The Hospitality Apartments provide FREE temporary housing (up to three months) and a safe, welcome, comfortable, supportive environment for families in need who must come to Houston for treatment of life-threatening illnesses in the Texas Medical Center hospitals. During the last 40 years, this 100% volunteer ministry has served more than 5,600 families from 49 U.S. states and 65 foreign countries. They designed, constructed, funded, maintained, and staffed a 4-building, 42-unit apartment complex near the Texas Medical Center. In 2007, they relocated the entire operation into an adjacent, new ADA-compliant, energy-efficient, 4-story campus.

The Hospitality Apartments started in 1968 in a small rented four-plex Army barracks building. Not only has the Hospitality Apartments never had direct government support in its history, but never has any money been spent for professional management or fundraising help. All decisions are made and operations provided by volunteers. There is no paid staff. The Resident Managers are compensated by getting extra time over the three months maximum. Need is the only criterion for eligibility besides living over 50 miles from the Medical Center. Selection is based on chronological order of application.

All apartments are completely furnished, including linens with laundry rooms available at no charge. Occupancy has always been 99.9% of the available apartments. When someone leaves, the apartment is cleaned and calls are made from the waiting list to fill it again. You are welcome to visit the Hospitality apartments at 7300 Bertner, south of the Medical Center, Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

www.hospitalityapartments.org

Godly Play Lessons

Toddlers: Good Shepherd and World Communication
Pre K and K: World Communication
1st-2nd Grade: World Communication
3rd Grade: Story of the Prophet Ezekiel

Prayer Around the Paschal Candle, Ministry of Healing on the Second Saturday of Each Month 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. . See an expanded article.

Taking Faith Home

Looking for a way to link Sunday worship with family faith formation Monday to Saturday? Taking Faith Home offers scripture readings, prayers, devotions and rituals to use all week!

Click on our homepage to view individual weeks.Look for the Taking Faith Home icon on the left side.

Friday Morning Bible Study

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.

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.

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.

Morning Prayer

Each weekday morning at 8:15 a.m. Morning Prayer is said in the narthex. All are welcome to participate.

Contemplative Prayer on Tuesday 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 Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. to room 210 and pray this ancient form of prayer.

Wednesday Night Alive!
End of the Year Progam May 5

Wednesday Night Alive! ends for the year with a program on May 5 in the parish hall. Dinner starts at 5:45 p.m.; the program begins at 6:30 p.m. Kids who have participated in Music Explorers and Choristers programs this year will share some songs. Our Kids Club and World Explorers have some Lutherhill Camp Songs to share in keeping with our Lutherhill Campaign this spring. Other young musicians who have short pieces ready for their spring recitals are welcome to join in the fun with their pianos, cellos, violins, recorders, loud clashing cymbals and other instruments of choice. Even if Wednesday Night Alive! is not part of your family’s routine, come share your songs (and eat pizza). We’ll order pizza for purchase at $1.50 per slice. Please bring a salad or dessert to share. Please email Mark Mummert or Debbie Whitmire if you plan to bring a recital piece to share.

Nursery Guild Annual Tag Sale

The annual Tag Sale at Christ the King Church will be Saturday May 15, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the parish hall and at 5511 Chaucer near the church. This is the Nursery Guild's only fundraiser and is used to support children's ministries at Christ the King. We will collect items for the tag sale in the week before the event. Take advantage of this event to clean out closets, garages and attics!   

We will need volunteers to help set up, sell and clean up on Friday, May 14 (all day) and Saturday, May 15 (7:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.). We also are looking for individuals who can help with adverstizing. If you live or work near Rice Village, you could help distribute fliers or if you have a connection to a local newsletter you may be able to facitliate getting an ad in for our event. Sign up sheets for the event will appear on the bulletin board in late April but if you would like to commit earlier, please register with Jayme Zage

A Place for All People

A place for retreat, renewal, a change of perspective…..

A place for swimming, laughing, toasting marshmallows, singing God’s Praises LOUDLY

A place for prayer, quiet walks under 400 year old Live Oaks, and time beside still waters

A place for you

Lutherhill Capital Campaign

We’re on the road this week with several Christ the King Families attending Family Camp at Lutherhill. Please keep those who travel in your prayers and brace yourselves for new songs and prayers imported from LaGrange by the kids when we return. Next week, we’ll hear from Tim Lenz about the powerful role of Lutherhill retreats in faith formation for our youth. If you have stories or pictures from any Lutheran Camp to share, please send them by email to Alicia Goodrow. We’ll be sharing them on May 23 as we celebrate Pentecost and make our commitments to this ministry. 

Lutherhill on youtube

Lutherhill Movie

To launch our Lutherhill – A Place for All People capital campaign, Alicia Goodrow will be showing a short Lutherhill Movie (come look for your child in the video) and providing information about what’s new with Lutherhill and how Christ the King Church is using it as our “West Campus” these days. Come and see….9:45 a.m. in the parish hall; 12:15 p.m. in the council room; 6:00 p.m. Wednesday Night in the council room; and at Parent’s Night Out!

National Put Beds Together Day at Lutherhill

Lutherhill is this year’s host of National Put Beds Together Day. On May 8 this little known holiday arrives, but Lutherhill needs folks to bring tools to help get the new cabins ready for the summer. Lutherhill will provide free meals and housing! A CTK Church group will leave the night before for a campfire and s’mores. Contact Tim Lenz for more information.

Laser Tag for Youth

The Luther League is invited to play laser tag on May 2 at 2:30 p.m. at Laser Quest located at 13711 Westheimer. The fee of $15 per person gets you two thirty minute games and pizza.

Disciple Project for 8th – 12th Grade Youth, June 27-July 3

The Disciple Project is Christian leadership camp at Texas Lutheran University that empowers youth as leaders by being open to God’s call and explores gifts & passions. Each student chooses one of ten learning tracks (music, art, sports, drama, dance, etc) that they will grow and learn from. Students also will enjoy fellowship such as water balloon fights, pool time, talent shows, and a dance. Contact Tim Lenz by May 9 to register.

Tacos for Peru!

The seven youth traveling to Peru this summer will sell hot breakfast tacos between services this Sunday to raise money for their trip. Please stop by the taco stand in the courtyard to learn more about their trip and fill your belly!

Ceviche, Pisco, and Peru, Oh My!

Members and friends of Christ the King Church are invited to join the Luther League on May 22 for an evening of fellowship and South American treats in the parsonage! The Luther League will host a party featuring Peruvian-themed cocktails and hors d'ouevres. Tickets for the event will cost $35, with all proceeds going to defray the cost of the Luther League's July immersion trip to Peru. For more information contact Tim Lenz

Nursery Graduation on May 16

Five and six year olds are invited to a special Welcome to Church class and nursery graduation during Sunday Church School on Sunday, May 16. Children and parents will meet at 10:00 a.m. in the narthex. (Teachers will be notified.) Mark Mummert, Church Organist, will take the group on a tour of the nave. Children can explore the organ inside and out and visit the altar guild sacristy and learn how the altar guild prepares for worship. We will also help the children learn more about what occurs during worship, including what the worship leaders do and what the people do. At the end of the class, the five and six year olds will be presented with nursery graduation certificates and celebrate their nursery graduation with a special treat. We hope you can join us!

Pentecost Picnic on May 23

Come and join together for a good ol’ time at our annual Pentecost Picnic on May 23 at 12:15 p.m. in the courtyard of Christ the King Church. All are invited to don their casual red attire in celebration of Pentecost Sunday.

Faith Camp this Summer!

Children in grades K- 6 are invited to Faith Camp this summer at Faith Lutheran Church in Bellaire. Faith Camp is a summer camp ministry program that has been going for over 15 years. Faith Camp offers action-packed weeks of music, games, arts & crafts, kitchen time, splash days, small groups and bible study for children. The camp also offers childcare before and after camp each day. For more information please visit Faith Lutheran Church or contact Pr Tom Glasoe at 713-664-3048.

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.

Help Send a Youth to Peru    

The seven youth traveling to Peru this summer are in need of sponsors to help subsidize travel expenses. While in Peru the group hopes to develop a multi-cultural experience and grow in their faith and leadership skills through relationships with Peruvian youth and adults at a Lutheran church in Trujillo, Peru. The youth have fundraised and received some scholarships, but still need additional funds. Please contact Tim Lenz for more information or to make a donation.

Christ the King Lutheran Church
Annual Report 2010
is online

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!

Yoga on Saturdays - 1:00 p.m.

The yoga class will meet on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. in the basement classroom. Bring a mat or foam for comfort. The cost is $7 per person.

Parent's Night Out

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 Diane Schoppe. 

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

May 2
Johann Sebastian Bach: Proclaiming the Gospel with Musical Rhetoric

presented by Mark Mummert
Johann Sebastian Bach has sometimes been called the “fifth evangelist” for his ability to use musical language to convey theological meaning. Through an analysis of his cantata, “Du Hirte Israel, höre” (BWV 104), this forum will consider how Bach took the role of proclaimer in his congregation by shaping the cantata to preach the gospel word for the day. This forum will also serve as a timely introduction to the cantata performed by the Bach Society at 6:00 p.m. on May 2. No musical knowledge is required for the forum; only willing ears and inquiring minds are needed!

May 9 Montrose Grace Place

Come hear about a new program beginning soon at Grace Lutheran Church, just a few miles from Christ the King Lutheran Church. For one night a week, Montrose Grace Place will provide a safe, welcoming environment for homeless youth. Homeless youth of all sexualities and genders will be invited to have a good meal, engage in creative activities, receive referrals to social services, and enjoy healing relationships with safe, accepting adults.

Did you know?

• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender teens are coming out to parents as young as 13 and 14?
• 1 out of 4 youth who come out to parents will become homeless as a result?
• LGBT homeless youth are seven times more likely than their heterosexual peers to be the victim of a crime?
• LGBT youth are more at risk for mental health issues, and homelessness only increases this risk?
• Survival sex is often a last resort for homeless youth?
• Many services for homeless youth are nonresponsive to LGB youth, and will not serve transgender youth?

In Search of Belief

The discussion continues on Joan Chittister’s book, In Search of Belief facilitated by Barbara Rozek. Popularity of this discussion group has encouraged us to continue the dialogue of this challenging look at the Apostles Creed.
Come, read together, and discuss the new perspectives on the Apostles Creed suggested in Joan Chittister’s book. Drop by and share in the reading and discussion. Books are provided.
Newcomers welcome.
This discussion group meets in the council room on 2nd floor.

Class for New Members and Inquirers

If 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, May 7, 7 until 9 p.m., and Saturday, May 8, 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.

Recognition of 2010 Graduates

There will be a rite of milestone observance of graduation in both services on May 23. High school seniors will receive a gift from the Piecemakers.
If you are receiving a degree from high school, undergraduate, or graduate programs, we would like to know! Email the church office at with details about your graduation date and any plans you have for your future.

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 at 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. in the council room. Pr. Moore and Tim Lenz will lead the class.

Bread for the World Offering of Letters
on Mother’s Day, May 9

Bread for the World’s 2010 Offering of Letters will be held after each service at Christ the King Church on Sunday, May 9, Mother’s Day.
This year, Bread for the World members are urging Congress to protect and strengthen tax credits that benefit low-income familie

www.bread.org

Significant Progress on 2009 Offering of Letters

Bread for the World’s 2009 Offering of Letters urged Congress and the administration to make U.S. aid more effective in reducing hunger in rhe world’s poorest countries. Thanks to the efforts of individuals and churches, there’s been significant progress toward the reform of U.S. foreign assistance. Bipartisan bills were introduced in both the House and Senate to begin the process of foreign aid reform. The White House and the State Department have already taken steps-and are expected to announce other measures in the months ahead-that address most of the benchmarks set forward in Bread for the World’s 2009 Offering of Letters. Legislation for new Foreign Assistance Act is also likely to be inttoduced in Congress this year.

2010 Offering of Letters

This year, we have a chance to make progress on two key components of any successful effort to end U.S. hunger: helping low-income families make ends meet and ensuring that children have access to nutritious food. Congress will be turning its attention to tax policy because a significant group of tax cuts and tax credits enacted in previous years will expire in 2010. Legislators must decide which ones to renew or change. 
Bread’s 2010 Offering of Letters calls on Congress to protect and strengthen key tax credits to help working families who struggle to put food on the table. Our Offering will help ensure that the needs of low-income families do not get lost in the critical congressional debate on taxes. Two tax credit in particular, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit, help bridge the gap between what a family earns through low-wage work and the cost of basic necessities. The EITC alone lifts more than 5 million Americans above the poverty line—including 2.6 million children.
For many years, Bread members  and covenant churches (including our congregation) have worked faithfully to protect and strengthen federal nutrition programs that ensure low-income children and families have enough to eat. For more information on the goals of the 2010 Offering of Letters and for stories of families who benefit from the tax credits and other programs.

Sample Letter

U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Date ___________
Dear Rep. ___________ or Dear Sen. ____________,

Our nation needs a bold, comprehensive strategy to end childhood hunger in the United States. It’s vital that we make sure low-income families can meet their basic needs—including food. I ask you to protect and strengthen key tax credits that can make a big difference for low-income workers and their families.
These programs work. In 2005, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) alone lifted more than 5 million people above the poverty line, including 2.6 million children. But we can and must do more. Nearly one in four children lives in a family that struggles to put food on the table. We need to protect and strengthen EITC and the Child Tax Credit and work toward a day when no parent has to send a child to bed hungry.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address

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, May 19, 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 2009, Emergency Services responded to a highly increased demand for basic needs by providing food, clothing, financial assistance and referrals to 22,365 persons in crisis. This effort included helping 1,160 families avoid homelessness or substandard living conditions by assisting with electricity, water, natural gas, and rent payments. More than 243,700 pounds of food was provided to hungry neighbors and 11,913 clients benefitted from gently-used clothing. The Community Garden harvested 2,059 pounds of fresh produce, aiding clients’ nutritional well-being. 
The Gethsemane Food Pantry expanded to three days of operation, working to address hunger in the southwest portion of our service area. The pantry fed 18,380 persons from 4,723 households, tripling results from the prior year. Of those served, 51% of client households included one or more employed adults. A Community Garden was established on site, and three Food Fairs were held to augment on-going services.
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.

Feed the Homeless

The Feed the Homeless Ministry meets on Monday, April 26 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.

Check your Blood Pressure

The next blood pressure screening will be on May 30 between the morning services in the narthex. Monthly blood pressure screenings are held on the last Sunday of each month

Christ the King Church is a ONE Lutheran congregation

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. Please consider taking action with the ONE Campaign

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.

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.