the messenger · 2019. 12. 11. · at ctk no later than 4:45 pm to carpool, and dress for the...

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things

came into being through him, and without him not one thing came onto being. What has come into being in him was life, and

the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory,

the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5,14

Almighty God, you have filled all the earth with the light of your

incarnate Word. By your grace empower us to reflect your light in all that we do, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and

reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

• Blue Christmas p. 2

• Christmas Worship p. 3

• Fall Endowment Grants p. 5

• Order Poinsettias p. 3

• Youth Happenings p. 6

The Messenger DECEMBER 2019 The Mission of Christ the King

To Shine the light of Jesus, Reflect his unconditional love, and Mirror his kindness to all people.

www.CtKTwinsburg.com

CHRIST THE KING PAGE 2 TWINSBURG, OHIO

START THE CHURCH YEAR IN PRAYER The liturgical (church) year begins with the first Sunday of Advent, which is December 1st this year. There are four weekends in Advent, the season in which we

light an additional candle on the Advent wreath each weekend to anticipate the coming of Messiah on Christmas. There is a rack of Advent devotional materials for all ages near the mailbox hallway. Please take one to enhance your Advent prayer practice. BLUE CHRISTMAS AT CTK DECEMBER 18TH Pastor Matthew will lead CtK’s fourth annual Blue Christmas service at 7:00 PM Wednesday, December 18th. The service includes quiet seasonal music, special prayers, and the opportunity to light a candle in memory of loved ones. Printed invitations will be available so that you can invite people who may have an especially difficult time during this typically joyous season.

While Advent is a season of hope and Christmas is a season of joy, not everyone feels hopeful or like celebrating. Grief, illness, aging, depression, loneliness, unemployment, and loss are magnified. Even those who are not struggling with losses may feel the stress of preparations and expectations around Christmas time. A Blue Christmas service may provide a time and place of solace during the often frenetic days surrounding the celebration of Christmas. We come together seeking healing and room to share grief, sadness, loneliness, or confusion when these emotions often feel out of place during the holidays. Reprinted from Sundays and Seasons.

WHAT KIND OF THRONE DECEMBER 14 AND 15 What Kind of Throne: A Christmas Musical of Worship & Wonder, created by Tony Wood & Michael Farren, will be presented twice by the Christ the King Singers under the direction of Music Director Kevin Basom. Come to worship at 5:30 PM Saturday, December 14th, and at 9:30 AM Sunday, December 15th, to hear this uplifting Christmas piece that the singers have been rehearsing since late October.

VISIT A LIVE NATIVITY, EAT OUT WITH LAFF On Friday, December 13th, LAFF will carpool from CtK at 5:00 PM to Valley View to visit a live outdoor nativity at Valley View Village Church, followed by dinner at the Valley View Quaker Steak and Lube. The narrated nativity will take 20-30 minutes, and then we will travel to Quaker Steak for a 7 PM dinner reservation. The nativity is free, but the restaurant needs a count for our reservation, so please sign up on the LAFF kisok by Wednesday, December 11th. Please be at CtK no later than 4:45 PM to carpool, and dress for the weather. All questions go to Joanne Ciarniello. For GPS: Valley View Village Church 11401 Tinkers Creek Rd. 44125 Quaker Steak and Lube 5935 Canal Rd. 44125

Christ the King Lutheran Church

10285 Ravenna Road Twinsburg, OH 44087

Phone: 330-425-7377 www.CtKTwinsburg.com

Reverend Matthew Groenke, Senior Pastor [email protected] x109

Deacon Patricia Jabre, Minister of Discipleship & Youth

[email protected] x106

Kevin Basom, Director of Music

Linda Mondry, Saturday Worship Musician

Wendy Gibbons, Office Administrator [email protected] x102

Email Wendy to receive this publication via email.

DIRECTORY

CONGREGATIONAL CHRISTMAS CAROLING

DECEMBER 15 2-4 PM

The congregation is invited to go Christmas Caroling to those in nursing homes

and to shut-ins.

We will carpool, and upon our return will enjoy hot cocoa and cookies.

Bring a plate of cookies to share! Min. of Discipleship & Youth

SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 10:45 AM

Come, support the SCS as they present the Christmas Story from an animal’s viewpoint in

A Beastly Christmas.

ORDER YOUR POINSETTIAS FOR CHRISTMAS Once again this year you may purchase red or white poinsettias to decorate the chancel on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. Please sign up on the bulletin board by Sunday, December 15th, and be sure to specify the number of poinsettias you’d like and if your plants are in honor of or in memory of someone. The cost is $11.00 per 10-inch pot of three plants. Make checks payable to Christ the King, designating Poinsettia, and place in the offering plate. Janet Nezbeda is organizing the order and can answer your questions. If you would like Pastor Matthew to take your flower to a shut-in member after Christmas, please note that on the sign-up sheet. Otherwise your poinsettia will be labeled with your name, to be picked up any time after the 10 AM Christmas morning worship service.

CELEBRATE OUR SAVIOR’S BIRTH! Worship with Carols, a Christmas Eve homily, Holy Communion, and Candlelight will be at 7:00 and 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, Tuesday,

December 24th. At 10 AM on Christmas morning, December 25th, worship will include more Christmas carols, a Christmas homily, and Holy Communion. HELPERS, MUSICIANS SOUGHT FOR CHRISTMAS Watch for a sign-up sheet if you’d like to serve at one of our special Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services. Lectors, communion assistants, prayer leaders, greeters, and ushers are needed for all three services. Speak to Music Director Kevin Basom by Sunday, December 15th if you would like to present special Christmas music at one of the services. Vocal and instrumental solos and ensembles are appreciated. Go it solo, or get a group together to share your spiritual gift of music to add to the joyous mood of the services. Kevin Basom is instrumental - no pun intended - in directing musicians to appropriate songs.

DECEMBER PAGE 3 2019

SHARE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREATS! There will be a table set up in the narthex beginning Saturday, December 21st, if you’d like to bring Christmas treats to share that day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the weekend of December 28th & 29th. Please label your plate or container with your name if you’d like to have it returned.

LESSONS & CAROLS AT WORSHIP DECEMBER 28TH & 29TH Both the Saturday, December

28th, 5:30 PM and the Sunday, December 29th, 9:30 AM worship services will be services of nine Christmas lessons and nine Christmas carols to celebrate the season of Christmas. Holy Communion will also be included in these services. CTK OFFICE HOURS VARIABLE AT END OF YEAR Christmas is a time for many worship opportunities, and it’s also a time for visits by and with families and friends. The CtK office will have variable hours of operation from December 24th through January 2nd. If you need to see someone in the office that week or if you want to pick up your poinsettia, please call first! (The office will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.)

EARLY JANUARY MESSENGER DEADLINE Because of the busy-ness of December, the January 2020 Messenger will be assembled earlier than usual. All news and schedules for the January Messenger are

due to Wendy in the office by Thursday, December 12th, for Messenger assembly on December 17th. HAVEN OF REST SUPPER SERVERS NEEDED Christ the King is scheduled to help serve supper at Haven of Rest in Akron on Saturday, November 30th. Volunteers set tables, serve supper to people who are clients of Haven of Rest, and clean up after the meal. Carpools leave CtK around 5:30 PM and return around 8:30. Check the bulletin board to see if there are still openings for helpers. Sue Simmons can answer your questions. (CtK has served supper at Haven of Rest on the fifth Saturday of the month for over ten years.)

Sunday Church School MITTEN TREE IS UP AND

AWAITING YOUR DONATION

We are collecting mittens, hats, gloves, and scarves on the mitten tree in the Education Wing Hall for

people served by The Emergency Assistance Center (TEAC).

Please put all donations on the tree by December 15.

Min. of Discipleship & Youth

REST IN GOD’S PEACE, DALE It is with heavy hearts that we say good-bye to Dale Schlosnagle, a charter member of CtK who joined the Church Triumphant on November 9th, 2019 after a battle with brain cancer. Dale was active in the Senior Choir, the CtK softball team, church Council, and could be found working on various property projects inside and out over the years, including replacing all the Fellowship Hall windows about 15 years ago. Dale’s survivors include his wife Mary, daughter Anne (Richard), son Steve (Monette), granddaughters, great-granddaughters, and sister Linda (Robert) Ringer (Katie Bach’s mother). Dale’s funeral was held at CtK on Saturday, November 16th, with a luncheon following. Rest in God’s peace, Dale.

CtK family – Words cannot express the abounding love you shared with Mark and our family.

He and I were blown away with your generosity. We all mourn our brother Mark but know he is in a better place. Denise Tiearney & family 2020 FLOWER CALENDAR COMING SOON! The Flower Chart for 2020 chancel flower donations will be posted by the Sign-Up Bulleting Board soon. Sign up to donate flowers for a specific weekend. If your first choice is taken, please select another week if possible. Diane Procop, CtK’s flower coordinator since 2003, will contact you on the Monday before your selected weekend to get details about what flowers you’d like and the dedication that should be printed in the Weekend Messenger. If you order flowers from Floral Innovations, arrangements begin at $30; special requests can cost more. You must pay Floral Innovations directly for your flowers. Diane will pick up and deliver any flowers ordered from Floral Innovations. If you provide your own arrangement or plant, please deliver it before 5:30 PM worship on Saturday. Many thanks to Diane for her years of faithful service and to Thrivent Financial representative Bob Mandau for again donating our annual chart.


FOURTH YEAR FOR ADOPT-A-FAMILY AT CTK!

Adopt-a-Family is CtK’sannual holiday gift collection sponsored by the Outreach Ministry. CtK will “adopt” a Summit County family. At press time we did not have a specific family,

but we do know that the family will not receive gifts from any other agency. Preferred gifts for each family member will be listed on ornaments on the Adopt-A-Family tree in the narthex. CtK members are encouraged to choose an ornament, sign the sheet near the tree, and purchase the specified Christmas gift. Please wrap your gift and attach the ornament with the recipient’s name on it. There will also be gift card purchasing options on the tree. The deadline for returning all gifts to CtK was not certain at press time but will likely be Sunday, December 15th. It will be announced in the Weekend Messenger. DECK THE HALLS AT CTK! The season of Advent begins the weekend of November 30th - December 1st this year and ends the weekend of December 21st - 22nd. The season of Christmas officially begins on Christmas Eve. Decorating for Christmas does not need to be done at the same time as setting up the Advent wreath. Watch for decorations to change as time goes on! There may be further announcements seeking decorators, so watch the Weekend Messenger!

FOOD NEEDED TO FILL CHRISTMAS BASKETS

Every Christmas The Emergency Assistance Center (TEAC) gives out food baskets. They

need the following: • Brownie Mix • Stuffing • Boxed Potatoes • Gravy packets (not bottles)

Please drop your donations in the Giving Center bin by December 15.

They also give turkey vouchers in the baskets. They cost $10.50 each. If you wish to donate money, please give checks payable to TEAC

to Deacon Patti by December 15.

CHRISTMAS Christmas is a season of meditation, mangers and

miracles. Christmas is a season of wonder, worship and

wisemen. Christmas is a season of preparation, prayers and

peace. Christmas is a season of generosity, gladness and

gratitude. Christmas is a season of dedication, direction and

decision. Christmas is Christ, care and concern. Christmas is realizing the gifts of love we have received, and giving our best to God, knowing that he is worthy of our tangible gift because we put Him first in our lives. Sandy Molnar Finance Secretary

DIRECTED THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS Christ the King received a gift in the amount of $47 in November from Thrivent. The following members of Thrivent requested we receive this gift. Thank you for your support. Rob Doty Rev. Matthew Groenke HAVE YOU CALLED YOUR THRIVENT REP? If you have investments with Thrivent Financial, call your representative to see if you have any Thrivent Dollars available.


RECYCLE, PLEASE CtK, in trying to be environmentally responsible, recycles by taking the contents of the kitchen recycling bin across the street to the city’s recycle containers, but there are restrictions on what items are acceptable. Everything must be clean. The recycling process gets “gummed up” with crumbs and leftover sticky liquids. Anything not carefully rinsed is discarded. (Rinsing recyclables also helps minimize CtK’s ant problem.) Also, Twinsburg’s recycling company does not want lids on containers. They should be removed and thrown away. Plastic bags are recycled only by some of our area grocery stores and not in the bins across the street; please do not put them in the kitchen recycling bin. Styrofoam is accepted nowhere and will remain forever in landfills; do not put any in the kitchen recycling bin. Please be a responsible recycler. Even small gestures can benefit our fragile planet. Thank you. Submitted by Shirley Duffy

OCTOBER 2019 FINANCE REPORT Complete financial information is posted

on the kiosk outside the office.

Operating Income $22,971

Other designated income $430

Total Income $23,401

Operating Expenses $18,929

Other payments $3,236

Total Expenses $22,165

Net Surplus / (Deficit) $1,236

Monthly Budget $20,814

Christ the King Lutheran Church Lester & Cooper Endowment 2019 Fall

Grant Recipient: Requested by: Amount

Donation Emergency Asst Ctr J Hunt / Emerg Asst Ctr $ 4,000

Luth Disaster Response-Hurr Dorian Pr Groenke $ 1,000 Conf Camp CtK Youth P Jabre / Chr Ed $ 3,600

NEOS LYO Scholarships P Jabre / Youth $ 500

Cantata Funding K Basom / Worship & Music $ 1,000

Donation Our Comm Food Bank J Humrichouser / Outreach $ 2,000

Luth Metro Ministry 50th Anniv Pr Groenke $ 1,000

Haven of Rest J Ciarniello / Outreach $ 4,000

Funding 2x yearly NEO Clergy meeting L Susnik / Cong Care $ 200

Funding Evangelism 2020 events D Schiopota / Evangelism $ 800

OCTOBER SUNDAY SCHOOL PERFECT ATTENDANCE 4th – 6th Grade – Jillian Harnak 7th – 12th Grade – Emily Avitsian, Evan Harnak Adults – Zareh Avitsian, Katie Bach, Rich Ciarniello, Chris Driver, Denise Hall, John Humrichouser, Deacon Patti Jabre, Tom Pituch, Karen Reid, David Schiopota, Sue Simmons NO SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL DECEMBER 29TH There will not be Sunday church school on Sunday, December 29th. During the Sunday school hour on December 22nd, our youth will present their annual Christmas pageant in the sanctuary. This is always a highlight of our Sunday school year! This year’s program is A Beastly Christmas under the direction of Sally Morris.

ANY CTK COLLEGE GRADUATES? If you or someone in your family will be completing a college degree this semester, please contact Wendy in the office with the graduate’s name, the college name, the degree earned, the date of commencement, and the graduate’s future plans if you would like that news published.


CONFIRMATION CORNER December 15 - Congregational

Christmas Caroling, 2-4 PM, visiting members unable to attend church.

December 22 - SCS Pageant, 10:45 AM December 30 - Whirly Ball after Lunch,

12:30 PM January 3-5 - LYO Gathering January 19-20 - Confirmation Retreat

followed by a Youth Lock-in February 2 - Youth Sunday


DECEMBER 15 - Congregational Christmas Caroling, 2-4 PM, visiting members unable to attend church.

December 22 - Sunday Church School Pageant at 10:45 AM.

December 30-12:30 PM Lunch, 2 PM Whirly Ball

January 3-5 - LYO Gathering January 19-20 - Lock-in February 2 - Youth Sunday


Watch for details! https://www.elca.org/YouthGathering

Start to think about whether or not you will commit to the best 18

months of your life. There will be a meeting January 12 at noon for all interested students in 7th - 11th

grade and their parents. Min. of Discipleship & Youth

0 OR 103 Years Old? 10:45 AM Sunday Mornings (except

December 29th) A staffed nursery is available for those under 3. *Age 3 to 3rd Grade - Room 102 Amy Williams and Denise Hall *4, 5, 6 Grades - Room 101 - Katie Bach *7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Grades - Youth Room David Schiopota

ADULT OPPORTUNITIES Inspiration from Max Lucado’s Books Room 103 - Karen Reid Adult Forum of Current Topics Fellowship Hall - John Humrichouser


WHIRLY BALL Monday, December 30, 2019

7th-12th graders

Meet at the CTK at 12:30 for lunch and we

will carpool to the facility. Our time there is

2pm-3pm. We will be back at CTK by 3:45pm

Sign up now on the bulletin board. Slots will

fill up fast! Min. of Discipleship & Youth

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CONGREGATIONAL MEETING NOVEMBER 24TH On Sunday, November 24th, at 10:45, all voting members are invited to gather in the sanctuary for a Congregational Meeting. The meeting’s agenda includes approval of the 2020 budget and the election of three Council members, one Endowment member, and a 2020 Nominating Committee. Pre-confirmation aged students will gather in the Fellowship Hall for supervised activities during the meeting.

CHRISTMAS CARDS WELCOME! If your family would like to share your Christmas card with your CtK family, there is a free standing bulletin board in the narthex where cards are posted each year. Bring in yours, and check out the others that CtK receives! CTK TO SERVE QUARTERLY COMMUNITY MEAL Local congregations provide a free, simple, community meal for everyone at 4:00 PM each Sunday at different locations. Christ the King has agreed to host a meal on the fifth Sunday of any month, which translates to about four meals during the course of the year. Our first opportunity to welcome the community to dine in our Fellowship Hall is Sunday, December 29th. The average attendance at these meals is 50 people. We will need volunteers to provide food (e.g., soup & sandwich), to set up , to serve, and to clean up, so watch the Weekend Messenger for details and your chance to be involved. The Sundays for meals in 2020 will be March 29th, May 31st, August 30th, and November 29th. ORDER FROM AMAZON, HELP CTK! If you order Christmas gifts from Amazon, you can simultaneously help CtK financially. If you go to smile.amazon.com and select Christ the King Lutheran Church, Twinsburg Ohio as your charity of choice, and most purchases from Amazon made by shopping via smile.amazon.com will result in a donation by Amazon to Christ the King. (There are many Christ the King Lutheran Churches to choose from; be sure to select the one in Twinsburg!)

ROCK LOOKING AT THE STARS The weather was cold enough for chili supper and a warm fire in the CtK firepit, but the clouds would not clear to see any stars at the ROCK-sponsored Star Gazing gathering on November 9. (ROCK is Reaching Out in Christian Kindness.)

Many thanks to the chili and sloppy joe cooks, those who brought cornbread and desserts, and especially those who cleaned up while others were around the fire. Our fire starters were the Hartland family, who coaxed the sparks to a roaring fire. Roasting marshmallows

made it seem like summer again. There are star gazing materials left over on the table by the nursery, so take a copy and keep an eye out for a clear night so you can find some constellations. There is also a schedule for the flyovers of the international space station for November (all times are early morning.) ROCK is Chris Driver, Pam Wolfe, Jean Coss, Deacon Patti Jabre, Katie Bach, Heather Stayanchi

ROCK PARTICIPATES IN TRUNK OR TREAT CtK had a two trunk contribution to the Trunk or Treat Halloween event at the Pinewood Gardens Community on October 21. Lisa Doty brought her

decorated van, and we filled that and Paul Bucholtz’ trunk with mittens, gloves, scarves, socks, coloring books, pencil boxes, and art supplies to give instead of candy. As the kids passed by, they were just as interested in these items as they would have been in the candy. At the end of the line, Leatrice Alexander dropped a CtK card into each child’s bag with a smile. We hope everyone has seen the pictures from the event that have been on the Big Screen. We are grateful to the shoppers who made the event possible and we are also grateful for grants from Endowment and Thrivent for the items. A note to other CtK shoppers, there is still Endowment grant money left and when winter items go on sale later, it would be a great time to stock up for next year’s event. ROCK is Chris Driver, Pam Wolfe, Jean Coss, Deacon Patti Jabre, Katie Bach, Heather Stayanchi COLLECTIONS AT CTK St. Pauly Used Clothing Shed $139 for October; $1565 YTD; $5685 since inception (2014) Aluminum cans - $6.00 for 24 pounds of cans, for a total of $105 for 295 pounds of cans since early 2015.


COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING MEAL AND SERVICE

NOVEMBER 24 AT UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST ON TWINSBURG

SQUARE There will be a community meal at 4 PM and

a service for Thanksgiving at 6 PM. All are welcome.

Your Twinsburg Ministerium will hold a non-sectarian worship service of Thanksgiving so people of all faiths from the community may

attend. Min. of Discipleship & Youth

...everyone who helped with set-up, serving, and/or clean-up for the luncheon after Mark Tiearney’s funeral on October 21st, including Louise Susnik, Leatrice Alexander, Lynne Bailey, Chanon Bortak, Paul Bucholtz, Jean Coss, Chris Driver, Shirley Duffy, Glenn & Nancy Fasnacht, Deacon Patti Jabre, Cindy & Joe Meyer, MJ Neel, Ginger & Tom Pituch, Mary Ellen Robinette, Marie Sasala, Karen Scarpelli, Sue Simmons, D. Urban, and Pam & Wiley Wolfe. Thanks to ushers Chuck Goodnight and Ginger Pituch. Thanks also to all the unnamed helpers & dessert providers and anyone we may have missed. ...everyone who contributed to The Emergency Assistance Center’s (TEAC) Fill the Bus food collection drive in October. Thanks in part to CtK’s participation, 18,500 pounds of food were collected! ...November 5th Blood Drive registration and canteen volunteers Joanne Ciarniello, Chris Driver, Shirley Duffy, Luella Goodnight, MJ Neel, Ginger Pituch. Twenty-five donors checked in, including one first-time donor, and 20 pints of blood were collected! The next blood drive at CtK is scheduled for Tuesday, January 7th, 2020 from 2 to 7 PM. ...Paul Bucholtz, Rich Ciarniello, & Glenn Fasnacht for planting an Eastern Redbud tree where the crabapple tree was removed. ...Ginger Pituch, Mary Ellen Robinette, & Louise Susnik for helping make breakfast & lunch for the Alpha Retreat on November 9th . ...Gene & Marilyn Ulmer for delivering the bin of donations to The Emergency Assistance Center in Northfield Center. ...those who helped with the November 16th funeral and luncheon for Dale Schlosnagle, including ushers Chuck Goodnight and Ginger Pituch and kitchen helpers, clean-up crew, and dessert providers Lynne Bailey, Kerry Dominick, Wendy Gibbons, Cindy Meyer, MJ Neel, Janet Nezbeda, Ginger & Tom Pituch, Mary Ellen Robinette, Chris Spitz, Sharon Straka, and Denise Tiearney. Thanks to anyone we may have missed.


Tim Stahlman 1-Dec

Linda Mondry 3-Dec

Dottie Wheater 3-Dec

Tina Heath 3-Dec

Bob Roe 4-Dec

Aiden Ripley 4-Dec

Thomas Royon 6-Dec

Nathan Spagnola 6-Dec

Lynn Pereksta 7-Dec

Aaron Smith 9-Dec

Kevin Smith 9-Dec

Lisa Doty 13-Dec

Carlton Spitz 13-Dec

Doug Corbin 15-Dec

Greg Tulley 15-Dec

Claire Schiopota 18-Dec

Ray Kendrick 18-Dec

Truman Goss 19-Dec

Jenn Lue 20-Dec

Ariella Smiddle 21-Dec

Rich Wilhelms 22-Dec

Glenn Fasnacht 24-Dec

Braden Susnik 24-Dec

David & Tina Heath 29-Dec

FOOD NEEDED TO FILL CHRISTMAS BASKETS

Every Christmas The Emergency Assistance Center (TEAC) gives out food baskets. They

need the following: • Brownie Mix • Stuffing • Boxed Potatoes • Gravy packets (not bottles)

Please drop your donations in the Giving Center bin by December 15.

They also give turkey vouchers in the baskets. They cost $10.50 each. If you wish to donate money, please give checks payable to TEAC

to Deacon Patti by December 15.

Season of doubt By Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA

When serving as a parish pastor, I would sometimes be asked if it was possible to be a faithful Christian and also doubt. Could one be a disciple and also question?

Parishioners would be hesitant to ask for fear that they would face judgment—Divine and mine. Somehow, we’ve gotten it into our heads that doubt has no part of faith, that questions are disloyal, and that anguish and even anger are an offense to God.

We think of the heroes of the Bible, strong and steadfast. We consider the lives of the saints and martyrs as they stood resolute in the face of death. Surely these heroes, saints and martyrs must be models of faith. Our doubts and questions reveal how short we have fallen.

When my family and I moved from Columbus to Ashtabula, Ohio, we were able to find a house that had a little bit of land, about a quarter of an acre. I could mow the lawn of our Columbus house with a weed whacker. Now I had room for a proper garden. I had to break through the grass in the backyard to get to the good dark earth. I felt like the Norwegian pioneers from Giants in the Earth, and I probably had enough sod squares to start a prairie sod house.

I laid out my garden according to a plan I saw in Martha Stewart Living. (Odd juxtaposition: sod house and Martha Stewart.) Then I planted. Carrots were just some of the seeds I sowed, envisioning a bountiful harvest. I had pretty good luck that first year: corn, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes and carrots.

Then winter came.

So, before you scoff, you Alaskans, Dakotans, Montanans and Minnesotans, Ohio can have some long and intense winters too. Ashtabula is in the snow belt. Before Lake Erie freezes, storms can whip across the lake, pick up moisture and dump snow when they hit land. We call this lake-effect snow. Buffalo, N.Y., has been known to get 7 feet of snow in a single storm. Ashtabula isn’t far behind.

Snow and cold are fine in November and December. Thanksgiving feasts, Advent anticipation and Christmas joy make the weather and the long nights seem cozy, and even like “the close and holy darkness” that poet Dylan Thomas describes in A Child’s Christmas in Wales.

The snow and cold are accepted grudgingly in January and February, but by March we are so over it. We long to see new life. We long to see green. I remember when a snowplow accidentally went too far and uncovered 3 feet of lawn. We just stared at it.

When the snow began to melt, I inspected the garden, thinking about a new season and new growth. Then I noticed something—the green tops of carrots. Some of the carrots had wintered over. Through the snow, through the cold, through the long nights, life had been happening. Without my knowing it, without my doing anything about it, the carrots made it through.

(Continued on page 12)


All men 18 and older are invited to meet for food and fellowship at Fresh Start Diner at 9810 Ravenna Road on Twinsburg Square at 8 AM the first Saturday of the month, December 7th. See Tom Pituch for details.

The CtK Tuesday Women’s Bible Study will meet at 10 AM in Room 105 December 3rd and 10th to read a devotional in Isaiah called Wait, Watch, Create by visual artist Vonda Drees from Gather magazine. On December 17th the group will have a Christmas lunch at a location to be determined. Wendy Gibbons leads the hour-long sessions, which include Bible study, fellowship, discussion, and prayer. All women are invited to drop in when their schedules permit. The group collects an offering for ELCA Good Gifts to help girls worldwide who would otherwise not be able to attend school. Bibles and copies of the study are available at class. To subscribe to Gather call 844-409-0576; a year’s subscription (10 issues) is

$20. Pastor Matthew leads a noon Wednesday study in the fellowship hall most weeks. The group is studying The Greatest Story: Introduction to the Bible. Each week’s class includes discussion of scripture and a video of mesmerizing sand art that illustrates that week’s subject. See the Weekend Messenger to know what will be discussed that week. There is time to eat your lunch in class. All are welcome to

What it means to care

By Caitlin Sellnow

In the first weeks of November 2018, two disasters hit Ventura County, Calif. First, on the evening of Nov. 7, a gunman forced his way into Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks and opened fire. Thirteen people were killed, including the shooter.

Less than 48 hours later, the community received news that wildfires had broken out in the area and many homes had to be evacuated. By the time the fires were contained, three people had died and 15,000 structures were destroyed.

Before any of this transpired, Lynn Bulock, a deacon at New Hope Lutheran Church in Agoura Hills, was already assembling the Southwest California Synod’s application for a grant from ELCA Disability Ministries. In October 2018, Disability Ministries announced that it was offering as many as 25 grants of $10,000 each for congregations, synods and affiliates to start mental health ministries.

Bulock was excited to apply right away because she’s a grant writer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in addition to serving as director for senior ministry at New Hope. Originally, she planned to start a mental health ministry in each of the synod’s nine conferences. “But then the first two weeks of November happened,” she said.

There was an outpouring of support in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and fires. People and organizations supplied money, shelter, food, comfort animals and more. Lutheran Disaster Response worked with Lutheran Social Services of Southern California to provide about $20,000 for essentials for wildfire evacuees.

But Bulock and her grant application committee knew these events had caused lasting trauma so they narrowed their focus to help those most directly affected.

The synod received a Disability Ministries’ grant to help fund educational and support resources for six ELCA congregations affected by the shooting and fires. The funds also will be used to provide counseling services through California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, and to help establish a synod database of local mental health resources.

The six congregations vary in size—the largest has an average weekly worship attendance of 600 and the smallest has 59.



Doubt can seem like winter—long, cold, barren. It can feel isolating and lonely. These are natural and true experiences. What is not true is that doubt is the absence of faith. Doubt is part of faith. We hear it in Scripture, and Jesus never shies away from it. A father seeking healing for his son cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” and Jesus healed the boy (Mark 9:24). The risen Christ appeared to his disciples and some disbelieved for joy (Luke 24:41). Still, Jesus sent them out to tell the good news.

Faith, like wintering-over carrots, still lives even in our winters. God still acts and nurtures even when we cannot. Doubt and questioning draw us into a deeper relationship with God.

God can take it, and God will carry us through the winter. Reprinted from Living Lutheran with permission.

(Continued from page 11)

Some of the congregations’ members were directly affected by the fires or the shooting. Others, including a 92-year-old member of New Hope, wondered why they weren’t. She lives in a row of condos destroyed by fire; only her unit was left intact. What members of all these communities have in common is a need for ways to cope.

Statistics from NAMI and the National Institutes of Health show that people with mental health concerns are as likely to seek help from their church as from a medical or mental health professional. After the disasters, people looked to the faith leaders in Ventura County for guidance.

Desta Goehner, director of congregational relations at California Lutheran, said she and campus ministers “went into overdrive,” offering comfort and counsel, and organizing vigils, memorials and funerals. Students told their stories to pastors they had never met before, trying to process their experiences.

Bulock wants all members of faith communities to know what to do when someone says they need help, and Carol Josefowski, coordinator of ELCA Disability Ministries, shares this vision. Josefowski knows people look to the church for meaning in times of confusion and tragedy, adding, “Religion is a place for natural seekers.”

Josefowski wants congregations to think purposefully about how they steward people in crisis, which is why the new application process for the grants is collaborative. The Disability Ministries team helps applicants design the best mental health solutions for their communities. The program seems to have tapped into a need that many faith communities already felt, as 55 congregations, synods and affiliates applied for the grants in 2019.

Bulock and her NAMI colleagues like to say that mental illness is not a “casserole illness,” she said, adding, “When you have cancer, someone shows up at your door with a casserole. No one does that if you have bipolar disorder. … We need to talk about mental illness the same way we talk about other chronic illness.”

As a faith community, Bulock said, “we need to expand our idea of what caring is.” She hopes the synod’s mental health ministry grant will help do this in Ventura County, where people are still trying to rebuild both their homes and their mental wellness.

Caitlin Sellnow is a communications specialist on the ELCA development team.

Reprinted from Living Lutheran with permission.



CHRISTMAS WORSHIP AT CHRIST THE KING

What Kind of Throne* Cantata at Worship with Communion

5:30 PM Saturday, December 14th 9:30 AM Sunday, December 15th

*Created by Tony Wood & Michael Farren

Blue Christmas Evening Prayer 7 PM Wednesday, December 18th

Christmas Eve Candlelight with Communion 7 PM & 9 PM Tuesday, December 24th

Christmas Day with Communion 10 AM Wednesday, December 25th

Service of Lessons & Carols with Communion 5:30 PM Saturday, December 28th 9:30 AM Sunday, December 29th

No Sunday School December 29th

Sunday Church School MITTEN TREE IS UP AND

AWAITING YOUR DONATION

We are collecting mittens, hats, gloves, and scarves on the mitten tree in the Education Wing Hall for

people served by The Emergency Assistance Center (TEAC).

Please put all donations on the tree by December 15.


Perspective: Our church door

By Jill Abenth

If someone is suffering on the perimeter, Jesus teaches us how to see them and bring them in. Parable after parable brings one healing, restorative action after another. The leper is made clean. The demons are cast out. The despised foreigner does the merciful thing. The woman is believed. The child is welcomed. The poor aren’t blamed for their condition. The hungry are fed.

The outside is so expansive, but knock and the door shall be opened. Ask and you shall receive. So simple.

When Charles (not his real name) knocks on our church door during the week, he sometimes wants to play the piano, often requests food and bus fare or asks to use the phone, and always leaves with the benediction “Love you.”

On Sunday, when the door is unlocked and staffed with an attendant, Charles will get coffee and treats, chat cheerily with people and perhaps interrupt the steady bubbling of table conversation with some improvisation on the baby grand in our fellowship hall. His vulnerability and dignity are evident in his daily struggles with mental health issues and bureaucratic public assistance.

Our church building is on the East Bank campus of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, steps from the Mississippi River, between a world-class hospital and a busy train station on the light-rail line connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis. Our mission is to extend hospitality and welcome to all in this strange hub of humanity, academia, transport, health care, research and sports fanaticism.

Many who visit our sanctuary just wish for a few moments of peace or are curious about the church. We get others, too—those suffering from hunger, homelessness, delusions, rejection and grief.

I straddle Sundays and weekdays at church as both a congregation member and the office manager. I usually sit in a far-back pew, and though not in charge of programming, I’m on the front line of ministry. When people come to the door, I’m the one who answers. When the phone rings, I’m the one who sees the caller ID.

Though we expect people such as Charles, we aren’t always as prepared as we want to be to respond to their requests or to sort out exactly what would be helpful in their circumstance. Jesus knew more things about the people he encountered than we do when people come to us. He knew all those intimate details about the woman at the well. He sensed when someone barely touched his hem.

We don’t have the same sight, but he asks us to do the same work and to respond in the same spirit. He did what he could. We do what we can.

Sundays might provide the opportunity for several resourceful parishioners to rally around a visitor who’s struggling to stay above the fray. During the week, I often sort out requests on my own. I confess, I usually want to pass them along to someone else more qualified, someone with a collar or a social-work degree, and indeed I do when it’s appropriate. The pastors are the trusted stewards of our assistance fund, but I’ll fetch train passes and snacks, call a hotel or drive to a gas station. And I listen.



Is the person stopping in just this one time, or will they be back? If we’ve been able to help them at all, we know they’ll eventually return. That gives us an opportunity to bear out information over time and provoke a better understanding, a deeper response. It might also lead to the awareness that we’re being manipulated. There is always that risk.

We could let those instances harden us, keep us from ever opening the door. However, we risk shutting out those who truly have nowhere else to turn. Even those who engage in calculating efforts to meet their needs deal with challenges more complex than we could ever imagine.

It’s exhausting sometimes—this gatekeeping. I want to get back to my work. Mary and Martha spar within me: Do I finish the bulletin announcements, or do I lend my undivided attention to a soul who has been abandoned? If I’m not careful, a story can stretch into precious productivity time, and I discover I’ve neither assisted the person nor completed a task.

We feel daunted by the harsh realities of those who show up at our door, the Holy Spirit nudging us to reopen our hearts, reconsider our mission, recall our purpose. Perhaps we are able to draw strength from the remarkable ways people fashion forward-moving lives despite considerable barriers. When I’m feeling down about the unrealistic expectation for churches to fill each chasm created by government and society, a rambling monologue might crack open my cynicism, and the grace that seeps in will catch me off-guard.

We can do relationship. We can listen. Even if we are diligent in our advocacy for justice on a larger scale—and we absolutely need to be—those who are wedged into the bottom layer of Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid can’t wait for systems to change. They need us now.

Charles tends to knock a few minutes before my office hours are over for the day. I try not to let my annoyance show, because as we’ve gotten to know him and his hardships, we’ve been blessed by his wide smiles and words of encouragement. Perhaps we’ve contributed in some small way to his relative stability, but more likely we’ve just been a safe space in the right place for him, opening the door.

Jill Abenth is the office manager at Grace University Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, just up the river from where she lives with her family in St. Paul, Minn.

Reprinted from Living Lutheran with permission.



SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 10:45 AM

Come, support the SCS as they present the Christmas Story from an animal’s viewpoint in

A Beastly Christmas.

CONGREGATIONAL CHRISTMAS CAROLING

DECEMBER 15 2-4 PM

The congregation is invited to go Christmas Caroling to those in nursing homes

and to shut-ins.

We will carpool, and upon our return will enjoy hot cocoa and cookies.

Bring a plate of cookies to share! Min. of Discipleship & Youth

DECEMBER MESSENGER 2019 www.CtKTwinsburg.com

Email [email protected] to receive a link to this publication via email.

Christ the King Lutheran Church 10285 Ravenna Road FIRST CLASS POSTAGE HERE Twinsburg, Ohio 44087

Dated Material - DECEMBER 2019 Please Rush!

Christ the King welcomes you to our worship, fellowship, and service!

Saturday Come-As-You-Are Worship ............... 5:30 PM

Sunday Worship and Schedule:

Worship ........................................................................9:30 AM

Sunday School for All (except 12/29) ............. 10:45 AM Holy Communion at both Saturday & Sunday services.

Staffed nursery on Sunday mornings.

Sunday Church School Pageant A Beastly Christmas

10:45 AM Sunday, December 22nd In the sanctuary

CHRISTMAS WORSHIP AT CHRIST THE KING

What Kind of Throne* Cantata at Worship with Communion

5:30 PM Saturday, December 14th 9:30 AM Sunday, December 15th

*Created by Tony Wood & Michael Farren

Blue Christmas Evening Prayer 7 PM Wednesday, December 18th

Christmas Eve Candlelight with Communion 7 PM & 9 PM Tuesday, December 24th

Christmas Day with Communion 10 AM Wednesday, December 25th

Service of Lessons & Carols with Communion 5:30 PM Saturday, December 28th 9:30 AM Sunday, December 29th

No Sunday School December 29th

Cover this box with the mailing label!

the messenger · 2019. 12. 11. · at ctk no later than 4:45 pm to carpool, and dress for the...

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