The Mystery of Christmas

All children from toddlers on up are welcome to join today’s Sunday Church School presentation of the story "The Mystery of Christmas" in the kindergarten room on the 1st floor.

Ministry of Healing at the Taizé Service

A Ministry of Healing service is 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. The next Prayer Around the Paschal Candle will be held January 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the nave of Christ the King Church. 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.

Advent Stars

During Advent a star is hung in the south end of the nave of Christ the King Lutheran Church. In the early Nineteenth Century special multi-pointed stars began to appear in the Moravian churches of Saxony. They were originally made from paper, perhaps originally as geometry projects. Soon the stars were very popular in the churches as reminders of the light of creation, of the prophecy that a star would arise out of Jacob, of the Star of Bethlehem, and of the bright and Morning Star, Jesus Christ. They also became popular in the Lutheran churches of Saxony and beyond. The star appears in Advent and remains until the Epiphany of Our Lord and sometimes even later.

Flowers for the Nave

The 2010 Altar Guild Flower Chart is on the mobile bulletin board. Flower arrangements for weekend services are $45. Please pay for the flowers when you sign up.

Milestone Celebration for 3 Year Old Children - January 10

In keeping with Christ the King Church’s commitment to celebrate our children’s faith milestones, we recognize the “milestone of language” in our congregation’s three-year-olds on the Sunday of The Baptism of Our Lord, January 10. This celebration of the transition from infant to toddler recognizes the importance that language plays in the shaping of faith. Our families with three-year-old children will approach the altar rail during the liturgy and receive Luther’s Small Catechism. The Catechism is a book for parents and has been cherished over centuries in the Lutheran tradition as a guidebook to find answers to those questions that our children have in relation to the realm of faith.
Martin Luther wrote in the language of his day: “Every father of a family is a bishop in his house and the wife is a bishopess. Therefore remember that you in your homes are to help us carry on the ministry as we do in the church.” When Luther wrote this in 1528, he and Katie were still new in their roles as bishop and bishopess of their household with their oldest son being only two years old. The members of Christ the King Lutheran Church take this annual opportunity to express their support for the important work that parents do at home and at church in the area of faith.

Friday Morning Bible Study Resumes January 15

New participants are welcome to join the Friday Morning Bible Study. The study is based on the readings prescribed for Sunday worship. Entry into the group is easy. Snacks will be served at 10:00 a.m. Class begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 11:45 a.m.
The study will resume on January 15.

Assisting Minister and Server Training

Training for Assisting Ministers and Servers will be conducted on January 16 from 10:00 a.m.- noon in the nave by Pastor Moore. A make-up session will be on January 30 from 10:00 a.m. - noon. If you are interested in serving in one of these capacities, whether you have experience or are a novice, attendance at one of the trainings is required.

Lutheran-United Methodist Full Communion Celebration

The Houston celebration of the Lutheran-Methodist Full Communion will be Sunday, January 17, 2010, 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist, Houston with Bishop Janice Huie and Bishop Mike Rinehart presiding. This takes place on the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This will be a great time to celebrate our unity in Christ. The Church Choirs of St. Paul United Methodist Church and Christ the King Lutheran Church will join forces for the service.

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

The Prayer Around the Cross at Christ the King Church is held at the 6:00 p.m. Taizé Eucharist on the first Saturday of each month. A wooden cross on the floor of the altar sanctuary confronts worshipers with the suffering of Christ on behalf of humanity. In its presence the suffering of the world and our own burdens come to light. Christ gave salvation to all on the tree of the cross. It is the tree where life might be restored. Worshipers may choose to meditate on the cross from the pew or may enter the altar sanctuary and kneel at the cross.

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

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.

Parking at Rice Stadium Lot Permitted

Press the intercom button at the entrances to the stadium lot.
Let the attendant know that you are going to church. The attendant will let you in at no charge.
Rice personnel can use their parking cards.
Parking is allowed on the Animal Hospital Lot after business hours only:  6:30 p.m. on workdays, 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays and all day on Sundays. 

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.

Sunday, January 3, 2010 • 6:00 pm
Organ Vespers

Hans Davidsson (Rochester, New York)

Clive Swansbourne Performs Works By Chopin and Schumann in Six-Recital Series

Pianist Clive Swansbourne will present a series of six piano recitals at Christ the King Lutheran Church celebrating the 200th anniversary of the births of composers Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann. The series begins January 10, 2010, at 5:00 p.m with further concerts on January 24, February 21, March 7, April 11 and April 25. Tickets are available at the door; individual concerts cost $20 ($15 for students and seniors) and season passes are $90 ($65 for students and seniors).
Each recital will consist of works by Schumann in the first half and works by Chopin in the second half, and will provide audience members with an opportunity to make direct comparisons between the ways in which these two towering masters revolutionized piano writing. Clive Swansbourne will give spoken introductions to the music. The events will take place in the intimate parish hall with the piano (a beautiful new Bösendorfer Grand) in the middle of the room with the lid off.
The first program will feature Schumann’s Papillons and Carnaval, and Chopin’s First Ballade and Fourth Scherzo.

Full program details for the series.

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.

Wednesday Night Alive!

Wednesday Night Alive! is on break for 2009. Activities will continue on January 13.

Wednesday Night Alive! is a great opportunity for members and friends of the congregation to meet over dinner, in class, in the kitchen, at the welcome table or while making music together. All members, recent and longtime, are especially invited to come and find their spot as volunteers and participants.

Wednesday Night Dinners Are for EVERYONE!

If you haven’t had a homemade dinner lovingly prepared by our food service ministry team, you’ve really missed out. Instead of cooking on Wednesday evenings, swing by the parish hall between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. and either eat-in with friends and family, or take-out a delicious and inexpensive meal. Adults $5/children $3.

Nursery Volunteers

Do you like babies? Or watching young children play with trains and other toys? Our church's families are growing, and we need your help. We are looking for more volunteers to help out in the nursery a few times a year, for either the early service or the late service. Babies need to be held, and there are small children to be read to. If interested, please contact Diane Schoppe or sign up in the nursery. See you there!

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.

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.

Members are invited to suggest speakers or topics to be addressed during Sunday Forum.
Contact Susan Myres Uri with your ideas and comments.

January 3 and January 10 - Bible Study

Lucky Sahualla will lead a Bible study in the basement adult classroom. The class explores the appointed biblical readings for the day in depth as a means to let the stories speak to us in new ways. No preparation, homework, or materials necessary, just an open mind and a willingness to ask and answer questions.

January 17 - Reading the Bible with Martin Luther: Is there a Lutheran way to read?

Presented by Professor Timothy Wengert. Dr. Wengert served as theologian-in-residence for the Melanchthon Institute in the fall of 2004. Timothy Wengert is professor of Reformation History at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He co-edited the new English edition of The Book of Concord issued in 2000 (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers). His translation of Luther’s Small Catechism from that volume is used widely throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

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.

Class for New Members and Inquirers

f you are interested in becoming a member of Christ the King Church, you are invited to attend the Adult Catechesis class.
We will offer a two day class on Friday, February 5, 7 until 9 p.m., and Saturday, February 6, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
These classes, based on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, are open to inquirers, those seeking membership, and members wishing to refresh their memory on the basic tenets of our faith.
You may sign up on the bulletin board or contact the church office, Childcare for the two-day class is available when requested the Monday prior to the class.

Feed the Homeless

The Feed the Homeless Ministry meets on Monday, January 11 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.

Give Yourself a Christmas Gift…
Hire a Martha’s Way Graduate

Do you need a housekeeper?
Christian Community Service Center (CCSC) may know someone perfect for the job. Their “Martha’s Way” Domestic Housekeeping Training program graduates have successfully completed a three-month program that involves both technical/cleaning and business skills. Some graduates are young and energetic; others are experienced and wise. All are enthusiastic and willing to prove their abilities to you.
Please give them the opportunity to show you their exceptional work: contact Ana Tappan, Vocational Training Manager at 713-961-3993 ext. 210 or visit www.ccschouston.com.

Serve Lunch at SEARCH

Christ the King Church members and friends join members of congregation Brith Shalom on the third Wednesday of each month to assist with the preparation and service of the noon meal for clients of SEARCH Homeless Services. Our next outing will be on Wednesday, January 20, 7:30 - 11:30 a.m. 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

The next blood pressure screening will be on Sunday, December 27 after each morning service in the narthex. Monthly blood pressure screenings are held on the last Sunday of each month.

Pet Food Needed!

aniMeals on Wheels needs your help! The program, which delivers food for pets of seniors who receive Meals on Wheels, is experiencing a shortage in pet food. The program began because seniors receiving Meals on Wheels were sharing their limited resources and, in some cases, their much needed home-delivered meal with their pet. We provide this service because for some seniors their pet is their only companion. aniMeals on Wheels is sustained by donations and is delivered entirely by volunteers.

Please, help feed these companions by donating both dog and cat (wet or dry) pet food. For questions about the program, donation, or volunteer information please contact Stephanie Kimball or 713-533-4948. You may drop off pet food in the collection baskets in the narthex on Sundays.

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.

Donations Needed for SEARCH

Insect Repellant still Needed – Until it freezes, the damp days in Houston still encourage mosquitoes to multiply. Our street population is still pestered by these insects. SEARCH’s Mobile outreach team is in need of insect repellant.
Need for Blankets
Search Homeless Service’s Mobile Outreach team is in need of blankets as we look towards the cool/colder months ahead. In the past they have had blankets donated to them in bulk from an organization, but this year they have been informed that there will be a charge for them. Please bring in gently used blankets that can be distribute to this homeless community.
Please bring your donations to the drop off box in the narthex.

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.

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

Food Donations Needed

Help fill the shelves at Emergency Services of the Christian Community Service Center (CCSC). Food donations are needed. Current needs are: peanut butter, tuna fish, meaty soups, canned fruit and vegetables. Please bring your food donations to the drop off box in the narthex.