Hearts On Fire - Christ the King Sunday

This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, also called Reign of Christ Sunday. It's the last Sunday in the liturgical year, and we celebrate that Jesus is Lord. Of everything - all time, all places. Here at CtK, since the name of our congregation is "Christ the King," it also serves as a time to remember and celebrate the ministry done with, among, and by us who gather here.

This year, Christ the King Sunday is "Giving Plan Sunday," or "Commitment Sunday" here at CtK. A lot of us have learned over the years that having a plan for the stewardship of our lives is helpful - time, energy, attention, financial resources, the planet. It's all connected.

The end of 2014 means the end of CtK's last capital campaign, Rooted in Faith, Growing in Giving. Over the past three years, the congregation has paid off a huge chunk of the mortgage debt, done some helpful projects around CtK, and given away over $16,000 to a host of other ministries and organizations doing God's work in the world. What a blessing.

Now, we embark on another three-year giving campaign, Hearts On Fire. The goal is to grow in faith through faithful, generous giving, and to pay off the congregation's mortgage completely by the end of 2017. It's do-able. And it will mean even more resources available for ministry with, by and among us. God has set our hearts on fire with faith, hope and love. And now we get to share them.

The Hearts On Fire task force has been sharing personal stories, hopes and perspectives.
This video does a remarkable job of tying it all together.
Enjoy!

Words from the Bishop: End of Life Decisions

Each week, the Bishop of the Montana Synod, the Rev. Jessica Crist, writes an article for the Synod newsletter. Here it is for this week:

 

 

Words from the Bishop:  End of Life Decisions

 

As people in the United States are living longer, there are more and more discussions on quality of life issues. Many of those discussions focus on end of life issues. Patients' rights issues mingle with death with dignity issues. Nobody wants to suffer a prolonged, painful death. And the conversation moves eventually to the right to die. Some states, like Oregon, have incorporated it into their legal system, and have physician-assisted suicide as a legal option.

Montana is a legal no-man's land in this issue. The Supreme Court determined that there is no law prohibiting physician-assisted suicide. But neither is there a law that allows it. In past legislative sessions Montana has seen bills introduced both to allow and to prohibit physician-assisted suicide. Both have failed. But the issue is not likely to go away.

Society has changed a lot in the last several decades. Medical advances enable people to live much longer with debilitating conditions. And at the same time there is a movement to allow people more agency in their own health-care decisions. Every time I drop by the hospital lab across the street I am asked if I have a living will.

Families are not always in agreement with each other on end of life issues. The tragic situation of Terry Schiavo a decade ago brought to the public eye the tragedy than ensues when family members are at odds with each other about the best course of action (or inaction.)

So what can we say as Christians? The ELCA has a social message on "End-of- Life Decisions," adopted in 1992. It affirms 6 basic principles:

            +Life is a gift from God, to be received with thanksgiving.

            +The integrity of the life processes which God has created should be respected: both birth and death are part of these life processes.

            +Both living and dying should occur within a caring community.

            +A Christian perspective mandates respect for each person. Such respect included giving due recognition to each person's carefully considered preferences regarding treatment choices.

            +Truthfulness and faithfulness in our relations with others are essential to the texture of human life.

            +Hope and meaning in life are possible even in times of suffering and adversity, a truth powerfully proclaimed in the resurrection faith of the church.

The statement explores artificially-administered nutrition and hydration, and the refusal of beneficial treatment. And it addresses physician-assisted death. It states:

"As a church we affirm that deliberately destroying life created in the image of God is contrary to our Christian conscience. While this affirmation is clear, we also recognize that responsible health care professionals struggle to choose the lesser evil in ambiguous borderline situations-for example, when pain becomes so unmanageable that life is indistinguishable from torture."

"We oppose the legalization of physician-assisted death, which would allow the private killing of one person by another. Public control and regulation of such actions would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. The potential for abuse, especially of people who are most vulnerable, would be substantially increased."

The entire statement is five pages, and you may find it helpful to read. You can find it at www.elca.org. I commend it to you as part of your moral discernment for the legislative issues that face Montana and Wyoming in the coming months.

In Christ,

Jessica Crist, Bishop

PB&A - THANKS!

THANK YOU!
Many thanks to all involved for making CtK's Second Annual Potato Bar & Auction a huge success. $7757 was raised in support of CtK's Family & Youth Ministry!

Special thanks to those donated items to the auction, to those who purchased them, to potato bakers and food providers, and everyone who came out to enjoy one another and have a good time! Monies raised will help send six CtK high school youth and two adults to the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit, AND send CtK middle school youth to Christikon next summer.

The youth of CtK decided to tithe 10% of their PB&A receipts to the Freedom in Christ Prison Ministry in Deer Lodge. Freedom in Christ is in need of financial AND prayer support, and the youth are glad to help make a difference in the lives of prisoners and their families.

Surprised by Hope

Every-other Friday morning, a CtK small group meets at Clark's Fork restaurant at 7:00am. Some folks just drink coffee or tea, some eat a big breakfast. All are part of lively conversation, stimulated by the chapters read for the morning's discussion.
This Friday, November 7th, the group will discuss the last chapters of Take This Bread, by Sara Miles. It's been great food for thought. (pun!)
Beginning Friday, November 21st, the group will discuss the first two chapters of Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N.T. Wright. Wright, an Anglican bishop and professor, tackles the question of what happens when we die, and how most Christians get it wrong. This book is more "academic" than the group's previous selections, heavier on early church history and biblical theology, but it is a fascinating read and will inspire great conversations. You are invited to join in! Pick up a copy at your favorite bookseller, bid on the "Friday Morning Small Group Basket" at the PB&A this Sunday, or get a copy here at Amazon:

All are welcome to join the conversation!