The King's Herald Christ the King Lutheran Church Universal City, Texas APRIL 2019 MID-WEEK LENTEN MEALS & WORSHIP CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3 We are continuing to offer mid-week worship services during Lent and a meal beforehand. Take some time to slow down and attend to your spiritual well-being in this season of reflection. We have meals beginning at 5:30 p.m. offered by different church groups (as noted below). April 3 - Men’s Group (Soup) April 10 - Choir (Chalupas) After the meal, come to the sanctuary at 6:30 pm to worship using Holden Evening Prayer and experience prayer stations. Worship Opportunities Palm/Passion Sunday, April 14 8:00 and 10:30 A.M. Worship with Holy Communion Easter Egg Hunt and Intergenerational Faith Formation at 9:15 A.M. Maundy Thursday, April 18 Holy Communion at 7:00 P.M. Good Friday, April 19 at 7:00 pm Easter Morning Worship, April 21 with Holy Communion at 8:00 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. Easter Breakfast begins at 9:00 AM Page 2 I know this may be shocking to some of y’all, but when I was in high school, I was a bit of a talker. One time, I was so particularly chatty that the manager (at the fast food chain where I worked) bet me that I couldn’t go the rest of the night without talking (except to customers or about work), which would be about two hours. Of course, with that motivation, I was more than able to zip my lip. This silly bet aside, how often are you intentionally silent? How often do you intentionally sit in silence and spend that time with God? I mean sheer silence – no radio or music playing, no television in the back- ground, still wide awake – just sitting and listening for God. Believe it or not, silence is a spiritual practice. Remember, Elijah in 1 Kings 19 experienced God in the sound of sheer silence. I think I’ve mentioned in a sermon before that while I was in seminary, one of my professors gave us an assignment to sit for a minimum of four hours in silence (and it had to be in one block of time – not broken up into little mini sessions). We were not allowed to have any music playing and no tv or movies on. We could NOT sleep or exercise or do anything other than sit and no books or writing were allowed except for a Bible and a notebook to write down any thoughts of a spiritual nature. The first ten to fifteen minutes were great, but then … after that it was a struggle to say the least! Those of us who live alone don’t necessarily have any problems finding silence but what about the intentional time with God in that silence. And those who have busy families around them would probably love to have some time for silence and time to themselves. Silent time with God allows for different conversations, deeper and more meaningful conversations than can happen with lots of background noise and distraction. Silent meditation and prayer may not seem all that important or much of a priority, but it truly is when you get into the habit. On one of the youth trips I’ve taken in the past, we forced the youth (and ourselves) to spend fifteen minutes every day alone (apart from others), without their phones and only a Bible and notebook. We did all sorts of other amazing things on that trip, but every single youth said their favorite thing was the solitary Bible time. This spiritual practice renews us in ways that other activities (upon which we spend so much time in our lives) can’t. So as we explore more spiritual practices, I invite you (even challenge you) to build in intentional silent time with God (without doing anything else) every day to see what an impact it makes in your life. Shalom y’all! Pastor Mike Youth and Family Ministry Happenings Confirmation Youth will have a required Workshop on April 7 from noon til 3:30 pm. SUMMER DATES ARE HERE !!!!! June 9—14 High School Trek with Cross Trails Ministries. Art Camp 1 for Kindergarten—5th Grade will be June 24—June 29 from 2:00—5:00 — $30 June 30—July 5 Ebert Trail Bosses, Wranglers 4th—6th grade July 7—12 Ebert Confirmation Camp for 6th—8th grade High School Art Day July 20 10:00—4:00 $10 Art Camp 2 for 4th—9th grade 11:00—3:30 $30 VBS August 4—8 from 5:30—8:00pm for 3yrs thru 6th grade On April 6 from 3:00—5:00 PM, you are invited to join us for an afternoon of art fun. You will have the opportunity to work on whatever project you would like to work on. We will have 2 rooms set up—1 for adults and 1 for youth. Come join the fun. There will be snacks and drinks but feel free to bring along some to share as well as a $5 fee. Youth and Families can join us at Gattis on April 14 from 11:30 til 2. We are working on a package deal right now for cost. Families will meet there or carpool. This is open to all ages and families and friends. I do need RSVPs so I can have numbers for our package. RSVP by April 7 to 210-995-4033 with numbers of people. SAVE THE DATE!!!!! SAVE YOUR STUFF!!!! HELP SOMEONE FIND JOY IN YOUR BELONGINGS THAT NO LONGER BRING YOU JOY!!!!! April 27 8:30—1:00 PM This is the week after Easter this year so be creative in your bringing stuff. We will arrange pick ups as best we can before, during and after Holy Week. Those of you who are Marie Kondo-ing your world and organizing, think of the youth and our Camping trips this summer. We would love to acquire the belongings of yours that no longer bring you joy. There is someone in the greater San Antonio area that will find joy in your belongings. Set it aside and box it up and we can help you find a place in our shed for it til the sale. BRING YOUR big STUFF TO US APRIL 26 from 9:00 AM— 4:00 PM when we will be organizing and pricing STEWARDSHIP -- CTK Newsletter April 2019 The United States southern border has become a flash point of conflicting public views. Those heading north encompass the full range of human behavior. Some are looking to exploit; others are in search of any job that will provide the means to help lift their families from poverty. Escaping poverty is among the leading reasons for persons emigrating from desperate situations in Central America. As Christians, how can we provide compassionate assistance? One avenue is through Education Scholarships. Helping an economically poor person attend school equips them with better skills to compete for better job opportunities that will improve their future. If I can survive and thrive at home, emigration to a distant land is far less attractive. For example, in Honduras the very poor can barely afford Middle School for their children and the cost of high school or university is simply beyond reach. High School is “free” if you can afford the security fee, janitorial fee, books, supplies, uniforms, and cost of transportation. It is not the United States where a school bus stops at your house or the corner block. If you do not have enough money, you do not have access to a high school diploma. There are many outstanding non-profit organizations that provide international assistance. They are great stewardship avenues for compassionate Christian assistance. One of those organizations is “Austin Helps Honduras (AHH)” which has significant education sponsor support from Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church, Austin, our own Christ the King Lutheran Church, and other religious communities. If life changing differences are part of your stewardship goals, then international education scholarships are a wonderful choice. I can personally vouch for AHH having made six trips to Honduras since 2009. When you witness the Divine transformation from shy seventh grader to confident high school or university student, you know why you made the decision to invest in their education. For multiple reasons, not every scholarship student will be a graduate. But every scholarship student will walk a little taller, feel a little stronger, and reach up a little higher when they know there is a sponsor in the United States of America who believes in them and their self worth and believes they can achieve a better future through education. Glen Anderson, for CTK Stewardship Committee ATTN Human Resources Department: CTK's Mutual Ministry is forming a personnel committee in order to improve our human resource practices. This committee will be responsible for hiring, termination, and review processes for all CTK employees. If you have a background in HR or are interested in serving on this committee, please reach out to myself or any of the other council members. Ryan Agrella 281-794-2367 [email protected] The Sunday School children focused on the topic of Prayer. The children came up with the ABC’s of things to pray for/about… Creative juices were flowing as children created examples using paint, clay, writ- ing, drawing, and Legos. Join the kids with this handy, alphabetical list. A - animals E - everyone I - intelligence B - brothers F - family J - jobs C - cats G - grandparents K - knowledge D - dogs H - home L - love M - mom P - people with R—rest U - unicorns X - x-rays N - neighbors disabilities S—snails V - vultures Y - you O - others Q - quiet times T—trees W - wisdom Z - zebras I would like to thank all of my CTK friends who remembered me with cards and Facebook get well wishes! My surgery was a bit of a surprise, but everything is going well and I am on the road to recovery.