Timothy Connects January 12th, 2024

The Church has always faced persecution, conflict, and trauma from both inside and from outside its walls. Under the pressures and temptations of the world and the devil, some parts of the Church have had great loss and even crumbled. Peter, however, encourages us today and reminds us that the Church can and will endure.   But we’ve got to set our eyes and ears on the right focus. So are we there?

None of us are immune to the burdens and pains of this life. Though we have a God who loves us, we all experience loss, hardship, and disappointment. I entered this Sunday’s worship with great trepidation. But I found in the midst of it all, I was not alone. My faith family arrived and filled the chairs at our church. We sang, communed and I felt the Spirit bring us together as one Church.
In our most vulnerable moments, it’s great to have friends. Friends to share experiences and worship together assuring us all will be well. It is not over. Hard things will continue to happen in this world or in our lives, and that is okay. Because our suffering and pain connect us together in our humanity, but they also connect us to Christ, who bore it all on the cross. He held the tension between heaven’s holiness and the world’s brokenness, and though we all long for resurrection, we have a God who stayed in the tomb — in darkness, in death, in time suspended — before He rose again on the third day.

And these are His words to us: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

WE ARE CHURCH! Two services under one roof again! We praise God for the enthusiasm and energy evident at church this past Sunday. All morning long, worshipers exchanged greetings with familiar faces as well as with some whom they haven’t seen in a while. Pastor Rod delivered a powerful message for unity to 223 worshipers in the contemporary service and 205 in the traditional service. Holy Communion was celebrated in both. The Adult Bible Class met in the Library near the 4G’s area, and FaithRoots started in the Music Room and moved to TLS classrooms for breakout sessions. Please join your brothers and sisters in Christ this Sunday as the WE ARE CHURCH sermon series continues.

Maybe the time is right for your 5^th-8^th grader to receive the Lord’s Supper.  If that is stirring in their heart, we encourage you to join us for Early Communion Class. This 4-week class, starting Sunday, Feb. 18, at 4pm in the Music Room, preps our young people to receive this beautiful gift. One parent/guardian/mentor is expected to attend with the kiddo. Please contact Pastor Ryan with questions.

Congregational President Diane Mayfield and Congregational Secretary Charlie Johnson signed the closing documents to sell the RD Mize Campus to Harvest Baptist Church yesterday afternoon, January 11, 2024, at 1pm, at a price of $3.25M. Funds will be wired to Lutheran Church Extension Fund ($2.25M to reduce debt) and to Timothy’s Commerce Bank account ($994,317.00) until Executive Board determines allocation of those proceeds. Timothy’s closing fees totaled $5,683.00.

The organ at RD Mize has a new home! On January 6^th, it was moved to Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Lee’s Summit, with organist Mary Burge sharing a beautiful sound through it for worship the next morning. The keyboard formerly sitting next to the baby grand piano in the sanctuary also has a new home at a Timothy member’s house.

Members are reminded again to mail all correspondence to Timothy to 301 E. Wyatt Rd., Blue Springs, MO 64014-5801. It is unknown how long USPS will forward mail from the 425 NW RD Mize Rd address.
Thank you very much!

All women are invited to attend Timothy’s LWML Winter Society Meeting on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 9-11am in the Auditorium. A continental breakfast will be available. A guest speaker from ReHope will share information about its ministry. Gifts from the Heart are monetary donations to ReHope or QuikTrip gift cards.

Make plans to participate in Timothy’s Lenten season observances this year. On Ash Wednesday, February 14^th, a traditional setting with Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes will start at 6pm in the Auditorium. There will be no Ash Wednesday meal this year. The Maundy Thursday service on March 28^th (traditional setting with Holy Communion) will start at 6pm, and the Good Friday service on March 29th (contemporary setting, no communion) will start at 6pm. Services on Easter Sunday, March 31^st, will be 9am (contemporary setting; no communion) and 10:30am (traditional setting; no communion).

The Wednesday Lenten opportunities will revolve around the theme “Dining with Jesus.” From 6-6:30pm each Wednesday (Feb. 21 through Mar. 20), a meal will be available for families in the Auditorium. At 6:30, the pastors will lead an interactive service based on various meals in the Bible where Jesus led or was part of a meal. Timothy’s LWML will offer a meal on Feb. 21, menu to be determined.
LWML will allocate donations from the free-will offering as to 10% for mites, 45% for Hillcrest, and 45% TBD. For the other four Wednesdays (Feb. 28, Mar. 6, Mar. 13, Mar. 20), ministry groups are invited to “sponsor” a meal, the free-will offering allocated to a ministry of their choice or the general operating fund. Leaders from interested ministries should contact Diane Mayfield (816.228.5300 Ext. 8040) as soon as possible to sign up for your preferred date. The free-will offering for all the meals will be the only offering collected on Wednesdays during Lent; there will be no offering during the interactive service.

Be sure to mark your calendars to take in this creative approach to Lenten worship services!

Calling all junior high crew! We will head to Jaegers Laser Tag for some good times on Friday, January 26^th.  We will meet at church at 5pm and return about 8pm. Pizza will be served with a side of revenge. Cost is $20 per person (scholarships available, if needed). Grab a friend or 2 and join us! Please RSVP to Pastor Ryan. A few drivers are needed if any parents want to be a kid for the night! Pizza, lasers, and Jesus—how can you miss this??

The congregation is urged to attend the Annual Voters’ Assembly Meeting THIS Sunday, January 14^th, immediately following the 10:30 service in the Auditorium. A minimum of 40 congregants is required to conduct business. Agenda includes approval of proposed slate of lay leaders; proposed 2024 general operating budget; approval of LCMS-rostered call to Ken Holland as TLS Principal; Consolidation Update; and Next Generation Update. The meeting will be recorded for posting on Timothy’s website next week, but not live-streamed.