"We're a Welcoming Church"

A Sabbatical Reflection
By Pastor Grant Barnett Christenson

We took the opportunity during our summer sabbatical to worship at different houses of worship, not only in Bozeman but also in Minnesota, Washington, and Wyoming.
Many churches went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. One Bozeman church not only followed up with a bag full of information and visitor bread, but with notes. Lots of notes. We thanked them and notified them that we were local clergy. They seemed eager for the return of "Barnett and Linda Christenson."
Another local congregation made connections with us during worship and afterward at the fellowship hour. It was good to see Megan Makeever, our former choir director, and to meet some retired Montana teachers who knew retired teachers from Christ the King.
A congregation in Washington was very informal, but they were gracious in their welcome and invited us to stay for brunch on their patio after worship. Breaking bread in the rare summer sunshine of western Washington was a great way to feel included in a gathering of Christians.
While we were in Minnesota, I was so excited to worship at the church where my parents were married 59 years ago. We were clearly visitors because of our ages and because of our wiggly children. My father felt sad that he and his family were not recognized and acknowledged. My father loves and cares for the body of Christ, and he grieves when it does not carry out the important ministry of hospitality. It was hard for me to talk to the senior pastor, who was also a seminary classmate, to let him know that our welcome was less than warm and friendly. The senior pastor and the associate pastor both acknowledged it was a problem for their congregation and they were trying to address it.
Visiting other churches this summer gave us an opportunity to experience welcoming congregations, and in some cases, not.
Les Stroh, our consultant during the strategic planning meetings in mid-October, lifted up an example of welcoming and not welcoming visitors that helped me understand hospitality in a new light.
Les told a story of how a visitor felt put off by the groups that sat at full tables during fellowship following worship. As groups were chatting with their friends, they were silently communicating "we visit with folks we know." Not a very welcoming environment, even if the church members consider themselves "welcoming".
Then Les told us about a church where members are keenly aware that there are visitors in their midst. They go out of their way to make visitors feel welcomed, even to the point of not sitting with their friends after worship during the fellowship hour, but keeping seats at their tables open for any visitors who may be looking for a place to sit.
Visiting other churches and observing how they do hospitality ministry can be eye opening, or painful to experience.
Would you be willing to greet the stranger in your midst, even though you want to talk to your friend who you haven't seen in a week?
Would you be willing to leave a seat open at your table during fellowship, even though you want to talk about the Cubs' big win on Wednesday night with your friends?
Sabbatical was a wonderful time to experience the vast array of congregations that make up the Body of Christ. But it was also a time to learn what makes for a warm welcome, as opposed to a cold shoulder and an air of indifference.
Food for thought, as we anticipate many visitors in our midst over the next couple of months.

Guest Post: Reflections on Pray, Play, Partner - Sabbatical 2016

By Joby Dynneson, CtK Council President and Sabbatical Team member

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord. Psalm 98:7-9a (New Living Translation)

I have been asked, ”What gain do you get from mountain biking?” The answer is often tailored to the audience at hand. My answers will alternate between the health benefits, the thrill of mastering a tricky crux on the trail, and periods of quiet and solitude. Occasionally I will utter to someone what is often closest to the real truth: it is on the trail that I talk to God, it is a day in the woods that is my Sabbath.  The author of Psalm 98 expresses the feeling that I get out on the trail. The mountains, the deserts, and other wild places are where I am most able to hear the voice of the Lord. It is on the mountain tops and hill tops where I see the expanse of his majesty. I have found the most joyful church experience on Wednesdays, during WOW , singing a song,  looking out between those two trees, seeing beyond the stuff of humanity and taking in the awesomeness that is the Bridger Range; I appreciate the power of God.

This summer, we at CtK, will have many opportunities to commune with God, outside, together.  Each Wednesday we will be continuing with WOW (Worship on Wednesday) with food, fellowship, and worship. One Sunday at the end of July, July we will have a service of worship in Hyalite Canyon, at the pavilion beside the lake. Each month during the summer, everyone will be invited to join in outdoor activities and/or service projects. We will also have an exciting project happening, the building of an outdoor Labyrinth (prayer path) on the property, for the enjoyment and spiritual growth of the entire community.

The Sabbatical team and our pastors have come up with a theme for this summer’s sabbatical period: Pray, Play and Partner.  Please join us and the rest of the congregation as we grow together in faith and take in the beauty of God’s creation.  Stay tuned: the newsletter, website, and bulletins will have more information, dates, and locations.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. John Muir

Guest Preacher this Sunday - Pastor Mark Donald

This Sunday morning we welcome Pastor Mark Donald as our guest preacher. Mark serves as the pastor/executive director of Christikon, our ELCA Bible Camp up the Boulder River. He served as the interim director for two years and was called as permanent director at Christikon’s Annual Corporation meeting last November.
Mark is the son of a registered nurse and Lutheran pastor, and grew up in California and Minnesota. Keep reading... He has a History/English degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, a Masters in Education from the University of Minnesota, and a Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. In the past 19 years Mark served congregations in Seattle, WA, Minneapolis, MN, Fergus Falls, MN, and Billings, MT.
He married Julie Heinz 22 years ago and they have two boys, Alec and Micah. Julie teaches 5^th grade in Billings and is pursuing her Administrator’s Licensure through Montana State University. Alec is an 11^th grader, and Micah is in 9^th grade, both at Skyview High School. Both boys run Cross Country and play baseball.
Mark’s connection with Christikon spans some 29 years. His youth director, Julie Rogness (herself a former staff person), brought his youth group out for Sr. High camp, and in the ensuing years Mark spent six summers on staff. He is one of  the 60+ former staff people who went on to ordained ministry, and Bob Quam played a significant role in encouraging him towards that profession.
As a youth director in the Pacific NW and later as pastor in northwestern MN, Mark completed a circle by taking his own groups up to camp. Upon accepting a call to First English Lutheran in Billings, Mark soon found himself on the Board, and watched with joy as his own children were old enough to go to camp. Christikon has indeed been a blessing and major shaper of Mark’s life thus far.

If you would like to support the mission and ministry of Christikon, envelopes will available on the narthex table, or you can give on the Christikon website.

Please welcome Pastor Mark on Sunday!

Good Friday

We gather for worship on this Good Friday at 7:00pm. It's a somber, reflective service, remembering Jesus' death on the cross at the hands of the religious and political authorities of the day. It propels us forward to the Easter vigil tomorrow and worship on Easter morning, too. (Thank God we know what happens on the third day...)
Last night, at the conclusion of our time of prayer on Maundy Thursday, the altar was stripped, and all the furnishings for the evening's prayer stations were removed from the worship space. It is bare in there now, a striking visual image.
As the altar was stripped, we heard Courtney sing this song by Michael Card. It's good food for thought and reflection on this Good Friday.

Maundy Thursday "Dinner Church" and Prayer Center

Today is Maundy Thursday. The word "Maundy" comes from the Latin mandatum, which means "to command" - Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment on this night of his Last Supper - that they love one another as he loved them.

Tonight, after our worship in the social hall during a simple, family-style meal (dinner is provided by the CtK Fellowship Team - just come and enjoy CtK’s first experiment with “Dinner Church”) we will be moving to the sanctuary for a time of prayer.
Here are the prayer stations we are using (with a hat tip to Rev. Marci Glass):

1. The Journey

As Jesus journeys to the Cross, we, too, are on a journey. The labyrinth is a path to walk (or in this case, to trace with your finger) that is about a journey, too. You are invited to trace the path of the labyrinth and pray about your journey. Breathe deeply. Relax. Don’t rush. As you move toward the center, confess and let go of things that hinder your relationship with God. Shed images of yourself, so that you can be real with God. Let go of what you don’t need to take with you on the journey. Often we journey on the open road. Sometimes we have to navigate crossroads and difficult paths. Sometimes we have companions on the journey. Sometimes we seem to be alone. Who are your traveling companions? Who stops to help you when the road gets tough? Whom do you help when you see them in distress on the side of the road? And here is the paradox of our faith: We seek God. We travel toward God as pilgrims. But God is with us, to guide us, to be our companion. So, as you journey toward the Cross, remember that you are not alone. God is your companion on the journey.

2. The Last Supper

Maundy Thursday is the night we remember Jesus’ last meal with his friends and disciples. What is a meal you remember? What made it special? This plate will become a communion plate. (There will be a ceramic plate and some ceramic markers on the table). You are invited to write a word or draw a picture that signifies that meal you remember. You may write a longer story or a bigger picture on the table cloth. Offer a prayer that you will have eyes open to remember those special moments as they happen. While Jesus may have known what was to come, it seems unlikely that the disciples fully grasped that it would be their last meal together with Jesus. Give thanks for the gifts of those meals to remember.

3. Footwashing/Handwashing

At the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He instructed them to love one another as he had loved them—sacrificially and with a servant’s heart. You are invited to wash someone’s hands or feet. If nobody else is near this station, feel free to go and ask someone if you can wash their feet or hands. Is it uncomfortable to put yourself in that position? Possibly so. That’s okay. Live with that discomfort for a few minutes. And then go wash someone’s feet. Jesus showed us how to do it. (Note—realize that someone might ask you if they can wash your hands or feet too. Think of what it would mean to them for you to accept that gift.) Susan Briehl describes tonight this way: “Setting aside our shoes, our reluctance to serve, and our objections to being served, we take up the towel and fill the basin. Washing and being washed, we enact the love we pray to embody every day.” (Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days [Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2009], 93).

4. Anointing

Before Jesus headed to Jerusalem, a woman washed his feet with her hair and then anointed him with costly perfume. After his burial, the women head to the tomb to anoint his body as well. This was a sign of love and extravagance. You are invited to anoint your own hands or feet, or the feet or hands of someone else. There is spikenard available. It is quite fragrant, you’ll want to use it sparingly. Should the scent be too much for you, you are welcome to use the lotion. How often do you allow others to do something generous for you? How often do you allow yourself to be generous for you? While there are many good reasons to be generous to others, it is equally important to allow people to be generous to you and to care for yourself. Is that hard for you to do? Why? Offer a prayer that you will live generously and allow others to be generous to you as well.

5.Offering

Judas betrayed Jesus. According to some traditions, it was for a bag of 30 pieces of silver. According to some traditions, it was with a kiss. To redeem those 30 pieces of silver, you are invited to offer your own pieces of silver (or other coins, cash, or checks) to be offered to victims of betrayal in our community. Unless marked as “general offering,” or with some other designation, this offering will be given to HAVEN, Bozeman’s support and referral nonprofit for survivors of domestic violence in the Bozeman area. HAVEN services include a 24-hour confidential crisis line, 15-bed emergency shelter, legal advocacy, support groups, individual counseling, referrals and community education. All services are free of charge and confidential. HAVEN also engages in prevention education by teaching local middle and high school children about dating, healthy relationships and respect. If you do not have coins to offer tonight, there are also slips of paper on the table. You are invited to write down how you will share your gifts and talents to help people who have been broken by betrayal. You could also write a prayer for a victim of betrayal, and place that in the offering plate.

6. Pulpit

The Holy Week scriptures are printed out and are on the pulpit. You are invited to read one or more of those scriptures. You may read them silently to yourself. Or you can speak into the microphone, and offer a phrase or section of scripture to the rest of the people gathered. There is a Bible on the pulpit, too. You may also read and share your favorite passage, even if it isn’t a Holy Week text. As you read, trust that God has some-thing to say to you. Be listening for what God has to offer you tonight from God’s word.

7. Hurts and Betrayals
The world is broken in so many ways—our relationships with others, God, the planet, and ourselves. As Paul said in Romans 7, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Peter denied Jesus, even though he tried not to. Judas betrayed Jesus. How have you been betrayed? What hurtful things have been said to you? How have you betrayed someone? What hurtful things have you done? Write some words or a symbol to describe some of those hurts and betrayals. Look at your symbols. Do you want to take them with you? Or do you want to let them go? Jesus said if you let go of the hurtful things people do to you, so God will also let go of the hurtful things you do. This is forgiveness. Are you willing to “let go”? If so, throw them into the trashcan. Let go of them as God lets go of your betrayals and hurts. You are loved. You are free. You are forgiven.

8. Death

Death is a part of life. And as we remember Jesus’ death, who else are you mourning? On the butcher paper, you are invited to add the names of people who have died in the past year. It’s okay if a name is written more than once. As we pause to mourn their deaths, we also celebrate the sure and certain hope of their resurrection. You are invited to light a candle, signifying your remembrance of one who has died, and your trust in God’s promise of new life.

9. New Life

You are invited to take a seed and hold it in your hand. This little seed contains all of the information needed to reproduce. Plant the seed in the soil. As you do, feel the moist earthiness of the soil. Think of the darkness the seed experiences before it can spring to life—on the brink of creation, there is darkness. The seed has to die for the plant to be born. The Cross event is darkness and death as well. But new life emerges from the darkness of the tomb on Easter. As you prepare for Easter, consider new life. What part of your life could use some new life now? How could you be a part of bringing new life to your community? What might need to “die” in you in order for something new to spring forth? 

At the conclusion of our service, all will be invited to help strip the altar and remove prayer station items. Paraments, hanging fabric, altar furnishings will be removed to the sacristy. Prayer station items will be removed to the big table in the narthex. We move slowly and purposefully, reflecting on the humiliation of our Lord.

10. Altar, Chancel, Sanctuary

It is a tradition in many Christian communities to strip the table on Maundy Thursday. The practice dates from the seventh century and originally served the practical purpose of cleaning the sanctuary in preparation for Easter. In time, however, the practice became ceremonial in its own right. In silence and in shadows, communion vessels, table cloths, pulpit and lectern hangings, banners, candles, and all other decorative and liturgical objects are sensitively removed, thus dramatizing the desolation, abandonment, and darkness of the passion and death of our Lord. The sanctuary remains bare until the beginnings of the Easter celebration. Symbolically, Christ, stripped of his power and glory, is now in the hands of his captors. During a musical solo, you will be invited to remove something from the Communion table or sanctuary and to carry it out to the sacristy or the table in the narthex. It is the work of the people to prepare for Easter. By carrying something out, you join with others, making big tasks manageable. When else have you experienced the relief that comes from having other people working with you, instead of having to work alone?

Psalm 22

We will read Psalm 22 together, and depart in silence, gathering again tomorrow evening at 7:00pm for Good Friday, and on Saturday at 7:00pm for the Easter Vigil.

Guest Post - The Faces of Hunger

This Lent, CtK joins thousands of other ELCA congregations in ELCA World Hunger's 40 Days of Giving. A daily devotional booklet, a piggy bank, and the challenge from CtK's 40 Days of Giving Team to give $0.25/day will help us learn about hunger issues, and make a difference in our world. Look for occasional guest posts from team members during this season!

Faces of Hunger, by Jerry Johnson

The many faces of hunger are . . . emaciation, bloated bellies, stunted minds, helplessness, hopelessness, disease and death . . . a trackless wasteland . . . a vast emptiness . . .

About 34 years ago, shortly after I returned from an ALC (American Lutheran Church) hunger-justice study trip to Mexico and Nicaragua, I was sitting in a church council meeting in Whitefish, MT and one of the members said he was tired of hearing about hunger. As a new hunger advocate, I vigorously disagreed.

A few years later, in 1998, I wrote an essay where I quoted Martin Luther who said, "If you preach the gospel in all aspects with the exception of the issues which deal specifically with your time, you are not preaching the Gospel." It was at that time that the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Reno, NV, began a once a month second offering with fast food cups to support the ELCA World Hunger Appeal against world hunger.

In 1999, when Margaret and I joined Christ the King Lutheran Church, we mentioned this way of collecting funds for World Hunger and CtK began using the fast food cups, also. Christ the King's "hunger" offering went from almost nothing to several thousand dollars a year for hunger relief, locally (Food Bank) and globally (ELCA World Hunger Appeal).

On the first Sunday of every month, when the ushers pass around the fast food cups for a second offering, it does two great things: 1) it helps educate people to curb obesity, and stave off diabetes and hypertension; and 2) it helps feed hungry  brothers and sisters and teaches them how to combat hunger, thus achieving dignity and life quality.

A couple of the Montana Synod congregations have adopted this same means of collecting special offering for ELCA World Hunger, but I must admit I haven't been able to get the churchwide organization to adopt this as a good way to increase hunger giving churchwide.

There are approximately four million members in the ELCA and the 2016 budget for hunger is 24 million dollars. This amounts to $6.00 a year per member, 50 cents a month or 1 3/4 cents a day. If every ELCA member gave a dime (10 cents) a day, it would add up to $3.00 a month and $44 million dollars a year. Can you imagine what could be done to alleviate world hunger with that?

I hate to say it, but in 10 years the average ELCA Lutheran has only increased hunger giving by 3/4 of a penny a day. We pray for God to help, but God uses our hands to do it! We don't give to pat ourselves on the back, but I thank you, thank you CtK for holding up our end of the bargain and also for taking on the 40 Days of Giving journey.

Guest Post - Jesus is our Power Supply for Faithfulness and Generosity

This Lent, CtK joins thousands of other ELCA congregations in ELCA World Hunger's 40 Days of Giving. A daily devotional booklet, a piggy bank, and the challenge from CtK's 40 Days of Giving Team to give $0.25/day will help us learn about hunger issues, and make a difference in our world. Look for occasional guest posts from team members during this season!

Power Supply
February 7, 2016

My computer crashed this weekend and perhaps in a causative yet reflective way, so did I.

How do I write an inspirational “devotion” addressing ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving for CtK’s website when I am swamped  trying to book tickets and Airbnb rentals for my daughter Natalie and my long-awaited trip to meet Jeff in Italy next month?   One night spent in a European hostel could feed an African village for at least a day!  Our wealth and opportunity in the face of world-wide poverty and oppression makes my “circuits” cross and shutdown.   Sorting out thoughts, feelings, and experiences with hunger and poverty, and more importantly rebooting myself to take action in helping alleviate it, is about as looming and complex for me as trying to understand the operation of my aged computer. Can’t we just fix it?

I am thankful for the insight and guidance of others - in particular to Joel and “the computer guy” who tell me that it’s possible my computer “just” has a power-supply issue; diagnose that and it could continue to still have a use in my life - cool!  Power-supply issue…hmmm, could this help explain my own “shut-down” lately when it comes to feeling like I have little purpose, reflected in even less effort , in helping end hunger and poverty?  “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord…”  The song we sang in worship today reminded me that Jesus is our never-failing Power Supply, who can plug hearts back into seeing, feeling, and caring for all of God’s children and their wellbeing.  I can’t fix poverty or feed the whole world, but connected to Jesus I can be useful in someone’s life in some way that can makes progress in doing so.  

Once again, I am thankful for the insight and guidance of others - in particular the ELCA World Hunger 40-day devotional book and adult forum studies/discussions that will happen during Lent in our families and church.  With our Power Supply issue diagnosed (like my computer, I hope), we can wake up to the invitation of participating in life-changing work and “refresh” our efforts in ending hunger and poverty here at home and overseas.

With you together on our 40 Days of Giving journey-

Barb Benson
CtK 40 Days of Giving Team

Lent Haiku

Last night, after enjoying their soup supper (and mac & cheese - there's mac & cheese every week for the picky-eaters club), CtK youth wrote some haiku for the season.
I got the idea from a colleague in Oregon, who writes a haiku, instead of taking a photo, but uses a Photo-a-Day challenge for his themes. If you're inclined to do something similar, post in the comments. And please use #ctkbozeman on any social media posts, so we can find you!

I just asked our youth to think about Lent and Ash Wednesday. Here's what they gave me:

Sin infects our souls
Dark ashes upon our heads
Death will not conquer
...

+ + +
I gave something up
Ashes are on our faces
We are all sinners
+ + +
We are forgiven
It's the beginning of Lent
Ashes to ashes

Lent begins - Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10th

Lent, the season lasting 40 days leading up to Easter, begins tomorrow. CtK will gather for a simple supper of soup and bread at 6:00pm, and for worship, with the imposition of ashes, at 7:00pm.
Let us pray for a holy Lent.

Welcome, Bishop Jessica Crist

This Sunday we welcome our bishop as the guest speaker in Adult Forum (9:00am) and as our guest preacher in worship at 10:00am. Please greet her and welcome her to Bozeman and Christ the King!

 

The Rev. Jessica Crist is Bishop of the Montana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  A resident of Great Falls, she is married to Turner Graybill, a retired attorney.  They are members of Bethel Lutheran Church in Great Falls, Montana.  They have two adult children—Rhiannon, who is a professor in the religion department at Rhodes College in Memphis, and Raphael, a recent graduate of Yale Law School.  Bishop Crist grew up in Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Divinity School.

 

Prior to assuming the office of Bishop, Pastor Crist served as Associate to the Bishop for 5 years, and Director of the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology for 18 years.  She served congregations in Great Falls, Montana, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and started in ministry as a campus pastor.  She served on the Transition Team that helped put together the Montana Synod from the predecessor churches, and was elected Synod Secretary at the Constituting Convention.  She served in that capacity for 12 years.  She has worked with the Montana Association of Churches for many years, including serving as President, and as part of the teaching staff for the Lay Ministry Institute. She has served on the Board of Lutheran World Relief.
Her community service over the years has included chairing boards for the local YWCA, the PTA and the hospital’s Women’s Health Board.  She writes a monthly column for Montana Woman Magazine.

Bishop Crist was elected Chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops. She currently serves on the Board of the Montana Association of Churches, on the Board of Luther Seminary.

She is a member of the ELCA Task Force on Communal Discernment, the Bishops’ Liason Committee for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, and the Bishops’ Domestic Ready Bench.    

“I am honored to serve as the Bishop of the Montana Synod.  As I travel the Synod and visit your congregations and ministries I get to function as an ambassador.  I get to meet you and listen to your stories.  And I get to share the story of the wider church with you.  I pray for every congregation and every pastor and AIM each week.  And I hope you will join me in praying for the whole church.”

Photos from the last week of Advent

Photos from the Sunday School Advent/Christmas program on 12/20 and high school/young adult "Cookie Ninjas" delivering treats to those who work the night shift in service to our community, 12/18.

 

Star Followers - Advent 2015

Join us each Sunday in Advent as we learn what it means for us to follow the star to Bethlehem. The series begins this Sunday, November 29th. (Yes, it's the magi who followed the star to Bethlehem, and we celebrate their journey and arrival on the Day of Epiphany, January 6th. But most of us experience Advent-Christmas-Epiphany as all of a piece, so work with us here!).

• November 29th, “A New Hope” (Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36). Jesus encourages us to, “lift our heads, for your redemption is drawing near.”
• December 6th, “The Empire Strikes Back” (Malachi  3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6) In the midst of Roman rule, John preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The Apostle Paul writes from a Roman prison.
• December 13th, “Return of the Baptist” (Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18) John points to Jesus as the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
• December 20th, “Faith Awakens” – Sunday School Advent/Christmas Program (Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55, Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45) Elizabeth blesses Mary, because she believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving!

All are welcome to CtK's Thanksgiving Eve Worship & Pie-Luck tonight at 7:00pm. Come sing (hymns by request at the beginning of the service!), listen, share, pray, and give thanks to God for all good gifts. Then enjoy great company and some yummy desserts!

A BIG Weekend

This Sunday, October 25th, is a big day in the life of the congregation. We'll celebrate Reformation Sunday, singing some favorite hymns, giving thanks for the good news of the Gospel of Jesus and all those the Spirit uses to call people to faithfulness (Martin Luther included!).
Two of the youth of the congregation will publicly affirm their baptism during worship at 10:00am, and profess their faith. It's a big deal, and definitely a day for the church community to gather around them for prayer and support. When an individual is baptized, the assembly is asked this question: "People of God, do you promise to support name and pray for him/her in his/her new life in Christ?"
And the assembly responds: We do.
Then, after the baptism, the congregation addresses the newly baptized: We welcome you into the body of Christ and into the mission we share: join us in giving thanks and praise to God and bearing God's creative and redeeming word to all the world.
That baptismal journey continues, and Affirmation of Baptism (aka Confirmation) is a big step on that journey, when a young person becomes an adult member of the community of faith. Don't miss it!
There will be a reception, with cake, and a Reformation Sunday photo booth, after worship.

Sunday afternoon we hold our annual Trunk or Treat. It's always a ton of fun, and a great way to reach out into the neighborhood. Trunk or treating will happen in the parking lot, and there will be games, crafts, and less sugary snacks in the social hall, 4:30-6:00pm. (Family-friendly) costumes are encouraged!

Fall Schedule Begins

CtK's fall schedule begins THIS SUNDAY, September 6th. Worship will begin at 10:00am.
After Labor Day, many other ministries begin again for the season:
- Youth Group begins this week, with dinner served ($2/person) at 6:00pm. This week, all 6th-12th grade youth are asked to BRING THEIR PARENTS to discuss the year.
- Adult Choir will begin rehearsals on Wednesday, September 9th, from 7:00-8:00pm.
- Sunday School for all ages begins in two weeks, on September 20th, at 9:00am.

It's time to plug in!

Blessed Pentecost!

Tomorrow we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the community of Jesus' disciples. If you'd like to get into the spirit of the celebration (yes, it's a bad pun), wear RED or other "fire colors" to worship. We gather at 10:00am! (Sunday School is over for the season...)
Here's a reflection on the day from the facebook page of The Five Loaves:

As we reflect on the Pentecost account of that first coming of Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (Acts 2:1-11) we must...
Posted by The Five Loaves on Thursday, May 21, 2015

Why Lilies for Easter?

Yes, it's still Lent, but Holy Week begins in just over a week, and then it's Easter. Easter is THE season for Christians. It begins at sundown on Holy Saturday, and continues for 50 days. Celebration of the resurrection of Christ calls for the brightest and best we have to offer – in music, in hospitality, in all the ways we have to share the joy of new, everlasting resurrection life. Flowers have long been part the celebration.

The white Easter lily has served for centuries as a symbol of Easter. The springing forth of brilliant white beauty from a seemingly dead mass (the bulb) and the symbolic purity of its color have come to represent resurrection. Before Easter lilies bloom fully, the flowers look like trumpets, ready to proclaim the good news. Sometimes Easter lilies have been called the “white-robed apostles of hope.”  Tradition/legend has it that lilies were found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s agony; that beautiful white lilies sprung up where drops of Christ’s sweat or tears fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and deep distress. Today, congregations continue this tradition at Easter by banking their altars and surrounding their crosses with masses of Easter lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life.

Many congregations also use a variety of other springtime flowers, which convey the same message of new life. Here at CtK, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other types of lilies and foliage are employed in celebration of the day and season of Easter. If it brings you joy to do so, please consider contributing to the Easter flower fund, in thanksgiving, honor, or memory of someone meaningful to you. You can find a "Spring Flowers" form on the table in the narthex (entryway). Fill it out, attach $10/flower, and place it in the offering plate during worship, or return it to the church office, by March 29th.

Thanks!

Welcome to Pastor George Karres

This Sunday we welcome to Pastor George Karres to CtK! He will lead the Adult Forum at 9:00am and preach during worship at 10:00am.

Pastor Karres serves as the Montana Synod's new Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM).  As DEM, he will serve on behalf of the ELCA as a part of the Montana Synod staff in areas of stewardship, mission support, ministry development/redevelopment, and working with the Montana Synod Mission Table. 

George comes to his new position after having served as the Senior Pastor of Pella Lutheran Church in Sidney, MT for the past 11 1/2 years.  During this period he also served as a member of the Montana Synod Council and its Executive Committee, was on the Synod Outreach Committee, served as a Natural Church Development coach, and was Dean of the Southeast Cluster.

George and his wife Carol, who is a retired ELCA pastor, are now living in Great Falls.  Together they have four adult children: Dan Harrison; Jeffrey Karres; Matthew (Lisa) Karres (and grandson Eli!); and Amanda (Michael) Rhame.

One of George's favorite hobbies is home roasting coffee beans - he enjoys trying beans from different countries all around the world.  Every freshly roasted batch is unique and delicious!  He and Carol also enjoy traveling and often staying at Bed and Breakfasts.

 
Please welcome George and Carol as they visit CtK!

Advent Midweek Worship and Words from the Bishop

Tonight is the last Wednesday of Advent!

We'll gather for soup supper at 6pm. At 7pm we'll move into the sanctuary for Holden Evening Prayer, a lovely sung vespers service. There will be time for quiet reflection and prayer - just what so many of us need in the midst of this busy season of preparation!

 

Blessed Advent

Blessed Advent! And Happy New Year!
Today is the first Wednesday in Advent (the 4th day of Advent this year, which started this past Sunday), and here at CtK folks will gather for a simple supper of soup and bread, and then for a service of evening prayer. Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the church calendar, and begins four Sundays before Christmas. During this season, we are invited to prepare our hearts and homes not only for the celebration of Jesus' birth, but also for all the ways Christ comes to us, and for the day he comes again in glory. There's rather a lot going on - and that's before we factor in parties, Christmas cards, shopping, etc.
So, come and take some time to celebrate the season and God's work in and through you this Advent. Take some time to ponder what (or who) it is you're waiting for; what you hope and long for; what is yearning to be born in your life.
On Wednesday evenings this year, we'll think about the four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All. Since we only have 3 Wednesday services of Holden Evening Prayer, the second and third themes will be combined.
The service is beautiful - piano, flute, guitar, voice, candlelight, quiet.
Come.