Missional Offering

Mission Offering for August

The beneficiary of the August mission offering is the Mission Endowment Fund of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. The Mission Endowment Fund, established in 1999, is a mission outreach fund for use in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. The interest earned from the Fund is distributed regularly to those who apply and qualify for grants. The Mission Endowment Fund supports vital ministries that cannot be funded through either the synod or individual congregational budgets, such as the following:

· Scholarships for rostered leaders who are active members of established or developing ELCA congregations in the Gulf Coast Synod and who are enrolled in an approved seminary program;
· Grants for campus ministry programs at any college or university of the Gulf Coast Synod;
· “Seed money” to provide startup funds for congregation-based and synod-based ministry in established and developing congregations of the Gulf Coast Synod;
· “Seed money” to accelerate the growth of mission and ministry in young congregations of the Gulf Coast Synod.

The Synod hopes to increase the Mission Endowment Fund to $1 million by the end of August, in honor of the retirement of Bishop Paul Blom. For more information on the Mission Endowment Fund, see the synod website.

Special

A Chance to Say Good-bye

Jonathan Wohlers and Naomi Shiga are off to Washington. Jon and Naomi have been part of our music ministry with Jon as the church organist and Naomi playing keyboards for numerous events.

Join them Sunday, August 12 at 10:00 a.m. in the parish hall as we bid them farewell.

Beverly Stanford, our church administrator has retired after 18 years of behind-the-scenes service to our congregation.
We welcome our new Church Administrator, Dianne Giroir, who will join our staff this week.

Worship

Morning Prayer

Each weekday morning at 8:15 a.m. Morning Prayer is said in the narthex. All are welcome to participate.

Prayer Around the Cross at Taizé Service on September 1

The Prayer Around the Cross will be held at the Taizé Eucharist on the first Saturday of each month at 6:00 p.m. A wooden cross on the floor of the altar sanctuary confronts worshipers with the suffering of Christ on behalf of humanity. In its presence the suffering of the world and our own burdens come to light. Christ gave salvation to all on the tree of the cross. It is the tree where life might be restored. Worshipers may choose to meditate on the cross from the pew or may enter the altar sanctuary and kneel at the cross.

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.

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.

Playgroup on Tuesdays 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Christ the King Church invites parents with babies and toddlers to participate in a playgroup on Tuesdays from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. in the nursery. Each week parents meet with children of various ages for fellowship and exchange. Playgroup will continue meeting throughout the summer on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 in the nursery. Please contact Diane Schoppe if you have any questions. All are welcome.

Confirmation Class Helps with Feed the Homeless

Confirmation students and their families are helping to prepare sandwiches to be delivered to homeless persons by the Feed the Homeless group. Food preparation starts at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, August 13 in the kitchen and parish hall and will last until about 7:00 p.m. The invitation is open to all.

Rally Sunday on August 26

Rally Sunday is the kick-off to the new Church School year. This year’s theme will be Equipping the Saints.

At 9:45 a.m. in the parish hall, breakfast will be served, the children will present a small program including music for Orff instruments, Bibles will be presented to third graders, confirmands will be introduced, and children will meet their Sunday Church School teachers.
Activities continue in the courtyard and parish hall Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m. with barbecue by Goode Company. Bring your favorite beverage and dessert (watermelon, etc.). Suggested donation is $10 (5$ for children).

Come by and meet the new Houston Campus Minister Bradley Fuerst and his wife Taylor along with other new staff.

Parents’ Online Group

Log in to an online parent support group for quick answers to quick questions. Join the group of Christ the King Church members who take advantage of the accumulated wisdom and knowledge shared by parents of the youngest members.

To join the group, send an email to Penny Linsenmayer. Include your name and email address in the body of the message.

Luther League

Sunday nights at 6:00 p.m. starting August 19, all 6th grade through 12th grade youth are invited to the Luther League meetings in the youth room. Food, games, discussions, and new friends can be found during the 90 minute meetings. The meetings are led by youth director Tim Lenz along with other young adults and parents. Please contact Tim Lenz for more information. Click here to view the Luther League website.

Sunday Café Resumes on Rally Sunday

Sunday Café resumes on Rally Sunday, August 26 providing lunch 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; undergraduate and graduate student lunches are always complimentary.

Dinner for Wednesday Volunteers on August 29

All Wednesday Night Alive! faculty and volunteers are invited to gather for dinner on August 29,  6:00-7:30 p.m. in the parish hall. It will be a time to reconnect and for general orientation. New volunteers are most welcome to join and find out about the opportunities to help and serve and be part of the program. The Wednesday Night Alive! program at Christ the King Church spans all generations living together in the faith. Look for details in the church communications throughout August. To RSVP for the dinner please contact the church office at or 713-523-2864 ext 21.

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.

Yoga on Saturdays - New Time - 1:00 p.m.

The yoga class will meet on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. in the basement classroom.Bring a mat or foam for comfort. The cost is $7 per person.

Parents’ Night Out/Movies in the Hall

Mom! Dad! Need Some Quality Time Without The Kiddos? Join Parent’s Night Out!
Parents’ Night Out/Movies in the Hall (PNO/MITH) operates as an independent co-op of parents to provide affordable childcare in a safe and nurturing environment at Christ the King Church. The co-op is open to members and non-members. PNO/MITH usually occurs once a month. Two adult representatives from each family commit to work together ONCE in return for at least 10 nights of childcare during our calendar year. Our calendar year runs February through January. The Co-op offers age-appropriate care and activities for ages 5 and under in the nursery and age-appropriate activities and movies for ages 6 and up. The co-op accepts members throughout the year and offers prospective members one trial evening with no obligation to join.

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.

Education

Book Reviews

Sundays at 9:45 a.m. in the basement classroom

The book review summer series enjoys great popularity as an interesting and delightful opportunity for cool fellowship on hot summer Sundays.

August 12: Penny Linsenmayer, Wizards, Wardrobes, and Wookies: Navigating Good and Evil in Harry Potter, Narnia, and Star Wars, by Connie Neal
August 19: Paul Monroe reviews The Heart of Christianity, by Marcus Borg
August 26: Rally Sunday

Summer Sunday School

Sunday mornings from 9:45-10:45 a.m. toddlers are invited to join together to listen, sing and dance to their special collection of songs in room 204 on the second floor. The older children will meet in room 109 on first floor for movies from our large collection of children’s Bible lessons, telling the great Old Testament stories beginning with the story of David. Summer Sunday School will be informal to take into account travel plans and vacations. Children are welcome to attend one, two or all of the sessions and to bring their friends. Adults who can spend an hour enjoying music with the little ones are invited to sign up on the list on the nursery door or contact Marie Monroe.

Reading the Classics: Homer, The Iliad

Have you ever wanted to go back to college and read some of the “great books” of the West? Here is your chance to do so. In the first series of the Sunday Forum class offerings this fall we will read some of the greatest books ever written. We begin in September with Homer’s The Iliad.

On four Sundays, beginning September 9, Matthias Henze will read excerpts from this Greek classic. Please note that the rules of the Sunday Forum classes will change slightly. Participants are expected to read short sections from The Iliad before coming to class. The Iliad consists of 24 books. Below are the dates of the four class meetings. The books listed behind each date will be discussed on that Sunday; this means that the assigned books will have to be read before coming to class.

Start reading now! English translations are easily available at every major book store in Houston and on-line. It does not matter which translation is chosen, though the paperback edition and translation by Robert Fagles in the Penguin Classics series is recommended. Make sure that you bring your copy of The Iliad to every class meeting. And please don’t be intimidated: we will go through the text slowly and will take plenty of time for questions. Most importantly, you will find reading Homer immensely rewarding and will come to appreciate why The Iliad is one of the greatest timeless classics ever written.

September 9, The Iliad, Books 1 and 4
September 16, The Iliad, Books 6 and 9
September 23, The Iliad, Books 15 and 16
September 30, The Iliad, Books 22 and 2

Sunday Church School Assistants

Assist a teaching team for a class by regular attendance but without a commitment to lesson preparation.

Sunday Church School Substitute Teacher
Join the “substitute pool” by agreeing to be “on call” at short notice, although we try to give several days notice. Lessons will be pre-planned for subs.
Please e-mail Marie Monroe if you would like to join our fantastic teaching team this year.

Service & Care

Back-to-School Program

Thousands of children in Greater Houston will begin the 2007-2008 school year without the basic supplies needed to succeed. Fortunately, you can help by providing the necessary tools for one child to arrive at school on the first day of class feeling well-prepared and ready to learn! A $45.00 donation to the Christian Community Service Center’s (CCSC) Back to School Program will provide one student with a new school uniform/shoes and a grade-level appropriate package of new school supplies. CCSC hopes to provide 5,500 students with these essential supplies for success, but needs your help. Please sponsor one or more students by submitting a check made out to “CCSC Back to School Project” in the offering on Sundays now through August or donating online at CCSC’s secure website.

Please contact Susie Crafton for more information about this important program.

Feed the Homeless

The Feed the Homeless Ministry meets on Monday, August 13 at 5:45 p.m. in the kitchen at Christ the King Church.

Join us on the 2nd and 4th Monday evenings of each month at Christ the King Lutheran Church to make sandwiches and prepare meals, and then deliver them to downtown homeless individuals. Our schedule is as follows:

5:45 p.m. - Meet in the kitchen and parish hall to set up and prepare the meals
7:00 p.m. - Leave CTK for downtown to deliver the meals

All are invited to help out with meal preparation, downtown delivery, or both! All are welcome.Contact Wendy Wiker for more information.

Shoes Needed For Orphan Souls!!

There are millions and millions of feet all over the world that belong to kids without shoes. Many of those feet belong to older children and teenagers who are the forgotten ones in orphanages. We need YOU to put shoes on their Big Feet by donating shoes, sizes youth 1 through adult 10. Due to customs regulations, shoes for the children need to be new – and we also need new, clean, white socks for those beautiful feet! Bring your shoes and socks donations to church before August 26 and we’ll get them packaged and shipped. If you’d prefer to give a cash donation, make the checks out to Christ the King Lutheran Church, memorandum Shoes for Orphan Souls. Be a Big Foot Benefactor and Bring Big Smiles to Beautiful Children!

Get Ready

A graph of hurricane frequency over the past 100 years indicates that the majority of hurricanes form in September. As we draw closer to that busy month, it pays to repeat the preparedness message. Persons living alone should find a family member or friend with whom they can either evacuate or shelter in place, No one should be alone. The Care Team here at CTK has been evaluating this situation within our congregation. If you have concerns about yourself or someone else, please contact Linda Schoene, Congregational Nurse.

In addition, avoid the long lines and frenzy that occur when a hurricane threatens by taking time now to stock up on water and non-perishable food items. Make sure the flashlights have fresh batteries and the first aid kit is stacked. Keep all medications up to date and phone numbers and important papers handy. Being prepared readies us care for ourselves and our families and positions us to help others!

Donate Blood
Deep in the Heart of Texas

Christ the King Church will host a blood drive August 26, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
The M.D. Anderson Blood Mobile will be in the vet clinic parking lot across the street.

Thrivent Builds with Habitat

Thrivent Builds is sponsoring two Habitat for Humanity home builds in Umland Park September 7, 8, 14, 15 and 22. If you are interested in helping a family build an affordable home, contact Torsten Louis for further information.

Food Service Ministry Continues this Fall on Wednesday Nights: Calling all Cooks and Bottlewashers

Our Food Service Ministry Team will continue to delight our hungry Wednesday Night Alive! participants again this school year. We are blessed with great cooking, as well as serving and cleaning talent, in our congregation. All members who enjoy good food and good fellowship are invited to join us by volunteering one Wednesday night during the fall semester. Food service will be from 5:30-7:00 p.m. each Wednesday from September 5 through December 5. We have a full range of positions available from skilled to unskilled (from cooks to servers to dishwashers). And not only do Food Service Ministry Team volunteers get the satisfaction of serving others, but they also get a free meal. How’s that for a great deal?! For more information or to volunteer, please contact Beverly Davis