, family and neighbors to do the same. If they have, then ask them to ask their friends and neighbors to do it. Let's use our power for good, and get everyone involved in the 2020 Census.
Revised Kansas 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary Information
The Kansas 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary is May 2. No In-Person Voting - Mail In Ballots Only!
- March 30: Mail-in ballots will automatically be sent to all registered Kansas Democrats. No request is necessary. A supplemental ballot mailing will be sent to recently registered Democrats who were not included in the March 30th mailing.
- April 7: The Kansas Democratic Party will send a supplemental ballot mailing to recently registered Democrats who were not included in the March 30th mailing.
- April 10: If you are a registered Democrat and have not received your ballot by April 10, you can request a mail-in ballot be sent to your address by calling the KDP office at 785.234.0425, or filling out an online form at https://kansasdems.org/request-mail-ballot. Note: The mail-in ballot request form will not be available online until April 10.
- April 24: Deadline to request a mail-in ballot be sent to your address by calling the KDP office or filling out the online form.
- May 2: "Received by" deadline for all mail-in ballots.
 This is a page that has information for Kansans about the disease, along with resources and strategies about education, jobs, and more, from the Mainstream Coalition community and beyond.
<--- Click on the
Church Calendar logo for upcoming Asbury events! Do you have an event you would like to be listed on the calendar? Please call the church office or email Phyllis Williams at
phyllisw@visitasbury.org. For inclusions in the e-Alive or weekly bulletins, please contact Sharlynn Verner at
sharlynnv@visitasbury.org.
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We still need your help to keep our operations running during this tough time of needing to close down. Coronavirus has made things challenging for everyone and Asbury is no exception! Please consider giving to the church electronically through one of these four ways:
- Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT)
- Online through Easy Tithe (www.easytithe.com/visitasbury)
- Text the word "Give" to 913-774-6060
- Download our giving app, "Church by Ministry One" (find Asbury under zip code 66208)
Also, you can still just write a check and send it in the mail! Our mailing address is as follows:
Asbury United Methodist Church
5400 W. 75th St.
Prairie Village, KS 66208
We love you all and appreciate each of you so much. Stay safe and healthy!
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1. Physical Distancing Easter Egg Hunt
The stay-at-home orders in Johnson County have cancelled our annual Easter egg hunt. However, that doesn't mean we still can't do something for the kids! We can make paper Easter eggs and put them in our windows facing the street and/or the front of our houses/garage doors for families to find on their walks the weekend of Easter (April 10-12). If you would like Easter egg coloring pages as a template, please email our Director of Family Ministries, Heather Jackson, at heatherj@visitasbury.org. Check out the "event" at https://www.facebook.com/events/565543797395666/.
2. Letters to Lakeview
Some retirement places and nursing homes are allowing people to send notes, pictures, etc. to the people living there who cannot have visitors right now. I have checked with Lakeview Village and they are still allowing mail deliveries. If you are interested in doing this, please let me know and I'll send you a list of addresses for some of our Asbury folks living at Lakeview.
3. Food Pantry
Asbury has a food case outside its main entrance. If you have non-perishable food, please drop some off on the case outside, or you can always order from Amazon and have it sent to the church. If you are in need of food, or know someone else who might be in need, please let them know they can drive by and grab some food from the case.
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PreK - K: Emails containing the week's lesson, "Palm Sunday" (Mark 11:1-11), will be emailed out on Saturday night. Heather will make a video and post it to Facebook on Sunday. We are working on a way to post some of the crafts and activities to Facebook as well. Follow the Facebook page to stay up to date:
1st - 3rd Grade: Emails containing the week's lesson, "Palm Sunday" (Mark 11:1-11), will be emailed out on Saturday night. Heather will make a video and post it to Facebook on Sunday. We are working on a way to post some of the crafts and activities to Facebook as well. Follow the Facebook page to stay up to date:
https://www.facebook.com/Asbury-Childrens-Ministry-206583193254141/
4th - 5th Grade: We will have Sunday school via Zoom at 11 am this Sunday (
https://zoom.us/j/659156368). We will be discussing the lesson "Staying Awake" (Matthew 26:31-56).
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 Sunday School
Sunday school at 10 am via Zoom with Pam Ottaway. Pam will email out a link to students prior to Sunday.
Youth Group
Youth Group will be via Zoom. Youth can use a phone or computer to connect to the meeting at
https://zoom.us/j/185136471. They are encouraged to grab a drink, snack, or even dinner to munch on during the meeting. We are treating the online meeting just as we would a face-to-face meeting and keeping the 6 pm start time.
Family Ministry Book Club
If you are not receiving the children's ministry or youth ministry emails and would like to,
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SHOPPING ON AMAZON?
2. Search "Asbury Methodist Church"
3. Select the Prairie Village location...and SHOP!
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Rev. Lee Johnson is putting together a Bible Study each Tuesday on the material Rev. Gayla will be preaching on over the weekend. This week, he covers Phillipians 4:4-9 from Paul's Letter to the Philippians. Click on the link below to read more!
