Easter
Easter Breakfast
Members and friends are invited to celebrate Easter in the parish hall and courtyard with a festive breakfast reception at 9:45 a.m. It will be finger food style.
Easter Eggs
This year Easter eggs will be given to children as part of the Easter Play. There will be no egg hunt.
Easter Sunday Flowers
All are invited to participate in the annual “Flowering of the Cross” on Easter morning. The flowering will be part of a play presented by youth. Children may carry flowers in baskets.
An Easter Message from Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
“Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified ... has been raised.” ~ Mark 16:6
When Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome came to the tomb, their hopes and fears intersected. They wondered aloud about the impossibly large and heavy stone that presented an obstacle to their immediate plans. Worse, what they thought lay behind the stone was unspeakably devastating. Jesus, who embodied the hope of God’s promise in a fully human life, was not simply dead, but crucified -- executed in the most extreme humiliation, a savage mockery of the hope that had lived with him.
But the stone was gone, the grave empty. Where they had expected to hear the silence of death’s mockery, they were met by an astonishing message that the crucified one was raised from the dead, that their hope was victorious over humiliation, and that Jesus lives and is leading the way into an unexpected, surprising future with God.
Jesus lives and resurrection hope beckons. Jesus’ resurrection on the third day signals that God is not finished until the life of Jesus renews the whole creation. Sinners once haunted by the threats of judgment will live forgiven, restored, renewed and freed. All lives broken by sin’s injustices and haunted by death’s terrors will be transformed by joy and transfigured into the new creation in Christ.
You and I are witnesses of this new creation. You have been baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection and have heard his promise. Your lives are hidden in his and he feeds you with a foretaste of the eternal feast of joy. He will meet you in your hope. He claims your daily work and makes it into a holy calling. He lives in you and sends you into the world as an ambassador of reconciliation, a testimony of God’s incomparable love. Jesus lives! Your life in him is resurrection witness.
“This is our God; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation!” ~ Isaiah 25:9
Mission Offering
The mission offering is collected at the church doors
at the end of worship.
Feed the Need, So That No Senior Goes Hungry
Our mission offering for April will go directly to the Meals on Wheels program of Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. Our goal is to support at least one senior for one year at $1200. Everyday Meals on Wheels (coordinated through Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston) visits over 3600 members of this community’s greatest resource, its seniors. Meals on Wheels not only brings a hot, nutritious meal to these homebound seniors, but gives them what they want the most: the opportunity to have physical contact with someone daily and continue to live independently and with dignity.
 aniMeals on Wheels
for Senior’s Pets
Pet Food Accepted During April
aniMeals on Wheels is a program that benefits clients of Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston. aniMeals volunteers deliver a supply of donated dog and cat food each month. aniMeals is necessary because Meals on Wheels delivery drivers noticed that the seniors in the Meals on Wheels program sometimes share their home-delivered meal with their pet. Some seniors have to make the difficult choice of feeding their pet, purchasing medications or feeding themselves. aniMeals helps to alleviate these tough choices seniors have to make and we need your help.
During April, we ask that members drop off pet food in the basket in the narthex.
Stewardship
In light of a lean budget Christ the King Church has stopped all print advertising. Our visitors when asked how they found out about the church often mention our website. While our website may not compare to the latest standards, it is very functional, has all of the events of the week on the front page and allows easy access to our publications and the calendar. Therefore we are asking members and friends to consider making www.ctkelc.org their homepage which will increase our web presence on the commonly used search engines.
Worship
Nursery Graduation and Welcome to Church Class for Five and Six Year Olds - Sunday, April 26
Five and six year olds are invited to a special Welcome to Church class and nursery graduation during Sunday Church School on Sunday, April 26. Children and parents will meet at 10:00 a.m. in the narthex. (Teachers will be notified.) Pastor Liebster will take the group on a tour of the nave. The children will visit the altar guild sacristy and learn how the altar guild prepares for worship. Children can explore the organ inside and out and meet Organist Mark Mummert. Pastor Liebster will also help the children learn more about what occurs during worship, including what the worship leaders do and what the people do. At the end of the class, the five and six year olds will be presented with nursery graduation certificates and celebrate their nursery graduation with a special treat.
Godly Play Lessons
 No Godly Play on Easter Sunday - Join the Easter Program
Pre K - Kindergarten:
1st-2nd Grade:
3rd Grade:
Ministry of Healing
at the Taizé Service
A new worship opportunity has been added to the Taizé service on each second Saturday of the month. It is called Prayer Around the Paschal Candle and offers the option to receive a Healing Blessing. The Prayer Around the Paschal Candle complements the Prayer Around the Cross which is held on the first Saturday of each month. Persons who wish may come forward for a prayer with laying on of hands and anointing with oil. The congregation accompanies and supports the individuals coming forward with songs of hope and resurrection faith. The Prayers of Intercession will deliver to God petitions on various aspects of healing. Gathered by the Holy Spirit around Jesus Christ, the Word of salvation, we pray for God’s healing in all its dimensions. See an expanded article.
Taking Faith Home, our weekly devotional, is available as hard copy in the narthex and can be viewed online.
Visit www.ctkelc.org and look for the icon.
Contemplative Prayer on Monday Evenings
Matthew 6:6 says "go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret". Contemplative prayer is a Christian spiritual formation practice in which one "goes into their room to pray." Exterior stillness helps to develop an interior silence and space where one can listen with the ear of the heart to hear the God who is always more willing to listen to us than we are to pray. Come on Monday evenings at 6:00 p.m. to room 206 and pray this ancient form of prayer.
Morning Prayer
Each weekday morning at 8:15 a.m. Morning Prayer is said
in the narthex. All are welcome to participate.
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.
Music
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
Sunday Café provides 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.
Make your Baby’s Photo Album – Benefit Children’s Ministries
On May 2, 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the basement rehearsal room scrap booking specialist, church member and mom Kirsten Jordon offers a Baby Album workshop to help create the photo book you’ve always wanted to start or finally give now to your already grown child. Kirsten is consultant with Creative Memories. She will donate her consultant discount on the entire order to Christ the King Church’s children’s ministries. Cost for the kit is $115 which needs to be ordered and paid for by April 20. For exact procedures and choosing designs contact Kirsten Jordon.
Yoga on Saturdays - 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.
Stretching for Fun and Rejuvenation
Massage Therapist Trish Rumble is offering a stretching class on Tuesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the basement classroom. Cost will be $5 per session. All movements are done sitting or standing, no running or jumping involved. All stretches can be done at home or in the office. Come and join this great class!
Tag Sale May 16
The Christ the King Church Nursery Guild is planning the annual Christ the King Church Tag Sale, which will be held on Saturday, May 16. The proceeds for the tag sale help fund the nursery and other children’s programs at Christ the King Church. Part of the proceeds will be donated to a local children’s charity.The tag sale is especially important to us this year due to cuts in the education and enrichment budget. Please keep the tag sale in mind as you begin your spring cleaning.
Volunteers for the Event are also needed!
We need volunteers to help organize and price donations on Friday May 15 and to help shoppers on the day of the event, Saturday May 16. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jayme Zage. at We will also have volunteer sign-up sheets available for both the preparation day and the event after the Easter Holiday.
Parent's Night Out/Movies in the Hall
Interested in an evening out while your children are cared for in the church nursery? Christ the King has a baby sitting co-op that provides a monthly evening out while parents take turns working in the nursery. Want more information? Contact Mark Wolf.
 Luther League
The Luther League is for all 6th grade through 12th grade
youth Meetings are generally held 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.
Coupons, Anyone?
Bring your unwanted coupons to share with other “coupon clippers” of Christ the King Church. The coupons will be filed under a variety of categories and available for use by everyone. For more information contact Ann Chisholm or Peggy Johnson. Come join in the fun and the savings! The coupon box is located at the mailboxes on the second floor.
Education
Sunday - 9:45 a.m. in the basement classroom.
April 12: No Sunday Forum -
Easter Morning Program
April 19 and 26
Perspectives on the Economic Recession
In a two-Sunday mini series two local speakers will present on the economic recession.
April 19: Dr. Bob Stein will discuss the impact of the economic situation on the City of Houston and local school districts. Dr. Stein is the faculty director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Rice University and the Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science. He is an expert on Houston area politics.
April 26: Richard Scruggs will speak from his perspective as an entrepreneur discussing some of the ways in which entrepreneurial companies are dealing with the economic climate.
Richard is CEO of Salient Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Principal of Winston Sage Partners, Inc. and a former director of the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at Texas A & M’s Mays School of Business. He is married to church council member Cindi Scruggs and father of Heather and Julia.
Friday Morning Bible Study
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 a.m.
Recognition of 2009 Graduates on May 10
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.
Graduates of all degrees will be invited to participate in a short rite of recognition on May 10 at the 8:30 or 10:50 a.m. service. High school seniors will receive a gift from the Piecemakers.
LARGE PRINT BOOK
Large print books are available on Sundays in the foyer. These books are for to anyone who wishes to borrow one. There is no need to “check out” a book. Just select any book from the cart and then return it to the cart when you have finished with it. During the week the books are in the library.
Service & Care
CPR/AED Training - April 23
Do you know what to do if someone has a heart attack, respiratory arrest or a choking episode?
Do your co-workers or family members know what to do if it happens to you?
Christ the King Church will be sponsoring a CPR class on Thursday, April 23, from 12:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. The class will cover CPR procedures, use of the AED and how to handle medical emergencies. This class is appropriate for first timers or those needing a renewal. The class will not meet professional renewal requirements. The cost is $38 to cover instructor fees and materials.
Ushers, nursery workers and Sunday School teachers are especially encouraged to register. We want to be a congregation that is prepared!
To register, please contact Linda Schoene, Congregational Nurse. Please indicate any need for childcare at the time of registration.
Relay for Life Next Weekend
Christ the King Church will participate in the Relay for Life by the American Cancer Society April 17-18 at the Rice Track and Soccer Stadium from 7:00 p.m to 7:00 a.m. This will be an activity for all age groups. Our fundraising goal will be $2,000. Relay For Life is a community gathering where everyone can participate in the fight against cancer by raising funds for the American Cancer Society. Teams of supporters will camp out and celebrate throughout the night, because cancer never sleeps! Music, games and contests will be featured for all ages. Don't miss the Survivor Lap or the moving Luminaria Ceremony. One in three Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Please contact Tim Lenz.
Be a Voice for Darfur
Christ the King Church has prayed for peace in Sudan for some time. Now, at the invitation of the ELCA, we can join the larger church in advocating for peace by mailing postcards, either via U.S. mail or e-mail, or signing a petition, to urge President Obama to achieve:
- Protection of civilians from violence, starvation and disease
- Sustainable peace for all Sudan
- Justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators
The ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan has resulted in 2.5 million people forced to flee their homes and 300,000 people killed. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the president of Sudan, on charges of crimes against humanity. The president has retaliated by ordering all humanitarian organizations aiding displaced Darfur residents to leave Sudan. The U.N. estimates that an additional 100,000 people will die as a result of this action each month.
Postcards and petitions are available in the narthex on Saturday evenings and in the narthex and courtyard on Sunday mornings. Or, if you prefer an e-postcard, send one any time during the month of March by going to www.addyourvoice.org.
Visit Our Companion Synod
in Peru
Join Lutherans from all over our synod in this year’s trip to visit our companion synod in Peru. The dates will be July 27-August 2. For more information or to register, please contact Beverly Davis
Make a Difference Today
Even in tough economic times, we want to make sure the commitment to fighting global poverty remains on the agenda of the government.
The total spent on all poverty-fighting programs make up less than one percent of the entire U.S. budget, yet with partners around the world, we are saving millions of lives and helping the world's poorest people break free from crippling poverty. These efforts will be even more critical as the effects of any global economic slowdown are magnified in already struggling countries. Many Christ the King Church members have joined the ONE Lutheran Campaign. You can join with ONE to remind our leaders to keep their promises to the world's poor. - www.one.org/keepourcommitments.
Feed the Homeless
 The Feed the Homeless Ministry meets on Monday, April 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.
Serving Lunch at SEARCH
Join members of the congregations of Christ the King Church and Brith Shalom, along with friends from W.R. Grace & Company, on Wednesday, April 15 , 7:30 - 11:30 a.m. to assist with the preparation and service of the noon meal for clients of SEARCH Homeless Services. Anyone interested in helping with this new project, contact Beverly Davis
Houston Food Bank
Join the volunteers going to THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK on the second Saturdays of odd numbered months. You can perform a wonderful service, burn calories, build muscles, and make new friends all at the same time. Please mark your calendars now for the next 2009 dates: May 9, July 11, September 12, and November 14. We leave the church at 8:00 and return about noon. You will be glad you did. For more information, contact Anna Stock
Check your Blood Pressure?
Monthly blood pressure screenings are held on the last Sunday of each month.
Can Openers Needed At CCSC
Can openers are “hot commodities” at the Christian Community Services Center’s Emergency Services. As soon as they come in, they go out. They are requested frequently by our clients, whether homeless or in apartments. When asked how they open the cans, the clients respond that they use a knife. Next time you see cans at grocery stores, please think of can openers! Your donations can be dropped at the food basket in the narthex.
Caring for One Another
Check out the Congregational Care Team display board in the narthex. Please consider joining our team in one or more capacities:
- Meals: Provide an occasional meal to a member or family in need or for a memorial reception
- Transportation: Provide occasional transportation for a doctor’s appointment, worship, shopping, or an emergency (as you are available, of course)
- Visiting/Phoning: Visit or phone a member who is temporarily or permanently indisposed, providing a listening ear and a compassionate presence
- Prayer Notes: Write a note to members expressing our support during times of need and to acknowledge life changes (scheduled for one month a year)
- Emergency Phone Tree: Inform a few of our members (call list) of a member’s death of other extraordinary emergencies
- Bereavement: Provide a faithful, appropriate presence to those experiencing a loss, such as death, property, divorce, or employment
- Community of Hope: become a lay chaplain through this training program and on-going support system.
For more information, contact Beverly Davis
Help SEARCH Help Others
Now that summer is upon us, the Service of the Emergency Aid Resource Center of Houston (SEARCH) has a constant need for insect repellant and sunscreen. Our congregation has been asked to donate insect repellant and sunscreen. There is a collection box in the narthex for these items.
 Did You Hear About the Hunger Crisis?
The world hunger crisis was all over the news this past week. In just three years, the price of staple foods like wheat, corn and rice has almost doubled. If we don’t do something soon, hundreds of thousands of people face starvation and a hundred million more could fall into extreme poverty.
Christ the King Church is a ONE Lutheran congregation. Please consider taking action with the ONE Campaign
 Paper Recycling Steps Up
Our recycling container has arrived! It is located by the mechanical yard on the south end of our parking lot. Please collect and drop off ALL your paper items. The church will be reimbursed per ton of paper picked up. We need to collect at least 1.5 tons per month.
Accepted items include: newspaper, magazines, shopping catalogs, junk mail, office and school papers, envelopes with and without windows, phone books, paper bags (paper clips and staples do not have to be removed)
Items not accepted include:
cardboard, cereal/soda cartons, food wrap/containers, paper cups, tissue products, metal, trash, cans, plastics and glass.
Cancare has Urgent Need for Hospital Volunteers
Who: Cancer survivors and caregivers of survivors
* Use your cancer survivorship to encourage others facing cancer in 12 area hospitals and cancer treatment facilities.
* Short, flexible schedules
* Free parking at hospitals
Call CanCare at 713-461-0028 for additional information
St. Luke’s Needs Volunteers
The gift of blood is truly the gift of life. The St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Auxiliary needs volunteers to assist the St. Luke’s Blood Center on community blood drives. Volunteers are needed seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Volunteers assist prospective donors with donor registration cards and distribution of snacks post donation. Transportation to the drives is provided. For more information about volunteer activities at St. Luke’s, call the hospital’s Auxiliary office at 832-355-2102 or visit St. Luke’s Web site.
 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. Order these items online
Printer/Ink Cartridges Needed!
Luther League needs your ink cartridges! The youth of Christ the King urge you not to throw away that printer cartridge when it’s empty – recycle it! The youth group is starting a recycle drive in cooperation with Cartridge World in West University. Cartridge World will make a donation to CTK for the benefit of Luther League for each cartridge we recycle. That can add up to big bucks for programming, youth gatherings and mission trips. If you are already refilling your cartridges, please consider taking them to Cartridge World (located at 4036 Bellaire Blvd, next to Whole Foods) and telling them “Christ the King sent me!”
Contributions
 Electronic Giving Now includes Credit/Debit Card Donations
Members and friends now have the option of choosing how to make donations: checking account, savings account or credit/debit cards. Electronic Giving allows to choose the donation frequency, one-time, weekly or monthly, and the donation amount for different funds. Contributions will be transferred electronically from designated accounts or credit/debit cards to the church account. These giving options will work in the same manner as other automatic withdrawals. The charge for using a Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club and Discover is 2.75% per transaction. American Express charges of 3.5% per transaction. For example, a $100.00 gift using a Visa card is reduced to $97.25 for the church. There is no charge for donations made through checking or savings accounts. This option gives peace of mind knowing that one’s pledge will be received and is contributing to the work of the church, especially during the low cash flow months of the year! Just click on the Easy button.Just click on the Easy button.
Do you Forget to Bring your Offering Envelopes to Sunday Service?
How often do you arrive to church on Sunday with your check book but forget your offering envelope?
Here are 2 ways you can simplify your life:
forget the envelopes, just bring the check book.
subscribe to Simply Giving, the automatic withdrawal program.
Both ways eliminate the expense of mail-order envelopes and help the church to spend your contributions more effectively.
To unsubscribe to the mail-order offering envelopes, contact the church office or 713-523-2864
Save Time and Money by Switching from Paper to Online
Would you rather receive the Banner electronically and eliminate mailing? Contact the chuch office or 713-523-2864.
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The Week of April 12, 2009 