From Behind the Pulpit

I meant to post both of these announcements from the Staci Payne, the chair of the Worship Commission more than a week ago. Better late than never, but just barely.

Stations of the Cross (by Staci Payne) — Please bring crosses or pictures of the cross with a stand to the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, March 29th (9:30–10:30 AM) or Wednesday, April 1st (5:30–6:30 PM). Help us reflect, remember, and rejoice in the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Stations of the Cross will be open on Maundy Thursday, April 2, from 6:00–7:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, and on Saturday, April 4, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Help Us Bloom! Share the Joy of Easter (by Staci Payne) — We invite our entire church community to help transform our sanctuary into a glorious tribute to God. Please bring fresh flowers or blooming plants to the sanctuary on Saturday, April 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm. (Early arrivals are appreciated!) You are welcome to take your plants home after the Easter service, or you may choose to donate them to another local organization to spread the joy further. Fun Flower Fact: Did you know the daffodil represents eternal life? As one of the first flowers to bloom each spring, it serves as a beautiful reminder of renewal. Please note: For the comfort of all, lily stamens/anthers will be removed to prevent allergic reactions.

Some words of wisdom we discussed last night in our Lenten Bible study by N. T. Wright:

“We come to the gospels hoping and imagining that they are going to be ‘nice’; that we will find a Jesus who tells us it’s all right, we don’t have to worry, nobody’s going to get hurt, no one will even be cross. But with the world the way it is, if God doesn’t get cross about it he is not a good God. If he doesn’t do something about it, sooner or later, he’s quite simply not God.” [1]

I like that, thought I would rephrase it slightly. If God doesn’t get upset about injustice than God isn’t good. If God doesn’t eventually do something about injustice, than God isn’t even God.

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[1] N. T. Wright, Lent for Everyone: Matthew, Year A: A Daily Devotional (New York: Harper Collins, 2018), 86.

The plan is to have the office open tomorrow (Thursday, March 26, 2026) from 8:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you’re planning on stopping by, I would encourage you to call the church office first (785-539-4191).

Anna Kozak is no longer employed at College Avenue United Methodist Church. The church office will be covered by other staff and volunteers until a replacement is hired. In the meantime, you can continue to reach the office by email at info@caumc.church or by phone at 785-539-4191.

I mentioned this yesterday in worship, but I thought it might be helpful if I put it in writing. I believe that preparing a sermon should engage the preacher in an act of loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength and their neighbor as themselves. Having Artificial intelligence write a sermon does none of those things. If I have not put in the work of writing a sermon, if the process has not changed me and helped me grow as a Christian, I cannot expect the finished process to change you or help you grow as a Christian.

I have started to use Artificial Intelligence to evaluate my sermons. (It provides good, honest feedback for things I should work on before I send it to my mother). If I find myself in a time crunch, I may rewrite an old sermon that was well received at another church, but it will be one I originally wrote myself.

I don’t know if I’m going to reference this scene from Star Wars: The Last Jedi in my sermon, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be showing the clip and so I want to share it with you here.

Link: https://youtu.be/XDQHlfYc7oc?si=i8G34JQlcBBvs6QO

Update: I’ve been informed this clip is too violent. So I will neither share it on screen nor discuss it in the sermon. If you have questions, please feel free to ask me.

Last Sunday (March 15, 2026), we welcomed Tim and Cathy Fairbanks, who transferred from the Northern Hills United Methodist Church in San Antonio, Texas. Their granddaughter, who was already a baptized member of this church, stood up front with them to offer moral support.

Ernestina Wiafe cordially invites you to attend her doctoral dissertation defense. Tina is a PhD Candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at Kansas State University, and she will present her research titled “Tales of African Scholarship: Experiences, Curriculum, and Policies for Equitable Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa and the United States.”

The dissertation defense will take place on Friday, March 27, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Bluemont Hall, Room 257, Kansas State University Department of Curriculum and Instruction. If you’re unable to attend in person, you can join by Zoom instead.

Zoom Link: http://bit.ly/4uDMUeq

Zoom Meeting ID: 974 7190 5222 | Passcode: 360875

Please keep Tina in your prayers as she prepares for this special day!

(Disclaimer: I used Claude AI to draft this announcement, and then made my own changes.)

I shifted my day off by 4 hours. I’ll be starting at noon today (Tuesday, March 17, 2026) and resuming work tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.