Items are being collected NOW through October 11 for the 22nd Annual Winter Clothing Collection. Since this is a long-standing event in our community, there are several people, as well as community organizations, that rely on this opportunity to find winter clothing in times of need. All items are given away free of charge. Last year we collected 600 coats. We’ve given over 10,000 coats in our history. Can you help us this year? These are the items we are collecting:
Other details to keep in mind:
Distribution is October 12, 2019, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. at
Christ the King Lutheran Church 1900 7th St NW, New Brighton Need Directions? Click here.
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by Isaac Warner, Council President
Imagine you are on a mission. You’re hoofing it down the street, sure in your actions and then suddenly you’re knocked off your feet by a flash of light and a booming voice. That’s pretty much what happened to Saul of Tarsus – later Saint Paul – in the Book of Acts. If you joined us at the volunteer appreciation dinner last week, this might sound familiar. It’s one of many examples of what our guest speaker Dr. Michael Chan refers to as the “disruptive God of Acts.” I’ll admit that I’m not very familiar with the Book of Acts so it was fascinating to listen to Dr. Chan, an Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, and honestly, could not have come at a better time for me personally or for us in the life of our congregation. Frankly, it’s just what we need. God, the Disruptor. But, this doesn’t have to carry the negative connotation so often associated with word disruption. No! In fact, I think this is exactly what we need at Christ the King. We need to experience change, newness, discussion, failure, success, debate…disruption. These things a healthy, growing, vibrant congregation do make. Today, we are too comfortable. We’re comfortable in our traditions; comfortable in our worship patterns; comfortable in our social groups; comfortable in our expression of faith; comfortable in the place we sit in the sanctuary, each week without fail. We’re so comfortable that the slightest change in the way we do things is unnerving, it’s disruptive. I get it, I feel it too. Our challenge from God is to discern together our calling; who God needs us to be in our community, at this moment. The good thing? We’ve already started. The listening circles that so many participated in last year marked the first steps on our renewed journey of discernment. By taking the time to truly listen to one another and share with each other our hopes and dreams, our apprehensions and questions, we have opened ourselves up to hear what it is God has in store for us. To paraphrase Dr. Chan, God doesn’t use us because we are sufficient for the task, God uses us because we are here and God is sufficient for the task. Earlier this year, the Council spent the better part of a few months reviewing and aggregating what you told us in the listening circles and drafted Values Statements that were presented in June at our Annual Meeting, Part II. We held roundtable discussions this past month to hear from you in more detail about each of these statements and now, we are in the process of formalizing these values - Building Community, Engaging Worship, Growing Compassion, and Nurturing Faith- all in our effort to discover our part in God’s mission to Build a Beloved Community. That brings me to what’s called the hard ask, one with many responses, none of which are, “No.” All of our many unique strengths are needed to create the Beloved Community and there are three things that you can do right now to build upon the foundation we already have. First, I invite you to join us on Wednesday, September 18that 6:00pm for our annual Ministry Summit, here at Christ the King. All are invited, though it will be geared toward lay leadership and volunteers from our diverse and plentiful set of committees and teams and will focus on helping committees and teams realize how we fit together in the context of our values statements and God’s mission in our community. Committee Chairs and Team Leads, please spread the word to your volunteers and we’ll see you on 9/18 at 6pm. Second, pray for and encourage those in our community that are doing God’s work (here’s a hint…that’s all of us). Finally, challenge yourselves to invite more; include more; equip more; give more; get uncomfortable; be disruptive. “How do you get your news?” A generation or two ago, there were only a few options for getting news. A newspaper or two, the “big three” TV networks, plus Public Radio and a few AM news stations. Nearly everyone in the country not only knew Walter Cronkite, but he earned the unofficial title of the “most trusted man in America,” with a majority of the country tuning in nightly for his news show. Today, of course, there are so many new and different ways to get your news—from cable TV to news websites to social media to talk radio. The sheer number of different outlets available often results in an inconsistent and uneven flow of information even within one community. A similar thing could be said about the various ways we distribute news and information at Christ the King.
Last year’s listening sessions revealed continuing concerns about communication at CtK, including the strong sense that we need to have a regular, clear, and open flow of information from the staff, council, and other ministry leaders. More than that, folks at CtK are looking for ways to discover more about our shared ministries, in order to become better connected to one another. Our core value of "Building Community" relies on us all becoming increasingly in touch with the ways CtK-ers live out their lives of faith, and we have found that neither a quarterly nor a monthly newsletter actually achieved that goal. With an eye toward such clarity, transparency, and consistency, we will be streamlining both the way we share announcements and tell the story of Christ the King. Specifically, ministry announcements will now be shared though the weekly CtK Herald, available via email on Wednesday and on Sundays in print form (reimagining our current “What’s Happening” flyer as a weekly newsletter). In addition, a more detailed story of ministry at CtK will be shared weekly by pastors, program staff, council members and other lay leaders in a Blog entitled “Life@CtK,” available via email and online on Mondays. As has often been noted, communication is a two-way street, and we rely on folks in the CtK family to do their part as well. Here are some suggestions of what you can do to keep communication efficient and helpful among us:
Yours in Christ, Pastor Peter News from the CtK Global Mission TeamU.S. Ambassador Visits Iringa HopeIringa Hope is a series of local microfinance cooperatives located in the Iringa Diocese of Tanzania. It is an affiliate of the Saint Paul Area Synod’s Bega Kwa Bega partnership with Iringa Diocese. Christ the King has supported this microfinance initiative through our own financial gifts, especially to Nduli Parish’s own local cooperative. Nduli Parish is our companion congregation in Tanzania. Iringa Hope has received many visitors in recent years, coming to see its unique, successful approach to ending extreme poverty among its members. In July, U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Dr. Immi Patterson and her entourage came to Iringa to learn about these partnerships. After presentations by Iringa Hope representatives, the ambassador noted how impressed she was with members’ individual stories of financial success through their modest loans to improve their lives. She mentioned her strong interest in programs that empower women and youth, as well as being interested in microfinance and agriculture – all issues that are addressed by Iringa Hope. Bishop Gavile of Iringa Diocese noted, “Everywhere I go I see Iringa Hope buildings. This is a great thing for our people and a blessing to us all. Please keep on building!” Want to read more about Bega Kwa Bega? Click here to go to the Bega Kwa Bega blog on the Saint Paul Area Synod website. A Book to Add to Your Reading ListAmong the Masaai is a just-published memoir of a young American woman who journeys to Tanzania to teach at the first school for Maasai girls in East Africa. Her students are young women caught in a culture between past and future, and they struggle to define their own fates. The author is Juliet Cutler, who spent two years as a teaching missionary in Tanzania. She has continued her involvement with the Maasai Girls Lutheran Secondary School and for girls’ education worldwide for twenty years. As she worked to change her students’ lives, she was also transformed by the community she found in Tanzania. The book is being released in September 2019 and is available at bookstores and online. Proceeds from the sale of this book support education for at-risk Maasai girls. Reviewers of the book have noted:
Juliet Cutler is a writer, educator, and designer of award-winning exhibits for museums, parks, and cultural centers. She and her husband, Mark Cutler, were missionaries in Tanzania and now live in the Atlanta area. Mark Cutler grew up in New Brighton and at Christ the King Lutheran Church. His mother, Janice Cutler, is a longtime member of this church and of CtK’s Global Mission Team. Learn more at julietcutler.com. Global Mission PrayerDear God we thank you for the richness of this world you have created and for the people whom you have fashioned in your own image. We ask your blessings on the people of Nduli Parish, on the leadership and staff of Iringa Hope’s individual community cooperatives, and on those who dedicate their lives to educating your children through their work with youth around the world. We look forward to learning more about you and your plans for this world in the days and years to come. We pray in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Global Mission Events
Submitted by Judith Hill on behalf of the Global Mission Team at Christ the King Lutheran Church, New Brighton, Minnesota.
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Christ the King Lutheran Church
1900 7th Street NW New Brighton, MN 55112 Phone: 651-633-4674 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: 9 am - 2 pm Mon - Thurs or by appointment Sunday Schedule Morning Worship at 9:30 am |