Middle School Service Plunge 2015

Last week, 10 CtK youth, plus a couple of their friends and some fabulous adults, joined middle school youth from Hope Lutheran Church for a week of worship, learning and SERVICE here in the Gallatin Valley.
The theme verse for the week was Micah 6:8 - He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Monday morning the group weeded at God's Garden, which produces thousands upon thousands of pounds of food for the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and the Community Café.
Tuesday morning was spent on trail maintenance with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, at the Cherry Creek Fishing Access. It was hard work (there were blisters to be had!) but great to see the results of the effort, before and after.
Wednesday morning half the group went to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and packaged macaroni noodles into one-pound bags (finishing off a 1,000 pound box of noodles - that's a lot of pasta!). The other half of the group offered a free car wash, with donations accepted for the food bank.
On Thursday morning, the two groups switched places - half for a carwash, the other half to the Food Bank. This time, the Food Bank crew sorted eggs and repackaged unbroken eggs into cartons.
Friday morning, everyone headed to the Family Promise Day Center to help with cleaning, yard work and other projects.
Every afternoon included Bible study, lots of games, a crafty project, and worship.
It was a great week! Look for more photos in worship on a Sunday in the near future!

Middle School Service Plunge 2015 - the closest thing we got to a photo of the whole group.

Family Promise coming to CtK in Nine Days!

Each summer, we are privileged to have the opportunity to serve homeless families in our area, by hosting Family Promise. Our host dates this year are June 15th-19th and July 13th-27th. There are lots of ways to serve - making dinner, spending the night, doing laundry, praying for our guests...
Volunteers involved in "direct service" to guests are asked to attend a volunteer orientation before signing up (you can sign up to do laundry or pray without attending), and the next training is coming up soon:

Family Promise is once again hosting a New Volunteer Orientation for those interested in doing direct service with our families. The training will be held on Thursday, June 26, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Small Conference Room at the Bozeman Public Library.  
This training covers the basics of working with Family Promise: what is an Interfaith Hospitality Network, how it operates, where our families come from, as well as how to help in ways that make a real impact. The training is free but reservations are recommended. Please call 406-582-7388 or send an email to lprindiville@familypromisegv.org. Feel free to share this information with other people you know who would make great Family Promise volunteers.

A BIG Week!

This is a big week in the life of our community of faith.

The Adult Choir resumes its rehearsals tonight (9/4) and will meet weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30pm. We welcome new Choir Director, Laurie Jo Howard, to the congregation, and look forward to the blessing of great choral music during worship!

Youth Group for 6th-12th grade students (AND THEIR PARENTS) kicks-off tonight as well, with dinner at 6pm and conversation about the year's goals and activities. Bring your family calendar as there will be several dates you'll want to get down!

This Sunday, September 8th, marks the beginning of "regular" age-group Sunday School classes. It's going to be a great year, with classes for children who are 3 years old on up. Preschool through Elementary age children will start off with a time of music in the big classroom. Middle school youth will meet in the church library. High school youth will meet in the upper room. Adults will meet in the social hall - the topic of adult forum for September is World Religions. Come learn more about the variety of faiths practiced here in Bozeman and around the world.

This Sunday is also God's Work. Our Hands. Sunday - we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ELCA with a presentation by the high school youth who went on the summer mission trip to the Blackfeet Reservation, a potluck and a Day of Service. The breakdown for potluck items is: last names A-H = main dish; I-Q: salad/side; R-Z = dessert. Service opportunities include volunteering at the Bozeman Marathon to help Family Promise, trail maintenance with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, joining a hymn sing-along at the Bozeman Lodge, working with the Interfaith Quilters at Hope Lutheran, and potluck clean-up here at CtK. Interested in serving? Call the church office 587-4131 for more information or to sign up.

Here am I... Send Me!

The 2013 Middle School Service Plunge ended a week ago today. I have almost recovered. :)

Twenty-eight middle school students, led by adults from Christ the King Lutheran Church, Hope Lutheran Church and First Presbyterian Church, spent the week serving, learning, playing lots of games, and doing some wacky art projects.

Weeding @ Family Promise

Organizing the garage @ Family Promise



Food Bank

The theme verse this year, Isaiah 6:8: "Here am I... Send me!" reminds us that God is always calling people to do God's work in the world. We learned about Abraham, Samuel, Isaiah, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene - each called by God to do something (often a HARD something). And God continues to call us. When we answer that call, we can change the world.

Very creative cell phone collection boxes

This year youth served at the Family Promise Day Center (weeding, cleaning, organizing), with Gallatin Valley Land Trust (maintaining trails at Bozeman Pond - lots of shoveling, wheel-barrowing and raking of gravel!), at ROC Wheels (building TWO wheel chairs), the Gallatin Valley Food Bank (bagging food), and HAVEN (decorating cell-phone collection boxes).



Building a wheel chair @ ROC Wheels

One of two chairs completed

GVLT trail work in the sun

On Friday the crew headed down to Rockhaven Camp and hiked and did the high ropes course. A good time was had by all!

Family Promise in the News - and Coming to Ctk this summer

Family Promise is one of the many ministries in the Gallatin Valley that truly changes lives. I am thankful that CtK was one of the first congregations to sign up to participate in this ministry, and that support for Family Promise has continued to be so strong here.
If you haven't ever taken the "training"/orientation to be a volunteer, I encourage you to do so. It's only a couple of hours long, and gives good insight into what it's like both to give, and receive, the services Family Promise provides. A schedule of trainings is available online at the Family Promise website here (the next training is May 13th, at First Presbyterian Church, at 6pm - you can register online). CtK will be hosting families for four weeks this summer, from June 2nd-June 16th and July 14th-28th. There are tons of ways to help make this ministry to and with homeless families happen. Get trained and sign up!

Did you know that Family Promise of Gallatin Valley receives a Domestic Hunger Grant from the ELCA? You can read more about that here.

Did you know that Family Promise is looking for more congregations to help house families? Check out recent news coverage - from KBZK and ABCFOX.

Have you heard about Family Promise's upcoming fundraiser, "Celebrity Servers at the Bistro?" Get your tickets ($35 each) online for this tasty event at John Bozeman's Bistro, Monday, April 22nd, starting at 6pm. Local celebrities will be serving the food and all proceeds go to Family Promise. Check it out!

Thank You from Family Promise

Happy 5th Day of Christmas!

Below is a video from Family Promise of Gallatin Valley, thanking all their volunteers and supporters for so much good work in 2012.
Christ the King Lutheran Church supports Family Promise financially throughout the year, sends youth to help clean up the Day Center during the Middle School Service Plunge, and also opens our building to house families for a month each summer. THANK YOU to all the volunteer meal hosts and overnight hosts, those who help with set-up, clean-up, laundry and ALL that goes in to helping end homelessness, one family at a time.

Family Promise Diaper Drive

From April 1st-7th, Leslie's Hallmark will be collecting diapers for Family Promise families at their Gallatin Vally Mall location and their store next to Albertson's. Bring in a package of diapers and receive a free bag of Bequet Caramels and 20% off your purchase at Leslie's Hallmark.
Families currently in Family Promise of Gallatin Valley are in need of size 6 diapers and size 2 pull-ups, though diapers of any size will be most appreciated!

Photos from Friday at the Cardboard Box City

A good time was had by all at the Family Promise Cardboard Box City on Friday night. And CtK participants even won some prizes - congratulations!

It's not too late to donate to Family Promise if you'd like to. Check out their website.

And a few more photos from the event:

The Parade of Boxes

Looking for a fun and easy evening "out" on the town tomorrow night? Stop by the Family Promise Cardboard Box City at Bogert Park in Bozeman at 7pm for the Parade of Boxes. Cheer on the CtK members who will be spending the night outside in cardboard (and check out their groovy Monopoly game-themed boxes). Stick around to listen to the speakers and learn about homelessness in the Gallatin Valley - and how Family Promise makes a real difference in the lives of families in our area.
It's gonna be great!

Family Promise Cardboard Box City

A fabulous box from the 2009 Cardboard Box City

It's that time of year again: time to get a really big box, decorate it, collect pledges, and then sleep in your box at Bogert Park to raise money for Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. The Family Promise Cardboard Box City 2010 is coming Friday, September 24th, with set up beginning at 5pm, dinner at 6pm and the parade of boxes (for everyone, even if you're not spending the night) at 7pm. This event is not only a ton of fun and the biggest fund raiser for an amazing ministry to homeless families in our area, it's practically guaranteed to make you appreciate the roof over your head and the warm, comfortable bed you get to sleep in every night. Not bad, huh?

You can learn more at familypromisegv.org and pick up a brochure and money collection envelope here at CtK.

We'll be having a "Build Your Box" event here on Sunday evening, from 5-7pm. Bring your big box (fridge boxes work well) and decorating supplies, and join with other CtK folks to get ready for next Friday night!

Family Promise Picnic this Sunday

TO ALL FAMILY PROMISE VOLUNTEERS:

Family Promise of Gallatin Valley sent this email:

Just a reminder of our 1st Annual Old-Fashioned Summer Picnic Celebration THIS Sunday, July 11th from 4-6pm at Mt. Ellis!

There will be old-fashioned games, food and fun! This is our first program-wide event for all of our volunteers and their families to thank you for your service and dedication to Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. This will be a great opportunity to finally meet volunteers from all over the Gallatin Valley and catch up with past and meet present guests.

BBQ and refreshments will be provided! Please bring a dish to share according to your last name for everyone to enjoy:

A-G: side (potato salad, spinach salad, veggies, baked beans, rolls etc.)
H-O: fruit side (watermelon, pineapple, apples)
P-Z: a delicious dessert

This event will be rain or shine! Please do not hesitate to call 582-7388 with any questions.

Here are directions to the beautiful Mt. Ellis Academy:

1. E. on Kagy which turns into Bozeman Trail Rd.
OR
2. Go east on I-90 to the Bozeman Trail Road exit and go west

Advent Prayer

We gathered here at CtK last night for the first of three Wednesday evening soup suppers and services of Evening Prayer (the next two are December 9th & 16th, with dinner at 6pm and worship at 7pm). We use Holden Evening Prayer, a setting of the ancient vespers service, written by Marty Haugen. It is much loved, and quite beautiful. One of my favorite lines comes from his paraphrase of Mary's song, the Magnificat: "You have cast the mighty down from your thrones, and uplifted the humble of heart, You have filled the hungry with wondrous things, and left the wealthy no part."

It always makes me stop to think how it is that it is good news, and for whom it is good news. If you are one of the wealthy ones, I think it's pretty hard to hear - NO PART? And let's be honest, we are the wealthy ones. About this time of year, each year, I log on to the Global Rich List, a great site where you type in your annual income and it tells you how you compare to the rest of the world - talk about eye opening.
Here are some current examples: if you make $20,000 a year you are in the top 11.16% richest people in the WORLD.

If you make $30,000 a year you're in the top 7.16%.
If you make $40,000 - 3.17%.

$50,000 - 0.98% - among the richest 1% in the world.

Something to think about during this season of "I want...," "Gimme," and general over consumption in our culture.

The CtK staff put the ornaments on our Giving Trees yesterday - the good news is that all of the families in Family Promise had already been "adopted," so we're getting a little more creative, trying to meet some future needs for Family Promise (things like gift cards to Target, Wal-Mart, gas cards, games for use at their Day House and here at CtK) and current needs for Love, INC's Linen Closet (blankets) and Personal Care Pantry (everything from shampoo to deodorant to dish soap and laundry detergent). There are also a few ornaments listing needs we have here at CtK - coffee, copy paper, etc..

I know it's not as fun to go buy a 3 pack of Secret deoderant or a $25 gas card as it is to buy a winter jacket or teddy bear for a 3 year old named Tommy, but ALL of those gifts are needed.

Together we really do make a huge difference in our community.

Photos from the 2009 Cardboard Box City

First, it was COLD! I am very thankful to have a warm, dry and comfortable place to sleep each night.

Second, THANKS - to everyone who donated money to Family Promise and to the folks who came down to check out the Parade of Boxes. It was nice to see so many folks there.

Third, THANKS - to Susie Siemsen, who remembered her camera and took a bunch of fantastic pictures. Here's a sampling:

Sleeping in a Box

Tonight is the 3rd Annual Cardboard Box City to raise funds for Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. While it's too late to register and sleep in your own box in Bogert Park, it's not too late to do something about homelessness right here close to home.

Come and check out the Parade of Boxes from 7:00-8:00pm tonight at Bogert Park. Donate to Family Promise. Get trained as a Family Promise Volunteer (Paula Beehler, CtK's Family Promise Coordinator, will be at the Cardboard Box City and would LOVE to hear you want to volunteer). Learn about the causes of homelessness here in Bozeman and around the US and world. Pray for those who are homeless; and pray for those who serve them.

See you at the park!