Special

Council Retreat

On Friday and Saturday, January 7 and 8, the Council will hold its annual retreat workshop at Camp Allen in Navasota. Though the workshop is planned expressly for Council members, it is open to all church members at their own expense. If you are interested in participating, please contact Pr. Moore at the church office by noon on January 2.

Annual Reports

The 2005 Annual Reports are due on or before Monday, January 9. You may email your report to Michael Shelton send it on disc to the church office or mail a hard copy to 2353 Rice Boulevard, Houston TX 77005.

Moving? Let us Know

Don’t move without leaving a forwarding address! When you move please include Christ the King Lutheran Church on the “need to inform” list. It costs the church money to be notified by the post office of your move and you miss mail in the process. Thanks. Happy packing and unpacking!

Fair Trade Cocoa Has Arrived

In addition to Fair Trade coffee, organic Baking Cocoa and Hot Cocoa from Equal Exchange is on sale after services and through the church office.

Equal Exchange, founded in 1986, is the oldest and largest for-profit Fair Trade company in the US. They offer organic, gourmet coffee,
tea, sugar, cocoa, and chocolate bars produced by democratically run farmer co-ops in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Bach Society

January 8, 2006 • 5:00 p.m.
Chamber Music:
The Goldberg Variations
Zoya Shuhatovich, piano

Worship

Epiphany Services
Friday
January 6
8:15 a.m.
in the narthex chapel

Prayer Requests

To add a loved one to the prayer list please complete a prayer request card, located in the pew fronts, or on the mobile bulletin board, and give it to an usher, email the church office or call 713-523-2864. ext 21.

Flowers for the Nave

The 2006 Altar Guild Flower Chart will be on the mobile bulletin board in December. Flower arrangements for weekend services are $40. Please pay for the flowers as you sign up.

Fellowship

Join Us After Worship

Snacks, coffee, and juice will be provided after the 8:30 and 10:50 service. Please join us in the courtyard. Donations benefit world hunger.

Interested in Scandinavian Folkdancing

On Mondays at 7:00 p.m. in the adult classroom in the basement, the Scandinavian folkdancing group gathers for an evening of fun and folkdancing. Any potential dancers, musicians, or folks with an interest in preserving the Scandinavian culture are welcome to join the group. For more information call Joyce Calderon, 281-360-9670.

Wednesday Night Alive! On Break for Holidays

Wednesday Night Alive! is on break for holidays from December 14 until January 4. On January 4 the theme of the devotion time will be Epiphany. Pizza and other international snacks will be provided. Our home-made meals will return on January 11. We look forward to seeing everyone back in January!

Wednesday Night Dinners are for EVERYONE!

If you haven’t had a homemade dinner lovingly prepared by our food service ministry team, you’ve really missed out.  Instead of cooking on Wednesday evenings, swing by the parish hall between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. and either eat-in with friends and family, or take-out a delicious and inexpensive meal. Adult dinners are $4 and children’s plates are $3

All members who enjoy good food and good fellowship are also invited to join us by volunteering one Wednesday night during the fall semester. There are a full range of volunteer positions available from skilled to unskilled (from cooks to servers to dishwashers). Even the most kitchen-phobic person will find the  dishwasher a blast!  For more information or to volunteer, please contact Beverly Davis or 713-523-2864, ext. 1027.

Houston Farmers Market at Christ the King Church

West University and Rice Village area residents may now enjoy the Houston Farmers Market on Tuesday evenings. The market is held on the parking lot of Christ the King Lutheran Church from 4 to 7:00 p.m. The market offers fresh organic produce.

Yoga on Saturday Afternoons

The yoga class meets Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. in the basement adult classroom. The last class of 2005 will be on December 18. Class will resume on January 7, 2006. Cost is $5.00 per class..

Education

Visiting Guests this Winter

Dr. Brad and Marion Hanson will be with us as guests of The Melanchthon Institute from January 3 through February 20. Brad Hanson will teach a Thursday evening course on Faith and Loss.

Marion will be leading a series on “Contemplative Prayer” Wednesday evenings from 6:45 – 7:30 p.m. January 11 through February 15.

Faith and Loss

Taught by the Rev. Dr. Brad Hanson

Thursday evenings at Christ the King Lutheran Church (adult classroom room in the basement) January 12 through February 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Serious loss—whether from natural disaster, death, divorce, poor health, economics, or other cause—affects every aspect of our being—our emotions, intellect, relations with others, relationship with God, and our body. In this series we will take a multidimensional approach to loss that includes intellectual responses to the problem of suffering and meditations on Scripture. Our reflection and conversation will be enriched by reading two books by C. S. Lewis. The Problem of Pain exemplifies the theoretical approach, while A Grief Observed is his own deeply moving response to his wife’s death.

Friday Morning Bible Study

The class is taught by Pastor Liebster. The class continues to focus on biblical sources of the text of the liturgy. New participants are always welcome and will find that entry into the group is easy. Snacks will be served at 10:00 a.m.; class will begin at 10:30. The group will resume on January 13.

Adult Forum

Adult Forums meet Sundays at 9:45 a.m. in the basement adult classroom.

January 8: Understanding Attachment, Loss, and the Experience of Grief. We will examine how we become attached to others and why it hurts so much when the attachment bonds are shattered. Uncomplicated and complicated grief responses will also be addressed. The class is presented by Naomi Nelson.

January 15: Grieving Special Kinds of Losses. Some losses -i.e. divorce, relocation, the loss of health, sudden or anticipated death - cause an array of grief responses. We will discuss the dilemmas of living with uncertainty while at the same time creating a new life in the midst of loss and disruption. The class is presented by Naomi Nelson.

January 22: Faith & Loss: Religious and Theological Resources Part I. This session will focus on religious resources for coping with serious loss through Scripture, meditation, and physical symbols. The class is presented by Dr. Brad Hanson.

January 29: Faith & Loss: Religious and Theological Resources Part II. This session will concentrate on efforts to gain some measure of understanding of how faith in God may persist and even grow through the experience of loss. The class is presented by Dr. Brad Hanson..

Wednesday Night Bible Studies

Classes are on break for holidays from December 14 until January 4.

New Member Classes

If you are interested in becoming a member of Christ the King Church, you are invited to attend the Adult Catechesis class.
We will offer a 2-day class on Friday, February 10, 7 until 9 p.m., and Saturday, February 11, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
These classes, based on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, are open to inquirers, those seeking membership, and members wishing to refresh their memory on the basic tenets of our faith.

You may sign up on the bulletin board or contact the church office or 713-523-2864, ext. 21. Childcare is made available when requested the Monday prior to the class.

Confirmation Class

The Confirmation class on the Small Catachism, taught by Pr. Moore, will begin on Wednesday, January 18 at 7:15 p.m. in the 3rd floor conference room

Driver Safety Program

The AARP (American Association of Retired People) Driver Safety Program is being offered at Christ the King Church and is open to ALL ages who have a valid driver’s license. It is an 8-hour refresher course, divided into two 4-hour sessions. The fee is a low $10.00.
Some auto insurance companies provide a multi-year discount to program graduates. (Consult your insurance company or agent.) A two-part course will be given Monday, January 23 and Tuesday, January 24, from noon to 4:00 p.m. A one day 8 hour Saturday session is planned for spring of 2006. Sign up sheets are on the mobile bulletin board. For more information, contact Peggy Johnson.

Service & Care

Houston Food Bank

Next trip to the Houston Food Bank is the second Saturday in January which is January 14. We will leave Christ the King Church parking lot at 8:00 a.m. and return at noon.

More thant 5 million pounds of food and needed supplies were distributed in response to the recent hurricanes, twice the usual distribution. The Houston Food Bank continues to feed 250,000 people each month through 400 hunger programs in 18 southeast Texas counties.For additional information, contact Anna Stock.

Saludos from Eli

Elizabeth Bakalyar is in Costa Rica and runs an after-school arts program in a community in San Jose.

She sends her “saludos” and extends her heartfelt thanks for the congregation’s support. You can find out more about Eli’s exciting work as she posts her journal entries at www.travelpod.com/members/ebmargit.

Community of Hope Class Registration

Community of Hope is a 42-hour, 14-week training class which equips laypersons for pastoral care ministry as lay chaplains. In addition, the Community provides ongoing spiritual growth opportunities in a community shaped by prayer and Benedictine spirituality.
Registrations for a winter/spring semester Community of Hope Lay Chaplancy class are now being accepted. There will be a class beginning Monday evening, January 23, if there is sufficient interest. There must be at least 10 participants for the class to make. To register, contact Beverly Davis or 713-523-2864 ext. 27. Deadline for registration is Friday, January 6.

The Weather Outside is Frightful...
Help Someone Stay Warm this Winter

With cooler weather upon us, Christian Community Service Center’s Emergency Services clients could benefit from your gently used clothing donations. Please search your closets for these particular items:

- Sweaters and jackets for infants, children, and adult men
- Large sizes for men are helpful for some of our clients
- Men’s slacks in all sizes

Emergency Services gladly receives donations Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Please bring donations to the facility located at 3434 Branard (near Greenway Plaza). For additional details, contact 713-993-0518 or esccsc@ccschouston.com.

Thank you for your giving spirit! The CCSC clients benefit every day from the donations they receive all year long!

Lutheran Social Services of the South

Everyday Lutheran Social Services of the South (LSS) receives about a hundred new requests for disaster assistance from the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They are responding with emergency shelter grants, prayer and comforting words.

LSS is the local gulf coast distributor of funds recieved by the ELCA Disaster Response. For the latest information on disaster response efforts, and to help those in need, visit www.lsss.org.

We Are Truly A Village Church With A Global Mission

The Willcockson family delivered our 48 shoeboxes to the Seafarers’ Center at the port of Houston for the Holiday Gift Program. Members and friends of our congregation filled these shoe boxes with all sorts of surprises. The children wrapped the boxes in colorful holiday papers.

These gifts were given to seafarers who visited the Port of Houston during the holiday season by the chaplains of the Seafarers’ Ministry.

Food Service Ministry Continues: Calling all Cooks and Bottlewashers

The Food Service Ministry Team is looking for volunteers for Wednesday nights during the spring semester. Food service will be from 5:30-7:00 p.m. each Wednesday. We have a full range of volunteer positions available from skilled to unskilled (from cooks to servers to dishwashers). We are blessed with great cooking, as well as serving and cleaning talent, in our congregation. Even the most kitchen-phobic person will find the dishwasher a blast! For more information or to volunteer, please contact Beverly Davis or 713-523-2864 ext. 27.