Welcome Visitors

We warmly welcome all visitors to Christ the King Lutheran Church. Please join us after Sunday worship for snacks, coffee, tea, and lemonade in the courtyard. Contributions benefit the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
We invite visitors to sign a pink worship card from the pew or the guest books at the doors.

Pictorial Directories Available

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 basket.

Thank You

Thank You from Mel and Sharon Ostwald
It is in these times that test our faith that the support and comfort of God’s people is so very important. We want to thank the staff and congregation of Christ the King for the many ways that you have ministered to us during the short illness and death of our daughter, Tanya Kay, on July 21st, and the weeks of grief that have followed. We have been supported and comforted and renewed in our faith as you have contributed according to your own spiritual gifts - ministry, music, prayers, flowers, cards, hugs, calls, visits, food, offers of help, words of encouragement - all in their own way say that you care about us and you are here to share our grief and enfold us in your love and prayers. We are indeed blessed to be a part of such a caring congregation. Our sincere thanks to each one of you. May God bless you all.

Greetings and Thank You from the Netherlands

We have arrived safely and happily in our new home in the town of Wassenaar between The Hague and Leiden in the Netherlands. The location close to a spectacular landscape of dunes and North Sea beach will offer many an opportunity for walks and bike rides. The research year and school year have started about the same time as the school year has started in Houston. We have the fondest memories of the Hamburger cook out party on August 16 at which so many members and friends of the congregation expressed their good wishes to our family. It was a wonderful and heartwarming evening. Thank you to all who contributed to the generous gift sending us on our way into this very special time in our lives. In gratitude yours, Pr. Liebster and Matthias Henze with Franz, Nikolas and Augustin

Memorial Service for Ted Gish

The memorial service for Ted Gish, member of Christ the King Lutheran Church and professor emeritus at the University of Houston, will be held on September 3 at 2:00 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church. Ted died on July 31 in California where he and his wife, Brenda Nasser, have lived for approximately ten years. A reception will follow the service. Ted was a beloved presence at Christ the King Church.

Mission Offering

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

Water2Thrive

In keeping with this year’s Sunday Church School theme from Isaiah 44:3, we asked our members and friends to participate in WOW! (Water Only Week) beginning last Sunday! We asked that you drink only water during the week and contribute what you would have spent on coffee, soft drinks, juice, etc. to Water2Thrive, a grassroots ministry that provides fresh water wells in Ethiopia. In case you forgot or in case you just couldn’t give up your coffee or tea, simply add up how much you spent this week on drinks and donate that amount to our mission offering this weekend. Additionally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will supplement our offerings with an additional $500. Visit www.watertothrive.org

WOW!
Water Only Week
August 23 through August 30

Worship

Consecration of Teachers on Rally Sunday

The Sunday Church School Teachers, assistants, substitute teachers, the nursery attendants, and Wednesday Night Alive! faculty will be consecrated for the new school year on Rally Sunday, August 30. The rite of consecration will be held at both services.

Interfaith Weekend of Prayer for Sudan August 28-30

At the request of Lutheran World Relief (LWR), we stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan by taking part in the Interfaith Weekend of Prayer for Sudan on August 29-30. Voices of Christ the King Church members have played a part in shaping U.S. foreign policy toward Sudan. Millions of advocates like us across the country have made our government play an active role in pushing for peace in Sudan. We must continue to work for peace. Go to www.lwr.org/sudan to find out more about how you can participate in making sure that policymakers know we care about the people of Sudan.

Worship Settings Change on Rally Sunday

On Sunday, August 30, The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Rally Sunday), Setting One of Holy Communion from Evangelical Lutheran Worship will once again be used at Sunday liturgies at Christ the King Church. This setting was newly published in 2006 with the publication of ELW. Christ the King Church has used the setting seasonally since that time. The setting is a composite of music composed by Mark Mummert, Thomas Pavlechko (of Austin, TX) and Robert Buckley Farlee (of Minneapolis, MN). On Rally Sunday a festive arrangement of the setting will be used, featuring brass choir, choral descants, assembly, and organ arranged by the composers. Setting One will be used throughout the Sundays of the autumn until the festival of Christ the King on November 22.

Chorus and Choir Resume

The choral groups of Christ the King Church resume rehearsals on Wednesday, August 12, and invite new singers to join them. The Chorus sings at the 8:30 service on Sunday under the direction of Mark Mummert, and the Choir sings at the 10:50 service under the direction of Albert LeDoux. Both groups rehearse Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9:00 p.m. in their basement rehearsal rooms. There is no audition required; simply come to the rehearsal if you’re interested or call the church office (713-523-2864) for more information.

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.

Training for All Current and New Acolytes - September 12

All children who are currently serving as acolytes and those who wish to become acolytes will have training with Pr. Moore on September 12 at 10:00 a.m.- 12 noon in the nave. There will be a make up session on September 26 at 10:00 a.m. - 12 noon. Generally, children who are in fourth grade are invited to become acolytes. Attending training is required before they will be allowed to serve. Contact Pr. Moore with questions.

Training for All Current and New Crucifers - September 19

All youth and adults who are currently serving as crucifers and those who wish to become crucifers will have training with Pr. Moore on September 19 at 10:00 a.m.- 12 noon in the nave. Contact Pr. Moore

Streams of Living Justice
A Hymn Festival - September 13

On Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. Church Organist Mark Mummert will present a hymn festival in the nave. The festival includes fourteen hymns from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), all centered on the theme of God’s justice and our common mission in the world. Mr. Mummert first presented the festival, Streams of Living Justice, in 2005 for the Tenth Biennial Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Taking Faith Home Online

Taking Faith Home, our weekly devotional, is available online. Look for the Taking Faith Home icon.

Our Faith in Action

Every day, in a million ways, members of the ELCA are making the world a better place. In far reaches of the globe, and right here in our neighborhood, you’ll see that Lutherans aren’t folks who simply talk about their beliefs. We put them into action.
So make a meal to share. Have your opinion on government policy heard. Help a friend through their time of need. Here you’ll find stories that inspire and opportunities to get involved. Find out just how rewarding God’s work can be.

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

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.

Rally Sunday - August 30

Join us on Sunday, August 30 at 9:45 a.m. in the parish hall for this annual start of our Sunday Church School year. Bibles will be presented to third graders, confirmands will be introduced, and children will meet their Sunday Church School teachers.The Rally Day breakfast is coordinated by Jessica Cannon.

Sunday Café Resumes on Rally Sunday

Sunday Café resumes on Rally Sunday, August 30 providing lunch in the parish hall at 12:15 p.m. An adult’s lunch is $5; a child’s lunch is $3. First time visitors receive a complimentary lunch; undergraduate and graduate student lunches are always complimentary.

Wednesday Night Alive!
Volunteer Dinner September 2

On Wednesday, September 2 at 6:00 p.m., there will be an orientation for all Wednesday Night Alive! volunteers, including all teachers, greeters, storytellers, music teachers, and registration persons. The orientation will include the Safe Haven policies and information on the new schedule and programming. Childcare will be available. Adult volunteers are needed to work with all age groups as storytellers, greeters for Godly Play, Godly Play teachers, congregational greeters/meal sales, and nursery volunteers.

Calling all Cooks and Bottlewashers

Our Food Service Ministry Team will continue to delight our hungry Wednesday Night Alive! participants again this school year. We are blessed with great cooking, as well as serving and cleaning talent, in our congregation. All members who enjoy good food and good fellowship are invited to join us by volunteering one Wednesday during the fall semester. Food service will be from 5:30-7:00 p.m. each Wednesday from September 9 through December 2. We have a full range of positions available from skilled to unskilled (from cooks to servers to dishwashers). And not only do Food Service Ministry Team volunteers get the satisfaction of serving others, but they also get a free meal. How’s that for a great deal! Contact Beverly Davis

Luther League Meeting Tonight

All 6th – 12th grade youth are invited to the basement youth room Sunday at 6:00 p.m. for food, fellowship and discussion. This first meeting of the new school year will combine all grades together, but future meetings will divide middle school and high school students up for discussion and Bible study time. For information contact Tim Lenz.

Sunday Night Meals

Families and members who enjoy supporting the Luther League are needed to help with meals for the youth on Sunday nights. Meals can range from anything home-cooked to store bought or catered. Enough food to serve 15-20 people should be provided. Feel free to team up with another family or work individually! Please contact Tim Lenz for more information or to sign up.

Life Stories Workshop Resumes September 9

The Life Stories workshop will resume its Wednesday evenings on September 9 from 5:30 until 6:45 p.m. The sessions provide a continuing opportunity for those who want to record their life stories for their families or others.
We will continue to examine ways to present our life stories, either around themes or life events. Those participating pursue their own special interests and share their writings as they wish.
If you don’t know where to begin, you’ll find some helpful exercises to stir your memories and spur your creative impulses. Others pursuing writing projects such as fiction or poetry are also invited to join and share with us.
All of this takes place over the wonderful Wednesday Night Live! dinners. For more information, contact Anna Fay Williams

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.

Education

This year while Matthias Henze and family are studying in The Netherlands we will try a different format for Sunday Forum. If you have topics or speakers you would like to have let us know. Contact Susan Myres Uri with your ideas and comments. Ideas thus far include Immigration, Legislative Updates, Strategic Financial Planning in a time of reflection.

September 6 Listening Post
Russell Post and other members from Church Council will be leading a “Listening Post” to address issues facing the congregation and discuss questions or concerns from members. This is planned to be a quarterly opportunity for communication exchange.

Confirmation Classes

The new confirmation class combines youth to be confirmed in 2010 and in 2011. Ten of our members will be participating in this year’s class. This year the youth will study and memorize the Small Catechism. Confirmation class takes place on Wednesdays, beginning September 9, at 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. in the council room. Pr. Moore and Tim Lenz will lead the class.

Service & Care

Feed the Homeless

The Feed the Homeless Ministry meets on Monday, September 14 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 Tim Redl for more information.

Serving Lunch at SEARCH on September 16 (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.

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

Our Faith in Action

Every day, in a million ways, members of the ELCA are making the world a better place. In far reaches of the globe, and right here in our neighborhood, you’ll see that Lutherans aren’t folks who simply talk about their beliefs. We put them into action.

So make a meal to share. Have your opinion on government policy heard. Help a friend through their time of need. Here you’ll find stories that inspire and opportunities to get involved. Find out just how rewarding God’s work can be.

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

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 church office or 713-523-2864.