May Connection 2
- May 15
- 7 min read
May 15, 2026
DISCIPLES CONNECTION
Meet our Regional Minister Candidate
Rev. Dr. Lara Blackwood Pickrel
Ordination
Ordained into Christian Ministry at First Christian Church, Fayetteville, AR on May 24, 2009
Education
DMin, Phillips Theological Seminary (2019)
MDiv Equivalency, Phillips (2009)
MTS, Brite Divinity School (2003)
BA in Religious Studies, TCU (2000)
Ministerial Service
Senior Minister, Hillcrest Christian Church, Overland Park, KS (Feb 2022 – Present)
Senior Minister, First Christian Church, Smithville, MO (July 2017 – Jan 2022)
Associate Minister, First Christian Church, Smithville, MO (Jan 2014 – July 2017)
Associate Minister, Hillside Christian Church, Kansas City, MO (Aug 2009 – Dec 2013)
Associate Minister, First Christian Church, Fayetteville, AR (Aug 2006 – Aug 2009)
Regional Youth Minister, Great River Region (2006 – 2009)
Associate Minister, First Christian Church, Abilene, TX (Nov 2003 – July 2006)
Intern, University Ministries, TCU (2001-2002)
Area Youth Minister, Trinity Brazos Area,
Christian Church in the Southwest (2000 – 2001)
Additional Church Service
General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (2022 – Present)
Tall Oaks Camp & Conference Center Board President (2023 – Present)
Additional Church Service Continued
Chalice Press Board, chair (2021 – Present)
GKC Becoming Beloved Community Racial Justice Summit planning team (present)
Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising from the Lake Institute (in process)
Kansas Leadership Center certified facilitator
Tri-Regional Partnership (GKC, KS, NE)
CC(DOC) General Assembly Youth Event Planner/Director (2023 – Louisville)
GKC Regional Bylaws Committee
GKC Camp & Conference and RYC Adult
Disciples Youth Ministry Network planning team (2010 – Present)
Chalice Press author & editor of curriculum, devotionals, and books
World Council of Churches General Assembly Steward (2006)
Personal Life
Lara is married to Rev. Chuck Pickrel, Minister to Youth at Saint Andrew CC. Together, they are parents to 8.5-year-old Violet. Their family also includes two cats (Willow and Pumpkin). Having served in GKC for nearly 17 years, their networks of
support are deep here, both inside and outside of the Church. Together they love travel, gaming with friends, and quiet days at home.
Fun Facts & Interests
Graduated from high school in El Paso, TX (J.M. Hanks HS – Go Knights!) class of 1996
Hobbies: knitting, travel (both international and domestic), board games, role playing games, Sci-fi/Fantasy (books, movies, tv), writing
Favorite colors: purple (Go Frogs!), green, fuchsia, blue
Spiritual Loves: nature, silent retreats, music, drawing/painting, Black Mountain NC, Scotland
AROUND THE REGION
Special Regional Assembly
The Regional Minister Search Committee and Regional Board are ready to present a candidate for the position of Regional Minister and President of the Greater Kansas City Christian Church Disciples of Christ Region.
A special Regional Assembly will be held on Thursday, May 21st, at 6:00 PM at Merriam Christian Church and on Zoom. All in the Region are welcome to come and meet the candidate. Each congregation is allowed 2 lay voting delegates in addition to all ministers in good standing.
Zoom:
KC Disciples is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 326 068 0167
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Volunteer & Donate to The Micah Ministry
The Micah Ministry, located at Independence Boulevard Christian Church, is always in need of volunteers on Monday nights.
The clothing closet is in urgent need of:
blankets
towels
tennis shoes
AAA and AA batteries
Flashlights
Men's shorts sizes 34 and below
Men's Jeans
Fellowship of John May Newsletter
Learn about the Shops at Foxwood Springs, sponsored by the Fellowship of John, January - March income and expenses, and more!
UPCOMING REGIONAL EVENTS
Affordable Housing in KC
Country Club Christian Church, along with regional housing leaders MARC, LISC, and Habitat for Humanity, will be presenting the series "Room for All" a conversation about affordable housing in the Kansas City metro area. Both sessions are free to attend, with a light dinner at 6:00 pm. Please register at this link.
Thursday, May 7, Light Dinner at 6pm, Panel at 6:30pm. “The Nuts & Bolts of the Issue.” Regional leaders from MARC and LISC Greater KC help us understand the systems behind housing affordability — and what it takes to build a stronger housing future for our region.
Thursday, May 21, Light Dinner at 6pm, Panel at 6:30pm. “Innovations You Should Know About.” Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City and MARC will share the creative, on-the-ground solutions already making a difference.
Christian Church Foundation Special Presentation
Thursday, June 11
6:30—7:30 p.m.
Barry Christian Church
1500 NW Barry Rd, Kansas City, MO 64155
Join us for a special presentation with Kirby Marks from the Christian Church Foundation as we discuss:
The four most important documents everyone needs
Ways to pass assets to children and charity in a tax-efficient manner
Ways to create a gift to benefit the Greater Kansas City Greater Legacy
Society, and other ministries
How to create a “pledge replacement” gift
That God calls us to be good stewards of all of our assets.
Why everyone needs a will
Please RSVP to the Regional Office by email or phone (913)432-1414
FROM THE GENERAL CHURCH
Putting love into action: a regional new church perspective
“If the denomination wants a future, it needs to take seriously its mission to make Disciples and be a movement for wholeness. Being a safe harbor for new churches and leaders is essential.”
As the Associate Regional Minister of New Church for KC Disciples, Rev. Amy Shoemaker is passionate about new congregations.
For her, the Pentecost Offering is an annual opportunity where Disciples not only can proclaim that the Church’s future matters, but also to demonstrate to vulnerable clergy that their work is important.
On May 17 and 24, your participation ensures a future for the Disciples. Read more
Congregational Delegates
Our Greater Kansas City Region bylaws calls for 2 voting delegates for our Regional
Assembly. The General Church calls for 3 voting delegates for voting on General Assembly resolutions.
We may be amending our bylaws at our upcoming Regional Assembly, Oct. 9,10 to align our delegates with the General Church (move to 3 delegates for both)."
SAVE THE DATES
Films for a Cause
Join KC Disciples Becoming Beloved Community Team's next Films for a Cause screening on Sunday, June 14th.
We will be screening "After the Raid," a 2019 documentary film directed by Rodrigo Reyes. The premise revolves around a meatpacking plant in Grainger County, Tennessee, where 97 undocumented workers were arrested during a raid in 2018.
This screening is in partnership with Rev. Ed and Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation.
General Assembly Livestream
July 10-11
The whole church throughout the United States and Canada, is invited to attend General Assembly 2026. Ephesians 3:14-21 invites the Stone-Campbell tradition of today and tomorrow to be rooted and grounded in the love of God that surpasses knowledge and barriers to build fuller relationships and ministries led by the limitless love of God. The prayer that calls to the church in Ephesus also calls the Christian Church to set a bigger table that surpasses our previous capacity.
More than just a series of meetings, General Assembly is a covenantal table set for education, discussion, worship, business, fellowship, and action. Each congregation is invited to boldly claim their covenantal place at the table by inviting everyone to attend online and by prayerfully designating 3 delegates to vote at General Assembly. Meeting every year online will allow more Disciples to connect more frequently and to work together more fully “to be the church we say we are.” If you’ve never attended General Assembly before, a special welcome is extended to you.
One and all, individuals, Congregations, General Ministries, Regional Ministries, Ministry partners, and friends are invited to actively participate in our new way of being church and our church wide resolve to embody and share God’s surpassing love as we gather in July.
For these reasons:
The cost is $30 in the hope of removing an economic barrier.
Translation through closed captioning will be available in 5 languages including Spanish, Korean, French, English, and Chinese, in the hope of removing language and accessibility barriers.
You can participate at a local gathering or on your personal device in the hope of removing the barriers of geography and isolation. The tech team has worked hard to make sure that GA is accessible and to train Regional and Congregational tech leaders to ensure that they didn’t create a new digital divide within the church.
The format and schedule include a Topic for Education, Discussion, and Prayer and time for dialogue to move beyond brief discussion accessible only to persons that attend GA in-person to include more voices from across the whole church.
Click here to register today and take your place in this year’s General Assembly rooted in hope, inspired by purpose, and alive with possibility. Your voice, your presence, and your spirit matter. Come be part of what God is doing next. The Greater Kansas City Region will be gathering in person for the Assembly at Country Club Christian Church. All are invited to register and participate!
While this summer's General Assembly is virtual we invite all of the Greater Kansas City Disciples to gather at Country Club Christian Church to participate together.
Pause Play Annual Gathering
"We believe in the transformative power of play, which is why we designed our annual gathering to be focused around fun and reinvigoration. In our three-day gathering you can expect everything from improv games to ritual arts to reflective time and space to listen inward-everything you need to reignite your imagination and bring a sense of playfulness and imagination back into your preaching. This gathering is open to the public."
Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation 2.0 Training
Thursday, July 23, 9:00 am-4:00 pm at Merriam Christian Church.
Anti-Racism 2.0 answers these questions:
"Where is the evidence that systemic racism exists in my community?"
"How did race prejudice and abuse of power shape many of the laws that systematized racism?"
"What are local Disciples of Jesus Christ doing to mitigate this sinful reality?"
"Me? Biased? I have lots of friends who are . . . "
"What can I and those I serve do to help change this sinful reality?"
Planned learning activities include: taking the Implicit Bias Test beforehand, exploring the origins of the pseudo-science of eugenics, and taking an in-house virtual tour of the Greater Kansas City area to learn about how racism shaped our communities. We will meet with local people who are making progress mitigating some of systemic racism’s effects.
Full Details can be found HERE.
This workshop includes several individual and small group activities. Please wear comfortable clothing.
There is suggested pre-reading. You can find more information HERE .
Anti-Racism 101 is a prerequisite for this workshop.
2026 Racial Justice Summit
Save the date for the Becoming Beloved Community's fourth annual Racial Justice Summit Saturday, November 7th.
