Pastor Paul’s Pen
Rev.
Paul F. Gysan
“And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.” This year as we celebrate the 231st birthday of our country I will be on Mustang Island, Texas. Wherever we may be, Americans celebrate a great day as we thank God for this country!
Amid the rockets multi-color glare, the darkness for those viewing fireworks on the front lawn of the church will be shattered. While for Francis Scott Key the glare “gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,” the shattered darkness for viewers on the front lawn will show that “the church is still here.”
Years ago as a youth I was fascinated with fireworks. Along with my buddies we bought supplies necessary to make fireworks from the local drug store, and manufactured explosives that had some power but mostly fizzle.
Traveling to Ohio from Florida for a vacation on the farm, my parents always stopped in Georgia so we could buy fireworks. I remember igniting cherry bombs, placing a tin can over them, and blowing them as high as my grandparents’ silo. Now these were fireworks with force, not fireworks with fizzle like the ones we kids could make. The fantastic force caused us to stand in awe and wonder!
Needless to say the nearby cows, pigs, and chickens must have wondered what was happening. Those animals had no idea that we were celebrating the birthday of our country!
What is the power behind our country? It’s the power of God’s Spirit. That’s something we can’t purchase at a local drug store. Given in 33AD at Pentecost, the power of God’s Spirit empowers the church, so that others know that God is always there. “Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.” The Spirit of Christ energizes us with power to proclaim the Gospel to all people in word and deed.
Years ago someone from a foreign land came to our country and upon returning home said that the strength of America is in giving. We give because Christ first loved us and gave his life for the sake of all humankind.
In our church stand two flags. The American flag shows the country we live in, but yet I am reminded of the chapel at Thiel College in Pennsylvania which has the American flag surrounded by flags from all countries of the world. While we pray for our country, we pray for the people of all countries.
The other flag is the Christian flag. Years ago I remember the pledge taught us saying, “I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and the Savior for whose kingdom it stands, one brotherhood uniting all mankind in service and love.” To be a powerful nation we need to serve and love others.
Continue to pray for the power of Gods Spirit as it leads us and directs us as a nation and as a church. The ingredients of the Spirit can’t be purchase at a local store, they are God’s gifts to us!
PSPS
Pastor Scott’s Post Scripts
The Long Season of Green…time for Spiritual Growth!
After the purple and scarlet of Lent, the gold of Easter and the red of Pentecost, the church settles down into the season of Pentecost with the paraments and Pastors’ stole being the color green. They will remain green until Reformation Sunday, where the red will be worn once again.
There are two periods throughout the church year where the color is green for an extended period of time…The season of Epiphany and the Season of Pentecost. Epiphany, which is right after Christmas, is the season which focuses in on hearing God’s call to ‘follow me’ in relevant and resonating ways in our lives…it’s a perfect time to discover how God might be calling you for the work of the church through your Spiritual Gifts.
The season of Pentecost is the longest season of the church year, and pending the year, can last anywhere from 18 to 28 weeks, lasting from mid-May/June through late November! That’s half the year! Pentecost focuses in on the stories of the faith and our understanding of how Jesus’ teachings and stories shape and influence our daily lives. This season of Pentecost, the year of Luke’s gospel, we get to hear stories like the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. May we hear them in fresh ways this year!
I think the church fathers and mothers knew what they were doing when designing the church year. Half the year focuses in on Jesus’ teachings and how they can be applied in our daily living. Throughout the season of Pentecost, you can walk into other churches and along with the green will be symbols of growth, usually of wheat and grapes, which grow during the summer, along with images of the church in its evangelical setting, constantly growing to bring more and more people to the good news.
My children’s sermons this summer are focusing in on this the growth of faith. To grow plants, we need to tend to them…we need to water them, give them light, and every now and then a little ‘Holy Spirit’ miracle grow.
The same is true for faith. And the season of Pentecost is prime growing season…we gather and are refreshed by the renewing of our baptisms in the forgiveness of sin, we receive light for God’s word read, studied, and proclaimed, and the Holy Meal nourishes our bodies with some ‘miracle grow’ giving us the strength to go out and grow, love, and serve.
May this summer and time of Pentecost be a time of spiritual growth for you. Come and hear the stories, come and be refreshed by the forgiveness of sins, come and receive the gifts of the body and blood of Jesus, food to give you strength for the journey of faith.
President’s Commentary
Allen Wild
Thank you. Why am I thanking you? Because you have read past page one. Our pastors, our church staff and our church leaders spend their time writing to you in the King’s Herald to inspire you, to thank you, to highlight special events, and to keep you up to date on what’s going on in our congregation. I urge you to read the Herald cover to cover and keep it handy for reference until replaced by the next issue.
I will write commentary when I have something to tell you but promise to keep it short and to the point. In the June Herald I promised to let you know the roles of your new Church Council so here it is:
Steve Siebert Vice President & Staff Relations
Steve O’Connor Secretary
Dave Rudorfer Treasurer ex officio
Shane McKinley Financial Secretary ex officio
Louise Babirak Learning
Chris Lopez Witness & Evangelism
Gil Miller Long Range Planning
Lynne Roots Worship & Music
Tracey Shenk Service
Amy Swineford Congregational Life
David Zimmerman Finance & Insurance
You will notice that the roles of Youth, Fellowship and Stewardship are not yet covered. The Executive Committee is currently seeking volunteers to chair committees for these important areas of our church life.
One final remark for this month. The 11:00am service on Sunday, June 10th gave us great hope for the future. The service was conducted by the youth from our Sunday School and did they ever prove that they all learned their lessons well. The chimes, the singing, the readings, the prayers, and the sermon were wonderful. On behalf of the congregation I thank all the children who were involved and of course their parents and the Sunday School teachers who encouraged them.
Into
His Arms
Kara
Haug
My dad is turning sixty on the third of July. I imagine this birthday is a bittersweet one for my father, because it was at sixty that his own beloved mother passed.
My dad was extremely close to my Grandma Shirley and I think that when she passed a part of my dad did as well. I can’t help but think about the possibility of losing my father or mother because of this, and the thought of it scares me. I really can’t imagine my life without my father. Just knowing of his presence on this planet gives me a sense of security. He is my protector and shield from all evil. He is my compass for life. My husband has said before that whatever my father says I take as truth, truth with a capital T.
It has been a real blessing for me this year to have him near. My father moved to Alexandria, VA when I finished high school, so I didn’t get to see him as frequently. Now, I find any chance to be with him. It has been a unique experience because I have gotten to witness my father being a daddy again. Two and a half years ago I got a phone call from my dad with the news that he and Mary Jo were pregnant. Needless to say I was shocked for many reasons, especially since they were pregnant with twins. It was hard to process this information, but mainly because I was worried that these twins might be girls. Throughout my relationship with my father the one thing that remained constant was that I was his little girl. No matter the pain or the joy, I would always be that. My mother used to tell me that out of everyone I could elicit the most emotion from my father. What would happen if that were jeopardized? There are certain things in my life I have a hard time sharing; one, is French fries the other is my father.
Months later my dad called letting me know that they found out the sex of their babies.
“And…” I said,
“They’re boys.” He said. My heart and stomach dislodged themselves from my throat and settled back where they belong. “So, Kara you don’t have to worry, you are still my little girl.”
How did he know I was worried? I thought to myself. “Good,” I said, “Otherwise I would have had issues!” We both laughed at the ridiculousness of my worrying and at the knowledge that dad does know me rather well. I am his little girl.
When I was young you would have found me wherever my father was. My dad’s normal resting place was on the floor in front of the television with a pillow behind his head, his hands resting on his stomach, with his feet slowly rotating round and round. My favorite resting place was right beside him with my head resting on his arm. All things were right in the world when I was by my father, even till this day.
Over this past Memorial Day my dad and I went on a date. I bought us tickets to see the Prairie Home Companion at Wolf Trap; one of our favorite places. Whenever I would visit dad in Alexandria, we would do our favorite things; like roam museums and muse over art, learn history from the memorials, see dance and symphonies at the Kennedy center, indulge our senses at upscale restaurants, chill and groove at Blues Alley, and picnic to many shows at Wolf Trap. Dad and I are in love with the arts.
This was the first quality alone time dad and I have had in a while and I absolutely adored it. I didn’t have to share him.
When we arrived we found a place on the crowded lawn to lie out our well-used University of Michigan blanket. We bought ourselves some refreshments and began to sprawl out. There we were again lying on our backs with our hands behind our heads and our feet turning round and round like they do anticipating a well needed relaxing night.
As the show began, we allowed the night sky to tuck us in as we settled down absorbing the quirky, honest, and eloquent words of a poet laureate, enjoying the array of melodic sounds, and smiling to the familiar tone of Garrison Keillor. It was a night to remember and it was what I wanted. We didn’t have to talk much that night, we were just being together, a father and a daughter. These are the times I love with my father and these are the times I love with God.
As I reflect back to my feelings of safety with my father, our interest in the arts, and the passing of my grandmother, I realize they have helped shape my spirituality and relationship with God. I believe God encompasses many forms, but in the beginning of my journey, God definitely was a father figure. I relied on my faith and new belief in God during my parent’s divorce. As my dad started dating, I had a hard time sharing him, so I relied on God to be my father and my comforter. It was these times when I prayed to God and to my father’s mother, Grandma Shirley, who I always believed was my guardian angel. In high school as I looked for my father’s arm, I found myself lying my head on the arm of the cross depending on Jesus and moving my emotions of the dance floor.
I remember the days right before I headed off to college for the first time. I found myself seeking out the park that I had spent most of my time in that summer engaged in intimate discussions with my dearest friends. In that park was a strange arrangement of trees that always drew me. There were about six or eight trees planted parallel to one another creating a passageway and a canopy to shade away the sun and enclose the visitor. I crawled under the canopy and laid in the grass. I didn’t mind the bugs crawling on me or the grass that was tickling my legs. I just had to be there in the quiet and open space to hear what my heart was saying, to listen to nature’s poetry, and to understand what God was trying to tell me. It was a time for me to just be with God and trust that God was showing me a path that would lead me to me. These are the times I cherish. To be in nature and to be with God, just like the way I would lie next to my father. All things are okay then; I am okay then.
As I recall the times my father and I have spent together I would like to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for the water fights in our house on Nakoma, for the perfume wars that got us kicked out of department stores, for making me waffles whenever I asked, for all the advice, for giving me freedom to make my own decisions even if they failed, for recognizing who I am, for having a comfortable arm, and for being. I love you daddy. Happy 60th Birthday!
Kingdom Kindred
Many thanks to
all those who helped plan and participated in the Sunday School Worship service
on June 10. The theme of the service
centered around “40.” Based off an idea
from the U2 song, 40, the children sang the song, and reflected on Biblical
stories of “40.” Special music was
presented by the King’s Chimers and King’s Kids…William Miner was the Assisting
Minister & Preacher (no one slept through this sermon!),
Cecelia McKinley’s voice beautifully led the Kyrie, and the lectors were: Cameron Davis, Abby Kreutzer, Christian
Gaibler, Matthew Zimmerman, Katherine Hanna, Lucy Kreutzer, Owen Shenk,
Caroline Carbaugh, Cecelia McKinley…Among the touching moments was watching
Owen escort Caroline to the lector where Caroline read via Braille…A big
surprise to Pastor Paul and LaVonne was the special blessing, since this day
happened to also be their “40th” wedding anniversary. Thanks for the flowers, dinner certificate,
and most of all for your prayers of blessing as everyone’s hands were felt on
their heads…Thanks for Amy and Mike Swineford for hosting a “small groups”
interest meeting after church on June 10…Christ the King’s small group ministry
is committed to gathering, gifting, and nurturing people so that all are
genuinely known and welcomed. You’ll be
hearing more about this in the Fall…Special thanks to Steve Cressman and Gene
Cole for splitting wood for the campfire area, and neatly staking it for others
to use in the years ahead…Did you know that periodically Mike Swineford has a
volunteer go through used offering envelopes that need to be trashed. Sometimes money is overlooked. Recently Brian Benson volunteered to help and
Brian found $51. Thank you Brian for
your work! Our counters do a great job,
but occasionally monies are found. Does this remind you of a Biblical story of
a woman who searched and searched for a lost coin?…At a recent car wash at the
church, a member gave $20 but didn’t need his car washed. He asked that the youth tell someone they
don’t need to make a donation for the car wash, someone else has made a
donation on their behalf. No one
accepted that offer, they felt they wanted to give. Is this sometimes like God’s grace and our
reluctance to accept it?…High School
Grads – Late breaking news! – While this was too late for the June
newsletter, we are happy to share the news that Doug Rissing will be attending
the
Prayer
Concerns
Kay
Teach, Martha Gaibler, Adam & Ruth Meidinger, Malcolm Monger, Kelly Monger,
Charlie Steiner, Virginia Whitman, Frank Whitesell, Conny Kleissas, Richard
Schumaker, John Kraft, Mary Temenak, Betty Cordovana, Tom Harris, Anita Cox,
Robert Herre, Mary & David Gibson and Nick Lynch, Darrel Ask, The Canady
Family & Erin Peterson Family, Janey Rice, Larry Simmons, Gail Magley, Leo Kelly, Patricia Mort, Gladys
Cosimano, Joni Wallace, Russell Deane, Fred Vanhala, Charles Reges, Caroline
Dewing, Bob Hyland, Anna
Gilbert, Justin Condoluci, Tom Pickrel, Carol Johnson, Nick Nicolai, Ellsworth Cottom, Abby Piper, Anna Walker, Jonathan Reading, Dorothea Steffan-Miller, Michelle Hawkins, Monica Sullenberger, Bob Krell.
Military Personnel – 1st Lt. John Felts, Stacy Caum, Chris Nogle, PFC Erik Hood,
LTC Rick Bower & Maj. Andrew Phillips, Bernadette Meehan, Steve Beckwith,
Jonathan Reading.
Grieving – Ernie
Fergusson and Family at the death of his stepmother, Virginia Fergusson. Family and Friends of Carlos Bonds.
Birth Announcement –
Congratulations to Dave & Judy Lombardo on the birth of their 6th
grandchild, Grace Haley Lombardo, on June 11th. Grace is the daughter of Dave & Haley
Lombardo.
Services are held each Saturday evening at 6:00 pm and
Sundays at 8:30am and 11:00am.
“Part
of a disciple’s job description
is to
study Scripture diligently”
Dive Deep Into God’s World
at the
All kids over the age of 3 are invited to dive in! We will listen to great stories about Jesus, make cool crafts, sing fun songs, play zany games, and make a school of friends! Registration forms will be available in May.
Place:
Christ the King Lutheran Church
Dates:
July 30th - August 3rd
Time:
9:00 am to noon
This is a great opportunity for both you and your children -- we're looking for adult and youth volunteers to help out with the program. We're looking for teachers and helpers in the classrooms, as well as snack and craft helpers.
Please contact Karen Anderson at kkerranderson@comcast.net for more information.
See
you at Great Bible Reef!
Learning Bag Coordinator
YOU
H and Family News
For
Youth Updates check-out www.ctkyouth.org
Work Camp Sunday/ Mandatory Meeting
July 1st will be work camp commissioning Sunday at the 11:00am service. If you are going to work camp please come and receive a blessing for our upcoming trip. Hopefully we will have out t-shirts by then, so let’s meet in the narthex to receive the shirts. Afterwards is a mandatory meeting. This is a very important meeting where we will make our cross, fill out paper work, and turn in final payments. See you then.
Katrina Relief
The week of
July 7th-15th some of our middle school and high school
youth will be traveling 16 hours by bus down to Mississippi for their work camp
experience. During that week they will
help rebuild and restore homes that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. There is still a great need of help for these
families and it will be a blessing for our youth to be a part of the
restoration. Please pray for these
individuals going on the trip: Maggie Smith, Chris Fergusson, Tina Pittman,
Nina Bealieu, Casey Jones, Amanda Durig, Kathryn Miller-Cvilikas, Craig
Wainner, Todd Chatlos, Adrianne Smith, Jesse Ryan, Evan Wasser, Brett Wainner,
Garrett Durig, Mathew Calkins, Mo Sahm, Alex Swineford, Emma Miller-Cvilikas,
Emilie Mills, Eric Wasser,
Youth Room Restoration
The time is now coming; we have heard your cries. In the middle of July come and help make the youth room yours. With the guidance of Chris Lopez and Tracey Maxwell and the spin off of our favorite design shows the youth room will have a new face. Please look in the bulletin and future mailings for more information.
DRIVEN Lock-In
Our high school
lock-in that was supposed to happen at the end of June will now be rescheduled
for the end of July. At the lock-in be
prepared to play crab soccer, experience artistic expression, play sardines,
watch movies, hang out, eat s’mores, and more.
Friends are always welcomed. If any adult is interested in helping with
the lock-in please contact Kara Haug.
Please look in the bulletin and future mailings for further information.
“Part of a disciple’s job description
is to serve for the sake of others”
Service
Ministry News
http://myweb.cableone.net/LESMBETH/index.htm
Thrivent Builds with Habitat: At long last Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia has received approval from Fairfax County to proceed with “close-in” after the successful completion of inspections. So volunteer efforts are resuming. We are seeking volunteers on Saturday, July 21st, to work on the condo unit we are sponsoring. In addition to the volunteers who will be working on the unit we need volunteers to help prepare lunch for the workers. Please complete the response sheets in the bulletin if you can help. Details on times, clothing attire and directions will be available in the narthex prior in July.
NOVACO Family: In order to continue our support to a new family under this program, we need a volunteer to replace Maggie as the CTK coordinator with NOVACO. If you are interested, please contact Pastor Gysan or Maggie Gage.
NOVACO Life Skills Session: Many thanks to the volunteers who supported the NOVACO Life Skills Session on Monday evening, June 25th. These Christ the King volunteers prepared the meal, helped set up, served the meal and cleaned-up. We share this responsibility with a large number of supporting congregations and our turn comes up about once every three to four months.
Camp Safe Haven
Have you noticed a “shell looking jar” in the narthex? Once again Lutheran Social Services is providing Camp Safe Haven for 45 boys and girls with HIV/AIDS. They’ll explore nature, sing songs around the campfire, play games together and just have fun as all children should. They will find a community where they are accepted for who they are and supported to become all they can be. Help provide such a camp. Put your spare change in that “shell looking jar” or send a gift to help this camp to: LSS/National Capital Area 4406 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20011.
Metro D.C. Synod elects new Bishop
The Rev. Richard H. Graham,
Graham led on the fourth ballot for bishop with 149
votes. Hirsch received 101 votes, and
the Rev. Ronald G. Qualley, Lord of Life Lutheran Church,
Although Graham
officially takes office September 1st, he will be installed
officially by the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA on Sunday, October 14th,
at a service at the National Cathedral at 7:30pm. Stay tuned for more details!
ELCA Churchwide Assembly
To Meet in August in Chicago
Voting members of the 2007 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly will elect a presiding bishop and secretary, act on a proposed social statement, proposals for stewardship education and mission funding, an initiative on engaging the Bible, and a commitment for greater ELCA involvement in responding to HIV and AIDS. The assembly, which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the formation of the ELCA, is August 6-11 here at Navy Pier.
About 2,000 people -- including 1,071 voting members elected by the 65 ELCA synods -- are expected to participate in the ELCA's 10th biennial assembly. Pastor Scott was selected by the Metropolitan Washington D.C., Synod in Assembly to be a voting member of this National Assembly.
The theme is "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!" Daily worship, Bible study and prayer are planned. Bible studies will focus on Galatians and Martin Luther's "Freedom of the Christian."
The churchwide assembly is the ELCA's chief
legislative authority and represents the 4.85 million members of the ELCA
across the United States and Caribbean.
The ELCA is the fifth largest Protestant denomination in the
“Part
of a disciple’s job description
is to
give freely”
Turning Silver Into Gold
A
Testimony of Faith and Service
Dear Christ the King,
A few weeks ago when I picked up Emily and Andrea from Sunday School they said to me, “Mom did you know we are turning Silver into Gold” of which I responded, “yes, I do.” Then Emily said, “I want to help.” I said, “what would you like to do?” Her response was “well we have all those gems from the Easter Egg hunts and we could give the church the gems.” Then Andrea piped up, “Yes, we could do that.” She was referring to the past years when we have attended the Adeler Jeweler’s Easter Egg Hung in Great Falls. Some of the eggs are filled with candy and some of them are filled with gems! Over the years Andrea and Emily have collected 12 gems – 1 garnet, 2 citrine, 1 aquamarine, 4 quartz,2 amethysts, and 2 peridot.
We decide to have all the gems appraised by Adeler Jewelers and then donate the amount of money on behalf of Andrea and Emily to Christ the King. Adler’s determined that the gems are worth $320.
I personally would like to thank the Sunday School teachers of Andrea and Emily. They planted the seeds in their minds that they need to do something to help in the church’s effort to turn Silver Into Gold. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful teachers at Christ the King.
Fondly, Karen D. Sweet
July 4th Invitation
You are welcome
to come and experience July 4th by attending the Great Falls
hometown celebration. The opening
ceremony will be at Freedom Memorial Park (next to GF Library) at
7:30am. Following this ceremony there
will be a free 5 K Walk/Run. Many
thanks to those from Christ the King who are helping with the signs &
banners and water stations. At 8:00am
registration begins for the Baby Parade on the Village Green. This parade will start at 8:30am. The Main Parade on the street around
the Village Green begins at 10:00am.
Following the parade there will be Festivities: Games, Rides, Food & More at the Village
Green. At 11:00am at the Gazebo on the
Village Green the Great Falls Heritage Tree Census Awards will be
given. Other festivities begin in early
evening at Turner Park, with fireworks to follow. Don’t forget that one of the best places to
view fireworks is on the front lawn of our church. Invite others to come and join you!
Great Tasting Coffee and
Something You Can Feel Good About
Beginning in July, all coffee being served at Christ the King will be ‘fair-trade’ coffee purchased from the Lutheran World Relief Fair Trade Coffee project. Here’s just a little information on why…
Coffee is big business - it’s one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world. But for the majority of small-scale coffee farmers, the benefits are few.
Conventionally traded coffee involves a lengthy, and expensive, cast of middlemen between the coffee farmer and the consumer, each taking their share—or more—of the coffee price. What’s left for the farmers may not even cover their production costs or basic living expenses.
Coffee prices are notoriously unstable and in recent years have dropped to historic lows, forcing farmers from Colombia to Tanzania to give up their farms. The unpredictable fluctuations in market price deny many farmers the ability to pay for daily necessities such as medicines, clothing or school fees. Overwhelmed with debt and unable to earn a consistent income, farmers are moving to the cities or migrating to other countries in search of work.
The LWR Fair
Trade Coffee Project ensures that more of the money you spend on coffee reaches
the farmers who actually grow it. Fair
trade coffee is a simple solution that means the difference—quite
literally—between surviving and not surviving for small-scale coffee
farmers. For more information and to
order your own fair-trade coffee, go to http://www.lwr.org/coffee/index.asp.
