Summer Office Hours

Summer office hours including a four-day work week of 10 hours per day will begin on May 29 and go through August 14. The goal in closing the building on Fridays is to save substantially on electricity expense.

Mission Offering

The mission offering is collected at the church doors at the end of worship.

Education in the Central African Republic

In the Central African Republic it does take a whole village to educate the children—a village plus outside support, such as our Mission Offering for May. What does the village do? It provides thatched buildings (rooms, really)—2 classes per building—with rough wooden benches and writing surfaces. Villagers provide housing and a garden for the teachers. The village parent/teacher council runs the school. Our companion synod, the ELC-CAR, chose villages without any state schools for the Village Education Project. The schools are open to girls and boys of all faiths. Those who pass state exams at the end of the sixth year are eligible for public high school, if they can afford the fees and have a relative to live with in a town where there is a high school.

How do our mission offerings support village schools? It costs about $20 per student for a year. The money goes toward text books (shared, not individual), teacher salaries, sports equipment, teaching materials, supervision of teachers by the Village Education Team, training Parent/Teacher Association members to run the schools, new teacher training, in-service training of teachers and more.

Our offerings also support secondary education of young women in the Maigaro Vocational School and the high school in the capital, Bangui. Girls selected by the Lutheran women’s organization receive scholarships.

We also support the education of adult women through programs at the Martha and Mary Women’s Center, where classes in literacy, sewing, cooking, and health and nutrition are offered.

In the month of May, let us all pray for our brothers and sisters in CAR and give what we can to keep opportunities for learning open in that land-locked nation in the heart of Africa.

Worship Service in the Central African Republic

by Pastor Joyce & Ian Graue, ELCA missionaries, Central African Republic

Five inches. That’s just one inch wider than a 2x4 plank. This is the width of the ‘pews’ where we worshipped this morning. We’re not sure whether the ‘extra padding’ on our bottoms was an asset or a liability in this case. The pews are 12 inches high and about 6 feet long. The church building is too narrow for the pews to be set up with a center aisle, so the women sit facing the front of the church on their side and the men sit facing the women on the other side.

The walls are mud brick. “Don’t lean against them,” advised the catechist who is responsible for the pastoral care in this congregation, “or your clothes will be dirty.”
So we ‘perched’ on the pews during worship - we don’t need to tell you that these pews had no backs, do we? - and we didn’t lean against any walls and we gave thanks the sermon was less than 20 minutes.

Announcement time always includes a verbal report of the statistics for the previous Sunday. In this congregation they celebrated their “Thanksgiving” or “Harvest Sunday” the previous week. The attendance totaled 72. The offering was less than the equivalent of $US 2.50.

The choir members are young. The oldest looked about 14 or 15; she is also very pregnant. The choir uses two homemade drums to accompany their music. They also have a third ‘instrument’: a plastic 5 gallon container which has a side cut out to create the desired sound; the ‘musician’ (a boy about 10 or 11) held the handle of the container and beat the top with a stick.

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, he writes that they should “encourage one another.”

And so we’ll worship in this congregation again. Soon.

Stewardship

Make It Your Homepage: www.ctkelc.org

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.

Help with Sunday Morning Snacks

Are you looking for a way to help out that will make a big impact without a big time commitment?
Please consider becoming a snack provider!
Most of our volunteers are asked to provide snacks for one of the Sunday services (your choice) twice per year. The snacks can be as simple or as complicated as you wish - no culinary degree required!
Becoming a snack provider is a great way to help make our Sunday mornings more hospitable for guests and more fun for our members. Donations collected go directly to World Hunger Appeal.
Join us today! Contact Anita Bryant for more information.

Worship

Confirmation Celebration

On Sunday, May 24 at the 10:50 a.m. service we celebrate with the confirmation students and their families as they affirm their baptism and are confirmed into the membership of our congregation:

• Dylan Beckman
• Erik Biegert
• Blake Bourne
• Nils Krahe
• Franz Liebster
• Charlotte Tillery
• Raven Wichelhaus
• Matthew Willcockson

Godly Play Lessons

Pre K - Kindergarten: Circle of the Eucharist
1st-2nd Grade:Circle of the Eucharist
3rd Grade: Circle of the Eucharist

Pastor Kirsten Drigsdahl of Denmark will Preach on Pentecost Sunday

Christ the King Church welcomes Pastor Kirsten Drigsdahl to the pulpit on Pentecost Sunday, May 31. Pastor Drigsdahl is the pastor of the parish church of Lillerød, Denmark to the north of Copenhagen. She has one daughter, Sigrid, and a son, Simon, who was ordained this year in the Danish Church.

Pastor Drigsdahl has been a frequent guest of the congregation over the last 14 years. She first attended Christ the King Church while visiting a distant relative who lived in West University Place. Pastor Drigsdahl chose our congregation for her sabbatical in 2000. Tom and Anna Fay Williams hosted her in their home. In subsequent visits she has helped Bridget Jensen with the Danish Museum and the Lutheran congregation in Danevang. Many members have visited Pastor Drigsdahl, and the church choir sang in Lillerød during the 2006 Scandinavia tour.

Prayer Around the Cross on the first Saturday of Each Month the Taizé Service

The congregation and friends of Christ the King Church are invited to the Taizé service onthe first Saturday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the nave with Prayer around the Cross.
The Taizé service provides a unique worship experience focusing on silence and reflection. The music is simple yet uplifting. Worshipers come from all over the Houston area.

Prayer Around the Paschal Candle, Ministry of Healing on the second Saturday of Each Month at the Taizé Service

An additional 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 Online

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 (not meeting May 25)

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.

Mark your Calendars       Pentecost Picnic on May 31

Pentecost will be celebrated with readings in the languages of the earth, with Danish Pastor Drigsdahl preaching, the recognition of the teacher faculty, and our annual Pentecost picnic in the courtyard. The attire for the day is casual and red. The fare will be fried chicken and potluck.

Food for the Pentecost Picnic
The Education and Enrichment commission invites the whole congregation to participate in the planning for this year’s picnic. The commission leaders will provide fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits for $5 per person with a cap of $20 per family. All families and individuals are asked to bring fruit, green salads, dessert and anything that is your favorite picnic dish.

• For the starches and vegetarian options we are looking for volunteers to make large size dishes such as potato and pasta salads, prepare bite size corn on the cob etc. If you do not usually cook for large crowds, the following recipes are available from the church office upon request. They work well and can be multiplied to make anywhere from 12 to 20+ servings. And remember, cooking in teams may be the way to go - it’s fun and easy!
• Tortellini Caesar Salad (no meat)
• Pasta Salad (no meat)
• Shell Pasta Salad with Chicken
• Black bean orzo salad (no meat)
• Fiesta Taco Salad (no meat)
• Cole Slaw (Cabbage) Salad
• Cheesy Party Potatoes (warm)

Please sign up to make a large dish and/or request a recipe

Look for ELCA TV Ads Now through May 31

The ELCA is spreading the good news about what it means to be Lutheran.

This week these television ads will broadcast nationally on CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News, HGTV and DIY Network. The ads are part of a comprehensive advertising initiative to strengthen Lutheran identity and grow awareness for our ministry as Lutherans. The theme of the advertising initiative is “God’s work. Our hands.” Through television spots, print ads and much more, we tell the story of what God is doing in and through us for the sake of the world. Our hope is that these communication tools will foster evangelism, outreach and hospitality —helping you share God’s boundless love with the world. See the ads

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.

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.

Summer Peace Camp

Monday, July 13 – Friday, July 17 from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. at Cameron Retreat Center, 2403 E. Holcombe.

This is the 10th year of the Peace Camp for children ages kindergarten through 5th grade. Sponsored by Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the camp’s mission is to provide an alternative day camp experience that fosters understandings of peace, justice, and care for the environment appropriate to the ages of the children involved. A major goal is for the children to have fun while learning peacemaking skills. The program includes lots of arts and crafts, story telling, yoga and cooperative games. Open to anyone in the designated age range. Tuition is $125, but there are subsidized, sliding-scale places. For more information and to register, contact Lynn Furay

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

Summer Book Reviews

Sunday - 9:45 a.m. in the basement classroom.

These interesting, educating and often fun sessions presented by members of the congregation will run through late August.

May 24: Alan Dieter reviews The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church’s Conservative Icon, by Marcus Borg and John Crossan

May 31: John Boles reviews Children of the Sun: A History of Humanity’s Unappeasable Appetite for Energy, by Alfred W. Crosby

Teachers’ Recognition on Pentecost Sunday

All teachers and assistants in Sunday and Wednesday programs will be recognized on Pentecost Sunday, May 31 in the 8:30 and 10:50 a.m. worship services.

Sunday School in May

Sunday church school for children and youth is in session through the end of May. Pentecost and the annual picnic will be on May 31.
On May 24 and 31 the Godly Play classes grades pre-K/Kindergarten through 3rd grade will work on the Circle of the Eucharist (worship), the Symbols of the Eucharist, and the Pentecost Story.

Summer Sunday Plans for Kids and Youth

In June, July and August story telling and reading is the favorite pastime for children during the Sunday school hour. We are looking for readers and storytellers to volunteer an hour of time to our youngest members. A sign up sheet is in the narthex and on the bulletin board, or email Marie Monroe . We are also looking for a few donations of movies/DVD’s appropriate for the very young. They should have good stories and must not be violent.

Older children and youth will meet with Tim Lenz or designated sponsors to catch up on the week and discuss topics of interest.

Service & Care

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, May 25 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.

National Cancer Survivors Day June 7

Christ the King Lutheran Church will join with congregations throughout our country on June 7 in offering prayers of thanksgiving and support for cancer patients and survivors everywhere, especially within our own congregational family.

Volunteer Training
June 19-21 CanCare Volunteer Training: for cancer survivors and caregivers who want to help others facing a battle with cancer. Visit patients at one of our member hospitals or give one-on-one emotional support to those who are newly diagnosed with cancer. Training classes are led by medical experts, experienced CanCare volunteers and professional leaders in our community. More information

Go Green - No More Phone Books on your Door Step

In an effort to “*go green*”, please consider taking your name off the list to have the white pages and yellow pages sent to your home. In current times, it is easier to look up numbers online.Please see the attached facts about the resources it takes to send out phone books. Remove your name from the list to receive a phone book. Thank you for doing your part!!!!

Serving Lunch at SEARCH on June 17

Join members of the congregations of Christ the King Church and Brith Shalom, along with friends from W.R. Grace & Company, on Wednesday, June 17, 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

May is National Foster Care Month

May is National Foster Care month. Please pray for the more than 1,100 children cared for each day through the LSS foster care program. Please pray also for the hundreds of loving foster parents and LSS staff who look after children who have been removed from neglectful and abusive homes. Without them, and your support, LSS could never serve so many hurting children. In Lubbock, for example, congregations are taking turns each month donating birthday gifts to foster children. For stories about foster children, foster parents and an LSS case worker. Click on Children and Families.

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.

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.