Summer Office Hours
Summer office hours including a four-day work week of 10 hours per day 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.
Cancare Exists to Help Others
Like many nonprofit organizations, CanCare is feeling the impact of the current economic crisis. Unless they are able to raise critical funds immediately, their ability to serve clients and support volunteers will be significantly affected. The staff and Board of Directors are working hard to make necessary budget adjustments, but there is a limit on how much they can cut without significantly affecting services. CanCare must raise at least $300,000 by the end of June to continue providing free services to cancer patients and their families at the current level.
Tough times are nothing new for people dealing with cancer. They deal with tough times every single day, committed to doing whatever it takes, for however long it takes, to be cancer survivors. CanCare is also doing what it takes, for however long it takes, to be there with and for cancer patients and their families on their long and difficult journey.
Sunday, June 7 is National Cancer Survivors Day. Our mission offering will be directed to Can Care to help ensure that volunteers will continue to be there for the thousands of people in the Houston area who will call upon them for support when they hear the words, "You have cancer."
Stewardship
Pictorial Directories Available
Our new pictorial directories are available in the narthex and are arranged in alphabetical order for members who participated by either having their photo taken or by submitting a photo.
If you did not participate, you are still invited to pick up a directory from the box without name labels. Please place $5.00 in the offering or in the basket when you pick up your directory..
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
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.
SUMMER SCHOLA: Help Christ the King Church Sing this Summer
On the Sundays from June 21 through August 9, our Sunday worship services will be aided by a new ensemble – the Summer Schola. The Schola will meet each Sunday at either 8:00 a.m. or 10:20 a.m. with Mark Mummert in the music suite to rehearse the congregational music for each day. The Schola will not prepare special anthems or other music, but simply be prepared to help us all sing the hymns and liturgy each week. The Schola is open to all willing singers between the ages of 10 and 110. This would be the perfect opportunity for families to sing together or individuals who cannot or do not wish to make a commitment to sing in the Choir or Chorus throughout the academic year. Singers in the Schola do not need to commit to sing week after week, but can sing as each is available from Sunday to Sunday throughout the summer months. The Summer Schola will not process or wear vestments for the worship services, but will sit together by the organ in the nave to provide leadership for all congregational music. Christ the King Chorus members, Choir members, and Choristers are very much encouraged to participate.
Those who wish to sing in the Summer Schola should email Mark Mummert. Individuals can also sign up on the bulletin board in the Music Suite. It will be important for singers to notify Mark prior to each Sunday so that we can plan on having enough singers each week and to provide enough printed materials.
A “schola” is a group entrusted with the chant or song of the assembly, and functions as the “rehearsed voice of the people.” It is hoped that many will take advantage of this unique opportunity to help lead our worship through the summer months.
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.
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.
Yoga on Saturdays - 4:15 p.m. (time change)
The yoga class will meet on Saturdays at 4:15 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.
 Summer Luther League Meetings
The Luther League will continue to meet during the month of June on Sundays at 6 p.m. in the basement youth room. All 6th through 12th grade students are invited for food, fellowship and discussion. The dates for the meeting times are listed on the Luther League calendar.Please contact Tim Lenz for more information.
Service Trip to Galveston
The Luther League will travel to Galveston Island June 14-17 to help rebuild houses after many were destroyed by Hurricane Ike. We will work Monday - Wednesday from 8 am until 3 p.m. before enjoying fellowship at the beach each day. We will depart at 4:00 p.m. on June 14 from the church parking lot and return late on June 17. Our mission work is being set up through Help4Galveston.org. $60 fee includes housing, meals, and transportation. Only ten spots are available to youth. Contact Tim Lenz by June 12 to sign up.
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
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.
June 7: Mary Ann Beseda reviews Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America, by Tom Friedman.
June 14: Tom Williams reviews God and the New Atheism: A Critical Response to Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens, by John Haught
June 21: Barbara Rozek reviews The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming, by Henri J. M. Nouwen
June 28: Michael Pullara reviews The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, by Samuel P. Huntington
July 5: Penny Linsenmayer reviews The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, by John M. Barry
July 12: Helen Vierick reviews The Big Rich: The Rise & Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes, by Bryan Burrough
July 19: Alan Dieter reviews AD 381: Heretics, Pagans, and the Dawn of the Monotheistic State, by Charles Freeman
July 26: Carolyn Jacobs reviews Witnessing for Peace: In Jerusalem and the World, by Munib Younan, the Bishop of Jerusalem in the ELC of Jordan, Jerusalem
Rediscovering the Book of Faith on Wednesdays
On Wednesdays June 3, 10, and 24 at 7:00 p.m. Mark Mummert will lead an adult course, “Rediscovering the Book of Faith.” This three-session course will explore how the Bible came to be our Book of Faith and what it means for our lives today. Together we will learn how, why, and where the Old and New Testaments were created, explore how the Bible was put together, and examine the impact of the Reformation on our access to and understanding of Scripture. Each 90 minute session will include time for prayer, study, and sharing. The class will be held in the Christ the King Lutheran Church council room.
Mark Mummert is Organist at Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church. For eighteen years, Mark Mummert taught at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. In addition to his musical studies, he studied biblical exegesis and interpretation, particularly as it relates to Christian worship. This course is a continuation of the Book of Faith initiative of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. People with little to no experience with biblical studies are welcome along with seasoned learners as, together, we share what the Bible means to us and how it may be able to speak to our lives.
If you are planning to attend the sessions, would you please email Mark Mummert so that we can be sure to have enough materials.
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 .
Older children and youth will meet with Tim Lenz or designated sponsors to catch up on the week and discuss topics of interest.
Movies/DVD’s for Nursery and Sunday School
We are looking for a few donations of movies/DVD’s appropriate for the very young. They should have good stories and must not be violent. They may be dropped off in the nursery or church office.
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, June 8at 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.
Our mission offering will be recieved in memory of former members and CanCare volunteers Bette Christensen and Faith Venverloh and in honor of our members currently living with cancer. Cancare information will be available on the table in the narthex. All cancer survivors are invited to pick up and wear a cancer survivor sticker.
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
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.
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The Week of June 7 , 2009 