Lenten ELCA World Hunger Results 

Wow!  As most of you may know, we started the Lenten season in March with our annual focus on ELCA World Hunger and the work they do in the U.S. and across the world.  We set a goal of $5,000 for CtK and blew through that quickly. Pastor Tim announced in late March, that we were now hoping for $7500 by the end of April. 

On April 3rd, Gabe Brannon, Mission Funding Director from ELCA Churchwide, attended worship, shared his message for the sermon and did a Q&A session after worship. Our congregation is one of the most generous ones in the U.S. for per capita giving to World Hunger. He focused on the three readings and in particular on the boy in the reading in John 6 and shared how this was a miracle of “community”, just like the work of ELCA World Hunger across the world. In keeping with Pastor Tim’s sermon series, “Oh, the Places We Will Go”, Gabe discussed what the ELCA is doing in eastern Europe right now. As of 4/3, Lutheran Disaster Response had raised $4.3 million and was working with partner organizations all over eastern Europe in response to the invasion of Ukraine. He also shared some examples of how ELCA World Hunger is at work in Indonesia (where 40% of the population lives on <$2/day) and there are 600,000 people with AIDS/HIV and half of those do not know they have it. In Peru, who has the largest percentage of undernourished children in South America. In Eswatini (formerly Swaziland, in Southern Africa), 60% of people live on <90 cents/day. 

So what was the response of the congregation? Pastor Tim then set a new goal of $10K.  Drum roll please–your giving as of 4/24 (including the monthly donation from the Social Ministry budget) was——$9,200! In addition, you also responded with gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response of $3,142.83 for eastern Europe/Ukraine. 

Once again, your prayers, support and commitment to the local communities across the country/worldwide working on all sorts of projects to address the underlying issues of hunger, and hunger itself are examples of community and love. THANK YOU and blessings to everyone’s efforts all year long.

News from your Mission Endowment Fund (MEF) Board:

Mission Endowment Fund Grants

We are pleased to announce the grant recipients for 2021. Total requests this year amounted to more than $16,000.00.   $10,922.00 was granted to applicants who requested funding for congregational, community and/or global projects who met the mission of the Fund. The mission of the fund is to provide for mission work beyond the operating budget of the congregation. Recipients must all demonstrate that their request is in alignment with the mission statement of Christ the King, “To love and serve God by proclaiming Christ’s gospel, strengthening worship, deepening discipleship, and serving our congregation, community and world.”  Below is a list of those projects that were funded.

Thank you all for your support.

Wendy Gonzales, Lynn Mitzlaff, Megan Reid, John Condie, and Gary Rollstin

Congregation

CtK Youth

Day Camp

Piecemakers Quilting Guild

Community

Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Grief Center

Garden Ministry

Housing Solutions

Gideons

Durango Derailers

Purple Cliffs Mission

World

Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala

La Esperanza Granada

Sheppard Foundation for Hope

Village Aid

ELCA World Hunger

Lenten ELCA World Hunger Focus 

Christ the King will again focus some of our energy during Lent on the work of ELCA World Hunger. The world may have enough food for all, but as many as 811 million people around the world are undernourished. Our faith leads us to believe in a God of abundance. As a church we live out our baptismal call to strive for justice and mercy for all.  The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed even more people into hunger and poverty. As the ELCA writes, “We are Easter people, clinging to the promise of God: ‘I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert’ (Isaiah 43:19).”

We will be using the 40 Days of Giving calendar for this journey.  They were passed out on February 27 at worship.  For those worshiping online, there will be copies of the calendars in the church office for you to pick up as you can.  We have set a goal of $5,000 for our Christ the King giving to ELCA World Hunger during March and April. Also, we are planning to host a special guest on April 3rd from the ELCA World Hunger staff.

Over the years, this congregation has heard the call to serve and support those whose basic needs are not met–locally, in our country and around the world. For this we are grateful. Please join us in this prayerful time of reflection, prayer, and growing faith as we journey to Easter and the promise of the risen Lord.

Christ the King’s “Love Fund”

 For many years, Christ the King has maintained a Love Fund.  Its purpose is to provide short-term monetary support to members, attendees, and staff in times of need.  This support comes as an expression of God’s love from the congregation and imposes no requirements on the recipient.

 Financial emergencies can take many forms—unexpected car repairs, unusual medical bills, temporary disability, or loss of work.  The fund has helped people in the past with rent and mortgage payments, legal fees, utility bills and more.  If you, or anyone you know in the congregation, is experiencing a financial emergency, bring it to Pastor Tim’s or Deacon Mandy’s attention.  The names and the identifiable circumstances are held in strictest confidence.  If they and the Social Ministry team find it appropriate and agree that there are no other reasonable options, the Love fund will try to help.

The flip side of this is, of course, that if you have been gifted by God in abundance, please consider donating to the Love Fund.  Just write “Love Fund” on the memo line of a check.  Lots of small contributions can go a long way.

We know there are members out there who are feeling the financial squeeze of COVID.  Talk to one of our ministers; let the Love Fund do what it was intended to do.

Annual Holiday Thank You!

 All of us at the church who coordinate our congregation’s outreach to the community want to thank everyone who participated in our many holiday activities.

 For all of you who cut, cooked, and smushed the annual Thanksgiving Stuffing—Job well Smushed!  We even got a shout out from the staff at Manna that made it into the Herald.  Special thanks to Jeff Saville for coordinating the whole thing.

To all of you who adopted a child for the Family Center’s Toy Drive—a heartfelt thank you from the staff of the center and the children and families blessed by your generosity!

Special thanks to all the Quilters that made the stockings for the children of the Family Center and all of you who brought goodies, toys and toothbrushes to fill them!

Thanks for your many other gifts blessing others, and in particular, your support of our mission church partners.

NELM Support

The Twelve Days of Christmas….thanks to the generosity of many members, we were able to share God’s love with our extended family, our Mission Partners at the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Rockpoint, AZ.  A few particular thank yous go out to Don Bruning, Bob Harms, Dan & Angelia Graves, Wanda Ellingson, John Condie, Tom & Dottie Robinson, and the Piecemakers.  

12+ quilts made with love by our Piecemakers

11 kids winter coats

10 bed sheet sets

9 Holy Bibles (“Diyin God Bizaad–The Holy Bible in Navajo language”)

8 boxes of facemasks

7 or more outfits for young boys

6 hats and gloves

5 Tylenol bottles

4 desk organizers (and extra folders galore, a 3-hole punch, pencil sharpeners and a desk chair)

3 microwave/toaster ovens

2 crockpots, 2 large cooking pots and 2 first aid kits

And a wish of God’s unending love

“So grateful – Yáʼátʼééh Késhmish from all of us. Wishing you a season of hope and abundance. Blessings, Pastor Kate Adelman”

Zaculeu, Guatemala

Christ the King joined Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN, in raising money for one of our families at Augustine Lutheran Church in La Libertad, Guatemala.  Pedro, the three-year son of the head of this church, was born with intestines on the outside of his body. He was operated on as an infant and requires a second surgery now. The public clinic in the remote area near the church cannot operate due to COVID, but a private clinic is willing to perform the surgery at a cost of $2500.  Our Savior’s raised $1750 and Christ the King raised $1725 during our special collections on December 5th and 12th.