Concert Tonight

A FREE concert will be held at CtK tonight, 7:00pm, with music from several young musicians. A free will offering will be received in support of CtK Youth Ministries.
It promises to be a great time!

Pray, Play, Partner - Sabbatical 2016 - Finances

It's T minus 3 weeks until our last day in the office before our Sabbatical begins. Our last Sunday of worship at CtK will be May 29th, as the first weekend of June we'll be with CtK's Synod Assembly voting members, John and Tina Sheppard, at the Synod Assembly in Billings. Our Sabbatical officially begins on Monday, June 6th.

If you have any questions about the Sabbatical, or what it will entail for us as pastors, or for the congregation, please don't be shy about asking. Any member of the Sabbatical Team (Dawn Byrd, Joby Dynneson, Kristin Harney, Mark Ramseth, Mariann Witthar), Pastor Grant, and I, would be very glad to answer them!

One thing that's come up in recent conversations, is a desire for better understanding of the funding for the Sabbatical, and how it will affect CtK. The financial implications of the 2016 Sabbatical for the congregation are fairly straightforward:
- Pastors Grant and Lindean continue to receive regular salary and benefits, per CtK's  Sabbatical Policy.
- The congregation will offer the standard Montana Synod “pulpit supply” honorarium of  $100/Sunday to guest pastors/preachers. The sabbatical is 13 weeks long (June 6-September 6), so an additional $1300 was added to the 2016 spending plan, and approved at the Annual Meeting of the congregation.
- The congregation included $1500 for continuing education for pastors in the 2016 Spending Plan,  (an annual part of our compensation) which can be used to cover sabbatical expenses.

All the rest of the funds necessary to cover sabbatical activities (tuition, room/board, transportation, books) must either be raised - hence the We Raise campaign - or supplied by the pastors.

Sabbatical Costs

Grant – Center for Loss and Life Transition (Week 1): $775 Tuition,  $700 Room/Board, ?? for Transportation; The Daring Way: $250 Tuition, ?? Room/Board, ?? Transportation; Center for Loss and Life Transition (Week 2): $775 Tuition, $700 Room/Board, ?? for Transportation

Lindean – "Mini MBA for Pastors:" $1600 Tuition/Room, $200 Meals, $550 Transportation; Grunewald Guild: $885 Tuition/Room/Board, ?? Transportation; Monastery of St. Gertrude: $450 Retreat Fee/Room & Board, $150 Spiritual Direction, ?? Transportation

Lindean & Grant: Gottman Institute - The Art & Science of Love: $750 Tuition, $750 Room/Board

Total of Known Costs for Pastors: $8535 (which doesn’t include several variable costs, like driving/transportation - all the ??s, above)

Costs for CtK: The biggest "Sabbatical Project" will be the construction of a prayer labyrinth on CtK's grounds. Costs have not been precisely determined yet, but early estimates are in the $1500-$2500 range. This money may be raised through the We Raise crowdfunding site (if we get to the second "stretch goal") or will be raised by the congregation separately. The rest of CtK's summer ministries and projects will be funded through the general offering received, according to the Spending Plan adopted at the Annual Meeting, with oversight of the Church Council.

Again, if you've got questions, please ask them!

And, if you're inclined to support Pray, Play, Partner, with a financial contribution, thanks very much! Either way, Pastor Grant and I covet your prayers, for us, for our family, for CtK, and for all the opportunities God gives us to grow in faith, as we worship, learn, and serve.

Peace!
Pastor Lindean

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 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

Guest Post: The Blessing of Grief Support Group

What follows is a reflection by CtK member Heidi Madson, about her need for and participation in CtK's Grief Support Group. The next 10-week group will begin meeting on Tuesday, February 16th. To sign up for the group, or for more information, please contact Pastor Grant in the CtK church office, at 587-4131.

In mid November of 2011, my Mum was rushed to hospital complaining of stomach pains. She was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, and died six weeks later on December 19, 2011.

The following April in 2012, my Mother-in-law Barb fell, and broke her femur. The next day, Barb was diagnosed with cancer that had spread throughout her body.  After a 15 week battle, Barb died on August 22, 2012.

Three weeks later, On September 25, 2012, four days before Barb's memorial service, I got a phone call from England informing me my Dad had just passed away. Craig and I attended Barb's memorial service, then flew straight to England to plan the third funeral in less than nine months for our beloved family members.

Since then, we have lost another close relative of mine in Canada, and experienced a suicide in a property of ours.  Just when we thought we could come up for air, on the 13th of May of 2013, I suffered from a hemorrhagic stroke on the right side of my brain and was airlifted to Billings.

As you can now see, over that three and a half years I experienced many aspects of death, and grief, including the feeling like I had lost part of myself to my stroke.

When I found out about a grief support group being offered by Pastor Grant, you would have thought I would jump at the opportunity. At first I didn't. I was scared. Scared of having to relive all the pain and heartache. BUT I also knew in my heart that I desperately needed help. And I needed a support group and guidance to do that.

 I was right!!!!

To say that I am glad I joined the grief support group is probably the understatement of the year. I had NO idea how desperately I needed it until I got there.

Over the next nine weeks, under the gentle and kind guidance of Pastor Grant, and with the unconditional support of others there, I was able to understand and comprehend the journey and steps of grief and grieving, a lesson that I didn't even know I needed.

Through this journey, I came to understand that I had placed some areas of my grief on hold in order to cope with the overwhelming events, including more loss of other family members. I also discovered that I was indeed grieving for the person I used to be before my stroke. Grieving for the things I could do before, things that I struggle to do now.

God made us all different. And how we grieve individually is also different. The journey of grief is a very individual and unique experience for everyone, but by going to this support group, I had the opportunity to be able to get the help and support I so desperately needed in a safe and loving place, surrounded by people who understood and were there to support me. I have also made close friends!

I now get up every morning, and although I miss my loved ones terribly, the pain is less sharp and I am better able to honour their memory by remembering the good times, and not focusing on the sad ones.

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!

Day of Service

Tomorrow, September 13th, is God's work. Our hands. Day of Service. Everyone who worships with CtK tomorrow morning (worship is at 10:00am and will include an opportunity to hear from the youth who went to Detroit for the ELCA Youth Gathering this summer) will be invited to stick around to help assemble school kits for Lutheran World Relief or decorate cookies and assemble boxes of treats for those who protect and serve our community (first responders, hospital employees, etc.). We'll need a few folks to make deliveries of treats, too.
Would you rather spend some time serving outside? There will be a group heading to God's Garden to pick green beans. Wear your sunscreen and take a water bottle!

What a privilege it is to serve in God's world!

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.

TRUNK OR TREAT 2014 - Oct. 26th, 4:30-6:00pm

THIS SUNDAY, October 26th, is CtK's annual TRUNK OR TREAT!!
This fall festival is a great opportunity to get to know each other, and get to know the folks who live in our neighborhood!
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!
Members and friends of CtK are needed to park their cars in "Treat Alley" (the CtK parking lot) and hand out treats as kids "trick or treat." Dressing up in costume and decorating your car are encouraged, but not required. :)
Folks are also needed to help run carnival games on the lawn (weather permitting) and in the social hall. There will be a beanbag toss, "Pin the hat on the witch," possibly outdoor twister, and more.

Sign up in the social hall, or just show up!
Set up will begin at 4:00pm. The event runs 4:30-6:00pm. It takes folks of ALL AGES to make this a success!

Bozeman HAY MAZE - Fundraiser Night for Love, INC

TONIGHT, October 8th, the CtK youth group will be heading to the Bozeman Hay Maze. (The 6th-12th graders will still meet for dinner at 6:30pm, then head out to the Maze. They'll return to CtK at 8:30pm, which is a half hour later than usual).
EVERYONE is invited to join the fun - tonight is a fundraiser for Love, INC, a cooperative ministry of a whole bunch of churches in the Gallatin Valley (CtK is a partner church in Love, INC). The Maze will be open from 5:00-8:30pm. Tickets are $8/person. Bring your flashlight and a jacket. See you there!

Adult Forum Guest Speakers This Week

This Sunday, we welcome two guest speakers to our Adult Forum. Erica Coyle is the co-director of HAVEN here in Bozeman. Anna Saverud prosecutes Domestic Violence cases in Bozeman. Both will help us understand the issues surrounding Domestic Violence generally, and specifically here where we live. Hopefully, we'll also learn how to talk well about relationships, and learn how we can work for healthy relationships in every arena of our lives. Last Sunday, I sent slips of paper home with adult forum participants with a link to this TED Talk by Leslie Morgan Steiner, as "homework" for this Sunday. It is compelling. Take a few minutes and watch.



If you're interested in what the ELCA is doing in the area of Domestic Violence, read this Draft Social Message, Gender-based Violence. This social message is still in draft form, and the writing team is accepting feedback through late-November. A handful of printed copies will be available at Adult Forum Sunday morning.

Domestic and Gender-based violence are not easy topics to discuss, but they are important. Statistics indicate that it's likely all of us know a victim. And a perpetrator. There are children and young adults in our community that need to learn what healthy relationships look like, and how to respond to friends experiencing violence in their homes. It is my hope that this conversation will help us continue to become a safe community for all.

Words from the Bishop

Each week, the pastors of the Montana Synod of the ELCA get an email of news updates from our Synod Office. This week's email included an article from our Bishop, Jessica Crist. It explains a bit how we, as Lutherans, think about our life together in the world - especially in campaign season:

Words from the Bishop-Lutherans and Public Policy-New for September 17

It has been said that the 2 topics you shouldn't bring up in polite company are politics and religion. (I don't agree.) So what happens if you mix the 2, and bring them both up? Toxic or redemptive? It all depends, doesn't it?

 

It is September, and the political signs are cropping up on lawns, and the billboards, TV ads and robo-calls are multiplying like spotted knapweed. Some of the messages out there are a sincere attempt to state a position or point of view. Some seem simply to be aimed at instilling fear and tearing down opponents.

 

How do Lutherans respond to politics? Martin Luther talked about "the two kingdoms," as a way to describe it. The "kingdom on the right" is God's realm, and the "kingdom on the left" is the earthly realm. Luther never suggested that Christians get to function only in the kingdom on the right. Only cloistered monks could claim that lifestyle. We live and function in the world, the world that God created, and the world that God so loved.

 As Lutherans, we take seriously our call to live out our baptismal promises in love for God and love for neighbor. And living out love for neighbor sometimes involves taking a stand for justice. The ELCA has social statements voted on by Churchwide Assemblies, and social messages voted on by the Church Council. ELCA advocacy staff work in Washington, at the United Nations and in state capitals on issues that we have agreed upon as a church.

Is it possible for Lutherans to disagree? Absolutely. While we do our best as a church to discern through prayer and study and research what the most appropriate positions and actions are to a broad issue, we never claim that ours is the only way. Learning to disagree graciously and still be part of the same church is a gift that Christians can share with the larger community.

 

We do not endorse candidates. We may support positions and issues, but we do not support candidates. That would, among other things jeopardize our tax-exempt status.

God has called us to live in the world, and to care for our neighbors. There are many issues in our legislatures, and in our national government that affect the lives of our neighbors. Christians of good will may differ in their responses to the world's challenges. But let us do it with civility, treating those who disagree with us as the children of God that they are. Every legislative session in Montana we have Lutherans on both sides of the aisle. That is good.

Jessica Crist, Bishop

Concert: Shine

Please join us and invite others for this free, transforming concert event, Heavenly Harp in Concert: "Shine" - tomorrow evening (June 19th) at 7:00pm, here at Christ the King Lutheran Church.
Featuring two harps, beautiful vocal harmonies and inspiring stories, Karin and Joy Gunderson will present light classical, popular and Christian music you know and love.
Preview Heavenly Harp music at www.ChristianHarpMusic.com - enjoy the music!

Family Promise coming to CtK in Nine Days!

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

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

Annual Meeting of the Congregation THIS Sunday

Sometimes I wonder what percentage of this blog's readers are members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bozeman, Montana. It's hard to know.

If YOU are a member of the congregation, or a regular visitor and participant in the worship life of the community, please plan to attend the Annual Meeting of the Congregation, this Sunday, January 26th. After worship, a light lunch will be served instead of the usual coffee hour fare. At 12:00pm, folks will return to the sanctuary to review the ministry of the congregation over the past year, to pray, to dream, to hear from the elected leaders of the community - and to elect new leaders and representatives/ambassadors, to approve a spending plan to fund our ministry in the year ahead.

Your participation is needed. There is no "Them" in the life of the church. We are all in this together. TOGETHER we are the body of Christ, and your voice, gifts, faith and participation ARE the church. Part of a life of discipleship is joining with brothers and sisters in faith to be and do the work of community.

Please pray for God's Spirit to guide the congregation in conversation and discernment as we move forward in faith together.

PS - There will be a second gathering to discuss the spending plan, prior to the meeting, on Sunday during the Education Hour - anyone interested is encouraged to attend, in the social hall beginning at 9:00am.

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.

 

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.

A new way to address hunger

On Sunday, May 6th a group of volunteers from Christ the King served dinner to sixty-one 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 on 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. On Sunday, May 6th you could choose from beef stew, chicken pasta primavera, and hot dog with baked beans. Once the order was taken by the server, the “scoopers” promptly plated the meal requested. As one customer said, “Hey, this is faster than fast food!” Christ the King has been active in collecting canned and non perishable food items for the food bank. Every first Sunday of the month we collect a special offering to benefit the ELCA World Hunger Appeal and the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. Community Cafe is a new opportunity to help us address hunger here in the Gallatin Valley. It puts a face on hunger. I invite you to visit the Community Cafe any evening of the week from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. to experience the ministry that is happening in our midst. Hungery people are being fed. Caring Christians and members of the community are responding to the overwhelming need in our area with gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Christ the King is scheduled to serve at Bozeman Community Café on Sunday, June 3rd from 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering, please see Pastor Grant

Your offering at work

Earlier this week we learned in the church office of a young person who out of the kindness of her heart, took in an elderly person who had no immediate family.

The elderly friend has now become ill and is in need of life saving surgery.
The kind young person wants to accompany her friend to the city where the surgery will take place.

Using resources here in Bozeman and elsewhere in the state of Montana, we were able to secure lodging for the kind young person, so she could support her new elderly friend as this person prepares to undergo surgery.

None of this could have happened without your generous weekly offerings.
A portion of the monthly offering (less than one percent) is set aside in our “Good Samaritan Fund.”

Members and friends of Christ the King have benefitted from this fund to help people in need. And total strangers, too! Bags of groceries, tanks of gas, a month’s rent, a late electric bill, and emergency shelter have all been made available through the Good Samaritan Fund.

A colleague who helped coordinate the assistance said, “Last week both these persons were feeling like their faith was being tested. Your assistance will help to remind them that there are caring people in Montana who are willing to lend a hand, and to help restore someone’s shattered faith.”

This is your Christ the King offering at work, bearing witness to the hope we have in Christ Jesus.

When there is no "them" in the church

I may write more later about the sermon I preached on Sunday (the text was 1 Corinthians 12:12-31), the idea of Us and Them in communities of faith, or as it more frequently plays out, unforutunately: Us vs. Them, continues to picque my interest. Of course I'm as skilled as the next sinner when it comes to dividing people into tidy little categories that make it easy for me to think about "them" or "deal with" "them" in a way that makes me feel right (or right-er), and good (or better than "them," at least). I suppose that's part of the human condition. But still, when our attitudes of superiority and division get in the way of what God is doing in the world through us, or maybe even in spite of us, those attitudes and patterns of thinking need to be examined.

Here's a link to a great blog post from Duke Divinity School about including children in worship. After all, ... the theological default is to have all of God’s people in worship – including, especially, the most vulnerable. (Thanks to Mary Hess at tensegrities for the link).

Thoughts??