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!

Middle School Service Plunge 2015

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

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

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!

Service Plunge & Family Art Night photos

Those gathered at CtK this past Sunday had a great time, kicking off another year of learning in Sunday School, blessing backpacks, and enjoying this video of photos from the Middle School Service Plunge and Family Art Nights this summer. Enjoy!

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.

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.

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!!

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!

6th Annual Chili Cook-Off and 3rd Annual Wii Bowling Tournament THIS Saturday

Invite your friends and family for this great annual event! There will be mac&cheese for the non-chili-eaters, and TONS OF FUN for everyone!

Sledding Fun 4 Everyone!

The third annual sledding party is THIS weekend, Saturday, January 21st, beginning at 4:30pm, and with the arrival of winter, promises to be a good time for EVERYONE (this is a fabulous intergenerational event!)! Just meet at the 100 Acre Park (the big hill near the Dinosaur Park).
Bring your sled, saucer or inner tube, wear lots of warm gear, and bring snacks to share, too, if  you want. Some snacks, hot cocoa and water will be provided.
Parents: Please plan to stick around and sled with/supervise your kids!
Questions? Contact the church office: 587-4131.

Thursday Thought

From Leadership Weekly's email from 11/15/11, written by Marshall Shelley:

What causes some young people to walk away from the faith after they graduate from high school? And, more important, what causes other young people to hang on to their faith during those post-high-school years?

A few years ago, I heard a Christian sociologist offer his assessment: "The most important factor is not whether the young person 'prayed to receive Christ' or was involved in a youth group or even went on a missions trip. The key factor seems to be how many meaningful relationships the young person has with Christian adults who are not his or her parents."

What do you think? Adults: how did caring Christian adults, what Vibrant Faith Ministries would call AAA Christians (available, affirming, authentic) help you keep the faith during your young adult years? For whom are you serving in that capacity now? If you need help - let me know!
Youth: how many caring Christian adults do you know at CtK? What would make it easier to facilitate those relationships?

Blessing of the Backpacks this Sunday, 9am

The Belgrade School District began classes for the 2011-2012 school year today. Bozeman Schools and MSU launch the fall term on Monday. Are you ready? I, for one, am not feeling particularly ready for summer to be over. That said, the fall is always an exciting time to begin new learning challenges, catch up with folks who traveled a lot over the summer, and recognize with awe and amazement how quickly some of those students are growing!
This Sunday, August 28th, during worship at 9am, backpacks and school bags - and most importantly students, teachers, and other school-types - will be blessed. So, if you're heading back to the classroom, bring your own school bag with you to worship for the blessing!

Middle School Service Plunge 2011

There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

There are varieties of services, but the same Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:4-5

There are some wonderful middle school students here in the Gallatin Valley. A crew of kids from Christ the King, Hope Lutheran and First Presbyterian Churches is gathering every day this week to serve, worship, learn, play and create - and it's wonderful!
So far, groups have worked at Family Promise of Gallatin Valley, the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, doing all kinds of work, from weeding, cleaning, organizing and sorting, to packing food, playing with children, raking and shovelling gravel, and loading and unloading a moving truck. These are hard working youth!

Each day the group also has time for worship, Bible study, big group games, crafts/activities and more. Yesterday, they even had the opportunity to walk a labyrinth (our theme for the day was hospitality, and the Bible story was the road to Emmaus).

There's still more to come this week - please keep this group in your prayers!

For more pictures, check out the Service Plunge Slide show on the CtK website, or the Christ the King Lutheran Church facebook page!

July Outdoor Adventure

We will meet for Outdoor Adventures on Saturday, July 9th, in the CtK parking lot at 9am.
This will be a short, scenic hike, ideal for children. We plan to walk 1.5 miles around a beautiful forested lake, just 25 miles driving distance from Bozeman. We plan to return to Bozeman at 12noon, approximately.
Those interested can climb to Garnet Mountain Lookout or Storm Castle Peak, returning to CtK at approximately 6pm.
For more information, call Jerry and/or LaVonne Nilesen, 587-8643, and to make travel arrangements.

Great American Backyard Camp Out!

If the weather holds, CtK will be participating in the Great American Backyard Camp Out tomorrow night, Saturday, June 25th. Folks will start to gather on the congregation's lawn at 5pm, pitch tents, grill dinner and make s'mores! (Please bring your own camping gear and food). Then they'll spend the night under the stars and get up in time for OUTDOOR WORSHIP on Sunday morning.
Even if you aren't planning on spending the night, consider bringing a camp chair or picnic blanket to sit on during worship on Sunday morning (not to mention sunblock or a hat!).
Let's enjoy God's beautiful creation together!

New Vision this weekend

CtK is fortunate to host New Vision, an international Youth Encounter team, this weekend. These five young adults will lead worship (with an international beat) and share their faith with us. It's going to be great!

New Vision spent several months ministering to children and youth in western Australia, and this summer will be traveling in the US to lead worship, Vacation Bible Schools, and share the good news of Jesus with all kinds of folks! You can learn more about their time in Australia in their newsletter.
Invite your friends and neighbors to join you in worship this Sunday at 9am! And, if you can serve as a host family overnight on Saturday night, let me know ASAP. As of this writing, we still need a place for two of the guys to sleep on Saturday night! Thanks!

Lutheran College Fair (and application fee waivers!)

Here's a great event to encourage youth and their families to attend this weekend. The schedule:

2pm = Registration; 2:15pm = Financial Aid Seminar; 2:45-4:00pm = College Fair (Reception & Hors d'Ouvres).

All families attending will receive FOUR APPLICATION FEE WAIVERS (up to a $60 value each), applicable for any Lutheran College/University listed on the fee waiver.

Yes, it's BHS's prom, but if you're a high school student or parent, this event is for YOU!

Lutheran Educational Conference of North America

Lutheran College Fair

Saturday May 8, 2-4 p.m.

Hope Lutheran Church

2152 W Graf St, Bozeman, MT

What student age group benefits from attending a Lutheran College Fair?
The college search process has changed dramatically over the last decade. Families are beginning to plan much earlier in an effort to find the best “fit” for their child. Visiting college campuses can be an expensive proposition if you wait until your high school years to begin familiarizing yourselves with the wide variety of college experiences available. Family vacations now often include stops on college campuses.

If your child is in elementary school, it would benefit parents to participate in the financial aid seminar held in conjunction with the Lutheran College Fair. This seminar is applicable to all families, regardless of the choice of college/university. The financial aid process is much more easily navigated if you get an early start on understanding the process, the system, and how to maximize your opportunity to receive financial aid (scholarships, grants, work-study, loans).

If your child is in middle school, he/she can greatly benefit from discussions with admissions representatives about high school course selection. Parents can benefit from the financial aid seminar and discussions with admissions representatives pertaining to high school course selection. There are specific requirements in the high school curriculum necessary for preparation for college. Attending a Lutheran college fair can be a fabulous motivator for a middle school student. You will have an opportunity to get on the mailing lists for those colleges/universities in which you are interested.

If your child is in high school, the college search process is usually in full swing, so students of all high school grades can greatly benefit from conversations with admissions representatives regarding their potential major, athletic participation, fine arts opportunities, summer plans, and how to go about applying for scholarships. Students and parents should seriously plan several college visits beginning as early as the freshman year in high school. A college fair offers a unique opportunity to begin to establish relationships with counselors at Lutheran colleges/universities nationwide.

Check out more information about Lutheran colleges and universities at http://www.lutherancolleges.org/

Concert This Weekend!

The Faith 5

This post, from the picture on down, comes from http://www.faithink.com/inkubators/faith5.asp
As I prepare for the Family & Youth Ministry Team meeting tonight, I'm hoping we can spend some time moving beyond the usual agenda of events and fundraising, as good and important as they are, and have a conversation about encouraging faith conversations at home. FAITH - Faith Acts In The Home. Not bad, huh?



The FAITH 5 (Faith Acts In The Home)

Care to have some fun, keep your family communicating every night, and grow in your understanding of yourself and God? Try this simple five-step process for the next six weeks and see if it doesn’t help!
Here’s how you do it: Whoever is going to bed first in your home calls “FAITH 5” or “Huddle Up!” Everyone must drop what they’re doing, turn off the television, put down the newspaper or their homework, set the cell phone on silence and gather in a room of the convener’s choice.

Then take turns going through these five simple steps:
1. SHARE highs & lows of the day
2. READ and highlight a verse of Scripture in your Bible
3. TALK about how the verse relates to your highs & lows
4. PRAY for your highs & lows, for your family, and for the world
5. BLESS one another

You want a great relationship with your kids? You want openness, honesty, caring and sharing in your family? You want to raise a child to be a strong, thoughtful, empathetic, positive, healthy adult out in the world some day? You can’t buy that. You have to invest in it. And the investment is the most expensive currency you own – your TIME – aimed at that most precious young person in your life.
Kids spell love TIME. Be intentional. Be consistent. Be caring. Be the parent. Every night. Every home.
No one else can do that for you.

Four Questions

1. For Parents of Young Children: What would it be worth to you to have a teenager some day who won’t go to sleep without talking to you about their day? Praying with you? Blessing you? Would it be worth five minutes? Tonight? Every night?

2. For Parents of Pre-Teens: What would happen to your family over time if you were able to keep this open, caring communication going every night throughout adolescence?

3. For Parents of Teenagers: Once the teen years begin and drivers’ licences come into play, communication between parents and teens can become a challenge. How might this type of five-minute conversation change a family if they were intentional and consistent about it? Would the benefits outweigh the hassle of trying to invest this time of care, listening, and prayer each night in your home? Why or why not?

4. For Church Leaders: What would happen to a family over time if they made an intentional point of doing the Faith 5 most every night? What would happen to your church five years from today if the majority of your households were doing active listening, scripture, faith talk, prayer, and blessings every night?