Briefly - Church notes

Trinity Episcopal set for 165th anniversary
The Trinity Episcopal Church in Independence, 209 N. Liberty St., will celebrate its 165th anniversary Sunday. Following the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist, a celebration will take place that all are invited to attend.

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Community breakfast at Summit Grove
Summit Grove Community of Christ will hold a community breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church, 411 S. Lee’s Summit Road, Independence.
The menu includes biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, oatmeal, juice and coffee. The cost is $5 for adults; $2.50 for children under 4.

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Fall plant sale at St. Paul UMC
A fall plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 3601 S. Sterling Ave., Independence. Enter from the Sterling Avenue side.
There will be perennials, houseplants, bulbs for fall planting and items from the garden. Zucchini bread, luffa sponges and birdhouse gourds will also be available for purchase.
Proceeds will go to the St. Paul Community Garden Site. For more information, call Sara at 816-356-6986.

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Eastgate Christian sets a neighborhood party
A neighborhood block party will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 19 on the Eastgate Christian Church grounds, 4010 S. River Blvd., Independence.
There will be games, prizes food and fun. Bring a folding chair and come sit under the trees for fellowship.

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‘Western Round-Up’ at River Boulevard
River Boulevard Baptist Church will hold a “Western Round-Up Day” beginning at 11 a.m. Sept. 20 with a gospel concert with Phil and Pam Morgan. A barbecue dinner will follow at noon (meat will be furnished; please bring side dishes and desserts). Pony rides will be available from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
Be sure to wear your Western duds! If there are more than 150 in attendance for the concert, it’s pie-throwing time at Brother Dan. If not, it’s a pie in the face of the deacons.
The church is at 3212 N. River Boulevard, Independence. For more information, call the church at 461-5650.

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Blue Springs Assembly welcomes speaker
The “Strategic Thinking Skills for a Chaotic Future” business seminar, featuring Cal LeMon of Executive Enrichment, will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Blue Springs Assembly Auditorium, 2501 N.E. Duncan Road, Blue Springs. Registration is from 8:30 to 9 a.m., with a free continental breakfast.
Registration is $49 per person, $39 for groups of 5 or more. To register or for more information, log onto www.bluespringsassembly.org.

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St. Cyril’s festival will be Saturday
St. Cyril’s Parish Festival will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Roper Stadium Pavilion in Sugar Creek.
The evening includes a fish fry with all the sides, beverages and desserts, a big raffle and a silent auction. Free will donation.
For more information, call 816-252-9564.

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Men’s quartet ready to perform at Temple
The New York Polyphony, an a cappella men’s quartet, will open the 2009-2010 Dome and Spire Series, sponsored by Community of Christ, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Community of Christ Temple, River Boulevard and Walnut Street, Independence.
The Music Arts Institute in Independence will co-sponsor the concert, their 30th Anniversary Concert, in honor of Millicent Daugherty. A long-time music instructor/performer and founder of MAI, Daugherty was also the voice teacher of Scott Dispensa, one of the members of New York Polyphony.
The Young MAIsterSingers Choir, conducted by Cynthia Simmons and Taylor Quinn and composed of children grades 4-8, will also be performing with New York Polyphony.
Admission is free. For more information, visit www.cofchrist.org/dome_spire/calendar.asp.
 

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Bread for the World takes aim at hunger
The Kansas City Metro Bread for the World Chapter invites anyone interested in improving hunger and poverty at home and abroad to meet from 9 to 10:25 a.m. Sept. 19 at the East 39th Street Community of Christ, 15006 E. 39th St., Independence.
Bread for the World, an ecumenical, faith-based organization, urges our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. The group’s Offering of Letters will urge the Congress and the administration to fix foreign aid and make ending hunger and poverty a national priority.
To learn more, visit www.bread.org, or contact Ken Schnell, the KC MO Metro Chapter facilitator at kc68@att.net.

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Timothy Lutheran offers divorce care
DivorceCare will begin a new 13-week program on Sunday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Timothy Lutheran Church, 425 R.D. Mize Road, Blue Springs.
DivorceCare features 13 DVD seminars on divorce and recovery. Participants become part of a small support group of people who are also experiencing separation and divorce.
A program for children whose parents are separated or divorced will also be offered. Through DivorceCare for Kids (DC4K), children between5 and 12 find healing and encouragement and acquire coping skills for this challenging time. Topics include learning about what is happening to the family, facing anger, how to deal with sadness, who’s to blame, dealing with loneliness and more.
GriefShare will begin a new 13-part program on Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the church. Each session includes a DVD seminar and group discussion. A workbook assists with not taking, journaling and grief study. GriefShare DVDs feature interviews with leading authors, counselors, speakers and pastors with years of expertise in grief recovery. GriefShare is a nondenominational group and features Biblical teaching on grief and recovery topics. Participants may join the group at any session. Meetings are scheduled on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
For more information, call the church at 816-228-5300, Ext. 320.

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‘Lose Your Life for Jesus’ at Stone Church
Carol Mejia will be speaking on the theme of “Lose Your Life For Jesus” at the 10:20 a.m. worship service Sunday at the Stone Church Community of Christ, 1012 W. Lexington Ave., Independence.
Mejia is an apostle for the Community of Christ. Mejia’s ministerial fields are Central and South America. Aleta Nelson will be presiding, while Paula and John Glaser and Barbara Fears will be providing the ministry of music. Others participating in the worship will be Roy Jones, Judith Yager and John Thumm.
Signing is available for the hearing impaired. For more information, call the church at 816-254-2211.

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Sunday school ready to start at Chapel Hill
There are several new beginnings for September at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, 3108 W. U.S. 40, Blue Springs.
At 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Sunday school classes for all ages will begin. The 3-year-olds through fifth graders opportunities to sing songs and have fun learning about God.
The middle high Sunday school class will take a look at the New Testament through the survey, “With All Boldness and Freedom.” This study is designed to help the youth gain a greater understanding of the word of God and to help them make connections by applying that understanding to their daily lives.
The senior high Sunday school class will study modern parables led by Dave Christianson. The class will look at six parables to better understand what Jesus meant when he talked about the kingdom of God. Each week they will explore a passage from the Gospels and an updated parable set in today’s culture. This is a “Bible study for people who like movies.”
There are three adult classes. One is a new class designed to appeal to our younger adults (young or just young at heart). The Coffee Club is led by Marco Seabra and Melissa Long. The class that continues the Old Testament series of lectures with Amy-Jill Levine via DVD is led by Barry Dryer. There are 12 sessions, and the class runs until Advent.
For detailed information, call the church 816-229-3367.
 

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First UMC pastor preaches on ‘Rooted’
The common heritage of Christianity and Judasim will be explored in the 10 and 11:15 a.m. worship services Sunday at the First United Methodist Church, 400 W. Maple Ave., Independence.
The subject concludes the five-week sermon series, “Rooted,” by the Rev. Mitchell Jarvis. The first two weeks examined the Methodist tradition, and weeks three and four dealt with the development of Christianity over the last 2000 years.
The Rev. Jarvis is the senior pastor, and the Rev. Donice Heriford is associate pastor at First UMC.

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St. Mark’s business expo, craft show set
St. Mark’s fifth annual Business Expo and Craft Show will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the church, 3736 S. Lee’s Summit Road, Independence.
Come and browse the aisles shopping for jewelry, purses or crafts. Many service industries will be present, as well. All proceeds benefit youth from St. Mark’s, Nativity of Mary, St. Ann’s and St. Cyril’s and St. Joseph the Worker who will be attending the National Catholic Youth Conference in November.
Booth space is $50 and you keep all of your proceeds. If you are interested in participating in the expo, contact Angela Jonas at ajonas@stmarksparish.com or Marty Bisacca at mbisacca@stmarksparish.com. Forms are also available online at www.stmarksparish.com.

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Potato Bash at Chapel Hill Presbyterian
Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church’s 25th annual Potato Bash will take place following the 10:30 a.m. worship Sunday at 3108 S.W. U.S. 40, Blue Springs. Sponsored by the Chapel fellowship, the event will help support Heifer International. The suggested donation is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 years and younger. Additional donations are welcome.
The menu will consist of a baked potato with toppings, tossed salad, drinks, dessert and hot dogs, carrot sticks, chips and milk for those children who dislike baked potatoes.

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Church on the Rock has September events
The Church on the Rock Outreach Center have three events planned for September.
They will be holding two Love’s Outreach Community Food Distributions. The first will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the church, 1700 S.W. Market St., Lee’s Summit, and the second from 9 to 10 a.m. Sept. 26 at the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 308 W. Commercial at the Cass County Fairgrounds. Free food for families in need. There is no qualifying.
Grandparents Sunday will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 13. They will take time during the serve to honor the grandparents in our lives. A free gift will be given to every grandparent who attends.
For more information, call 816-246-7625 or visit www.cotroc.org.