In February we adopted the missional emphasis for 2005 at part 2 of the annual meeting. Taking a quite remarkable step, the congregation of Christ the King Lutheran Church voted to focus on a year of prayer.
In the Christian life, work and prayer—activity and reflection—go hand in hand. For sixty years this congregation has been striving to become a center of Christian worship, music, education, hospitality, and service. We planned, financed and constructed new facilities, and expanded programming to serve our growing membership and the community around us. All this would not have been possible without the continuous prayer throughout the years both in worship and by the individual members. After six decades it seemed to be the right time to stop for a moment and deliberately allow for stillness, reflection, and contemplation so we can recognize with new eyes how God is at work among us. In our 60th anniversary year such focus will deepen our appreciation for all that has been accomplished at Christ the King over the past decades and deepen our gratefulness for those who worked to make it happen. Prayerful reflection and stillness will also open the view on the next 60 years.
Some of the ways in which the congregation already is at prayer:
Sunday worship, Taizé services, morning prayer in the narthex, bringing the Eucharist from the table to members at home and in hospitals, visits and phone calls to members, prayer shawl group on Fridays, Community of Hope training, Friday morning Bible study, children in their classrooms, committees and council opening their meetings with scripture and prayer, table grace on Wednesday nights in the parish hall.
Ways to learn about prayer throughout the year:
Invitation to form Prayer Groups:
Council and ministry staff would like to invite interested members and friends of the congregation to begin to meet in small groups of two or three people and practice praying with each other. The formation and continuation of a prayer group depends on the initiative of the people who participate in it. Opportunity for feedback and reflection on this type of prayer practice will be developed by the ministry staff throughout the year. Feel free to talk to the ministry staff at any time. A few prayer groups are already going on.
Here is how it works:
Prepare two chapters of a biblical book (or other book) each week. Questions to be asked: What is God doing in this text? What are people doing (sometimes at odds with God)? What is the Holy Spirit doing? What is this telling us about a vision for mission? Where does the activity take place? What was old in this text? What was new? What kind of impact did reading this and praying about it have? etc.
This is not to be made into a curriculum or achievement.
It is recommended to stay committed to at least 15 minutes of prayer. What to pray for? Each other, of course, and what was heard as people checked in with each other. For the gift of the Word just encountered. For the ministry of the church. For a vision for mission that God is raising up in them. For the ministry of the prayer partners to be connected to the city and to life all around us, etc. We would ask that this time be a firm commitment. No less than 15 minutes!
More if you wish but not less. The praying together can happen spoken or unspoken or some of each.
Suggested Scripture readings:
The Book of Acts. It is about the church, it has miracles, stories, sermons, politics, drama (a young man falling from a window sill after going to sleep during a long sermon), and much more. 28 chapters.
The Epistle to the Philippians. A letter by Paul, containing thanksgiving, prayer, a hymn, and dealing with external and internal issues of the church in Philippi. 4 chapters.
The Epistle to the Ephesians. A letter in the tradition of Paul, containing prayer, thanksgiving, understanding of the church, rules for the Christian life. 6 chapters.
It is our hope that members and friends of Christ the King Church prayerfully consider engaging in the 2005 missional emphasis on prayer. It is a deeply meaningful and effective way to stay connected with each other here in Houston and in places far away, to become aware of God’s presence in our own lives and that of the church, and to support the congregation in its mission to the world.
Robert Moore
Karin Liebster
Kathy Haueisen
Fred Haman
Beverly Davis