Seeing Red on Sundays

News February 21, 2023

If you’ve been attending a United Methodist Church in Missouri for the past four years, you’ll know there’s that one special Sunday when everyone wears red. No, not Pentecost. You only get the most devout on the ball on that Sunday with their liturgical calendars. It’s on the ball with the Super Bowl that brings out the red.

Missouri’s NFL team is making a tradition of going to the Super Bowl, causing it to be the big day in 2020, 2021 and 2023. Church social media pages are filled with pictures of a sea of red in sanctuaries. This year Missouri Bishop Bob Farr and Great Plains Bishop David Wilson (Kansas and Nebraska) were in an impromptu “sack” competition with Bishop John Schol (of the Greater New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania Conferences, including Philadelphia) to see whose area would bring the most sacks of food to church on Super Bowl Sunday to donate to local food banks.

The pastor of Archie United Methodist Church watches football games with a little different perspective than most pastors, as he played in the NFL not that long ago himself, including some time with the Chiefs. You can read his story in the January 2016 edition of The Missouri Methodist. Rev. Colin Brown is not big on Super Bowl parties, as he prefers to focus on the game without the distractions of being in a big group, but this year he thought he’d relent and accept one of his member’s invitations. Earlier in the season, he brought his son Willie up front in the church to illustrate David putting on Saul’s armor by having Willie put on Colin’s football pads and helmet.

Although this football season is over, many United Methodists will be making one more trip to Arrowhead Stadium in a couple of weeks. Church of the Resurrection, with campuses in Missouri and Kansas, will be having a men’s retreat called Determined at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, March 4. Participants will get brunch, a discussion on leadership and community with Kevin Lockett (former NFL football player) and Pastor Scott Chrostek, and take a tour of the stadium.