Special

ELCA Bishops, LIRS President, Call for Fair and Just Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) — The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Chicago, and Ralston H. Deffenbaugh, Jr., president, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Baltimore, and 53 ELCA synod bishops, sent a statement March 27 to U.S. Senators, calling for fair and just immigration reform.

For more information on the statement and how our denomination advocates on behalf of social justice issues, go to: www.ELCA.org/advocacy/immad0306-5.pdf. Information about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is at www.lirs.org.

The Melanchthon Institute Celebrates Eric Gritsch on his 75th Birthday

The Melanchthon Institute will host the celebration of Eric Gritsch’s 75th birthday on April 23, Sunday, at 6:00 p.m. in the parish hall. Professor Gritsch has had a profound effect on the Institute, Christ the King Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Lutheran Churches worldwide. RSVP by Wednesday, April 19

Special guests include Eric’s wife Bonnie Brobst and Pastor Kirsten Drigsdahl (Denmark). Ashley Hall, on leave from the Melanchthon Institute while writing his dissertation at Fordham University, will return to help host the celebration.

Start Spring Cleaning for May 13 Tag Sale

To help fund some of our children’s programs, we are having a tag sale on Saturday, May 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon in the parish hall. We are asking you to consider what you may have around your home that you could donate to the sale. Due to the large amount of leftover clothes we’ve experienced in past years, we are only accepting adult designer clothes in pristine condition including near-perfect baby, toddler and children’s clothes.

Please bring your items prepriced Sunday, May 7 - Friday, May 12. If you are able, use tape or a label to price each item to help us reduce set-up time and labor.

We ask that you advise us of any large and/or valuable donations (tell us about them so we can sell them for the right price) prior to delivery. You may contact Michelle Beck All remaining items will be donated to a local charity.

Volunteers Needed for Tag Sale

We are in need of volunteers to help for one Friday evening and/or one Saturday morning. If you have only a couple of hours to spare, we WILL use you!

Please contact Michelle Beck for more information or to sign up as a volunteer.

National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week is April 23-29. The ministry staff of Christ the King Lutheran Church is deeply grateful for the many ways our congregation’s members are involved in the life of the church, both locally and globally. We are blessed with a diverse membership who has many gifts and talents.

If you haven’t found your niche yet at Christ the King Church, please let us assist you. To get more involved either within the congregation or within the community, contact Beverly Davis

Worship

German-language Service

Ostermesse

16. April 2006, 2:00 p.m

German Language Service
with Holy Communion
followed by a reception in the parish hall

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.

Prayer List Available

A complete prayer list of all the people for whom we pray can be found on the literature rack in the narthex or on the permanent bulletin board by the first floor elevators in the ministry building

Contemplative Prayer Resumes on Wednesday Nights

The “Contemplative Prayer” group will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:45 – 7:30 p.m. in room 204. All are welcome.

Carby Chapel Center Dedication
April 23, at 4:00 p.m.

Join the folks at Lutherhill for an afternoon of celebration beginning with a worship at 4 p.m. Special guests include: Bishop Paul Blom; Tom Chase, Director of Mission Builders; the many mission builders who helped construct the chapel; and you. For more information, check out Lutherhill’s website at www.lutherhill.org.

Music

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.

Easter Breakfast

A festive, continental breakfast will be offered between the morning services on Easter Sunday. Breakfast will be followed by an egg hunt and the annual “flowering of the cross”.

Parents of Young Children

You are invited to some time away from your children and have a chance for adult conversations with other parents.

Join us on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in the council room for conversation, mutual support and creative ideas for raising your children and taking care of yourself in the process. The first 30 minutes allow for informal conversations. From 10 - 10:30 a.m. a topic of interest for parents of young children will be presented. Announcements and prayer requests for special parenting concerns can be made at 10:30 a.m. For more information contact Leslie Winesett

Fair Trade Coffee Sales Continue

Fair Trade coffee 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.

Young Adult Perspectives

Young Adult Perspectives (“YAP” for short) is a student and young adult discussion group that meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturday evenings of each month at 7:15 p.m. (after Taizé) in the church basement. No preparation is necessary... just bring an open and inquiring mind. Our next YAP session will be on Saturday, April 22. For more information, e-mail Pr. Peter Stockmann.

Filmgoers Meeting 4th Friday
For WorldFest Film Festival

The CTK Film Discussion group will meet at 7:00 p.m. Friday (April 28) for the Houston Worldfest International Film Festival premieres at AMC Studio 30 at 2949 Dunvale between Richmond and Westheimer, west of Fondren. There will be three Texas premiers:

Liubi - 35mm - Layia Yiourgou - Athens, Greece. Drama. A young nanny from Russia falls in love with the extended family’s younger brother who has just elebrated his engagment party.

The Destination (La Destinazione) - 35mm - Piero Sanna - Segrate, Italy. Drama. A young Itallian conscript is sent to the remote outpost on the island of Sardinia and must deal with very different cultures.

Half Empty - DVD - Robert Peters- Hollywood, Ca. DVD. Comedy with musical numbers. A quirky writer of a self-help book goes to Germany to promote his book which is a virtual flop, but his eternal optimism and personal fate soon leads him to ultimate success. A musical no less!

Tickets are $10 each and may be ordered ahead of time online at www.worldfest.com. There are also showings going on earlier and later in the day, plus all the other days from April 21-30 when the Festival shows 53 new films by independents. Many major producers have had their first films shown at this event which is the longest ongoing film festival in the United States. For additional information, contact Anna Fay Williams.

For more information, contact Anna Fay Williams.

Writing Life Stories Workshop

The Writing Life Stories workshop continues with the Wednesday Night Live! program from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday on the 3rd floor. This series focuses on pivotal points in one’s life, as well as writing about our lives through periods of change. The sessions are flexible, giving the participants an opportunity to both write and discuss their stories. Anyone with an interest in writing life stories can join in anytime. Mainly we want to capture the events that we’d like to share with our families and friends. Last fall, we explored various techniques to get started and to trigger memories from the past through mapping and free flow writing. We were often well entertained by the group’s wellspring of memories. There were some very lively stories told and we certainly are looking forward to sharing again. For more information, contact Anna Fay Williams.

Interested in Scandinavian Folkdancing

On Mondays at 7:00 p.m. in the basement classroom, 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 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.

Wednesday Night Alive! Menu
Bette Bowers, chef
Shrimp Casserole
Served with:
Salad
Veggie
Dessert

Meals served from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Take Out Available

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.

Saturday Morning Yoga

Yoga classes will begin a new schedule on Saturday, April 29. The classes will move to 9:00 a.m. every Saturday. (The April 22 class meets at 1:00 p.m.).

Katherine Krause has been teaching yoga for 8 years and has been practicing yoga for 10 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 $7 per person.

Church Gourmet

The next dinner is May 13.
For information, contact Caryn Wilson

Parents’ Night Out/Movies in the Hall

PNO/MITH CO-OP accepts new members year round, but our annual open enrollment period is now. All families of children ages infant through teen are encouraged to join. Expecting parents are encouraged to join and may work before their due date. The co-op not only provides the opportunity for adult interaction within families, but ministers to the children of the congregation as they play together and build lasting friendships within their spiritual community. Member families must sign the compact and pay an annual registration fee prior to using the co-op. The upcoming dates for 2006 are: April 22, May13, June17, July15, August 19, September16, October 21, November18, December 16, January 20, 2007.

Contact Barbara Scott to sign up.

Parents’ Night Out/Movies in the Hall (PNO/MITH) is an independent co-op of parents that use the church facilities at least once a month from 5:30 to 10:30 for affordable childcare. Two adult representatives from each family commit to work together ONE NIGHT during our calendar year which runs February through January. PNO offers age-appropriate care and activities for ages 5 and under in the nursery with the average cost being $10/child. MITH offers age-appropriate activities and movies for ages 6 and up in the parish hall supervised by 2 working parents. The normal cost of MITH is $1/child. The co-op uses an RSVP system to assure appropriate adult/child ratios and may limit the number of participants for an evening.

New Plan for the Women's Retreat

The Women’s Retreat will meet Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Church (4930 W. Bellfort, Houston 77035). The theme is “What Makes Your Family Function.” We will eat lunch together at a local restaurant at our own expense. Please bring a snack to share for morning coffee or afternoon break.. Contact Pr. Kathy Haueisen or 713-523-2864 ext.1030 Sally Muma.

Driver Safety Program

The AARP (American Association of Retired People) Driver Safety Program will be presented Saturday, May 6 at Christ the King Church from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The instructors is Ms. Lisa Lum, an experienced trained AARP volunteer.
The program is open to ALL ages who have a valid driver’s license for a fee of $10.00. There is no test! Learn the new traffic laws, review the rules of the road, and much more.

Some auto insurance companies provide a multi-year discount for program graduates. (Consult your insurance company or agent.)
Sign-up sheets are in the narthex, the mobile bulletin board, and at the Wednesday Night Alive table.
Contact Peggy Johnson for any questions.

Parents And Children Remember Your Baptism Cookout
April 29, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m

Baptism is the foundation on which our lives as children of God are based. We want to remember and celebrate this cornerstone with a Remember your Baptism Cookout on Saturday, April 29 at 11:00 a.m. in the courtyard of Christ the King Church.

When parents present children for Holy Baptism, they and the sponsors promise to faithfully bring them to the services of God’s house, and teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments. Parents and sponsors promise to place in the children’s hands the Holy Scriptures and to provide for their instruction in the Christian faith, so that living in the covenant of their baptism and in communion with the Church, they might lead godly lives until the day of Jesus Christ.

Children of all ages are invited to a cookout and a rite to remember their baptism. Dress is casual and play may be wet! Bring a picnic dish to share. Burgers, dogs and condiments will be provided. Contact Barbara Scott if you would like to decorate, set up, cook, or just participate!

Education

Friday Morning Bible Study

The class is taught by Pastor Liebster. The class o focuess 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.

Sunday Forum

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

April 16: No Sunday Forum
Everyone is invited to the parish hall at 9:45 a.m. for a continental breadfast, egg hunt, and the annual flowering of the cross.

“Is God Speaking?” – Communicating with God

Allan Dieter will facilitate a three-week Sunday Forum series on communicating with God and experimenting with non-traditional concepts of prayer.

April 23: How do human beings communicate with God? This class will focus on encounters with God who is speaking through enemies, animals, events, objects, special people, and in conflicting messages, and on encounters with God in traditional teaching versus personal experiences of the living God.

April 30: The second session will discuss the question of ecological disasters resulting from human decisions as ways of communication with God.

May 7: Our personal images of God determine the way to communicate with God: from begging for a cure to opting for silence.

Wednesday Night Bible Studies

A God of Vengeance?: Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath by Erich Zenger
The psalms that deal with violence are often viewed as incompatible with Jesus’ command to love one’s neighbor. Zenger argues that these psalms are actually laments that cry out against violence and injustice in the world and have great relevance for people of faith today. Zenger’s discussion includes a forthright discussion of how to use these psalms in modern prayer. Wednesday Night Alive! Adult Bible Study will meet in the council room on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. thru May 10. Contact Velma Rice at vrrice@verizon.net for information.

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 offer a 2-day class on Friday, May 5, 7 - 9 p.m., and Saturday, May 6, 9 a.m. - 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. Childcare is made available when requested on Monday prior to the class.

THE ARAB WORLD:
History, Politics, & Culture

On Monday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. George Sabra of The Near East School of Theology, Beirut, Lebanon will lecture on Arab Christians and Christian Zionism at Rice University in Farnsworth Pavilion, Ley Student Center.

Service & Care

Snack Providers Needed

Looking for an occasional, yet extremely important ministry?! We are now recruiting snack providers for after Sunday services. The light refreshments that are set out with the coffee each Sunday provide a great opportunity for fellowship for members and visitors alike. Not only that, the donations they generate go to the World Hunger Appeal. Join this wonderful ministry of hospitality that also benefits hunger relief. You can provide snacks only once or twice a year or as often as you’d like. For more information or to sign up, contact Beverly Davis or 713-523-2864 ext. 27.

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.

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.

Start Spring Cleaning for May 13 Tag Sale

To help fund some of our children’s programs, we are having a tag sale on Saturday, May 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon in the parish hall. We are asking you to consider what you may have around your home. Due to the large amount of leftover clothes we’ve experienced in past years, we are only accepting adult designer clothes in pristine condition including near-perfect baby, toddler and children’s clothes.
Please bring your items prepriced Sunday, May 7 - Friday, May 12. If you are able, use tape or a label to price each item to help us reduce set-up time and labor.

We ask that you advise us of any large and/or valuable donations (tell us about them so we can sell them for the right price) prior to delivery. You may contact Michelle Beck. All remaining items will be donated to a local charity.

Volunteers Needed for Tag Sale

We are in need of volunteers to help for one Friday evening and/or one Saturday morning. If you have only a couple of hours to spare, we WILL use you!

Please contact Michelle Beck for more information or to sign up as a volunteer.

Blood Drive!

The M.D. Anderson
Blood Mobile will be here
Sunday, April 30,
from 9:00a.m.-1:00p.m.

Feed the Homeless

Campus and Young Adult Ministry sponsors a Homeless Ministry program at Christ the King Church, and we would love for you to join us. On the 2nd and 4th Monday evenings of each month we meet at Christ the King Church to make sandwiches and prepare meals, and deliver them to downtown homeless individuals. We meet in the kitchen and parish hall at 5:45 p.m. to set up and prepare the meals, and leave for downtown at about 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. to deliver them. All are invited to help out with meal preparation, downtown delivery, or both! Our next gathering is on Monday, April 24. Contact Wendy Wiker for more information.

National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week is April 23-29. The ministry staff of Christ the King Lutheran Church is deeply grateful for the many ways our congregation’s members are involved in the life of the church, both locally and globally. We are blessed with a diverse membership who has many gifts and talents.

If you haven’t found your niche yet at Christ the King Church, please let us assist you. To get more involved either within the congregation or within the community, contact Beverly Davis at 713-523-2864, ext. 27.

Red Cross Shelter Training

Christ the King Church is a designated Red Cross Shelter. If you are interested in becoming a part of our shelter team, contact the church office or Linda Schoene. Our renewal training will be help on Saturday, April 29, 9:00 a.m. – noon at the church. All interested members of the congregation and of the community are invited to attend.