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.

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.

Worship

Konfirmationsgottesdienst - German Language Service
with Rite of Confirmation

German Confirmation on May 7, 5:00 p.m. at the German-language service followed by a reception in the courtyard. Included in this year’s confirmation class are: Babette Hohrath, Larissa Kokott, Daniel Niggemann, Sophie Schamp, Lena Serhan.

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

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.

Village Concerts 2006

Village Concerts will continue on May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the parish hall with Brazilian pianist Vania Pimintel; other recitals include the Croatian-born Houstonian Loreta Kovacic (June 22) and Tilmann Löser (July 14) from Leipzig.

There is no admission charge; a free-will offering will be accepted. Seating is limited to 100 persons, and visitors are encouraged to arrive early.

Wednesday Night Alive! Program on May 10

Another year of Wednesday Night Alive! is drawing to a close. On May 10, all children’s musical groups will come together at 6:30 p.m. to present a final program entitled “Around the World and Through the Seasons.” Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and the entire congregation are invited to attend! Pizza will be available.

Music Camp in July!

Debbie Whitmire is offering a week long daytime music camp for babies, preschoolers and lower elementary children July 10-14 at Christ the King Church. This camp is fee-based and open to the community. Sessions are 45 minutes each. Schedule TBA. For information, contact Debbie Whitmire.

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.

Parents of Young Children

Join other parents of infants, toddlers, and young children at 9:45 in the council room for some fun conversation and interesting educational opportunities.

May 7 – Eighteen years may seem like a long time, but it’s never too early to plan for the future. Brannon Lloyd, financial advisor, will discuss ways to save for your child’s education

May 14 – What are your favorite ways to keep your child entertained during the summer months? Do you know of fun places to go in Houston that are off the beaten path? Mosquito-free? Air-conditioned? We’re all experts on this one. Come prepared to share your ideas and learn fun tips from other parents.

May 21 – Does your child’s behavior ever amaze, mystify, impress, or annoy you? Barbara Anderson, child psychologist and professor of pediatrics with Baylor College of Medicine, will lead a session on understanding your child’s temperament.

or more information contact Leslie Winesett

Church Gourmet

On Saturday, May 13, the Church Gourmet Dining Group will enjoy an evening of Mozart and Austrian cuisine. The menu, selected by Mel Ostwald, is as follows:

Appetizers
Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Mixed green Salad
Roast Pork Tenderloin over Potato Pancake
White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
Black Forest Cake

Anyone who enjoys a good meal and fine fellowship is invited to participate. Please contact Caryn Wilson if you would like to participate or serve as a host home

Readings of Life Stories Wednesday, May 10

Those attending the Wednesday Night Live! pizza evening on May 10 are invited to visit the second floor council room for readings from the Writing Life Stories workshop. This group of storytellers has been looking at events that have changed their lives as well as writing colorful and humorous accounts of others in their lives. We invite you to come up to the second floor from 5:30-6:30 p.m. to hear some of the favorite stories read by their authors.

Wednesday Night Alive!

Final Wednesday Night Alive!
of the school year is May 10.
5:30-7:00 p.m.
Pizza is served.

5:30-6:30 p.m. Life Stories in the council room
6:30 p.m. Children’s Musical Program, parish hall

Wednesday Night Alive! Summer Style

Wednesday Night Alive! Summer Style
begins
June 14 - August 9
June 14 and August 9 pool parties
(no meeting July 5)

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.

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.

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.

Saturday Morning Yoga

Yoga classes meet on Saturdays at 9:00 a.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..

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: 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.

Graduates! - May 14

There will be a rite of milestone observance for gradutates in both services on May 14. A cake reception for all our graduates (high school, college, graduate school, etc.) will be in the courtyard after the services.

If you are receiving a degree from high school, undergraduate, or graduate programs, we would like to know! Email the church office with details about your graduation date and any plans you have for your future.

Education

Special Sunday Church School Teachers Lunch

It’s time for all SCS teachers to get together for a lunch and talk about the past year — what worked, what didn’t — and think about next year. Please join Marie Monroe today for lunch at 12:15 p.m. in the council room. Child care is provided. Bring your comments and your appetite — she’s paying.”

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.

The Future of Theological Education

The future of Theological Education in our region will be discussed by Pastor Dick Bruesehoff, Director of Life Long Learning for the ELCA. You are invited to a listening post on Thursday, May 18 at 1:30 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Church, or a Dinner and Discussion at Christ the King Lutheran Church at 6:30 p.m. For more information contact Pastor Kathy Haueisen or 713-523-2864.

Sunday Forum

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

May 7: Is This God Speaking? Allan Dieter concludes his 3 week class with styles of communicating with or approaching God: begging God to change events; impressing God with your loyalty; questioning God for clarity; being silent and open; living and watching for “signs.”
The school year concludes with three presentations:

May 14: Why Germans Don’t go to Church. Pr. Peter Stockmann will present explanations for a better understanding of another form of Christianity.

May 21: I Don’t Drink Ice Tea, I Drink Water, My Dear. Pr. Peter Stockmann will share some of his experiences as a legal alien in the New World.

May 28: The Challenges of Tolerance presented by Jill Carroll of the Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance, Rice University. In today’s global reality, we are confronted in our daily lives by “difference” perhaps more than ever. “Tolerance” is a word often used to describe what is required when dealing with difference on a regular basis. What does it mean to be tolerant in today’s world?

The Summer Book Reviews begin June 4 . On June 11, Rabbi Samuel Karff, rabbi emeritus of Beth Israel, will talk about his new book, Permission to Believe: Finding Faith in Troubled Times. Copies of his book will be available for purchase.

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. Contact Velma Rice 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, June 16, 7 - 9 p.m., and Saturday, June 17, 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.

Service & Care

ELCA Advocacy For Darfur Is In the News!

As a part of ELCA advocacy efforts to stop the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, ELCA members and staff of the ELCA Washington Office were present last Sunday at the “Rally to Stop Genocide” in Washington, D.C. The ELCA banner, members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Vienna, Virginia, and Kim Stietz, interim director for international policy, were featured in a video segment on CBS news; and a quote from Stietz was featured in the Boston Globe.

For more resources and ELCA policy on the genocide in Darfur, visit www.elca.org/advocacy/issues/peace or see the mobile bulletin board.

Mother’s Day Tea

Most of us have been blessed with loving mothers, but the majority of the 3,500 foster children served each year by Lutheran Social Services of the South have never known that love because of past abuse, neglect or abandonment. We invite you to join us this Mother’s Day, May 14, by hosting a real or ‘make­believe’ tea party in honor of your mother. Helping children who can’t be with their mothers is a wonderful way to honor your own mother. For more information, call the LSS Community/Church Relations office at 1-800- 938­5777.

Houston Food Bank

Our next trip is May 13. We leave from the church parking lot promply at 8:00 a.m. and return about noon. Contact Anna Stock for more information or to volunteer.

Mother’s Day Offering Of Letters May 14

Our Mother’s Day tradition of writing letters to Congress urging support for anti-poverty programs is May 14. The theme for the 2006 Bread for the World offering of letters is One Spirit, One Will, Zero Poverty. Poverty-focused development assistance from the United States strengthens communities around the world and helps poor people, particularly mothers and their children, overcome hunger and poverty.

We have a monumental opportunity in the coming decade to cut global poverty in half. Let’s not waste it. Join in after both services on May 14, 2006 to let our Congress persons know that these anti-hunger programs are a top priority for us and should be supported with full funding.

Addresses, sample letters, paper, pens and stamps will be available.

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 Blood Drive - June 4

The date for the blood drive has been changed! The new date will be on Pentecost Sunday, June 4.The M.D. Anderson Blood Mobile will be here from 9:00a.m.-1:00p.m. Remember to wear red...and give red (blood that is).

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, May 8. Contact Wendy Wiker for more information.

Cancer Survivors Unite To Celebrate Life! June 4

Cancare will celebrate their 12th annual National Cancer Survivors Day with a luncheon and candle lighting ceremony on Sunday, June 4 gathering at the Intercontinental Houston Hotel (2222 West Loop South) at 12:30 p.m. with a luncheon at 1:00 p.m. Guest speaker will be Ron Stone, President of Stonefilms, Inc. and a survivor of kidney cancer. Linda Lorelle will be the Mistress of Ceremonies.
Tickets prices begin at $60 each. For reservations, contact survivorsday@cancare.org. or 713-461-0028.

CanCare’s mission is to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors and their families.