THE KING’S BANNER Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas 2353 Rice Blvd, Houston TX 77005 Volume 71, Number 6, 713-523-2864 ctkelc.org June/July, 2017 Pentecost Picnic June 4 Capital Campaign Phase II Come and join together for a good ol’ time at our annual Culminates June 4 Pentecost Picnic on Sunday, June 4 at 12:15 p.m. in the courtyard. On Pentecost Sunday—the celebration All are invited to bring sides to complement the entrée of fried of the beginning of the Church on chicken, like salads (potato, pasta, rice, green salads), vegetables, Earth—the members of Christ the King fruit and dessert. Vegetarian options are welcome! We ask that Lutheran Church have an opportunity individuals help with $5, and families of four and more $20. to finish the work we began more than Come dressed in your casual picnic attire and two years ago in the “Build Us Up, Send choose the color RED for Pentecost Sunday. Us Forth” capital campaign, as we celebrate our life as a church today and look forward to the years to come. Pentecost Picnic A Gift from Our Muslim Neighbors— An Iftar Dinner Friday, June 16 Sunday, June 4 12:15 p.m. A very special gift has been offered to members of Christ the King Church by our spiritual cousins of the Islamic Institute: a free and educational Iftar Dinner, here at Do You Speak a Foreign Language? Christ the King Church, on Friday, June 16, 7:45 p.m. Use it on Pentecost! “Iftar” means “breaking of the fast” during Islam’s high Each year on Pentecost Sunday (June 4), we invite those who holy days of Ramadan. We are invited to break the fast speak or read a language other than English to participate in the with our Muslim neighbors and, while so doing, learn reading from the book of Acts. We encourage wide participa- more about an Iftar’s religious meaning, as well as more tion from all who worship with us. The readings will be done from the seats, taking place simultaneously with the languages about Islam in general. filling the nave. Please contact Cheryl Gaspard in the church The meal will be limited to 35 Christ the King members; office (713-400-0519 or [email protected]) for more information 35 participants from the Turkish Shia background of the or a copy of the reading in your language. Islamic Institute and Mosque will join us. The meal will be catered and free, hosted in the parish hall. Please call Bach Vespers: On to Leipzig! or email the church office at [email protected] to reserve On Sunday, June 4 at 6:00 p.m. Bach Society your place by Friday, June 9. presents Bach Cantata 16 "Herr Gott, dich loben wir" in Vespers with the Bach Choir, soloists, Because during Ramadan Muslims must fast from sunup and Orchestra. This event marks both the con- to sunset, the program begins at 7:45 p.m. and the meal clusion of the Season, but also the sending of will be served around 8:30. For CTK members who come, our Bach Choir to the Leipzig BachFest, where we encourage you, if you are able, to show your spiritual they will be the first professional Ameri- neighborliness to our hosts by fasting that day with them can choir invited to perform as part of this international festival. until the evening festivities begin. We are grateful indeed Our Bach forces are honored to represent Christ the King, Hou- to The Islamic Institute for their great generosity! ston, and indeed, the US, as we head to Germany. The choir, ac- Summer Book Reviews companied by over 30 supporters!, will sing in Leipzig, Dresden, The summer book reviews are Berlin, Wittenburg, and Weimar, among others. Bishop Rinehard a beloved tradition as an edu- will also be our guest homilist at Vespers, so, please, join us for cational offering on Sundays at this joyous celebration! 9:45 a.m. during the summer. Summer See page 8. Book Reviews Submit a check made out to Christ the King Church and earmarked “CCSC Back to School” in the offering on Sundays now through August 14. See page 20. $45.00 Sponsors One Student Christ the King Lutheran Church 1 Build Us Up, Send Us Forth Capital Campaign Part Two Sermon for Year A Easter 3 Based on Luke 24:13-35 has begun in the call process. Pastor’s Note: There have been many What could it look like so consciously to requests for the sermon of April 30, be sent forth as Christ the King’s Easter/ the “Kick-Off Day” for the second Pentecost people? What could that final phase of Christ the King Church’s 15% in this campaign make possible? “Build Us Up—Send Us Forth Cam- When the physical walls and mortgage is paign. That sermon is reproduced paid down according to the plan—better, here. It is commended as a catalyst, when it is all paid off—what could and not a prescription. I hope indeed that even should happen, given the premise the faithful imagination of many is that what we have in current building sparked by this. May Christ’s peace Duane’s World and program is the foundation upon and love fill you and spill over from which entirely new ministry is to be built. you to many! What can we do when $100,000 or even much more—if all is Christ is Risen! Alleluia! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Having paid off soon--is freed for new ministry, especially when the just replied as you’ve been taught, does it feel more like unusually strong “people assets” that you are, are even more an echo now than a first excited exclamation to say that? loosed into the world with God who is loose in the world? Or worse, are we cast back into the mindset of those two I see a congregation already that supports dozens of minis- unnamed and upset disciples walking a dusty rocky road in tries, but could become better known for all it does. Without a world that again bears no promise for them? compromising those, I see this congregation also Suppose someone was to come to you on your rallying around one thing beyond our foundational walk today outside these walls and say “Christ is worship and music that clearly demonstrates that Risen!” How would you respond? Are we “built we love the neighbor as Jesus loves us and that up” enough confidently to say “indeed”? Equally, we do justice, and walk humbly with God, per are we built up and sent forth enough to bring the Micah 6:8. That one thing might be something like news that Christ is Risen to others on their roads Freewheels for Houston, which already is getting so that they with joy can answer “indeed!”? known for principled advocacy and hands-on work Today we start a five week period of more discus- for immigrants, helping them with job-training sion, perhaps like walking an Emmaus road, now named Rice and placement. I see also from amongst you a principled Blvd., about the future of Christ the King Church’s ministry. and diverse group of youth, academics, veterans, police, You have been so well-led and so inspired by God’s Spirit and legal minds coming together with other people of color to respond generously to the Build Us Up, Send Us Forth and religious difference to counter hate in ourselves, our Capital Campaign that 85% of the $3 million goal has been community, and our great city. subscribed. In the next weeks we will hear and read what These new outreaches are already happening. Nurture will the campaign thus far has enabled us here at CTK to do. This be needed. And support will be needed to see that all of the obviously centered on the physical side of “Build Us Up.” It amazing different talents and perspectives given us by God was necessary and is wonderful. We conclude the campaign would cohere together as non-partisan examples of a con- June 4, appropriately Pentecost Sunday—that very day when gregation so that God’s unusual reign of mercy with justice the church was born, empowered, and sent into the world is seen on earth as it is in heaven, rather than God’s rule just to assist people on their own roads, even to walk them onto happening to look like our own political preferences. THAT promise-filled roads. would be a distinctive sign that the church is relevant to a Having been around the block, having been your Interim current population and a Generation Z that wants to belong Pastor coming on nigh a year, and having experienced the to just such a worshipping prayerful place that brings divine wonderful and even unusual strengths you have individually mercy and healing to wherever suffering happens. and as a congregation, my role and privilege now is to share Most of you are eager, even passionate, to see such a new with you my vision of what Christ the King Church could do “branding” social ministry happen here. The eventual real and be remembered for on its road of discipleship in the thing could be something different, but equally branding. years ahead. This is the stuff of well-detailed strategic plan- And there is nothing here that would limit you in number ning, which this congregation has never actually done. Such and quality of outreaches. The point is that the support for it planning always begins with visioning, which wonderfully will be radically opened and our vision will be turned beyond 2 The King’s Banner the walls to the anxious roads too much travelled.