Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas 2353 Rice Blvd,...

Christ the King Lutheran Church 1

KING’S BANNER2353 Rice Blvd,

Houston TX 77005ctkelc.org

Volume 73, Number 8August, 2019

Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas

THE

House Church LaunchThe concept of ‘house churches’ dates to Christianity’s early days, with New Tes-tament references including the stories of the Last Supper and Pentecost. Par-ticipants in our 2018

Faithful Imagination listening sessions embraced the idea of starting new regular ‘house churches’: small groups that will meet monthly, usually but not neces-sarily in homes, devoted to sharing faith, praying and learning together, and building community.

Each house church will have a sponsor to host the initial meeting and play a coordinating role: helping the group decide when and where to meet, and how to customize these basic building blocks:

• Fellowship and breaking of bread: sharing simple food and drink, enjoying time together.

• Opening prayer, spiritual conversation: reading, hearing, discussing, reflecting on God’s Word; sharing experiences and viewpoints.

• Closing prayer: praying, together and individually, for one another and for others.

Participants will be asked to commit to regular participation (nine monthly meetings, with a break during the summer months). Once we have a list of people willing to sponsor and participate, we’ll assign all who sign up to a group – our aim is to have 8-12 people (including the group sponsor/s) in each group.

Further information will be provided and questions answered during Sunday Forum on Sunday September 8. Then on September 15 during Sunday Forum we’ll have a ‘mock’ house church so that people can get a sense of what we have in mind.

Signups will be in September so that groups can be created and begin meeting in October. Please contact Terri Bourne, [email protected], for questions or are interesting in being a house church sponsor.

$45.00 Sponsors One Student

Deadline August 5

Sponsoring A Child Is Easy!There are two convenient ways to make a donation:• Donate online: ccschouston.org• Submit a check made out to Christ the King Church

and earmarked “CCSC Back to School Project”.

Join us for breakfast tacos in the courtyard and the start of our new Sunday School year. Sunday School classes are offered for children age 2 through high school. After breakfast, children, youth, and parents will meet in the parish hall for a short program. All students then have class pictures taken, while parents go the classrooms to meet the teachers and register their kids. While parents are in class, the children have fun and play games in the courtyard. You may contact Pastor Liebster or Deacon Remmert with any questions regarding Sunday School or Confirmation class ([email protected], [email protected]).

Worship services 8:30 and 10:50 in the nave• Blessing of all school children,

youth and students• Third grade Bible presentations • Blessing of choirs

9:45 parish hall, courtyard and Sunday school roomsBreakfast Tacos and Sunday School Kick-off

Rally Day Sunday School Kick OffAugust 25

Piecemakers Working on Housing ProjectPiecemakers are quilting twice a week to complete Row Houses. The multi-color row houses are sur-rounded by “paint color chips” echoing the colors of the houses and encircling the entire neighborhood.

2 The King’s Banner

Pastor Duane's

World

A Healing Place

Who They Are - Disaster ResponseWhen everything seems to be falling apart around you, Upbring is there to help you keep standing. Serving Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, Upbring Disaster Response assists families and communities in the aftermath of natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or wildfires.

Happy “Mid-Summer” to you! I hope that you have been able to enjoy some leisure and re-cre-ation these past weeks. I myself have found my time away to be both calming and energizing. Yes, I think that sentence makes sense. It is good to focus on key things. Focus, without myriad distrac-tions around one—and preferably surround by quiet beauty—can energize.

I’m blessed by your care for each other; that you encourage each

other to take care; for yourselves, for others. I’m blessed particularly that while you affirm vacation, you also expect that I take time for research and writing, as expressed in my call to Christ the King Church. These last weeks have been generative for me in that latter regard. Having been tasked with writing a chapter for a forthcoming comprehensive book about Moral Injury, I’ve been talking a lot with people around the country about faith community examples of car-ing for morally injured military servicepersons and veterans. Some of you know that this has been a major concern of mine for several years now. I’m inspired by several people I’ve come to know whose congregations or VA hospital ministries are effective models and have taught me how it might be that CTK, too, could serve more visibly as a healing place for area veterans.

Two clear affirmations soar above all other outcomes from the research-based MI healing projects across the country that I have studied. These affirmations are: (1) moral recov-ery requires the “communalization” of the morally injured person. (2) For healing to endure, the morally injured person must move from “patient” to “prophet.” That is, it

takes a community wherein one is known and to which one “belongs” for healing to go deep. In turn, healed persons must assume the mantle of speaking their truth of what MI meant and still means (!) for them for their healing to sustain. And this finally requires that the community listens to the newly mantled prophet. It is not incidental at all that the fruit of community and truth-telling/listening is joy, usually after the healing is ritualized in a major communal ceremony. One veteran, having finally come to healing through a faith-based program, was gratitude-and-joy-FULL at sharing for the first time in forty years that he and his spouse could invite friends to their home for dinner.

MI, of course, is not reserved to military servicemembers; they are a clear focus today for many reasons, but serve also as “the canary in the cage” to illumine many other ways people are morally injured in specific verbal or physical ways and by social policies. But whoever the “patient” is, the protocol for healing is similar. Being community. Listening. Speaking truth. And the blessing: Gratitude and Joy.

Sounds like the work of church to me! Sounds like the job description of A Healing Place, where persons are accompa-nied by a caring community into healing and can speak their words truthfully and freely thereafter. The healed become the prophets. That is what we all are called to. I think that’s a good contemporary way to be what Luther called “The Priesthood of All Believers.” Your ministry staff and you, all of us together: this is the beautiful work to which God calls us: to be gracious, authentic, safe, and inviting, where the welcoming and persistently hospitable community assists patients to become prophets.

Love, Pastor Duane

How They HelpThey are not first responders, but committed neighbors who will stay with you until you’re back on your feet. They offer financial assistance for basic needs in the short term and case management and spiritual care over the longer term to individuals and families, and they work continually to ensure they are ready to meet the needs of our communities if and when disaster strikes.

Preparedness Emergency Hardship Grants Emotional and Spiritual Care Disaster Case Management Volunteer Coordination Repair & Rebuild Assistance

Disaster Response


Mission OfferingThe mission offering is collected at the

church doors at the end of worship. A Healing Place

Who They Are - Helping Children ThriveAt Upbring, they’re changemakers determined to create a world where all children are cherished. They understand that breaking the cycle of child abuse means more than remov-ing children from harmful situations and providing clothing, food and shelter. Because when the cycle is broken, it means children get to live every moment of every day with every inch of their whole hearts. So you’ve got to help children heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. Upbring does this.

They’ve been helping children thrive for more than 135 years, and they’re not stopping. They have an opportunity to shape not only the way they deliver their programs and services, but shape the way Texas treats children. They have Faith in Every Future.

What does breaking the cycle of child abuse really look like?

The mission offering is collected at the church doors at the end of worship.

What They DoUpbring is raising the standards for child welfare in Texas. With their partners, they deliver services that produce measurable progress toward five key markers of every child’s well-being: safety, life skills, education, health and vocation.How They SucceedThe mission to break the cycle of child abuse is bigger than any single organization. Working with their generous friends and their key stakeholders, Upbring is building brighter fu-tures for Texas children.Become a Foster ParentThousands of Texas children need safe, loving homes. Up-bring offers families who foster many benefits that far exceed state requirements.

Help break the cycle of child abuse by empowering children, families and communities.

It looks like a 3-year-old girl dress-ing up in a ball gown and her ma-ma’s pearls to share tea with her daddy and favorite teddy bear.

It looks like a 7-year-old boy win-ning the spelling bee and seeing his mom and grandpa applaud

from the audience.

It looks like a 12-year-old girl staring at her reflec-tion in the mirror and feeling a sense of beauty and self-worth because every single day her parents look at her and say, “We’re so glad you’re our daughter.”

It looks like the appreciation in the eyes of a 16-year-old boy whose father tells him he’s proud of him, even though he fumbled the winning touchdown.

Breaking the cycle of child abuse looks like bedtime tuck-ins, cheers from crowd, family game nights and kisses on scraped knees. It looks like forgiving hugs after big mistakes, bowls of soup to console stuffy noses, and splashing through puddles on rainy days.

Breaking the cycle of child abuse doesn’t mean children will live a perfect life, but it means they will live well loved—a life where they are invited, wanted, seen, heard, celebrated and treasured.


Sundays 9:45 a.m. in the parish hall

SummerBook Reviews

August 4: Railroaded,by Richard White, reviewed by Logan FaronAugust 11: Educated: A Memoir,

by Tara Westover, reviewed by John BolesAugust 18: Leaders Eat Last, by Simon Sinek, reviewed by Mary Ann Beseda

August 25: Rally Day

Sunday School – Learning and Experiencing FaithPastor Karin Liebster

Kids Summer Creation EducationBeautiful RocksSunday, August 4, 9:45 a.m.Neal and Inda Immega invite all ages to learn about beautiful rocks - stones that are cut and polished for jewelry. They will have both lapidary and fan-cier gem materials and, of course, will have some things to give away to the participants! Learn about the prop-erties of these materials that make them pretty enough and durable enough for this type of use, where they are found and which things are found together.

The Sunday School faculty at Christ the King Church is preparing for the new school year. Kick-off is on August 26. Join us for a full morning of activities and blessing!

For our children, Sunday school is the highlight of Sunday morning. We invite parents to bring their children and youth to class where they hear the sto-ries of the people of God, Jesus’ words, learn about worship and the holidays, and have plenty of opportunity to re-spond in age appropriate ways to what they experience.

The ministry of the Sunday school supports parents in the desire to raise their children in the same faith that is so important and meaningful in their own life journeys.

The work of the Sunday School teacher is rooted in the promises which parents take at Holy Baptism, to teach their child the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the holy scriptures. At Christ the King Church baptism is such a joyful and important part of our faith life that we strive to make it meaningful and come to life for our families in every possible way!

Children starting at age 2 are wel-comed to the Toddler Sunday School class. Parents may stay with their child until that time when the child (and

parent) feel safe to separate. We en-courage parents to watch for when it is time to entrust the child to the circle with the teacher and the other children alone. The teachers in the room are trained and experienced to teach this youngest group.

Preschool and elementary school age children gather in classroom circles according to their developmental age brackets. These are our classrooms: Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten; first and second grade; third and fourth grade; fifth and sixth grade. While sixth grade is the beginning of middle school in the school systems, our experience has been that fifth and sixth grade work best together. The teachers for all these classes are trained and certified in the curriculum Godly Play which is geared toward each stage of social and intellectual development.

Parents can participate in the Sunday School work by signing up to bring snacks and by volunteering as greeters/door persons. Rally Day is the perfect day to get a taste of what Sunday school is like.

Youth split into two groups: the con-firmation class comprised of grades 7 and 8, and the high school youth, grades 9-12. The confirmation class is taught by Youth Director Ben Remmert and the high school class by volunteer Sunday School teachers.

A Word of EncouragementRaising children is rewarding and can also be overwhelming. As your congre-gation we have pledged to share with you in the task of raising your children in the faith. We invite you to commit and make Sunday school part of your Sunday schedule.

The fast pace of our lives and the countless possibilities to choose from can distract us from our inner yearning for the foundation in life that keeps us whole. Our children need the same type of grounding as we do. Also, we want them to know where to look for the faith foundation that will keep them steady once they are adults themselves. So we encourage parents with children of all ages, to give them the opportunity to be in the circle of the classroom with the other children and teachers and let God and the com-munity make faith formation happen.

If you would like to know more about Godly Play, please contact me or our Sunday School Superintendent Marie Monroe at [email protected]. Information and video samples of story telling may be found on You Tube at www.godlyplay.org. If you would like to know more about the classes for youth, please contact Director for Youth and Family Ministries Ben Remmert at [email protected].


All teachers or people who would like to work with the children in the classroom are invited – and encouraged – to participate in a Godly Play Core Training in September. This is a comprehensive training for Godly Play leaders which will take place at Zion Lutheran Church on September 19-21, and members of Christ the King can receive a pretty good discount if they are among the first 12 people to sign up.

Godly Play Conference submitted by Marie MonroeThe North American Godly Play Conference was held in June in St. John’s, Newfoundland. I had nev-er been to either so bought my tickets and found both to be very enjoyable. St. John’s is a beautiful city on several hills overlooking a bay and beyond that, the Atlantic Ocean. I found the people to be friendly and the most considerate drivers ever.

The Conference was 3 days of hearing speakers, at-tending workshops, and participating in Godly Play stories. In my free time I talked to a lot of other Godly Play teachers from all over the US and Canada, as well as from 13 other countries, walked all over St. John’s and went on a cruise to look for icebergs. I did see an iceberg as well as a small whale, the shores were spectacular and the weather was cool.

My friend Alice Weaver from Zion Lutheran also attended, and we agreed to choose different workshop and storytelling sessions. It wasn’t hard to pick 3 out of the 18 workshops and 2 stories out of the 12 offered. In the 3 workshops, I learned about 3 different aspects of teaching Godly Play — how to use gestures to enhance the stories I tell, how to help children find their response to stories, and the theological significance of stories.

Using gestures is a purely technical improvement — if you have told stories, you know they are better received when told naturally and with feeling toward the characters. It just made sense, as did learning how to organize art materials and the room itself so children feel confident and comfortable. An especially inter-esting part of that workshop was discussing how to work with “lively” children, introverted children, and kids who think more abstractly. I got lots of ideas there.

The 3rd workshop dealt with the basic understanding of children and theology, in other words, why we teach Godly Play. From the theories of well-known stud-ies of children, such as those done by John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Lubienska de Leaval and Louis Racne, we see that children learn in their own way, which is different from adult-centered education. They learn best when God is experi-enced through stories and the understanding of their own lives. Children are not empty slates but people who already have life experiences, and probably have experienced God as well. Thus teachers are called to evangelize the children’s total experience, including the negative, so they can find hope using stories. Instead of being experts, teachers are to model “servant leadership”, trust the process and give thanks.

I am very glad to have participated in these workshops as well as the two stories: I heard a Martin Luther story which is different from ours but also very good; we might have to work with both now. I also heard the story of Ruth which I loved; Rosemary Beales told it in a desert box and showed how to emphasize certain parts of a story without digressing from the script.

It was a fun couple of days. I very much enjoyed my B&B and the hospitality shown there, the opportunities to talk with other teachers, the chance to visit a city which I will probably never see again, and especially being able to spend time with my good friend Alice.

Help Needed in our Sunday School ClassesAs we start a new year of Godly Play, we are gathering people to teach and help in the classes. We have classes from toddler (2-3 years old) through the 6th grade and, like in most children’s programs, we need 2 adults in the classroom for safety and to allow a smooth flow in the lesson. We are looking for older youth and adults to fill the support role in the classroom. The story-teller is an experienced Godly Play teacher who sits at the front of the room throughout the class, knows the story by heart, and can direct the conversation afterwards.

But what about the child who races into the room, carrying a handful of cookies? What about the child who is coming for the first time and doesn’t know where to sit? What about a child who wants to use water colors to paint a picture about the story but doesn’t know how to use them? And who will help with the snack?

For support in the classroom we need• People who can help the child put down

his cookies and enter the room calmly.• Someone who can greet a new child and

put her at ease.• People who can help someone find

the materials they need to create a masterpiece.

• And we need someone to say “Will you please pass out napkins? Will you please pass out the cookies? Will you please pick up the glasses and napkins?” - because everyone gets to participate in the feast.

If you can do these things for the children, we invite you to join us in our classes. Not every Sunday, but maybe every couple of weeks. In return you will greet wonder-ful children, hear the story, watch a child paint a picture from her heart, and help them with their feast — their communion. The Godly Play class is a sacred place where you can help children come close to God — and come a little closer yourself.

Please speak with or contact our Sunday School superintendent Marie Monroe ([email protected]), Pastor Liebster ([email protected]), or any of the Sunday school teachers. We’d love to tell you more about how it all works!


For information, contact Ben Remmert, Deacon Director of Youth and Family Ministry, [email protected] or 281-468-4686.

August Dates: 4: Summer Luther League, 9:45 a.m.9-10: Luther League Floating Trip, 6:00 p.m.11: Summer Luther League, 9:45 a.m.17: Sr. High Coffee Hour, 6:00 p.m. 18: Summer Luther League, 9:45 a.m.25: Rally Day Sunday28: Confirmation Orientation/Registration, 6:30 p.m.

September Dates: 1: No Luther League Meeting8: Welcome to Luther League Lunch, 12:30 p.m.15: First Luther League Meeting, 12:30 p.m.

Luther League Floating Trip: August 9-107th-12th grade youth are invited to our summer trip to float the Comal River in New Braunfels. We will leave Friday, August 17 and stay the night in New Braunfels. The next morning we will go to the Comal River for a day of fellowship and fun as we remember our baptism in the cool waters of the Comal River. Cost is $60 which covers meals, trans-portation, and housing. RSVP to Ben Remmert by Sunday, August 4.

Summer Sr. High Coffee Hour Meeting: August 17 at 6:00 p.m.Come for an afternoon of fellowship and play the latest board games with Deacon Ben Remmert at Campesino Coffee House, located at 2602 Waugh Dr, Houston, TX 77006 at 6:00 p.m. and will be done at 7:30 p.m.

Welcome to Luther League Lunch: September 8 at 12:30 p.m.The Luther League would like to extend an invitation to parents and youth for lunch on Sunday, September 8 at 12:30 p.m. to officially wel-come new youth to Luther League. Both youth and parents are invited. We will meet after the 10:50 a.m. worship service and walk over to Hopdoddy Burger Bar, located at 5510 Morningside Dr. #100. We will share with you how the ministries of Luther League work: our weekly meetings, annual events, service projects, and travel opportunities. Both parents and youth will have the opportunity to ask questions. RSVP to Ben Remmert by Friday, September 1.

Germany and North Carolina Trip - Thank You!Twenty six Christ the King Church high school youth and adults teamed up with House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Clear Lake and had a blast in Germany this summer. Participants had a week full of day trips to Luther sites, museum visits, and building relationships with our sister congregation St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Seven high school youth and adults worked a full week in Wilmington, North Carolina restor-ing homes after Hurricane Florence that hit in September 2019. The youth and adults who attended these trips were Victoria Allen, Zach Bryant, Keegan Cook, Yonas Eberhart, Jacob Eddington, Aramis Friberg, Tassilo Friberg, Kaley Hagemeister, Chris Karohl, David Karohl, Alana Larson, Anthony Lloyd, Hannah Longoria, Johnny Longoria, Adam Par-rish, Avery Parrish, Juliana Rumph, Carson Sahualla, Grace Sahualla, Lucky Sahualla, Martha Sahualla, Maureen Sahualla, Mykenzie Shaw, Michael Vollmers, Andy Winesett, Emily Winesett, Leslie Winesett, Olivia Winesett, Katherine Willcockson and Lindsay Youngdahl. Thank you to all our sponsors and those that donated their time, support, and finances to make this possible for our youth! See photos below.

Luther League Meetings begin on Sunday, September 15 at 12:30 p.m. The Luther League is open to all youth in 6th - 12th grade. Our first official meeting is on Sunday, Sep-tember 15 for a time to gather together over a meal, go through the year’s events, and catch up from the summer. This is a great time for our youth to meet for a time of fellowship, fun, bible study, and prayer every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Friends and visitors are always welcome! Please contact Deacon Ben Rem-mert for more information.

Meals for Luther LeagueThe Luther League youth group needs your help with preparing meals for our meetings. These meals are not part of the Luther League budget and are sup-plied by volunteers from the congregation. If you can cook, order, or buy food at the store, please help feed our hungry youth on Sunday afternoon around 12:30 p.m. We currently need meals for all of the Fall 2019 semester. Please contact Deacon Ben Remmert at [email protected] to sign up.

Germany and North Carolina Trip - Thank You!


Lutherhill Summer Camp: July 14-19(right) Children and Youth gathered for a week of exploring the theme of “Wonder” through wor-ship, devotions, bible stud-ies, and camp activities in La Grange, TX.

Beach Camp at Zion Retreat Center: July 21- 26(left) Confirmation youth descended onto Galves-ton Island for a week of camp as they discovered the beauty of Galveston through service, worship, shopping on The Strand, and of course… fun at the beach.

Transitions Group - for women over 50 September 9, 1:00 p.m. The Transitions Group was established about 10 years ago after four women from our congregation had inspiration after attending a meet ing of The Transition Network (a national group). They started a group for women over 50 whose changing life situations led them to seek new connec tions, education, resources and opportunities. They invited women in our congregation who were curious about exploring the question "what's next in my life?" “what info do I need to move forward”? etc. (and of course hav-ing some fun). Our lives are a series of transitions from active parent to empty-nester, family member to caregiver, volunteer or retiree – who we are now and who we want to be next. We meet monthly. Recent topics include dating, senior living op tions, philanthropy and finances, spirituality and medi tation, happiness and well-being, health and fitness, learning about and walking a labyrinth and many more. Together we are discovering new ways of facing our present and future challenges and opportuni-ties and invite interested women to join us. Participants do not need to be from Christ the King but most of us are. We welcome you to consider joining us on a 2nd Monday afternoon, location varies. RSVP to Gaelyn Lesher at [email protected].


Lesser Festivals and Commemorations8 Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers

(Dominicans), 122110 Lawrence, deacon, martyr, 25811 Clare, Abbess of San Damiano, 125313FlorenceNightingale,1910;

Clara Maass, 1901; renewers of society14 Maximilian Kolbe, 1941; Kaj Munk, 1944; martyrs15 MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD20 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, 115324 BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE 28Augustine,BishopofHippo,430 Moses the Black, monk, martyr, c. 400

August 2019Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Piecemakers

8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Prayer Shawl ministry Back to School distribution

9:00 am Young Adults at CCSC

10:00 am Memorial service for Pr. Fred Haman

1:00 pm Yoga6:00 pm Contemplative WorshipBack to School distribution

8:30 am Worship9:45 am Kids Summer Nature Education9:45 am Summer Book Reviews9:45 am Luther League10:50 am Worship

Church Office Closed8:15 am Morning Prayer

8:15 am Morning Prayer 8:15 am Morning Prayer 8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Piecemakers

8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Prayer Shawl ministry

1:00 pm Yoga6:00 pm Contemplative Worship

8:30 am Worship9:45 am Summer Book Reviews9:45 am Summer Sunday School9:45 am Luther League10:50 am Worship


8:15 am Morning Prayer 8:15 am Morning Prayer 8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Piecemakers

8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Prayer Shawl ministry1:30 pm Writer’s Circle

10:00 am Altar Guild1:00 pm Yoga6:00 pm Contemplative Worship6:00 pm Sr High Coffee Hour

8:30 am Worship9:45 am Summer Sunday School9:45 am Summer Book Reviews9:45 am Luther League10:50 am Worship


8:15 am Morning Prayer 8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am SEARCH Coffee Ministry


8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Prayer Shawl ministry1:30 pm Writer’s CircleChoir retreat

1:00 pm Yoga6:00 pm Contemplative WorshipChoir retreat

Rally DayBlood Pressure Screenings8:30 am Worship9:45 am Rally Day Program9:45 am Breakfast Tacos in the courtyard10:50 am Worship6:00 pm Creation Care Webinar

Church Office Closed8:15 am Morning Prayer6:00 pm Creation Web Talk

8:15 am Morning Prayer 8:15 am Morning Prayer6:30 pm Confirmation Orientation/Registration


8:15 am Morning Prayer10:00 am Prayer Shawl ministry1:30 pm Writer’s Circle

1:00 pm Yoga6:00 pm Contemplative Worship


Faith in Our City: JudaismIn August, we will be launching our 2019-2020 sea-son of Faith in Our City! We will begin by focusing on

Judaism.

The Lunch & Learn will take place on Au-gust 7 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Interfaith Ministries (3303 Main St). There will be an opportunity to visit our Plaza of Respect after the Lunch & Learn.

The visit to Congregation Beth Yeshurun will take place on August 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Registration required for all events. Refresh-ments will be served.

Faith in Our City is a program that increases aware-ness of the variety of faith traditions we have in our community. We will spotlight a different faith tradition each month through two separate opportunities: a Lunch & Learn and a guided tour of a house of worship representative of that faith.

Additional monthly faiths explored:Jainism - SeptemberBaha’i Faith - OctoberChristianity from an African American Experience - Febru-ary 2020Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) - March 2020 Sikhism - April 2020Hinduism - June 2020 Buddhism - July 2020

Dinner Dialogues: Discovering Community Through Dialogue August 18Dialogue Discovery: Building Trust in CommunityInterfaith Ministries Great Hall & Plaza of Respect Cost: $25. Register at imgh.org.

Join Interfaith Ministries of Houston as they embark on a year of challenging each other to step outside of what we know and build community with those around us.

The Dialogue Project provides opportunities to learn about Houston’s diverse faith communities, engage with people from diverse backgrounds, share your own experiences and listen to the experiences of others. Through the Dialogue Project, Interfaith Ministries aims to inspire participants to further interfaith dialogue, collaboration and ser-vice in their own communities. Interreligious understanding is a necessity, more so now than ever before.

Dinner DialoguesA Dinner Dialogue is an evening held in a private home, a house of worship, or at Interfaith Ministries, where a diverse group of 8-12 people from the Greater Houston area, all from a variety of religious traditions and backgrounds, come together to learn about one another and share a meal.

The purpose of Dinner Dialogues is to provide a meaningful expe-rience for participants to learn about one another’s perspectives and beliefs in an environment full of respect and understanding. It is an opportunity to celebrate our similarities and our differ-ences at a time and in a space that is one of life’s most important gatherings: dinner.

Faith Over Fear - HoustonAugust 29-30 at Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar St.This training, organized by Shoulder to Shoulder, is designed for faith leaders, lay leaders, and multifaith or faith-based organizational leaders committed to countering anti-Muslim discrimination in their communities. We'll share up-to-date research, resources, tools, and messaging to be stronger, strategic, and more effective actors in shaping our nation toward a greater vision - where all people, no matter their religious or cultural background, are treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

The Faith Over Fear training will cover the following focus areas: under-standing & unpacking anti-Muslim bigotry & Islamophobia, the underlying dynamics in communications & conflict, messaging for change (what we say and how we say it), deep-dive in allyship, an example of challenging Is-lamophobia through the arts, and strategies for engagement & change. You can learn more about Shoulder to Shoulder and our Faith Over Fear trainings at: shouldertoshouldercampaign.org/trainings

Shoulder to Shoulder is offering this Faith Over Fear training free-of-charge, and encourages participants to consider also registering for the Annual Islamic Society of North America Convention in Houston over Labor Day Weekend.

The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign is anchored by 34 national member religious institutions to stand in multifaith soli-darity with our Muslim neighbors. By equipping, connecting, and mobilizing faith leaders in the United States to address anti-Muslim discrimination and violence, we are able to reach non-Muslim faith communities and people of goodwill across the country to shift attitudes about Islam and Muslims. shouldertoshouldercampaign.org/mission-index-impact

Muslim neighbors learning about Lutherans with Pastor Larson.


SEARCH Coffee Ministry - August 21Please join us in hosting our monthly coffee hour for SEARCH Homeless Services clients at the Perry St. Apartments, 4415 Perry, a New Hope Housing project in the Third Ward on Wednesday, August 21, 10:00-11:00 a.m. This collaboration with SEARCH takes place every third Wednesday of the month. For more information, contact Beverly at [email protected].

Young Adults VolunteerAugust 3, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noonJoin the Young Adults as we volunteer at CCSC’s Emergency Services (3434 Branard) on Saturday, August 3 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon. All are welcome to join us on the first Saturday every other month. For questions or to RSVP, please contact [email protected].

Leave the church at 7:30 Return at noon

Useful info for upcoming sessionWhen: Saturday, September 7 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.mWhere: Houston Food Bank 535 Portwall St. Attire: Closed-toe shoes, pants, sleeved shirt (short or long sleeves)Carpool: Will leave the CTK parking lot at 7:30 a.m.

Saturday September 7

houston food bank For information and to RSVP, contact [email protected]

‘God’s Work. Our Hands.’

Volunteer with us at the Houston Food Bank

Caring and Carrying Through CancerJoin our Community of Hope lay chaplains for a morning workshop pre-sented by CanCare.

Saturday, September 28, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Almost all of us are touched by cancer, either through a loved one’s diagnosis or certainly within our friend-ship circles or church communities. Come hear about

cancer’s effect on body, mind and spirit and learn ways to support your (and our) loved ones through the cancer experience.

‘God’s Work. Our Hands.’ Celebration September 7-8 We are a church that boldly does God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities. ‘God’s work. Our hands.’ is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. On the weekend of September 7-8, the near-ly 10,000 congregations of this church gather to serve communities in ways that share the love of God with all of God’s people. As a part of this celebration, we invite all our members and friends to join us at the Houston Food Bank on Saturday, September 7, 8:00 a.m.-noon. For information and to RSVP, contact Justin at [email protected].

On Sunday, September 8, the Justice Advo-cacy Ministry Team invites you to use your hands to advocate for justice after each worship service. There will be several justice topics to choose from & different ways to advocate. Stop by the tables after worship and raise your voice for justice!

Team Brownsville Expresses ThanksMany thanks to our members and friends that responded to July’s request for items to be distributed by Team Brownsville to asylum seekers in Mexico. We supplied two full carloads! The organizers were appreciative of ALL the donations, especially the strollers, hand towels, shoes, and feminine products. While we are not conducting an on-going donations drive we will always accept gently-used strollers, backpacks, cloth bags and larger heavy plastic (shopping) bags, and gently-used shoes for all ages. You can drop off any items in the donation basket in the narthex any Sunday.

Shop the Sunshine SalesChristian Community Service Center's Sunshine Resale Shop (5413 Bellaire Blvd.) will be closing in September and storewide clearance has begun. Stop in to take advantage of all the great discounts!

The Shop is still accepting donations of clothing and some furniture, but call Yolanda at 713-665-4000 to discuss donations.


Check your Blood PressureBlood pressure screenings are held on the last Sunday of each month in the narthex after each Sunday m o r n i n g serv ice. The next screening w i l l b e o n August 25.

No One Can Figure Out My Symptoms-What Should I Do?

A Healing Pace: Join Our Congregational Care Team

We have been blessed as a congregation for more than 20 years to have many dedciated individuals willing to participate in this ministry of compassion and care. As you can imagine the needs of our con-gregation ebb and flow over time and currently needs are increasing. We invite all of our members to participate in one or more of the following:

• Our Visiting/Phoning team provides the ministry of presence to those who have experienced loss of health or mobility or other losses, or to older members who may not have regular contact with family.

• Prayer Notes are prepared by various members of the congregation and are sent to members express-ing our support during times of need and to acknowledge life changes.

• The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on Friday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the third floor conference room. The group makes shawls for church members and friends who are ill or who have suffered the death of a loved one. They also donate shawls to the Hospitality Apartments for people who are ill and who would benefit from the receipt of a prayer shawl.

• Transportation is provided to members to doctors’ appointments or to worship as we are able to fill requests.

• Meals are delivered to parishioners who are in special need or are temporarily homebound. The meals committee hosts and/or provides food for funeral and memorial service receptions at the church. A sub-set of the Meals Committee is our Meal Drops for families with newborns.

• Home Emergency Response helps members and seniors with simple home repair projects or technological needs.

If you have a couple of hours a month, a quarter, or just once a year, we can find a spot for you to serve in an area of con-gregational ministry. The only commitment is a willingness to take a phone call and participate as you are able. Contact Beverly at [email protected] or 713-400-0517 for more information. Through our Congregational Care Team, we are remined of how blessed we are to “Love one another as Christ has loved you.”

I recently participated in a walk for Chronic Inflammatory Demy-elinating Polyneuropathy (CIPD), a rare disease I had never heard of. CIPD is a rare disorder of peripheral nerves characterized by pain and gradually increasing sensory loss and weakness. The number of new cases per year is about 1-2 per 100,000 individuals.

The group of participants and the number of vendor tables were small compared to other walks. I spent time walking with an individual who had recently received a diagnosis of CIPD. While I did learn a lot about the disease and its treatment options the bigger lesson for me was thinking about how people actually arrive at a diagnosis for such a rare disease.

Each day someone in the U.S. is either born with or wakes up to symptoms and an eventual diagnosis, many of which are life changing. For diseases like diabetes, heart disease or cancer the treatment plan is usually well defined. As difficult as these diag-noses are rarer diagnoses like CIPD present greater challenges. Getting the diagnosis often takes more time as doctors may not have a working knowledge of more rare diseases. As tests come back negative, but symptoms persist or worsen both doctor and

A Healing Place

patient can become frustrated and discouraged. So what can an individual do? I offer these suggestions:

1. Be persistent in seeking medical evaluation. Keeping a detailed log of symptoms and copies of all medical test results and medications can be helpful.

2. Ask for a referral to another provider.

3. Reach out to any connections in the medical community you may already have.

4. Maintain conversations with family and friends who can provide support. Rare diseases can be socially isolating.

5. Once diagnosed seek out support from organizations that provide education and treatment support. Learn all you can about your particular condition.

6. A word of caution, however: Be careful about the use of “google” to analyze symptoms and self-diagnose. The internet can provide valuable information, but should be used in a context that includes medical care from a provider.


Justice Advocacy – Legislative Visits in AugustTexas Impact is coordinating legislative visits with both state and federal legislators during the month of August, while they are back in district. Join with people of all faiths to speak to your state/U.S. senators/representatives about immigration, climate/energy, or health policy. Texas Impact will provide talking point materials for all participants. Please contact Scott Atnip at [email protected] to participate.

The Work of the ELCA: Specialized Pastoral CareSpecialized pastoral care reaches the primary social structures and institutions of our world. Those who serve in specialized pastoral care seek to extend the love of God in Jesus Christ to individuals at the point of their deepest need. More than 800 rostered people are serv-ing across the 65 synods of the ELCA. They extend into health care, long term care, mental health, corrections, pastoral counseling, clinical education, rehabilitation and physical medicine, hospice, substance abuse, mental retardation/developmental disability, police and fire chaplaincy, & workplace ministry. Learn more at elca.org, place your cursor over “Our Work”, and click “Specialized Pastoral Care” in the Leadership section.

World Day of Prayer for the Care of CreationSaturday, September 7, 10:00 a.m.Join us for this year’s Ecumenical Observance of the 2019 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation at the Villa de Matel, 6510 Lawndale St. This day of prayer offers an opportunity for faith lead-ers, environmental groups and local officials to join hearts and voices at a decisive moment for our natural world. Scientists, activists, the world’s poor and even children from across the globe are beseech-ing leaders in all areas of civic life to inspire moral action to address the current ecological crisis. This joint prayer service, hosted by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, will be a time to give thanks, to repent, to plead for moral courage, and to bear witness of our unity in declaring that that climate change is an ethical imperative that must be addressed now. Register on eventbrite.com. Contact Monica Hatcher at [email protected].

Welcome our new Music AssociateWe are delighted to welcome our new Music Associate Mary Joy Silmaro to our staff as of August 15.

Mary Joy is cur-rently complet-ing her Mas-ter’s Degree in organ at the S h e p h e r d School of Mu-sic, Rice Uni-versity.

She will be involved with our full music ministry, and brings many wonderful gifts! Previously to Christ the King, she has served as Organ Scholar both at Christ Church Cathedral and at the Co-Cathedral.

We look forward to a rich and fruitful time together!

Welcome, May Joy!

Announcement from the Houston SaengerbundAn invitation to singers in Lutheran choirs (and to those who wish they were!)

Your secret is no longer safe. If you are a joyful participant in a choral music program, we invite you to add a new flavor to your singing

repertoire. The Houston Saengerbund is Houston's oldest musical organization, even pre-dating the Houston Symphony! Our members

range in age from early 20's to mid-80's, and our fellowship is forged by rehears-ing and performing a range of music from traditional Lieder to classical German composers in four-part arrangements. We are about to begin a new singing year and ask you to consider joining us in the Mannerchor or Damenchor. Rehearsals begin Tuesday, August 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Our first engagement is OktoberFest Houston at Buffalo Bayou Park on September 28. Subsequently, we will perform a full season of beautiful German choral mu-sic. Singers should be able to read music and to commit to rehearsals on Tuesday evenings. It is not necessary to be fluent in German. We meet at the First Evangeli-cal Lutheran Church, 1311 Holman Street, opposite Houston Community College. Please call Mannerchor director 281-660-3227. Mary Kay Buehler 713-449-4813, or Damenchor director Vicki Hemm.

Choir/Chorus Retreat August 23-24Our Choir and Chorus retreat will be to Zion Center in Galveston

on August 23-24 in order to tune up and prepare for the season ahead. New members welcome, please speak to Deacon Rick Erickson for further information, and please keep our singers in your prayers.

Justice Advocacy Opportunity

Advocate with the ELCA

God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday: Justice Advocacy Event Sunday, September 8The Justice Advocacy Ministry Team invites you to use your hands to advocate for justice after each worship service on God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday, September 8. There will be several justice topics to choose from & different ways to advocate. Stop by the tables after worship and raise your voice for justice!


Kids Summer Creation Education: Beautiful RocksSunday, August 4, 9:45 a.m.Neal and Inda Immega invite all ages to learn about beautiful rocks - stones that are cut and polished for jewelry. They will have both lapidary and fancier gem mate-rials and, of course, will have some things to give away to the participants! Learn about the properties of these materials that make them pretty enough and du-rable enough for this type of use, where they are found and which things are found together.

Bike Around the BayOctober 12 & 13Join the Lutherans Restoring Creation Team for Bike Around the Bay as a cyclist or supporter! Last year, our team was one of the top fundraisers, but this year, we’ve lost a key team member. Please consider joining the team or making a donation to support the team. For cyclists, this is great opportunity to both enjoy and care for God’s good creation. See this site for details: bikearoundthebay.org.

Sunday Evening Conversations on Creation Continue…The CTK Creation Care Team invites you to a monthly environmental educa-tion web meeting series whose theme in 2019 is environmental issues and what you can do.

What’s the Health of the Bay? Galveston Bay Report CardSunday, August 25, at 6:00 p.m., online

In August, T’Noya Thompson, Advocacy Programs Manager for Galveston Bay Foundation, will discuss the health of Galveston Bay. The Galveston Bay Estuary is the largest estuary on the Texas coast and has weathered significant challenges over the years. The Galveston Bay Report Card, a citizen-driven, scientific analysis of the health of Galveston Bay, was created to increase interest in the health of the bay and to create an informed citizenry will-ing to engage local and state decision-makers on bay issues. The report card is updated annually every August. Learn about the indicators that give you the information you need to be informed, and how you can take action to preserve Galveston Bay! Please register for this talk on eventbrite.com. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at [email protected] with any questions about this talk.

How to Reduce Extreme Heat in City NeighborhoodsPlanting more vegetation, using reflec-tive materials on hard surfaces and installing green roofs on buildings can help cool potentially deadly urban heat islands – a phenomenon that exists in nearly all large cities – a new study from Portland State University shows:

www.sc iencedai ly.com/re leas-es/2019/07/190708154042.htm

Those solutions, however, present a growing challenge to developers and planners as neighborhoods become increasingly dense and single-family homes give way to apartment buildings.

Creation Care Fest/Environmental ExtravaganzaSaturday, August 24, 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.Faith Lutheran Church, 4600 Bellaire Blvd.You are invited to the 2019 Creation Care Fest – Environmental Extravaganza! This free event is actually three events in one: lectures by expert speakers on The State of Our World, an exhibit by local environmental organizations, and a family-friendly festival with kids’ activities such as nature/environment-focused games, crafts, encounters with live education animals, seed planting (to take home & watch grow!) and much more. Please register for this event for plan-ning purposes on eventbrite.com. Note that all children must be accompanied by an adult. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at [email protected] with any questions. Lecture Details:• 10:00 a.m. State of Biodiversity,

Professor Kerri Crawford, University of Houston

• 10:45 a.m. State of the Air, Professor Dan Cohan, Rice University

• 11:30 a.m. State of Fresh Water, Professor Hanadi Rifai, University of Houston

• 2:00 p.m. State of the Oceans, Professor Hyun-Min Hwang, Texas Southern University

• 2:45 p.m. State of the Land, John Ferguson, owner of Nature's Way Resources

Exhibits by local environmental orga-nizations 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. including:• Air Alliance Houston• Citizen’s Climate Lobby• Co-Housing Houston• Harris County Office of

Homeland Security & Emergency Management

• Houston Climate Protection Alliance

• Native Prairies Association of Texas• Public Citizen• Willow Waterhole Conservancy• All those listed below under

kids’ activities

Kids' Activities 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. provided by:• Blackwood Educational Land Institute• Galveston Bay Foundation• Gulf Coast Bird Observatory• Harris County Parks Dept.• Houston Botanic Garden• Mercer Botanic Gardens

• Texas Master Naturalists, Gulf Coast Chapter

• Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.• Vegan Society of Peace• Westbury Community Garden• Wildlife Center of Texas


July 28 Rachel ZochDaniel TrappJoshua AagardJulie BixbyWill BurgessDiane CannonKatieCarringtonKaren DouglassWilliam FennerTravis HarperElmer LedesmaJulie MorinEllen TilleryJames VersalovichTimothy VuongJacquelyn McAnellyHannah NelsonTodd HegartyJames Santana

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August 4Elizabeth MallonCharlotteTurnerAdrienne WinstonLisa BrenskelleIrmi WillcocksonJudith HungerfordMartinSalasChristianTriantaphyllisJohn WalkerDavid West

August 11MarieMartinezMatthewSommerEric BoyceRick EricksonAndrew FilipowskiPetra Rantanen

August 18Sabina EntzianPhilip FeldwischRaul VieiraAkiko LoTurcoAgnes PierceAnna Van BuskirkAndrea SalasLily GrahamKaitlin ChoiMeaghan WheelerRobert LouisRussell Post

August 25 Janelle ThompsonAngela LenzCooper LenzJacobThweattRichard BakerAnthonyGoodoffErling HansenSara DobbsAlice Olson

“Remember and rejoice, Renewed by floods of grace

We bear the sign of Jesus Christ, That time cannot erase.” (ELW 454)

New American CitizensOur congregation extends congratulations to two brand new United States citizens, Pr. Karin Liebster and Dr. Matthias Henze. Karin and Matthias were sworn in on Wednesday, July 10.

Memorial Service for Pastor Fred Haman (1930-2019)

The memorial service for Pastor Fred Haman, Associate Pastor at Christ the King Church from 1986 and 1995 and Visitation Pastor from 2000 until 2007, will be at Christ the King on Saturday, August 3, at 10:00 a.m. followed by a congrega-tional lunch reception.

In lieu of flowers, you are invited to contribute to ELCA World Hunger either directly at elca.org or through Christ the King Church (check memo: Pastor Haman-World Hunger).

We l c o m e t o Christ the King Church On September 22 at 12:30 p.m. all who

are interested in learning more about Christ the King Church’s min-istries and community are invited to a luncheon with the pastors. On September 29, we will receive all who would like to join them-selves to the mission of Christ the King Church as new members.

Prayer shawl given to Ralph Oeben by the Prayer Shawl Ministry.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on Friday mornings at 9:00 a.m. in the third floor conference room. The group makes shawls for church members and friends who are ill or who have suffered the death of a loved one. They also donate shawls to the Hospitality Apart-ments for people who are ill and who would benefit from the receipt of a prayer shawl.

See page 11 to read about additional congregational care opportunities.

Rike, Dilshad and baby Inga Kasmani

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Pride Parade in June

Pastor Liebster with Bishop Mike Rinehart and Pastor Ashley Dellagiacoma from Kindred

May 7, 2019

Dear Christ The King Lutheran Church,

Thank you for your recent gift of $127,355.12 and for your sup-port of Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA.

In February 2014, we launched this five-year effort with the goal to do more, together. Already, through the campaign, we are growing our communities of faith, forming new leaders, welcoming our neighbors, overcoming malaria, confronting hunger and poverty, accompanying our global churches and expanding ministries with youth, young adults and people with disabilities. The generosity of ELCA members, like you, is bringing new life to the church here at home and around the world.

As we enter the final year of the campaign, I want to thank you for your continued investment in the future of this church and in the ministry we share. This work - God’s work - just wouldn’t be possible without your generous support.

In Christ,

The Rev. Ron GlusenkampDirector, The Campaign for the ELCA

Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas 2353 Rice Blvd,...

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Transcript of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas 2353 Rice Blvd,...