Note from Pastor Moore

Dear Members and Friends,
Kathy and I thank you for your prayers and support during these last three weeks of recovery following the successful repair of my mitral valve. My body seems to be healing at the pace expected by the doctors so that every day I am a little stronger. I am walking regularly and taking those necessary naps to aid in the healing process. I still expect to begin working half days by the middle of July. Having a good appetite, we have enjoyed the numerous meals lovingly prepared and delivered to the parsonage. Your cards, e-mails, and good wishes have been a daily source of encouragement.

It is very different being on the receiving side of the congregation's care. You have graced Kathy and me with your love so that we are acutely mindful of this aspect of the church's ministry to visit and pray for the sick. Even as we are receiving care, we are aware that an unusually high number of families in our congregation are dealing with serious health issues and are receiving your care in the form of prayers, visits, calls, cards, food, Lay Eucharistic Ministry, and prayer shawls.

My gratitude extends to Pastor Liebster and my colleagues on the ministry, music, and support staff for their continuing excellent work.

Grace to you, Pastor Moore

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.

Courtyard Project

The church council of Christ the King Church is pleased to announce reconstruction of the courtyard beginning June 15. The courtyard has been deteriorating for a number of years and has therefore not lent itself very well to the congregation as a gathering space. A generous gift in memory of Faith Venverloh will allow completion of Phase One of this project before the end of the summer. The Courtyard Master Plan has been designed by Kudela & Weinheimer Landscape Architects, under the review of a committee led by Walter Murphy and including Richard Harper, Lucky Sahualla, Peter Boecher and Susan Teich.

Phase One of the Master Plan includes replacing the flagstone/pea gravel and the concrete east of the parish hall with new pavers. The finished courtyard level will be flush with the existing arcade walkway and the new pre-cast pavers will be a neutral buff tone color to blend with colors of the building exterior. Great care has been taken to assure proper drainage and air flow for the two oak trees. Phase Two of this project, which is not currently scheduled, will consist of more paving toward the northern end of the courtyard, installation of a trellis sitting area, and new plants and trees.

Mission Offering

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

The Oromo Lutheran Mission in Houston

On June 14, 21, and 28, our mission offering will be dedicated to the Houston Evangelical Oromo Mission that meets at Salem Lutheran Church. The Oromo church in Houston began in July 2007 with only 8 people. This group of Ethiopian immigrants has now grown to 36 worshipers with a potential of as many as 5000 Oromo-speaking Ethiopian immigrants in the Houston area. Ethiopia has one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. We have been invited by our bishop Mike Rinehart to share in this mission opportunity—right in our own back yard. Our goal is to raise $1200 in June. This money will help pay for training and a stipend for the congregation’s lay leader (who presently drives a taxi to support his family) and for educational materials.

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..

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

Summer Schola offers rehearsals for service music

The Christ the King Church Summer Schola meets Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and 10:20 a.m. in the music suite through August 9. The doors are open to all who would like to familiarize themselves more with the new musical settings for worship. The length of participation lies in the discretion of each singer. The Schola focuses on the hymns and liturgy of the day and does not prepare special anthems. While the Summer Schola does not process or wear vestments for the worship services, the group sits together by the organ in the nave to provide leadership for the congregational singing. Members and friends are invited and encouraged to join Christ the King Chorus members, Choir members, and Choristers between ages 10 and 110 in this enjoyable summer endeavor.

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.

Musical settings in worship

During the summer until August 23 we will sing Setting Eight from Evangelical Lutheran Worship at the 8:30 service and Setting Ten at the 10:50 service. Setting Eight will be accompanied on piano and has a uniquely contemporary feel (see ELW page 184). Setting Ten is based on Luther's own Deutsche Messe (1523), in which hymns or chorales substitute for the traditional chants (see ELW page 203).

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 online. Look for the Taking Faith Home icon.

ELCA to Engage in 50 Days of Prayer Leading to Churchwide Assembly

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has asked the church's 4.7 million members to pray and study Scripture for 50 days starting June 29, in preparation for the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The assembly is the ELCA's highest legislative authority and meets every two years. The 2009 assembly is in Minneapolis Aug. 17-23. The assembly will act on a proposed social statement on human sexuality, a recommendation on ministry policies and various churchwide program proposals. It will conduct elections and consider memorials (proposed at synod assemblies) and resolutions (proposed by voting members at the churchwide assembly). The proposed social statement and recommendation on ministry policies are sources of significant discussion within the church.

A prayer and study guide booklet prepared by the churchwide office is available in the narthex and commended to prayerful use by the congregation. The resource can also be downloaded

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.

Lutheran Day at Astros

Support Lutheran Social Services of the South and catch a great game at Lutheran Day at Minute Maid Park Saturday, July 25 at 6:05 p.m. Many bullpen seats have been reserved for Christ the King Lutheran Church at a reduced price of $16 each. The church that sells the most tickets to the game will get the opportunity for their pastor to throw out the first pitch of the game! For more information or to reserve tickets please contact Tim Lenz

Yoga on Saturdays - 4:15 p.m.

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.

New Braunfels Trip

The Luther League has reserved housing for twenty persons at the Schlliterbahn Waterpark Resort August 9-11. We will leave at 12:30 p.m. on August 9 and return late evening of August 11. The trip fee of $100 coves transportation, housing, meals, 2 day pass to Schlliterbahn, and sponsors fee. A deposit of $50 is due by July 19. To reserve your spot or help chaperone please contact Tim Lenz. Hurry though, only 16 spots for youth are available.

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

Missionaries from Madagascar Visit Houston

Rev. Andrew and Barbara Hinderlie and their sons Michael and Kristian, on home leave from Madagascar, are currently staying in the Christ the King Church guest apartment for several weeks. They will be sharing their experiences as missionaries at a number of congregations in Texas and Louisiana. Here are some Houston dates and places, in the event that you would like to visit: June 28 - Living Word (Katy); July 5 - Advent; July 12 - Spirit of Joy (Woodlands).

Leipzig Youth Looking for Summer Activities

This summer, two youth from our sister church in Leipzig, Germany are visiting Houston June 24 – July 23. The two high-school aged girls will be staying with a member of the congregation but are looking for fun adventures and outings this summer. If you are taking a trip to the museum, beach, mall, water park, movie, etc. and would like to invite the girls, please contact Tim Lenz

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 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

Summer Sunday School for Children and Youth

During the summer, children Kindergarten age through 5th grade may meet at 9:45 in the children’s library on the 2nd floor to read, work on puzzles, watch movies or talk. An adult or youth will be there to participate with their activities. Younger children may gather in the nursery. There is a sign-up sheet in the nursery for people who would like to work with the younger children and in the library for the older children or contact Marie Monroe

Older elementary age kids and youth meet in the basement Luther League room 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

Feed the Homeless

The Feed the Homeless Ministry meets on Monday, July 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 on the Third Wednesday of Each Month

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

Helping with Hunger

The Christian Community Service Center’s Emergency Services needs your donations. Houston's needy come to the doors of Emergency Services six days a week seeking assistance. The program helps clients, who qualify, with food, clothing and possibly some financial assistance.
In 2008, CCSC attended to the immediate needs of over 15,000 individuals. In the first quarter of 2009, they saw a 67% increase in the number of people seeking assistance. Many of these individuals were woman and children.

Specific items needed are canned fruits, and meaty soups. Also, jars of peanut butter and large boxes of cereal. Please donate!

Donations may be dropped off at the food basket in the narthex on Sundays.

Check your Blood Pressure?

Monthly blood pressure screenings are held on the last Sunday of each month.

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

CCSC Back-to-School Program 2009

Thousands of children in Greater Houston will begin the 2009-2010 school year without the basic supplies they need to succeed in school. However, you can help! The Christian Community Service Center’s (CCSC) Back to School Program works to ensure that 6,000 underprivileged students in our community return to school well-prepared for academic success. You can help ensure that these students return to school well-prepared to learn in the fall by making a $45.00 donation to the Christian Community Service Center’s (CCSC) Back to School Program. Your donation provides one student with a new school uniform/shoes and a grade-level appropriate package of new school supplies. Please sponsor one or more students by submitting a check made out to Christ the King Church and earmarked “CCSC Back to School Project” in the offering on Sundays now though August or by donating online at www.ccschouston.com. Additionally, CCSC needs volunteers to help sort supplies on Saturday, August 1, and to distribute supplies to the children and their families on Saturday, August 8. Please contact Maureen Sahualla for more information about how you can help with this important program.

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.

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.