Month: April 2018

Parish to celebrate 160 years of community service

The Rev. Dixie Roberts Junk, priest-in-charge, St. Paul’s
The Rt. Rev. Michael Milliken, bishop of Western Kansas
The Very Rev. Craig Loya, dean of Trinity Cathedral, Omaha

Responding to the needs of the neighborhood is nothing new for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Kansas.

The parish, which is celebrating 160 years of serving its members and the larger community, will hold special events Saturday, April 21, at its present location, 1300 N. 18th St.

The parish, which was founded in 1857, helped feed starving Wyandotte Indians during its early days.

The parish, which was originally near what is now Fourth Street and State Avenue, had a garden and orchard and shared its bounty with those who were less fortunate. About the same time, the parish conducted a school for children in the time before public schools were established. The parish was later at Sixth Street and Ann Avenue and then 712 State Ave.

Those who will attend the celebration will see two successful outreach programs that the parish sponsors as it makes a transition to a center for mission and ministry.

The Breakfast at St. Paul’s will be held from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. April 21 in the parish hall. This program was started about 20 years ago with generous support from a sister parish, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Mission. An average of about 200 attend the breakfast each week; many who come are homeless. Various other churches and other volunteer groups help serve the meal.

The neighborhood pantry will be open from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. April 21. The pantry, with help from Nourish KC (formerly Episcopal Community Services) provides food for about 3,000 meals each month.

A festive Holy Eucharist will be held at 2 p.m. April 21. The co-celebrants will be the Rt. Rev. Michael Pierce Milliken, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas; and the Very Rev. Craig Loya, the dean of Trinity Cathedral in Omaha. The Rev. Dixie Roberts Junk, the priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s, will assist. New altar cloths, vestments and a banner will be dedicated.

A gala celebration is planned at 3:30 p.m. April 21 in the parish hall. Members who are 80 years or older will be honored. Former members and friends have been invited to the celebration.

First-place Sporting KC takes five-game unbeaten run into today’s match with Seattle

The Western Conference leaders will square off with the two-time defending Western Conference champions Sunday when first-place Sporting Kansas City (4-1-1, 13 points) hosts Seattle Sounders FC (0-3-0, 0 points) at 3 p.m. inside Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Tickets for the marquee matchup are available via SeatGeek.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL to purchase the Coca-Cola Sunday Family Four Pack , consisting of four tickets, four Coke products, four hot dogs and four bags of chips. Sunday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN and broadcast locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish).

In conjunction with the match, Sporting KC will hold its inaugural Faith and Family Day, featuring discounted South Stand tickets for $30 apiece as well as pre-game speeches from Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley and former University of Kansas All-American and NBA champion Wayne Simien.

Rock band 7eventh Time Down will perform a concert on the Toyota Plaza immediately after the match before Simien conducts a postgame question-and-answer with Sporting KC defenders Matt Besler, Ike Opara and Seth Sinovic.

Unbeaten in five straight matches, Sporting KC has ascended to the Western Conference summit behind a steady wave of goal scoring and a 262-minute shutout streak that dates back to March 24.

Last Sunday’s 2-0 road win over the LA Galaxy saw goalkeeper Tim Melia make a career-high and club-record 10 saves, resulting in his Alcatel MLS Player of the Week selection on Tuesday.

On the opposite side of the field, Daniel Salloi and Goal of the Week winner Johnny Russell maintained their fine form with strikes in the second half to silence the StubHub Center crowd.

Last weekend’s victory in LA was secured without Sporting KC’s talismanic midfielder Felipe Gutierrez, who is tied for the league lead with five goals and earned MLS Player of the Month honors for March.

Gutierrez is listed as day-to-day with a hip injury for an otherwise healthy that has boasted a balanced attack throughout the year. Seven different Sporting KC players have scored a goal in 2018, tied for the most in MLS, while five different players have provided assists.

Russell (two goals, two assists) and Salloi (one goal, three assists) have played a part in four goals each, while Khiry Shelton (two assists) and Roger Espinoza (three assists) have shouldered valuable supporting roles.

Seattle enters Sunday trending in the opposite direction. Head coach Brian Schmetzer has guided his team to consecutive MLS Cup appearances – capturing the club’s first league championship in 2016 – but the Sounders have stumbled out of the gates in 2018 with three losses, three red cards and zero goals through their first three matches.

Seattle’s early campaign also includes a quarterfinal exit in the Concacaf Champions League at the hands of finalist Chivas de Guadalajara.

Longtime U.S. international Clint Dempsey led Seattle with 12 goals during the 2017 regular season but won’t play a part this weekend in Kansas City.

The forward was suspended an extra game Thursday for his red card offense in a 3-0 loss at FC Dallas on March 18, while defender Kelvin Leerdam will also be sidelined for his misbehavior on March 31 in a defeat to the Montreal Impact.

In Dempsey’s absence, playmaking midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro will look to ignite Seattle’s stuttering attack. Since he joined the Sounders in July 2016, no MLS player has created more chances than Lodeiro.

In addition to coping without Dempsey and Leerdam, Seattle will likely have to account for multiple injury absences. Forward Jordan Morris is out for the season with an ACL tear, while midfielder Victor Rodriguez has yet to return to action following a knee sprain. However, 32-year-old captain Osvaldo Alonso could make his return on Sunday after missing the club’s first three games with a quad strain.

After winning just one of its first nine games against Seattle, Sporting KC is 4-1-2 in the last seven meetings between the clubs dating back to 2015. Manager Peter Vermes’ men have won each of their last two home matches in the series by a 3-0 score, prevailing at Children’s Mercy Park in July 2016 and May 2017.

The more recent meeting saw winger Gerso Fernandes score a second-half hat-trick, becoming the first Kansas City player to bag three goals in a regular season game since October 2010.

The sides last met on Aug. 12, 2017, when the Sounders earned a 1-0 home victory behind Dempsey’s goal in the 36th minute. It was Melia’s first goal conceded to Seattle in six appearances, as the goalkeeper wields a 4-1-1 regular-season record against the club with a 0.17 goals against average.

– Story from Sporting KC

Faith news

To send in items for the Faith News, email information to [email protected]. Please include your name and contact information. In the event of inclement weather, contact the church or organization to see if the event is still being held.

All Saints Catholic Church, 8th and Vermont, Kansas City, Kansas, will celebrate Polski Day on Saturday, May 5. A Polka Mass featuring the Good Shepherd Choir will be held at 4 p.m. May 5 at All Saints Church. The event also includes a Polski Day parade at 11 a.m. May 5 from 12th and Central, east to 8th Street, then to Vermont, ending at the church. Polish music, food and entertainment are scheduled on the church grounds. The event celebrates Polish heritage and raises funds for the church. For more information, see www.polskiday.com.

Christ the King Catholic Church will hold a sloppy Joe dinner and bingo event at 5 p.m. April 21 at Davern Hall, 3024 N. 53rd St. The cost of the sloppy Joe dinner will be $5 for adults; or $12 for a family of up to two adults and four children. The church also plans a Community Blood Center blood drive from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, May 14, in the church basement, 3024 N. 53rd, Kansas City, Kansas. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

The Gospel Non-Violence Study Group will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The group is facilitated by Peg Burns Kerbawy, developer of “Our Golden Thread, Gospel Nonviolence Curriculum Materials.” For more information and registration, call 913-906-8990.

Parkway Baptist Church, 12320 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas, will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, April 23, in the church classrooms. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1300 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan., will celebrate its 160th anniversary with special events on Saturday, April 21. A festive Holy Eucharist will be held at 2 p.m. The co-celebrants will be the Rt. Rev. Michael Pierce Milliken, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas; and the Very Rev. Craig Loya, the dean of Trinity Cathedral in Omaha. The Rev. Dixie Roberts Junk, the priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s, will assist. A gala celebration is planned at 3:30 p.m. in the parish hall. Members who are 80 years or older will be honored. Former members and friends have been invited to the celebration.

Attend the free Blended & Blessed® one-day livestream event on Saturday, April 21, for stepfamily couples, single parents, dating couples with kids, and those who care about blended families. To be discussed are crucial keys to healthy stepfamily marriages. With some of today’s most trusted and respected experts, Blended & Blessed will challenge, inspire, and encourage participants. This free event will be held at Wyandotte County Christian Church, 13700 Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kansas, and childcare and Chick-fil-A lunch are free. Sign up at bit.ly/blended2018.

Send Faith News items to [email protected]. Please include your contact information.