Lent
2008…Taking Something Up
An
Examination of Christ the King’s Mission Statement
Ash Wednesday
Imposition
of Ashes
6:30am-7:00am
12:00noon-12:30pm
Reading
of the Lament Psalms
7:00pm
Worship
7:30pm
Lent
1 – Sunday, February 10th
‘Gathering
for Worship’
1st
Communion
Lent
2 – Sunday, February 17th
‘Growing
In Faith’
Lent
3 – Sunday, February 24th
‘Evangelizing
the Gospel’
Lent
4 – Sunday, March 2nd
‘Serving
Others’
Lent
5 – Sunday, March 9th
‘Caring
for One Another in Authentic Community’
New
Member Sunday
Lord’s
Prayer Milestone – K/1st Graders
Pastor Paul’s Pen
Rev.
Paul F. Gysan
Don’t miss the “Pancake Party” on Shrove Tuesday at 6:00pm. Who needs to be on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, when you can gather in our Fellowship Hall for “Fat Tuesday” translated in French, Mardi Gras. I promise to lead the dancing with my umbrella and top hat. I hope you can come expecting an exciting, joyous, uninhibited evening!
Why a “Pancake Party?” Years ago milk, eggs, and cream were forbidden during Lent, so these were used up by making pancakes. To be “Shriven” (derivative of Shrove) meant to be prepared for a Lenten Season of fasting. On the eve of Ash Wednesday, February 5, we gather to prepare ourselves for Lent – a more somber time of year.
Ashes will be placed on our foreheads on February 5. Maybe you’ve sat by an outdoor fire, watching the fire collapse wood into hot embers. Hours latter you return to find only dust. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. But the dust is waiting to burst into life again at the invisible touch of the very breath of God!
God’s Spirit is at work in our individual lives and in the life of our church, seeking to refine us through repentance. God’s Spirit can help us to “take up something this Lent.” What areas of your life need to be “shriven”, and what areas of your life need to experience the “saving grace” of God in Christ? Lent is a time for us to let parts of our lives die as we repent, and let the invisible Easter breath of God renew us.
In our Ash Wednesday liturgy we shall hear these words, “As disciples of the Lord Jesus we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and neighbor. Repentance, fasting, prayer, and works of love – the discipline of Lent – help us to wage our spiritual warfare.” Within the word “discipline” we note the word “disciple.” We are to pattern ourselves after our Lord Jesus and be a disciple of Christ.
During these forty days I pray that the refining fire of God’s Spirit will burn in our hearts. During our sending at the end of the liturgy you will hear these words at each service, “Go in peace. Remember the poor.” Lent is a time for us to reflect on our baptismal call to participate in God’s mission in the world. We are to live out our baptismal call to participate in Christ’s mission.
On Transfiguration Sunday (Feb. 3), you will be to participate in a ministry that advocates on behalf of the hungry in the world. A daily devotional calendar will be given to you along with a Lenten offering box. Each day you can use that devotional and let your prayers take tangible signs of your love for others via money placed into the box. These will be collected on Palm Sunday and Easter. Put these boxes in a grocery cart in the narthex. That cart will be wheeled down the aisle on Easter and blessed, with those monies going to the ELCA HUNGER APPEAL. This will be a good discipline for people of all ages and family configurations in our church.
“Take Up Something This Lent.” We’re not going have mid-week services this year. My prayer is that you may set aside Sunday as the Sabbath, and be here with “shriven hearts.” My prayer is that if you are not affiliated with a church, that you take a step and be part of our new member class during Lent. May prayer is that God’s fiery Spirit may refigure your lives, and that the ashes of Lent, through the breath of God, may bring about a new you and me at Easter!
This newsletter is filled with exciting opportunities for you to participate in this Lent. Be sure to read about them. And don’t forget to use the Lenten Devotional Booklet. Those messages are better than any pancakes you’ve ever eaten!
PSPS
Pastor Scott’s Post Scripts
I am scared that our ‘lenten disciplines’ are becoming a lot like New Year’s Resolutions.
I don’t like New Years Resolutions generally because the thought is that most of them don’t last. As I go back through my life, I have made lots of New Year’s Resolutions…a few of them have stuck, but most have gone by the way-side as the ins and outs of daily life continue on. My grandfather told me once, I shouldn’t make resolutions…rather I should list 3 realistic goals for the year to continually work on. Put them on paper, hang them up on your bulletin board in plain view so you can see them every day, and then on the last day of every month, take them out and review them-all year long.
To this day, I am not so sure what the difference is between resolutions and goals, but regardless I think my grandfather had a good point. I think sometimes when we make resolutions and goals we tend to either make a lot of them (thus not being able to achieve them all) or we make them so lofty, they run the danger of becoming unrealistic, and unable to be achieved.
The same can be said for our Lenten Disciplines. As we talk this year about ‘taking something up,’ we ask of ourselves, what goal can I set in order to ‘nurture my faith journey’ a little bit more for the next year. Not just for Lent, but for the whole year. Too often, we think about giving something up for Lent, and as soon as Easter rolls around…well, we get it back. The idea is to make a change that lasts in our lives…not something temporary.
This year for Lent, Pastor Gysan and I will be preaching 6 sermons beginning on Transfiguration Sunday focusing in on Christ the King’s Mission Statement. Each Sermon will look at a different piece of our mission statement, examining how each of us might grow in our own discipleship journey in one of these areas.
Don’t know what goal to make or what ‘to take up’ for Lent? Well, we then invite you to gather with us every Sunday to listen to what the Holy Scriptures say, and perhaps the Holy Spirit may lead you on one of these Sundays in a certain direction whether be it making worship participation a goal, or perhaps joining a Bible Study or Small Group, or perhaps serving others in the name of Jesus more, or perhaps its wanting to be involved in telling the story of Jesus to another.
To be honest, I am not quite sure yet what I am going to be taking up for this Lent (and beyond). I know there are numerous things in my spiritual journey I would like to improve upon. But I trust that the Holy Spirit through the study and preaching of these texts will guide me to one thing I can tend to.
President’s Commentary
Allen Wild
Chances are by the time you are reading this you have already picked up your copy of our 2007 Annual Report. Our Pastors, the church staff and our council members have done an excellent job of capturing our life together in 2007. Please take the time to read it carefully in order to review our accomplishments.
In addition to publishing the annual report two weeks prior to the February 3rd Annual Meeting we planned an informal small group budget discussion on January 27th in order for members to ask any questions they may have on the budget. It was our hope that this meeting would also be an opportunity for members to provide feedback on how we are managing our finances.
When you review the budget pages in the annual report you will note that we are facing some financial challenges in 2008. The overall 2008 budget has only a modest 2% increase over 2007. The council worked very hard to strive for a balanced budget. Of the 17 budget line items, seven were reduced, five remained the same and only five were increased.
The major concern is a decline in offerings to our general fund in 2007 with our income being only 86% of the budget. Expenses were 93% of budget. The seven percent difference was made up from cash brought forward from 2006. Another concern is that less than 100 pledges have been received for 2008. There still are more than 40 who pledged in 2007 who have not yet pledged in 2008. If you are in this category we would ask that you please consider submitting your pledge as soon as possible to enable us to better manage our 2008 expenses versus expected offerings.
Please read the Turning Silver to Gold Campaign status on page 18 of the annual report. The follow- up committee reports that $280,000 of the $800,000 pledged (over three years) has been received as of December 31, 2007. We thank the members for their sacrificial offerings to the campaign and ask you to note the positive impact that these gifts are having toward debt reduction and benevolence to assist worthy local, national and international causes.
The annual report also noted that we have a number of vacant positions on the church council. The council agreed at their January meeting that we cannot wait until our June congregational meeting to fill these positions. We urgently need to fill the vacant positions of stewardship and finance, so we are asking for individuals to volunteer to serve in these key positions for the next five months.
I hope you will be attending the Congregational Annual meeting following the 11:00am Service on Sunday, February 3, 2008.
The Sound B e t w e e n
What is Your Dream?
By: Kara Haug
“I have a dream.” That is the phrase that keeps coming to mind today as I sit in my new favorite coffee shop. It’s fitting since today is the day we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I have been thinking about dreams a lot. Maybe it is because I turned twenty-eight and I know my ten-year high school reunion is approaching, or maybe it is because I feel that dreams are becoming extinct.
For three weeks in Sunday school we watched the movie The Ultimate Gift. The youth really became involved with it and couldn’t wait for the next Sunday to see what happened next. There was a certain part of the movie that was very touching for me. The main character and a young girl exchange dialog about dreams where they ask one another what their dreams are. However, during this scene giggling ensued by the youth. I questioned them afterwards about why the scene made them laugh. The response was that it was cheesy. It might have been, but it was a very intimate scene. So I had to ask the youth in light of the movie, “What do you dream?” Their response was blank stares. Then one spoke truth: “We don’t have time to dream, we go to school, get good grades, then go to college.” Ouch! That one hurt my soul.
I don’t know if I one-hundred percent believe that they don’t dream, but I wonder if they believe their dreams will ever happen. We are currently doing a disservice for our children. We are spending our time encouraging them to become overworked robots, so much that I believe the American Dream has been taking steroids. Our relatives came to this country to make a better life for themselves, but also to accomplish big dreams that they had. Now we have gone far beyond what that meant. Our kids are being forced into academic overhaul that they are not ready for. Youth today are learning subjects in tenth grade that I started learning my sophomore year of college. Their brains developmentally are not ready for all of that. Beyond this we want them to take so many advance placement classes, so they can get over a 4.0 (which in my day didn’t exist) to get into a prestigious college, to get into a career that they will make a certain amount of money, and while doing this they need to have a certain amount of extracurricular activities, and be the best at their particular sport. Is this the life God intended for us?
Our relatives worked really hard, it is true, but not so much so that they lost touch with what their dreams were. Certain people yes, probably sacrificed their dreams for something else, like children, but in doing so did they really make their lives better? I believe that if we keep moving at the pace we are and keep having these ridiculous expectations for our children, then we our going to become callused and cold. I mean why do we have commercials now encouraging kids to play? Why do people have to fight to keep recess in the schools. If we don’t allow kids to be kids their imaginations die and in imagination lay dreams.
If you have ever seen a mountain range, the ocean shores, a sunset, sequoias, a lush forest, or experienced falling in love or laughing so hard you cry and make funny noises then you know that our God is a very creative God, a God that too had dreams. I imagine God’s first dream was that we would abide by rules and love that were set before us. One of those rules us to love one another fully. I have always thought that Jesus represents a mirror for us, one that shows us what we can become, will never become, and how we are. God wants us to be what we can become, the way God’s imagination intended. We are afraid of our potential or where our dreams could take us if acted upon. Maybe that is why dreams have been placed upon the shelves. We are afraid to live lives out of the ordinary, lives where stability isn’t always there. I know for a fact that I am afraid of my potential so I carry around the quote by Nelson Mandela given to me by my dance teacher:
Our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure. It is our
light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented and fabulous?”
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your
playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking yourself so other people
will not feel insecure around you. We
were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in
everyone. As we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.
Imagine a world where we lift up the dreams of each person, where we don’t question them or put them down if it might sound a little silly to us. Imagine if everyone had a chance to fulfill their dreams. How would this world be? I believe that so much of the violence in this world is because people’s dreams were not given a chance and somehow along the way they were made to feel insignificant. God created us to live a fulfilling life where we love boldly and become what God dreamt us to be.
One of the dreams that I have is for my unborn children. I dream that they will grow up in a world where they will be loved for who they are and not what they accomplish. I dream that our children will learn how to take care of other individuals in their local and global community better than we can ever imagine. I dream that our children will see the value in themselves and others the way God sees it, which in return would cause homelessness to be extinct, intolerance to disappear, racism, sexism, and all other isms to float away, and violence to surrender. This might be idealist and maybe we have been trying to accomplish this for decades, but if we lose the ability to dream and not encourage our children to think big and explore who they are, then we will lose. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was cut short and he didn’t get to see the greatness that his dream has started. May we be as bold as he to live life with the mantra, “I have a dream.”
Kingdom Kindred
Congratulations to Clyde and Silvana (nee Meiner) Barretto at the birth of Simon Johannes on December 3rd, AND five days latter Simon was at church the evening of December 8th…Congratulations to Tom and Jennifer (nee Whelan) Kalka on the birth of Thomas Raymond Kalka III. Because of Jennifer’s early hospitalization, a baby shower was held at Fairfax Hospital…Sharlen Smith was in Langley High School’s theatric production…Carleton Ruthling was pictured in the “The Connection” helping with the Lion’s Club’s Citrus sale. Ask the question “in this season of giving, what are the causes you want to support?” Carleton answered, “I support Habitat for Humanity all year long…that’s my primary charity. The Great Falls Lions is another and Friends of Great Falls and various other civic organizations”…Posted on the church bulletin board is an article in “The Connection” concerning our SS Christmas program. Thanks to Antonia Siebert who is in her third year of directing this program. Pictured were the shows choreographer, Kara Haug, and these youth: Elena Fergusson, Penelope Mort Ranta, McKenna Meek, Gregory Benn, Kayla Zanfardino, Andrea Anderson, Natalie Wilson…The December 16th issue of “The Washington Post Magazine” contained an article entitle “Making It. Three Sports Buffs Make Work Out Of Child’s Play.” In the article it talks about Chris Whelan, who along with Casey Baum and Chris Horich are co-owners of “Overtime Athletics” which provides after-school sports programs for elementary students in Fairfax County and elsewhere…Kaye Hansen writes from Bainbridge, WA that Jennifer and her husband have moved to Bainbridge. She is studying for the Washington Bar. She says, “please greet everyone at Christ the King”…About 40 people enjoyed a “Burning of the Greens” on January 6. It was a beautiful evening, with opportunity for singing/praying amid the loud roar of a fire. Special thanks to these families for donating their trees: McEwan, Eric Anderson, Maxwell, T. Thompson…Thanks to Carleton Ruthling for planting some “Rose of Sharon” bushes and grasses on the edge of the pine trees…Thanks to Bob Saunders for inputting info from the Time & Talent forms into our computer system…In the winter 2007 newsletter of Lutheran Social Services, pictured next to an article entitled “LSS Reaches New Heights in 20th Annual Help The Homeless Walk” is a picture of “Those who walked from Christ the King”… Ryan Anderson recently competed in the Junior Olympics Regional Qualifications Rifle Match at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He competed in two Precision Rifle events. International Air Rifle, which is 60 shots standing, and 3 position small bore, which is 40 shots in each prone, standing and kneeling. Ryan shot his best scores ever and finished second in the state for International Air with a score of 571 (out of 600) and 3rd in the state for small bore with a score of 557 (out of 600). Ryan is expected to be invited to compete at the Junior Olympics in April at the Olympic Training center in Colorado Springs. Confirmation of his invitation is expected by Mid-February…Congratulations to Alex Swineford - he raced on the Daytona Speedway in December, and was awarded a double National Championship in the Briggs Sprint Road Racing for the 2007 season…Thanks to Tom Cooper for putting a new faucet at the Dogwood Farm parsonage. Tom also reseeded a portion of the front lawn of the church, and was able to use left over straw from the manger scene…Congratulations to Matthew and Christine Halvorsen at the birth of Matthew…
Prayer
Concerns
Kay Teach, Martha Gaibler, Adam & Ruth
Meidinger, Frank Whitesell, Richard Schumaker, John Kraft, Tom Harris, Robert
Herres, Mary & David Gibson, Janey Rice, Patricia Mort, Hilton Patterson,
Charles Reges, Anna Walker, Danny Friedheim, Joni Wallace, John Corey, Roy
Miller, The Northington Family, Nate Holeman, Dick Christenson, Glenn Arneson,
Scott Durig, Sherry Bryne, Heather Drake, Lindsey & Judith, Jay Davis &
Judy McGinnis, Shawn Costigan, Nick Cafferky, Bob MacGillivray, Debbie
Lorentsan, Robin Allen, Lou Rege, Helen Lokker, Charles Caldwell & Bob
Taylor, Lloyd Smith, Karley Hogarth, the McCaffrey family, Katarina Savino,
Pete Hilgartner.
Military Personnel - Stacy Caum, Chris Nogle, Steve Beckwith, Jonathan Reading, Chad Isabelle, Nate Seymour, Sgt. John Heikkenin, Lt. Bryan Dahlquist, Ben Eckert.
Grieving - Debbie Sulkovsky and family at the death of her mother. Robert Lorence at the death of his father.
STEPHEN MINISTRY
Christ the King’s Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties and transitions in their lives.
CHRIST THE KING STEPHEN LEADERS
Pastor Gysan & Pastor Scott, Spiritual Leaders
Susan Boruff, Referrals Coordinator
Joni White, Continuing Education Coordinator
Gale Bobzien, Training Coordinator
Christ the King Stephen Ministers
Stephen Ministers (Active)
Pastor Gysan, Spiritual Leader
Pastor Scott, Spiritual Leader
Gale Bobzien Susan Boruff
JoAnn Durig Kathi Evans
Kim Kennedy Carlton Ruthling
Services are held each Saturday evening at 6:00 pm and
Sundays at 8:30am and 11:00am.
January
26 & 27 – 3rd Sunday After the Epiphany
No Sunday School and informational meeting
for the Confirmed Adults prior to the Congregational Meeting on February 3rd.
February 2 & 3 – Transfiguration of
our Lord
Souper Bowl of Caring – monies go to world
hunger
Distribution of Lenten offering boxes for
world hunger and a devotional guide
Pick up a Lenten Devotional guide with
personal devotions written by members.
Congregational Meeting after the late
service.
February 5 – Shrove Tuesday Pancake
Party
February 6 – Ash Wednesday
Imposition of Ashes (6:30-7:00am), (Noon-12:30pm)
Worship at 7:30pm preceded by the Reading of
Psalms at 7:00pm.
February 9 & 10 – 1st
Sunday in Lent
First communion for: Nick Brady, Cameron Davis, Paul Foretich,
Christian Gaibler,
Adriana Lundgren, Matthew McConnell, Cecilia
McKinley, Jacob Mills, Don Moran,
Emma Schindler, Owen Shenk, Gary Zimmerman,
Matthew Zimmerman.
Martha’s Table (help make 1,000 sandwiches
after the 11 am service)
February 16 & 17 – 2nd
Sunday in Lent
A look at Nicodemus
February 23 & 24 – 3rd
Sunday in Lent
A look at the Samaritan Woman at the well.
Easter Choir Opportunity
Some of you have been commenting how wonderful the King’s Choir has been sounding. We thank you for your words of appreciation! We have a loyal dozen who work hard at producing beautiful music in God’s glory. Because some of our choir members could not be here to sing on Christmas Eve, we recruited members of the congregation who liked to sing, but could not commit to rehearsals on a regular basis. We set up some extra rehearsals and then incorporated those singers into the choir. It was a good experience for those people and we had a larger group of prepared singers creating a nice musical sound. We would like to offer the same opportunity for Easter.
On Easters past, the congregation was invited to the choir loft after communion to join in singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Choir members who knew their parts struggled due to so many unprepared voices around them. Some people entered at the wrong times, some tried to sing a part while standing in the wrong section, lots of people breathed in the middle of phrases, failed to enunciate, and sometimes the whole choir got lost!
This year, let’s try a new plan to help singers as well as the congregation glorify God with a message that can be understood and is uplifting. The congregation is welcome to stand and sing from their pews on the HC, but anyone who would like to join the choir will need to rehearse first. Consequently, there will be two special rehearsals for people who would like to join our “Easter Choir.” One rehearsal will be on Palm Sunday 3/16 at 12:15 p.m. and the other will be Saturday morning 3/22 at 10:00 a.m. We will be rehearsing the HC and a new Easter anthem with handbells & children’s choir called “Celebrate This Glorious Day!”
If you are interested in this Easter Choir opportunity, please contact Jane Cooper at 703-759-3919. Let us join together to make music fitting for the worship of our Lord!
“Part
of a disciple’s job description
is to
study Scripture diligently”
Adult Sunday School Class
(Meets in Luther’s Lounge)
February 3 - “Discussion on the Holy Spirit”
February 10 - “The Royal Background”
February 17 - “Royal Beginnings”
February 24 - “Royalty In Action”
March 2 - “Royalty In The Holy City”
March 9 - “The Royal Coronation in Mark, Matthew, and Luke
March 16 - “The Royal Coronation In John”
Easter - No Class
Starting February 10th, Harry Wendt (author of Crossways), will take us on a journey beside Jesus on His walk to the cross, examining the distinct passion narrative in each of the four Gospels.
What emerges is a vivid encounter that you will have with a King who lived solely to serve rather than to be served - who welcomed outcasts as family, touched the “unclean,” performed miracles that made astonishing theological declarations, and raised the dead - all the while challenging and confounding the spiritual authorities of His day.
Little wonder
that five days after Jesus entered Jerusalem, the center of religious and
political power at the time, Jesus’ “coronation” as King took place - in the
form of crucifixion on a cross.
Vindicated in the resurrection and enthroned in the ascension, our forgiving Lord and Servant-King, Jesus the Messiah, calls us this Lenten Season to listen, believe, and follow - in short, to find life by giving it away.
“Take Up Something For Lent.” Gather each Sunday at 9:45am as Pastor Gysan and Gale Bobzien team teach this class. Student books are $9.
Greetings from Mother’s Day Out!
The weather has finally caught up with our programming! We started out January talking about Winter Wonderland while the weather flirted with the 60 and 70 degree mark! There was plenty of fun with “pretend” snow because of our warm temperatures. We made snow men out of cottonballs, played in shaving cream snow, and even had snow ball (white socks) battles! It was so much fun to watch the children’s faces and listen to their squeals of sheer delight as they through snow balls at their friends and teachers J Believe it or not, Miss Jane (Cooper) led a snow dance on Wednesday. Sure enough, snow blanketed the ground on Thursday!
January also brought the return of the beloved Pajama day as we talked about day and night. It was such a treat for everyone! We also talked about dinosaurs and did lots of fun crafts!
Registration is now underway for the 2008/2009 school year. Anyone interested in program information or a program tour can call 703-759-6935 or stop by the MDO office Monday - Friday from 9:00-2:00.
Peace,
Karen Anderson, Director
Small Group on Prayer
Join our small group meeting on the 2