CtK hosts New Year's Eve Labyrinth Walk

Once again we have the privilege of hosting the Gallatin Valley Interfaith Association New Year's Eve Labyrinth Walk. Families with young children are invited to walk tonight from 7:00-8:00pm, recognizing that it could be a little noisy. Adults and older children/youth are invited to walk the labyrinth any time between 8:00pm and midnight.
Labyrinths have been used as tools for meditation and prayer for hundreds of years, in a variety of cultures. There's a famous labyrinth mosaic in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral (upon which the labyrinth at CtK tonight is patterned), which in the middle ages people walked as a symbolic pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
There is only one path in the labyrinth, so you can't get lost. Come and check it out as we let go of 2013 and greet 2014 with faith and hope.

Christmas Greetings from the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA

"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant."

We all know the story. The shepherds traveled to Bethlehem and found the little Lord Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
But what I think we often overlook is what the shepherds did after they left the manger. "When they saw this, they made known what had been told about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them" (Luke 2:17-18).
The shepherds shared the good news that God is now with us, has become one of us and remains with us, bringing abundant life to all. As we gather this Christmas to celebrate the birth of the Christ child and hear the wondrous story, let us join together as a church to proclaim the good news. "Christ the child was born for you!"
This time also marks the completion of our observance of over 25 years together in Christ as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are a church that belongs to Christ, and we give thanks and praise to God for the many ways in which the coming of Jesus has blessed this church and our world.
It is all too easy for us these days to be constantly aware that this world is fraught with turmoil and danger. The same was true for the world in which Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus lived. But the ultimate hope for all people across all times is the hope God gives us in the Word made flesh, our Lord Immanuel.
"O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!"

Christmas blessings,
Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Merry Christmas! Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn king!

Singing Christmas carols at the hospital

Join us for our fifth annual Christmas caroling at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital on Sunday, December 22nd starting at 3 p.m. We will meet in the chapel of the hospital (near the main entrance) and travel from floor to floor spreading the good news of God’s love through song and merriment to patients, their families, and staff. Please plan to wear a red outfit and a Santa hat (if you own one). We will sing until 5 p.m.

For more information please contact Pastor Grant in the church office Tuesdays & Thursdays.

Please note: Because of visitor restrictions imposed by the hospital, children 18 years and younger are asked to stay home.

                       

Reflections on the Death of Nelson Mandela

From the Rev. Jessica Crist, Bishop of the Montana Synod of the ELCA:

 

Reflections on the Death of Nelson Mandela

 Nelson Mandela died yesterday at age 95. He had spent 27 years of his life as a political prisoner on Robben Island. After his release he was elected President of South Africa, the first black president of the post-Apartheid South Africa. It was an historic day in 1994 when black people were allowed to vote for the first time. I remember seeing photos of lines over a mile long of people waiting to vote for the first time in their lives.

White South Africa was not sure what would happen when there was majority rule. Many feared that there would be a terrible backlash, a kind of eye-for-an-eye system of revenge. But instead, Mandela invited black and white and mixed race into his government. And, with the assistance of Bishop Desmond Tutu, he channeled the emotions of a nation recovering from decades of violence into the Truth and Reconciliation Process. It was a bit like Confession and Forgiveness, with which we are so familiar. Truth and Reconciliation was designed to give people an opportunity to speak of the atrocities, speak of the losses, learn what happened in all its shocking detail, and then to move on.

And South Africa has moved on. Not that there are not problems. Official Apartheid is over, but economic apartheid is alive and well. But South Africa did not explode into the kind of violence and genocide that everybody expected, and that happens so frequently when there is a change of government, such as in Rwanda. South Africa did not become a bloodbath, and for that we can thank God for Nelson Mandela.

The Montana Synod has a companion synod relationship with the Cape Orange Diocese in South Africa. Over the years many people from our Synod have visited South Africa and met our partners there who went through the Apartheid years. We have heard the stories of oppression, of racism, of violence. And we have seen the role of the Church in South Africa. The last time a group from our Synod visited, it was the 20^th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from Robben Island prison. We were able to tour the prison, with a former prisoner as our guide. Everyone we met on that visit to South Africa had a story of how they had been affected personally by Apartheid and its aftermath. We were struck again and again with the resilience of the people, and with the prevalence of hope.

Many of you may recall that Bishop Bill Bowles and Mr. Joe Jongolo visited our Synod last summer from the Cape Orange Diocese. This morning I sent a letter of condolence to the Diocese on behalf of the Montana Synod. I expressed our sympathy at the death of Nelson Mandela.

In this season of Advent I am reminded of the vision from Isaiah, of what is often referred to as "The Peaceable Kingdom," from Isaiah 11: 16-18 (this Sunday's text.)

"The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox."

In this piece of prophecy, the improbable becomes reality, the impossible becomes the norm. This passage from Isaiah was the basis for Quaker artist Edward Hicks' series of painting of "The Peaceable Kingdom." You may have seen them on Christmas cards-lovely depictions of predator and prey in perfect harmony. Some of the pictures that Hicks painted have some human beings in them in the background. If you look closely you can see William Penn with the Lenne Lenape Indians, negotiating a peace between the two cultures.

Nelson Mandela spent his life resisting injustice. And when the tables turned and he became President, he did not choose revenge. He did not seek retaliation. Instead he led a country full of wolves and lambs, of bears and cows, and showed them a better way. And the world is a better place because of it.

May he rest in peace. And may South Africa come together in his honor.

Bishop Jessica CristDecember 6, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! And Thanksgiving Eve!

All are invited to join in a service of Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 27th, at 7:00pm. Come for Scripture, song, and stories of Thanksgiving, and then be sure to stay for the Pie-Luck!

PB&A = Success! Thank You!

The first annual PB&A (Potato Bar & Auction) is in the history books, and was a great success.
The CtK Family & Youth Team (and all the youth and their families) want to say THANKS to the donors, the helpers, the eaters, the bidders... anyone and everyone who helped make the event not just a success ($2750 raised!) but also a ton of fun.

Thank you!!

The Beginning of a Great Tradition

It's gonna be great!!

The Family & Youth Ministry Team is launching what is hoped to be the "first annual" PB&A - a baked potato bar and silent auction. Come and eat all you want (suggested donation is $5/person)
and bid on some great items - lots of handmade and homemade gifts (perfect for Christmas gift-giving - things you can't find at the mall!), gift baskets, service items, gift certificates (weekend in a Big Sky condo, anyone?) and MORE!

All funds raised will support the Family & Youth Ministry of the congregation, especially summer 2014 camps for middle and high school youth.

Please invite your friends and neighbors to join you - this promises to be a great event!

All Saints' Sunday

Blessed All Saints' Day!
All Saints’ Day is November 1st each year, but since the first doesn't always land on a Sunday, many churches celebrate All Saints' Sunday on the first Sunday of November. This year, we celebrate All Saints on November 3rd.
The word saint comes from the Latin word sanctus and refers to the holy — that is, “set apart for the service of God.” In some of St. Paul’s letters to the churches he founded, he called all the members “saints.” Later, Christians who distinguished themselves by their zeal for Christ, especially the martyrs, were honored after their death by being canonized as saints.

The word “saint” was placed before their Christian name. The pages of Christian history books are filled with the stories of these very special servants of God.

Several became the patron saints of countries. Ireland’s saint is St. Patrick, England’s is St. George and Scotland’s is St. Andrew.

While the United States has no particular saint, Christians here should appreciate all the faithful people who served Christ courageously and delivered the faith to us to follow. We should also remember that in baptism, God names us "set apart for the service of God" - we, too, are saints.

This Sunday, those present in worship will have the opportunity to light a candle in honor or remembrance of saints in their lives. There's something about the concrete action of lighting a candle and letting the light of its flame shine that touches people deep in their souls. Candle lighting is a wonderful ritual action for families to do together, especially in concert with conversation about those who have gone before us, and those who strengthen our faith now.

Reformation Day 2013

            By the end of the seventeenth century, many Lutheran churches celebrated a festival commemorating Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-Five Theses, a summary of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church in the year 1517. At the heart of the reform movement was the gospel, the good news of God that it is by grace through faith that we are justified and set free.

            On this Reformation Day, let us celebrate the witness of Martin Luther, and the continuing work to make the gospel be heard clearly by all Christians.

Trunk or Treat!

Trunk or Treat is THIS Sunday, October 27th. Trunk set up will begin at 4:00pm, and more trunks are needed! Bring some treats to hand out (candy or otherwise - we've got some erasers to hand out from our trunk) and dress up in costume if you'd like. There just might be a prize for the best trunk decorations. At 4:30pm the Trunk or Treating will officially begin, and there will be games for kids in the social hall as well.
Invite your friends and neighbors - the more the merrier!
---
A word about Halloween, from one of my ELCA clergy colleagues:
At this time of year, many Christian parents wonder if they should allow their children to take part in Halloween activities. The Christian history of Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) ties it to All Saints Day (the following day). It is a part of a celebration of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil.
Far from acknowledging Satan’s power or “worshiping the devil,” Halloween actually is a way of making fun of the devil and celebrating the truth that Christ has been victorious and evil has been defeated. Let your kids know this.
Use Halloween for fun; put on the masks, walk with the little ones, and have a good time.

Don't lose heart

Last Tuesday evening I attended an event sponsored by HRDC at the Emerson Center. The event was centered around the screening of a documentary produced by HBO called "American Winter."

The documentary follows eight families in the Portland, OR area who find themselves homeless because of unemployment, health issues with loved ones, low pay, and lack of available social services.

Frankly, it was easy to lose heart watching the families lose their homes, their jobs, and their sanity.

It didn't seem fair to see honest, hardworking people like you and me end up suddenly without shelter, food, electricity, water, and security.

Our gospel reading for this coming Sunday, October 20th is Luke 18:1-8

18"  Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. Luke 18:1

After feeling helpless halfway through the film, I began to feel hope and not lose heart. Up on the big screen in the Emerson Center were churches in the greater Portland area, including First Immanuel Lutheran Church, opening their doors and their hearts to families in need. I saw church members staff food pantries and overnight shelters. I saw church members display compassion to the families depicted in the documentary with mercy and tenderness. I saw church members living out their calling as disciples of Jesus Christ, loving God and loving the neighbor in need. And then it dawned on me, we do the same for the homeless here in Bozeman.

Christ the King, in its Rooted in Faith, Growing in Giving capital campaign over the past two years, has given over $1000 to the HRDC to address homelessness and hunger in Bozeman. Our dollars support the warming center and the transitional housing unit. Our dollars and volunteer hours help keep the doors of the Bozeman Community Café open 365 days a year, to feed hungry neighbors in need.

Christ the King participates as a partner church in Family Promise of the Gallatin Valley. Four weeks out of the year we house homeless families on campus with safe and comfortable shelter, so families can concentrate on the hard task of finding work and permanent housing.

Losing heart and despairing are common themes in the Bible. All you have to do is read some of the psalms to hear deep songs of lament. But you will also find in the Bible stories of hope and compassion, rooted in the love of God as expressed by God's Son Jesus Christ.

"American Winter" does not have to be the predominate season in Bozeman, or the world for that matter.

 

CROP Walk 2013

The annual Gallatin Valley CROP Walk is this Sunday, October 20th. Participants will gather at the Food Bank at 1:45pm and the walk kicks off at 2pm. There are a handful of walkers from CtK signed up. You can still join the fun on the Christ the King team! Or support the cause.
Thanks!

A new Presiding Bishop - video of the Bishop Elizabeth Eaton's installation

The ELCA has a new Presiding Bishop! The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton was installed this past Saturday, October 5th, at the Rockafeller Chapel in Chicago. Below is the video of the service of Holy Communion with her installation.






If you want to skip ahead to the sermon, preached by the Bishop of the Montana Synod, the Rev. Jessica Crist, the video is here:



Enjoy!

Adult forum welcomes Rabbi Ed Stafman from Temple Beth Shalom

Adult forum on Sunday, September 22nd welcomes Rabbi Ed Stafman of Temple Beth Shalom, Bozeman as he shares with us the teachings and traditions of Judaism.

The forum will meet at 9 a.m. on September 22nd in the social hall of Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Below is a bio of Rabbi from the Beth Shalom website www.bethshalombozeman.org.

Rabbi Ed Stafman began to serve as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in August, 2008, following eight years of Rabbinic study and ordination in the ALEPH Rabbinic program, which is part of the Jewish Renewal movement.
Jewish renewal is a worldwide, transdenominational movement, grounded in Judaism’s mystical tradition, and which seeks to bring relevance, creativity, joy, and an all-embracing awareness to spiritual practice, as a way to bring about tikun halev (healing of the heart) and tikun olam (healing of the world). Jewish Renewal rabbis are trained to work in any and all movements of Judaism. Jewish Renewal promotes religious equality for women and all previously disenfranchised Jews, and is open and welcoming towards those of other faith traditions.
Rabbi Ed spent 27 years as a trial lawyer in Tallahassee, Florida, specializing in defending death penalty cases, prior to deciding to attend Rabbinic school. He was largely a secular Jew during much of that time — although he spent 20 years on the Board of a Reform synagogue and 4 years as president — when he discovered “the great richness and wonder in Jewish tradition, texts and practices – so much that I decided to make it his full time endeavor.”
In addition to a law degree and Rabbinic ordination, Rabbi Ed holds a master’s degree in Religion and has completed the coursework (but still lacks a dissertation) for a Ph.D. in Religion of Western Antiquity, which includes early Judaism, early Christianity, and Greek & Roman religion, from Florida State University.
Rabbi Ed is married for 28 years to Beth, a calligrapher, book and graphic artist, a web designer, and a pianist. They have two children, Laura, in her final year of medical student at University of Florida School of Medicine and planning a residency in surgery, and Logan, a recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, and now attending Princeton University, where he is working towards his Ph.D in computer science.
Rabbi Ed brings much enthusiasm to Bozeman and, working with the Board, plans expansion of many of the programs of Congregation Beth Shalom. Services, led by Rabbi Ed, are designed to deepen and enrich the worship experience. He loves to teach in our adult education program and is supportive of the work of the social action committee. Rabbi Ed is particularly excited about working with interfaith families and with the larger interfaith community in Bozeman. He is also available for individual spiritual counseling, for visits for the ill, and of course, for all life cycle events.

Link to video from last Sunday's adult forum

Last Sunday, a group from adult forum gathered in the church office to watch a video on "Understanding Islam." The video was interrupted by the computer updating itself and by hick ups in the internet connection.

Here is the link to the video.
You can view it on You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NaHhdI5HpE

Cereal drive 2013

As of Tuesday, September 17th we have collected 54 boxes & bags of cereal for the Annual Fall Cereal Drive for the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. Our goal is 300 boxes & bags of cereal collected by October 31st. We are just over one sixth of reaching our goal.

Please consider purchasing extra cereal when you shop for groceries. During the recent recession the Gallatin Valley Food Bank has seen a dramatic increase of requests for food assistance. Those requests include many households with children.

Poverty and hunger are not always visible in Bozeman, especially with the economy on the rebound.
As the Book of Colossians reminds us "Put on Christ" and watch for opportunities to do acts of kindness and mercy in Jesus' name.

Seeing the Underside and Seeing God: Nadia Bolz-Weber with Krista Tippett at the Wild Goose Festival

Several CtK members have let me know they enjoyed hearing NPR's "On Being" this past week. The radio interview featured an ELCA pastor, the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, who is the founding pastor of a quirky congregation in Denver, House for All Sinners and Saints. Here's the whole, unedited interview, on video, from the Wild Goose Festival this past summer. Enjoy!
Seeing the Underside and Seeing God: Nadia Bolz-Weber with Krista Tippett at the Wild Goose Festival from On Being on Vimeo.

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.

Voices from the past

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”  John 8:32

I’ve been thinking about the 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington, which will happen on August 28^th.  I’ve been listening to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on YouTube and letting his words of freedom and justice sink into my bones.

I’ve been pondering how far we’ve come as a country since the dark days of 1963 when African Americans countered blatant racism and bigotry in many areas of America.

There has been some economic progress, though the levels achieved are vastly different when you poll Caucasians and African Americans.

I am afraid I do not have much exposure to the African American community, either growing up or as an adult. I do have some exposure to the Japanese American community, mainly in San Diego, CA where I grew up.

Japanese Americans were denied their civil rights during World War Two. My scout master, Bill Hata, was kept in an internment camp in Idaho as a boy during the war. I do not know if he harbored any resentment against the United States for locking him and his family up because the government feared attacks by persons of Japanese ancestry.

I do know that Bill Hata was a man of deep Christian faith who was an attentive and caring scout master to BSA Troop 258. I do know that he served his country faithfully as a civilian contractor for the United States Navy. I do know that he taught his scouts never to forget the lessons of history.

So on the 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington D.C., I will be in a pensive mood, thinking about how some of my fellow citizens of the United States were denied their civil rights. I will give thanks for lessons I have learned from people like Bill Hata about fear, retribution, justice, and peace making. I will pray to God and thank God for people who expose racism and bigotry. I will reflect on the fact that my country has not always treated its citizens fairly and justly, which in turn should cause me to turn to God for forgiveness and healing.

Blessing of the Backpacks

It's that time of year again: the first day of school is just around the corner!

Here at CtK we want to bless students (of all ages) and teachers as they head back to the classrooms. So, all students, teachers, professors, and everyone else headed back to school, are invited to bring their backpacks/school bags/brief cases to worship with them THIS SUNDAY, August 25th, at 10am for a blessing as the new school year begins.

ELCA's 25th Anniversary - God's Work Our Hands Sunday

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the ELCA. And there is going to be a day of celebration in service on Sunday, September 8th.
Across the country, members of ELCA congregations will roll up their sleeves and get to work serving in their communities. The same will happen here in Bozeman!
The details on all of the service sites/projects are still being worked out, but we're hoping to have opportunities for everyone who wants to serve, to make a difference in our world.
If you'd like to order a t-shirt for the day, please leave a comment here, or call the church office (406-587-4131) ASAP, as the order will be placed THIS FRIDAY, August 9th. There are youth and adult sizes available, and each shirt is $6.50.

Vacation Bible School 2013 - God's Backyard Bible Camp!

CtK's Vacation Bible School begins on Monday, July 29th and runs through August 2nd. This year we're trying something a little different, and VBS will be in the evening, from 5:45-7:45pm each night. Children age 4 years  - entering 5th grade this fall are invited to attend and have a great time! We'll sing, learn, play and have a great time serving!

Registration forms are available online at the CtK website: www.ctkbozeman.org Please fill out one per child and bring it with you on Monday evening.

Have questions? Contact the church office at 587-4131.

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!

Thanks for the HELP!

Ian and Courtney playing some Beatles: "Help."

Many thanks to the musicians, volunteers, and concert-goers who made the Help! Concert last Saturday night a success. Over $1000 was raised for CtK's Good Samaritan Fund, and an absolutely gorgeous evening on the lawn was enjoyed by all. There's even been talk suggesting that this was the "first annual" such concert. Not a bad idea!

There was a little cotton candy left over after the concert...

HELP! Concert on the Lawn

Courtney Yovich, Ian Anderson and some of their musical friends will be performing on the lawn at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Saturday, June 15th at 7 pm to benefit the congregation's Good Samaritan fund.

Bring your blankets, bring your lawn chairs, and your friends. Food and beverage will be available for purchase beginning at 6pm. A great family idea for Father’s Day!   

 Tickets are $10 per person or $20 per family and are available at the door (or lawn, actually)or at Christ the King and other Bozeman locations. Call CTK at 587-4131 for further information and ticket locations. 

This is gonna be FUN! And there's going to be cotton candy...

NEW Small Group

A NEW small group of CtK members and friends begins THIS FRIDAY MORNING, May 31st, at 7am, and YOU are invited to participate!
The group will gather at Clark's Fork restaurant, at Oak & 19th. The hope is it's early enough that working folks can grab some breakfast (or just coffee or whatever) and join in on the way to work. The group will meet every other Friday, so in the near future, plan to come 5/31, 6/14 and 6/28.
The first topic/book/series has yet to be decided - it'll be up for discussion this week. Plan to be there and throw in your $0.02.
Questions? Contact Pastor Lindean in the church office, 406-587-4131.

HELP Concert June 15th

Courtney Yovich, Ian Anderson and some of their musical friends will be performing on the lawn of Christ the King June 15th at 7 pm.

Courtney Yovich is an accomplished singer songwriter on her way to Nashville. Ian Anderson used to roam Montana with the Clintons.

This concert is entitled "HELP." Proceeds will help support the Good Samaritan Fund at Christ the King, which helps people seeking assistance in time of personal crisis.

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and friends. Food and beverage will be available for purchase beginning at 6 pm.

Tickets are $10 per person or $20 per family and are available on the day of the event or at Christ the King during regular business hours.

Help for Oklahoma Tornado Victims

It's tornado season. Again.
Lives have been shattered. Homes and neighborhoods devastated.
And we have many ways to help.
  - Prayer is the best first place to go - prayer for those who lost loved ones, who've lost homes, who don't know when, or if, they'll rebuild or move on. We can pray, too, for those who help, and who will help, with recovery efforts.
  - We can give. Right now cash is the best gift. Gifts-in-kind may be appropriate in the future, but for now transportation, storage and distribution of goods are all issues that take away from first responses.
  - Eventually, perhaps a group from CtK can go to Oklahoma, or another tornado/extreme weather stricken part of the country, to help rebuild.

From Lutheran Disaster Response:

May 21, 2013
  
U.S. Tornadoes

---

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Yesterday, a two-mile-wide tornado ripped through Moore, Okla., claiming many lives and leaving behind a devastating trail of destruction. Plaza Towers Elementary School stood right in the path of the storm's 166-200 mph winds.

Many Oklahoma residents already were recovering from storms even before Monday's tornado hit -- hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed this weekend as 28 tornadoes touched down throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Illinois and Iowa. As strong winds and warm fronts continue to move across the nation, the threat for future tornado outbreaks is looming.

Your help is needed to bring hope to our sisters and brothers in need. Lutheran Disaster Response affiliates are already on the ground, assessing the immediate and long-term needs of those affected by the tornadoes. We already know it will be a long road to recovery, and your gifts are needed now to begin coordinating volunteers, rebuilding homes and offering spiritual and emotional care to those in need.

Checks or money orders should be sent to:

Lutheran Disaster Response
39330 Treasury Center
Chicago, IL 60694-9300

Write "U.S. Tornadoes" on your check memo line.
-----------------------
Give by phone at 800-638-3522 or online.

Day of Pentecost

This Sunday we celebrate the Day of Pentecost - what many consider the "birthday" of the Christian Church. Many worshipers will wear red, or other colors of fire, calling to mind the "divided tongues, as of fire" that danced above the apostles' heads that day when they started telling the story of Jesus in a variety of languages (see Acts 2).
Additionally, this Sunday is the last day of "regular" Sunday School for this academic year, and we'll celebrate all that's been learned with a potluck BBQ and games after worship. Burgers, hot dogs and beverages will be provided. Participants are asked to bring something to share (last names beginning with A-E: salad or fruit; F-O: dessert; P-Z: chips). It's going to be fun!

Want to learn more about Pentecost? Check out this great video (from our Roman Catholic siblings in Christ at Busted Halo): 

Thanks!!

The Rummage Sale last weekend was a great success!
Many thanks to all the "stuff" donors, the crew that sorted and priced everything, the sale volunteers and especially the SHOPPERS!
Over $1500 was raised to support the Family & Youth Ministries of the congregation. Woot!

AND - we provided a great service to a handful of families in the valley. At 11:00am everything was half price, and at 11:30am everything was "by donation" - meaning that the stuff was free, but donations would gladly be accepted. There were a couple of families who needed a lot, but could give only a little. What a blessing to be able to bless them!

Thanks again!

Rummage Sale! Saturday, May 4th, 8am-Noon

The Family & Youth Ministry Team of CtK presents the 4th Annual Rummage Sale THIS SATURDAY, May 4th, from 8am-Noon.

I am a big fan of the Rummage Sale for several reasons:
1. It motivates me to do some sorting and culling of the extra "stuff" that tends to accumulate at our house.
2. It provides an excellent place to donate said "stuff" so I don't have to organize a garage sale of my own!
3. It's a great way to support a ministry I care about.
4. It encourages people to re-use things, instead of always buying new. Reduce, REUSE, Recycle - great ways to get maximum use of things and care for God's creation! Yay for good stewardship made easier!
5. It's a great way to welcome the community into the congregation's space and provide a useful service to them.
6. Even though I tend to think of the Rummage Sale as an opportunity to have less "stuff" at our house, sometimes there are great bargains to be found and are just what we need - like toddler clothes!

Donations are VERY gladly accepted (gift-in-kind receipts are available if you want one) and the youth and parents will be sorting and pricing each evening for the rest of the week.

Come and shop on Saturday morning!

A thousand thank yous!

Last Sunday during the "Blessed to be a Blessing" distribution of funds, Dawn Byrd made an appeal to join her in supporting and volunteering at the Bozeman Community Café. The café serves a hot meal every evening to residents of Gallatin County who are in need of food assistance. Christ the King serves dinner at the café on the first Sunday of the month. Our next host date is May 5, 2013.

Dawn informed me this morning that she received $900 from nine households of the congregation.
Dawn's contribution plus the $900 received adds up to $1000.

A thousand thank yous goes out to the ten households who decided to give their "Blessed to be a Blessing" 100 dollar bill to Bozeman Community Café.

Many of you who gave have volunteered at the café before. Half of you who gave are new volunteers.

Your gift of money plus volunteer hours will help Christ the King stand in partnership with the Gallatin Valley Food Bank in addressing hunger here in the Gallatin Valley.

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!

Easter's Coming

I posted this video a couple of years ago. It's worth watching again. Be sure to watch the whole thing! And, if you want to learn more about the creative process behind it, check out David Lose's blog post all about it, here. Our Easter Vigil is tonight at 7pm. Resurrection Day worship services at CtK are tomorrow at 8:30 & 11am. Easter brunch is 9:30-10:50am, and an Egg Hunt for pre-school through high-school age students is at 10:15am. Invite everyone you know to join you!

The Basin and the Towel

Maundy Thursday always makes me think of this song, by Michael Card. And I wonder what it was like for Jesus' disciples to watch the events of that night unfold, still damp between their toes.

Holy Week at CtK

It's Holy Week - the week many Christians spend way more time in worship and prayer than they do the rest of the year - as we hear again of Jesus' love and sacrifice for the whole human family, and indeed all of creation.
We began the week with Palm Sunday, a celebration of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and then heard the passion account in the Gospel according to Luke.
We backtrack a bit during the week, to look and reflect more closely on the events of Jesus' last days. Worship will be at 7pm each night for Maundy Thursday (3/28), Good Friday (3/29) and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday (3/30).
Have you ever wondered about Holy Week and what all those services are about? Here's a great video from Busted Halo that describes them all, and in only a couple of minutes. The explanations come from a Roman Catholic perspective, but are still quite helpful.
See you in worship!

The Poor Will Always Be With You, and Deuteronomy 15

While preaching last Sunday on the day's Gospel reading from John 12 (verses 1-8), I said I'd write a post about Jesus' response to Judas' complaint about Mary of Bethany's use of some REALLY expensive perfume to anoint Jesus' feet. This is it.

Jesus told Judas, and everyone else within earshot, "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me" (John 12:8).

What did he mean by that?

Many of the commentaries I read in preparation for preaching focused mostly on the first half of the sentence. Few spent much time discussing the fact that Jesus was only six days away from crucifixion here. Perhaps Jesus intended to draw attention to the fact that his death really was imminent. After all, he said that Mary "bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial." Here, on the day the lambs for sacrifice at Passover would have been selected, Mary's actions make it obvious that Jesus has been selected for sacrifice, as well. His days are numbered and tending to him is appropriate and right.

So, what about the poor? Does Jesus mean we're off that hook? In some times and places, some Christians have said, yes.

Carol Howard Merritt wrote at The Hardest Question last week about conversations and experiences she's had, in which people dismiss opportunities to help the poor, because "the poor will always be with us."

In my mind, he had twisted the words of Jesus to let me know that there was no use trying to work for the greater good of people, we might as well turn our back on the plight of the poor, because some people will just be victims of fateful poverty.

I heard the words when our church planned to spend millions of dollars to rearrange the furniture in the sanctuary. When people questioned spending so much money on cosmetic updates while so many homeless people needed to be fed in our neighborhood, I heard, “The poor will always be with us.”

In our country, as the middle class dwindles and the rich hoard more in their off-shore accounts than the GDP of many countries, I hate these words. And so the hardest question for me becomes, how do we preach the love of Christ, who fed and healed people, in the light of Jesus saying, “The poor will always be with us?”

(You can read her whole post here).

Yet Jesus didn't speak these words, nor did John record them, in a vacuum. If you flip to the Old Testament, you find that Jesus wasn't the first to say this. Deuteronomy 15:11: "...there will never cease to be some in need on the earth..." Ah. Right.

But wait a second, back up a bit more and read those words in context. Deuteronomy 15 is all about releasing the poor from debts. God's people were not to create a permanent underclass with borrowing that never saw an end or way out. Deut 15:1: "Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts." Radical? Yes.

Go grab your Bible and turn to Deuteronomy 15. Verses 4 and 5 say, "There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the LORD is sure to bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, if only you will obey the LORD your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today."  It seems like that could be true, if everyone's debts are forgiven every 7 years.

But then check out verse 7: "If there is among you anyone in need..."

And then verse 11: "Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.'"

That's a big move in just a few verses, from no one in need to no end of people in need. The command, though, is clear: be generous.

Mary was generous to Jesus. Jesus has been generous to us. Now we can be generous to all those in need.

What do YOU think? Comments welcome!

It's our turn to serve

On Sunday, March 3rd Christ the King is scheduled to serve dinner at the Bozeman Community Café from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We need seven caring adults (over the age of 18) who can greet hungry people, make them feel welcomed, serve them a hot meal, and bless them with Christian hospitality.
If you are interested in serving, please contact Pastor Grant at 406.451.4249.

The power of song

Gather Us In                ELW 532



Here in this place, new light is streaming

now is the darkness vanished away.

See, in this space, our fears and our dreamings,

brought here to you in the light of this day.

Gather us in - the lost and forsaken,

gather us in - the blind and the lame.

Call to us now, and we shall awaken,

we shall arise at the sound of our name
Twenty years ago, I served United Lutheran Church in Eugene, OR as their tenth intern.
The first verse of the hymn “Gather Us In” will always be a part of my memory of internship because of the line “Gather us in, the lost and forsaken, gather us in, the blind and the lame” During the singing of the hymn, members of United Lutheran marched into the worship space, including a man who was blind and a woman who was lame.

It dawned on me as I sang the hymn, here is a vision of God’s kingdom here on earth today, fulfilled in my midst.

Tears rolled down my cheek as I sought to compose myself for the beginning of the worship service, struck by the emotion of the moment. “How in the world did a church hymn strike deep into my heart and give me a vision of God’s kingdom?”
“Here in this place, new light is streaming

Now is the darkness vanished away

See in this space, our fears and our dreamings

Brought here to you in the light of this day.”
May the music we sing and play during worship bring us each a glimpse of God’s kingdom breaking in among us.

Hungry people don't care about a football game in February

On Sunday, January 6th a group of six volunteers from Christ the King served dinner to forty-five people at Bozeman Community Café, a cooperative hunger program run by Gallatin Valley Food Bank and area churches.
The café is located in the old Frontier Pies Restaurant at 302 North 7th in Bozeman. Customers are greeted at the door by a host. Once seated they are greeted by a server, who takes their beverage order and informs them of the meal choices available that evening. Once the order was taken by the server, the “scoopers” promptly plated the meal requested. The six volunteers, after all the customers were served, cleaned the restaurant in preparation for service the following day.
One of our strongest social outreach ministries is hunger relief. As a congregation we actively support the food bank and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal through a monthly offering. We also collect canned soup and boxed cereal for the food bank throughout the year.

Helping to staff Community Café as it serves hungry residents of Gallatin County is a natural fit to what we already do.


Christ the King is scheduled to serve at Bozeman Community Café on Sunday, February 3rd from 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. We already have three caring adult volunteers. We need four more people to help serve. If you are interested in volunteering, please see Pastor Grant

What is Baptism?

Here's a great post from Dave Lose, who teaches preaching at Luther Seminary:

Do you remember anything about your baptism?


If you’re like me – that is, if you were baptized as a baby – the answer is probably “no.”

A second question: do you remember any stories about your baptism that your parents or others present have told you over the years. The two details of the day that I was told about were 1) that my baptism fell on Palm Sunday (1965 – yikes!) and 2) that my grandfather, a Lutheran pastor and missionary, performed the baptism.

I ask and tell all of this in response to one of the keen and vexing contradictions of our present life together in the church, a contradiction made up of two equally true elements. First truth: We confess that baptism is the pivotal event in the life of a Christian. Second truth: Most of us have no memory of our baptism, no clear idea of what it means or why it’s important, and no active sense of how it might shape our daily lives. In fact, I’d be willing to go so far as to say that most of us almost never think about baptism with the exception, perhaps, of when we see a baptism at church or one of our family members or close friends is having a child baptized.

So where do we go from here?  read more...

A Great Class in a Great Place

The Northern Rockies Institute of Theology, a ministry of the Montana Synod of the ELCA, offers a Midwinter Theological Conference each year, at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, near Glacier Park. This year, the title of the conference, to be held February 4th-6th, is "Being Lutheran in a Multi-Faith World," taught by Dr. Michael Trice. Here's a synopsis:

As Lutherans, we live in a country and world filled with a plurality of religions and perspectives. Conflicting voices contend for their place in church life and in the public square. What does it mean to be Lutheran in the midst of the challenges and opportunities within this changing landscape? In the whirlwind of pluralism and change, what does it mean to be a Lutheran, a Christian, a citizen and even a human being in our current age? Join us for presentations, and conversation. The retreat also includes time for worship, recreation and relaxation.


The registration deadline is January 7th. Check out the NRIT website for more information. And let us know if you plan to go!