Special

Pledge and Time & Talent Forms

Have you turned in your 2006 Annual Affirmation and Response form and your 2006 Time & Talent form?

If you are like many of us, you’ll find them under those catalogs on your kitchen cabinet or under that stack of papers on your desk. It’s not too late - in fact, our hard-working budget committee and church council are still in the process of planning for 2006.

Serving God in this place requires time, talent and financial support from all of us. Please consider how you will participate in the life of the congregation during the coming year and let us know by turning in your forms. (If you cannot find yours, there are always more to be found in the church office. Just ask).

Annual Reports

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

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.

Worship

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.

German-language Ministry

Gottesdienst in der Epiphaniaszeit
22. Januar 2006
5:00 p.m.

Assistant Minister and Server Training

Training for Assisting Ministers and Servers will be conducted on January 21 and January 28 from 10:00 a.m.-noon in the nave. If you have been selected to serve in one of these capacities, whether you have experience or are a novice, you are expected to attend one of the trainings.

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.

Music

Chamber Music

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

Music in the Hall

The sound of lively music will be heard every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the parish hall.

Children, youth, and adults of all ages are welcome to sing camp songs and hymns accompanied by P.J. Gustafson and his guitar. Bring your snacks and drinks and make a joyful noise before settling into class.

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.

Sunday Café

Lunch is in the parish hall at 12:15 p.m. An adult’s lunch is $5; a child’s lunch is $3. First time visitors receive a complimentary lunch; lunches for undergraduate, and graduate student, and visitors from Louisiana and Mississippi are always complimentary.

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.

Swing/Jitterbug Lessons

David Karohl will be teaching four, 2-hour lessons on Tuesday nights in February, in the adult education room in the basement. Singles and couples are welcome. Childcare can be arranged, with shared expenses. The cost is $35 per person for all four lessons, and all proceeds will go to the children’s ministry for Godly Play supplies. Fun people, good music, and as much exercise as you want!
Contact David or 281-492-5730 with questions or to sign up.

Wednesday Night Alive! Resumes

Wednesday Night Alive! resumes 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.

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 meets on Saturday Afternoons

The yoga class meets Saturday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. in the basement adult classroom.

Katherine Krause has been teaching yoga for 7 years and has been practicing yoga for 9 years. She also works in student support services in Fort Bend ISD. She teaches a gentle Hatha Yoga class that is for all ages and all levels. Yoga is good for releasing stress, toning the muscles, increasing flexibility and just feeling good!!! You will be practicing yoga on a hard floor so you should bring a mat or foam for comfort. The cost is $5 per person.

Women's Retreat

Save the Date
Christ the King Lutheran Church Women’s Retreat

April 21 – 23
Chain of Lakes Resort

Theme:
Understanding How Your Family Functions.
Watch for further details.

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 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 are served at 10:00 a.m.; class will begin at 10:30. The Bible Study will resume on January 13.

Adult Forum

Adult Forum meets Sunday at 9:45 a.m. in the basement adult classroom.

January 1: No Adult Forum

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.

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.

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.

Wednesday Night Bible Studies

On the Book of Psalms, by Nahum Sarna continues on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. The class is taught by Velma Rice and meets in the council room. Books are for sale on the book cart in the narthex.

Contemplative Prayer on Wednesday Nights

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

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 the spring of 2006. Sign up sheets are on the mobile bulletin board. For more information, contact Peggy Johnson.

Service & Care

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 Chaplaincy 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.

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.

Houston Food Bank

Next trip to the Houston Food Bank is Saturday, 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.

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.