October 2022 — By the Numbers

Our Gifts Blessing Others:

Please note:  CtK contribution statements are emailed quarterly from fin.sec@ctkdurango.org.   Email churchadmin@ctkdurango.org with questions, corrections, or if you need a paper statement mailed.  Thank you.

Synod $  1,787
World Hunger $     460
Social Ministry $  2,031
Total Benevolence $  4,227

 

Synod $  14,915
World Hunger $  11,983
Social Ministry $  15,988
Total Benevolence $ 42,886

 

Financial Update:

 

Gifts Received $   25,845
Facility Donations $        225
Rental Income $        833
Expenses $   29,417
Net Operating Income $    (2,513)

 

 

Gifts Received $     215,719
Facility Donations $         1,739
Rental Income $         6,667
Expenses $     223,471
Net Operating  Income $             653
Endowment Fund Balance $     173,867
Building Fund Balance $        15,341
Love Fund Balance $       28,954

 

 

Worship Attendance:

 

Date Wed. 6pm Sun. 9:30am
Sept 4
  57 P + 33 D
Sept 7
16 P
Sept 11
57 P + 23 D
Sept 14
14 P
Sept 18
  66 P + 21 D
Sept 21
14 P
Sept 25
  66 P + 33 D
Sept 28
14 P
Monthly Totals 58 P
246 P + 110 D

Note:    P = the number of People attending in-person worship at CtK.

              D = the number of Devices signed into Zoom or Livestream, NOT the number of individuals (since more than one person can watch service on a single device.)

October 2022 — Worship Assistants

October 2022 — Worship Assistants

To sign up for this or any of our volunteer opportunities, be sure to visit: https://www.ctkdurango.org/signup/

Thank You!

Sunday Worship Assistants

9:30 am Inside Sanctuary unless otherwise noted.

Usher

Usher

Reader

Oct 2 – 9:30am Wanda Ellingson
John Condie
Barb Wirsching
Oct 9 – 9:30am Carla Gonneville
Barbara Hawxhurst
Molly Bodewes
Oct 16 – 9:30am
 Catherine Hawk
Gary Henschen Karen Rosenberger
Oct 23 – 9:30am
Carol Orlowski
Gary Orlowski
Amy Wendland
Oct 30 – 9:30am
 Lynn Mitzlaff
Barbara Hawxhurst
Addison Ashby

 

Sunday Media Desk

9:30 am Inside Sanctuary unless otherwise noted.

Pro

Presenter

Camera

Op.

Sound

Board

Oct 2 – 9:30am Anita Ashby Gary Rollstin Gary Orlowski
Oct 9 – 9:30am Dan Graves Angelia Graves
Dan & Angelia
Oct 16 – 9:30am
 Anita Ashby
Gary Rollstin Gary Orlowski
Oct 23 – 9:30am
Catherine Hawk
Gary Rollstin
TBD
Oct 30 – 9:30am
Anita Ashby
Gary Rollstin
TBD

October 2022 – Faith Formation

October 2022 – Faith Formation

CtK’s 7th Annual Art Gala

November 5th at 5pm

Theme: Women of the Bible

Artwork is due in the CtK office NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, November 2nd, at 1pm.

Which Woman of the Bible do you most identify with?

Which Woman of the Bible have you never heard of before?

Which Woman of the Bible speaks to you over the generations?

Stumped? Get inspired!

Click here for a Wikipedia article that lists them all!

Click here to see this summer’s Women of the Bible Sermon Series!

Click here to peruse Vanderbilt’s Christian Art Collection!

October 2022 — Pastor Tim’s Thoughts

October 2022 — Pastor Tim’s Thoughts

Renewal Leave Reflections: The Nature of Work 

After worship on June 5, I closed and locked the door of my office behind me, and I walked out of the empty church building. Fifteen weeks later, I unlocked my door and entered my office again. The gift of time for my renewal leave had come to an end, and it was time to get back to work. 

The final few weeks of my leave were interesting, especially in conversations with friends who assumed that I was already mourning the impending return to work life. My response, however, was not grief or anxiety; instead, I responded “I’m ready.” 

In many ways, my renewal leave was exactly what I had hoped it would be: relaxing, rejuvenating, fun, calming. In other ways, I was surprised by things that I didn’t expect: how tired I really was; how difficult it was to not work; and how activities that I had thought were relaxing were ultimately clever disguises for work. 

The first few weeks of my leave, then, were spent figuring out where this line was between work and rest. I struggled mightily with not being productive. I felt guilty because I felt lazy. So, I tried to assuage my guilt by doing some reading. I have a large pile of books that I haven’t read, and I intended on getting through that pile with this enormous gift of time. But it became quickly apparent that reading those books, heavy with theology, was somewhat enjoyable; but ultimately, I found that these books constantly made me think about my work, responsibilities, and duties as a pastor. Reading these books, in other words, led me to work. 

The same could be said for writing. I have always enjoyed writing, finding that it helps me to organize and express my thoughts in a clear and concise way. But writing, too, turned out to be a very heady pursuit, and I became anxious in trying to make this task something of a self-imposed daily routine. 

Thankfully, two weeks into my leave, I had planned a five-day trip to Christ in the Desert Benedictine Monastery in northern New Mexico. The monastery is tucked away in an extremely beautiful, secluded canyon; and it is a quiet place, where listening and praying is prioritized over talking and producing. There, amidst the beautiful red canyon walls and the bubbling Rio Chama, I was able to discern something that would guide my activities for the rest of my leave and beyond: rest would be defined as anything that gave me life; and work, conversely, would be defined as anything that took life away. 

This was incredibly useful for me because it gave me a standard by which I could make the most of this gift of time. If reading theology books and writing was causing anxiety and depleting my energy, then I gave myself permission to not continue with those activities. If going on miles-long runs or completing long-dormant house projects brought a sense of satisfaction and life – even though by all accounts they are ‘work’ – then I was free to pursue them. 

I oriented the remaining weeks of my renewal leave around this maxim, and my time away was all the better for it. Indeed, it has helped me to understand some of the same patterns that I sense in my post-renewal-leave life, too, which has helped me to be able to set better boundaries around what is and what is not ‘work.’ 

These two questions – What gives you life, and what takes life away? – can be deeply philosophical; but they can also help to give you a practical way of ensuring that you are living a healthy and balanced rhythm of life. I hope that you’ll take some time today to do something that gives you life. 

Peace,

Pastor Tim