my prayers, it wasn’t something i didn’t make it all the
TRANSCRIPT
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Who would have thought we would be
in the situation we find ourselves in
now?
Two months ago, I was hearing the
news coming out of China about Covid-
19. While it was sad and distressing,
and something I thought I should add to
my prayers, it wasn’t something I
recognized as directly affecting me and
my life. I suppose I thought of it much
like SARS or any number of viruses that
didn’t make it all the way around the
world in such great numbers.
However, this unique coronavirus is a
sobering reminder to us all that we live
in a global community these days.
What affects others can and will affect
us all. We are all in it together.
We are all anxious and fixated on the
coronavirus in these days. That anxiety
affects everyone – so be kind to one
another because we are all feeling it.
Our anxiety may land in different
places. For some, the target is one or
another governmental authority. For
others the target is the way something is
being done or not done at church, or at
work, or by our neighbors. For still
others the target of their anxiety is a
family member or a friend, and might
manifest as anger and frustration with
them or as extreme worry for them. Job
losses and increased numbers of Covid-
19 cases will only increase this anxiety.
As I preached about last Sunday, Ezekiel
37’s Valley of the Dry Bones seems like an
apt image, as we watch the global economic
engine dry up and worry about job security
and availability of resources, as well as our
own health and the health and wellbeing of
others. We are walking among the dry
bones as we grieve all the little losses that
have necessarily died as a part of social
distancing: weddings and funerals put on
hold, senior years abruptly ended, the
cancelation of trips, of sports seasons, of
plays and productions, of after-school
activities, and of course, our gathering for
worship itself. And the life that has
withered up for a time is not coming back
soon.
In this time of social distancing we
cannot run to meet each other. If we
care about our neighbors, we simply
must not meet each other, not in person.
In fact, our moral obligation and our
Christian duty is to care for our
neighbor by going the extra mile. If
groups of up to ten are allowed, groups
of zero are even better, as we seek to
model what it means to more
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aggressively flatten the curve of Covid-
19. Keep up your resolve in this
endeavor, because it is good and
necessary work. It is why we have
moved to meeting and worshiping
entirely online. It is why we are fasting
from celebrating Holy Communion,
since we cannot physically gather in a
way that includes all and is fair to all.
We must remain in the Valley of the Dry
Bones for a while.
But, we can run to Jesus.
Use this time at home to open up
your Bibles,
to take advantage of online
devotional and worship
opportunities,
to talk about faith with those at
home and those who are a phone
call away,
and bring your questions and your
comments to Jesus, like Mary and
Martha did in Gospel of John.
The greatest resource that any Christian
possesses is God’s word. Even when we are
physically apart, we have God’s word. Even
when we must fast from the sacraments, the
holy comes to us in God’s word.
May God bless us and keep us steadfast in
the Word in these days,
Pastor Chris Carr
Giving during this time is still so vitally
important! Thank you to the two people
who gave online for the first time as well as
all those who mailed checks in or who
already give online.
Here is the link to online giving:
www.ctkrva.org/stewardship
To set up online giving, visit the church
website and select Give Online from the
menu options. If you have questions, please
contact the church office.
Hard to believe
how our lives
have changed
since council met on 9 March. We spent
about 2 hours that night working through
our typical agenda but there was no
mention of COVID -19 or possible actions.
Yes earlier that day Virginia reported its 5th
case and some healthcare facilities had
started screening entry but school was still
open and local life was proceeding normally.
Wow did that change drastically over the
following couple days. The Executive team
met on Thursday, 12th, to review latest
information, chart our initial actions, and
communicate those actions to you. We have
continued to evolve since then to where we
are today. The Church is totally closed and
staff are working from home including
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leading weekly worship and devotional
opportunities from there. I thank you for
your understanding during these
challenging and evolving times and have 2
requests. Find a way to stay spiritually
connected together through the online
opportunities being offered and continue to
maintain your giving profile either by mail
or electronically. We have taken several
actions to reduce expenses but as you know
our budget is driven by staff and fixed
building costs.
Back to 9 March. As you may recall from my
February article, I asked council to review
the detailed EPIC presentations and
information on the Synod website and begin
to consider what is (or should be) CTK’s
mission statement, its fundamental values,
and its “tag line.” We began our meeting
with each member sharing and explaining
one core value, (i.e. the foundation for who
we are as God’s people,) that they believed
CTK demonstrates or should adopt and
strive to meet going forward. Some of the
responses were: worship; liturgy;
welcoming; relationship; God; community;
inclusive; authentic. All great ideas that we
will continue to explore going forward.
Again if you have ideas please contact a
council member so that we can include in
our discussions.
The remaining March agenda included
receiving our normal reports and making
progress on unfinished and new business.
The treasurer reported that February giving
was the lowest giving month in 2 years
however, was offset by reduced expenses.
The net operating expenses in February
were $41,889 versus offerings of $38,347
resulting in a $3542 shortfall. The full
detailed report can be found on the website.
The playground committee provided a
progress update that included a
presentation on the why / benefits of a
playground and latest cost estimates. Prior
to making a decision Council requested that
costs be finalized and a phased
implementation plan developed. Pastor Carr
reviewed the final Parish membership
report that was sent to the ELCA on 13 Feb.
A motion was approved to remove 13
individuals from our members list per the
constitution. Contact Pastor or myself if you
would like to see the final report. New
business considered two outside facility use
requests and a briefing from property on
building security upgrade including key
card access, back parking lot door repair,
and parking lot resurface options bases on
core sample results. We will be addressing
each of these further in upcoming meetings.
As always, and especially in these
challenging times, I encourage you to reach
out to Council members with ideas or
concerns that we need to address or just to
talk. As we complete the season of Lent
and approach Holy week, I ask you again to
find a way to stay connected with our
church body electronically. I look forward
to seeing you in the Zoom gallery.
Peace be with you, Lyn Whitmer, Council President
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Lutheran
Disaster
Response has
been in
communication with and supporting
disaster response in Australia, Puerto
Rico, and Indonesia. Follow their
page to find updates, and please
consider making a gift to Lutheran
Disaster Response by going to the
link below.
Community.elca.org
FOR MEMBERS IN NEED OF HEALTH AND HEALING: Bob Berlin, Janet Bruns, Ann Clyde, Megan Demmler, Betty Dols, Donna Finney, Weston Foster, Pat Hale, Anna Hoyle, Ron & Patti Hunt, Julia Jones, John Kavanagh, Cindi Manuel, Winfree Mountcastle, Audrey Woodcock
FOR EXTENDED FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN NEED OF HEALTH AND PRAYERS: Wendy Allred & family (Kemp friends), Brenda Barton (Fortis friend), Margaret Baynor (Hunt friend), Jewell Bernard (Stephen's mom), Janice Blevins (Carr friend), Linda & Grady Bubenzer (Huey friends), Betty Carneal (Maxwell G's grandmother), LoAnn Clark (C Manuel's sister), Betty Conner (Hunt friend), Wayne Coughenour (Yates' son-in-law), Mary Dickinson (J Golden's sister), Mary Anne Garnett ( J Carr's mom), Peggy Giambalvo (CTK friend), Valerie Graville (L Grimm's niece), Lisa Grimm (K Ross' cousin), Marvin Grimm (Lisa'a brother), Ron Gromling (C Manuel's
cousin), Jack & Dianne Harris (N Lohr's parents), Dana Heidelberger (friend of Liz Yates), Benny Holdren and parents (Fortis friends), Harold Leff (Woodcock friend), Edward Levari (L Colbert's dad), Fermen & Linda Lowe (Anne H's friends), Eliana Lund (Carr god-daughter), Tracy Majka (K Francis's sister), Custer & Wilda Maynor (Demmler parents), Gail Meeks (D Hutchinson friend), Gregg Phelps (Kemp friend), Kari Rachel & family, Randolph Rash (B Edward's dad), Fritz & Louise Rosebrook (Hale friends), Jim Smith (Killian relative), Jacob Soloman (Killian friend), Crystal Stovall ( A Nassar friend), Judy Suder (D Ripperton's mom), David Varney (Ruth's son), Nat Wooding (A Kemp's dad).
HOMEBOUND MEMBERS: Mary Jo Adams, Delores Bell, Clarice Clark, Marta Ruch, Gail Smith, Carolyn Sprinkle and extended family, Nancy Kay.
CAREGIVERS: Anne Adkins mom), Jennifer Carr (mom), Tom Clyde (Ann), J D Finney (Donna), Sandi Holahan (mom), Marian Kavanagh (John), Nancy Lohr (mom), Tom Mountcastle (dad), Debra Woodcock (mom).
EL SALVADOR: Cristo Rey, our sister congregation, pastors Carlos & Vilma, Bishop Medardo Gomez and the Lutheran Church in the country, and all working for peace.
PALESTINIAN WEST BANK: the Tent of Nations's Educational and Environmental Farm, the Nassar family owners and operators, and its work for peace and awareness for all people.
SPAIN: Nadine Nassar, teaching NSL
Any additions and corrections should be directed to the [email protected]
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Are You
Hurting or Grieving?
Do You Need A Listening
Ear? Then
consider asking if a Stephen Minister is right for you. CTK is a Stephen Ministry congregation, so in addition to immediate crisis counseling with our pastors, congregation members (or other individuals) have the opportunity to request a highly trained, one-on-one, lay Minister. If you have suffered a loss of any kind (e.g. a loved one, relationship, home, miscarriage, or job) then having the listening ear and the distinctively Christian care-giving tools of a Stephen Minister would be a benefit. Sometimes the relationship lasts for a few visits, and sometimes it last for a few years, depending on your needs and desires as a care-receiver. If you would like to learn more, ask one of the pastors or any of our currently active Stephen Ministers (Michelle Ebright, Ruth Fortis, Joe Frye, Fran Hines, Steve Sommer, Pat Whitmer). Donations Requested for Families in
Need Fund & Pastors’ Discretionary Fund For those who may feel inclined to give an extra gift, these two funds of the congregation are in need of
replenishment. The Families In Need Fund has an updated name, as we shift
the language to put the emphasis on the human beings and not on their condition (e.g. needy). This fund helps individuals and families who are members or non-members, who find themselves in a difficult temporary financial bind. The Pastors’ Discretionary Fund is a fund for the pastors to pay for incidental unbudgeted ministry needs, at their discretion. Examples include funding a team ministry need that would otherwise put the team overbudget, meeting with a parishioner for counseling over lunch and picking up the tab, taking prospective new members out for a meal and conversation, incidental ministry expenses in the normal course of ministry duties out in the community, purchasing a ministry item that is needed immediately but not covered in our budget already, or supporting an individual need when the Families In Need Fund is too low. Many thanks to everyone who so generously supports these important funds with over-and-above giving!
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR OLD
PRESCRIPTION GLASSES? A collection box will be in the
Fellowship Hallway. The Lion’s Club gives them to people who can’t afford
glasses. David Nelson is our Lion’s Club contact. If you have any questions,
please contact Susann Young 804/920-0499.
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Hello Seniors, Unfortunately, seniors and friends, there will be no Senior Luncheon in April. I wish we could get together and share some food and fellowship, but it is not
possible at this time. Take care of yourselves and I will see you soon. Diane
On Friday, March 20th Christ the King
joined with St. Matthias to supply food
for several families that are served by
the St. Matthias food bank. Thank you
so much for those of you who dropped
off food and gift cards to help families
that are dealing with food insecurity
along with many other worries right
now. We collected food at Christ the
King. Then Dick and Lynn
Niedermayer delivered to St. Matthias
parking lot. We are in touch with the
St. Matthias food bank coordinator and
will put out a request for another
collection as needs develop.
A note from Linda Hudgens:
Many thanks to you and all of Christ
the King parishioners who so
generously gave of their time and food
donations today to help us at St.
Matthias carry out the work of our
Food Pantry in a different kind of way.
We were able to generously provide
food for 8 families that included many
children who are at home, as well as
adults who have lost their jobs. And we
still had some left over. We will
continue to help those in need for as
long as we have the means to do so.
It is overwhelming to see God's people
come together to feed those in need in
these difficult days. May God bless and
keep you safe and well.
In Christian love,
Linda Hudgens, Food Pantry
coordinator
Like many businesses
during this Covid-19
crisis, a local hometown
business is struggling to
keep up with demands.
Three Crosses Distillery,
whose belief and logo stands for Faith,
Family, and Service to Country has been
asked by federal, state and local
governments to shut down their
production of their spirits to make hand
sanitizers. This is hard for them
financially but they feel it’s what they’re
called to do. They have been contacted
by hospitals, doctors offices, medical
clinics, airlines, businesses and
individuals. Of course not having
prepared for such a crisis, they are
having a hard time meeting the
demands with depleting resources.
Three Crosses Distillery is reaching out
to the community for Aloe, Glycerin and
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Teatree Oil needed to make hand
sanitizer. Donations can be made by
dropping them off at their location or
by dropping them off at CTK.
3835 Old Buckingham Rd.(Rte 13)
Powhatan, Va. 23139
804-818-6330
Thank you very much for considering
to help during this unpredictable time.
St. Matthias will continue to do food
distribution following safety
precautions. This Sunday would be our
First Sunday food bank Sunday so
please consider dropping off food at
church on Saturday when you pick up
your palms.
Fruit, pasta/spaghetti Spaghetti sauce Crackers Canned tuna or chicken Condiments Canned pasta Snacks for children
Sewing Face Masks from Home
A number of CTK members have expressed an interest in sewing face masks that can be donated to staff in nursing homes and other places where N95 masks are unavailable. If you would like to participate in this service effort, you can
find many patterns online. One good one can be found here: https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/ In addition, JoAnn Fabrics has kits and patterns available for call ahead curbside pick-up or online here: https://www.joann.com/make-to-give-response/ JoAnn’s wants you to drop them off at their store and they will donate to a facility. We are inviting each CTK member who participates to decide where they want to donate. Long term care facilities and hospitals are in need all over. But please let us know so we can celebrate the total number of masks made at a later date. For help or info please contact Jennifer Carr at [email protected] 804-279-1242 or Susann Young at [email protected] 804-920-0499. If you cannot leave home to donate the masks, Jennifer will arrange to pick them up from your front porch and donate them through the Walton Park Neighborhood group.
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You have probably heard on the news that there is a system-wide shortage of face masks and disposable gloves for our health care workers in this COVID-95 emergency. You may not be aware that the dust masks used in the construction industry and by woodworkers are the same kind, N-95, that the health care workers need. Before this emergency, they were readily available in hardware and building supply stores. Johnston Willis Hospital in Midlothian has put out a box outside the Emergency Entrance to take donations. They will take any unused masks and disposable gloves, preferably in their original containers. The containers don’t have to be unopened. You can just drop off items without going in or meeting with anyone. If you are a woodworker or hobbyest, please check you work area to see if you have any of these personal protective equipment items that are clean and suitable for donation. Thanks for dropping them off at Johnston Willis when you are out grocery shopping. Their address and contact information is:
Johnston-Willis Hospital 1401 Johnston-Willis Dr Richmond, VA 23235 Telephone: (804) 483-5000
Joan Golden [email protected]
3 Jane Lane 4 Joan Golden, Richard Riedel 5 Winfree Mountcastle 6 Nancy Lohr, Nancy Niedermayer 8 Betty Dols, Lee Ann Powell 9 Matthew Cousins, Alexandra Ripperton 10 Bea Ribblett 11 Henry Hagen 12 Brent Kemp 13 Randy Lohr 20 Stephen Bernard 21 Kent Thompson 22 Jennifer Carr 23 Drew Caton 25 Aggie Bothwell 27 Martie O’Connell 28 Stephen Moose, Judy Reid 30 Lindsay Grohowski
15 Phillip & Paula Shearer 19 Dick & Lynn Niedermayer 25 Steve & Barbara Hariprasad 29 Tom & Lee Ann Powell 29 Bill & Margaret Wittenbraker 29 Donald & Martie O’Connell
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Dear Friends,
Thank you for your love, concern and
prayers for us during Gary’s illness and
since his passing away. You truly are an
expression of God’s love.
Kathy Huey
CAN YOU HELP US? Due to a florist’s
mix-up with the cards, I have no idea
who gave the beautiful pink floral
arrangement for Gary’s funeral. I would
love to say “Thank You”. Please call me
at 804-897-1502 if you can help.
Kathy Huey
Information is rapidly changing, given
the uncertainty of current events. More
information will be provided as soon as
it is available. Thank you!
The Seasons of Lent and Holy Week 2020
at Christ The King Lutheran Church
Online
April 5 (10am)– Holy Week & the Three Days: Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion – The Passion according to Matthew
April 9 (7pm) – Maundy Thursday – Confession with Individual Absolution; Footwashing; Stripping the Altar
April 10 (7pm) – Good Friday – Tenebrae Service, with the Passion according to John April 11 (7pm) –Holy Saturday – Virtual Easter Egg Hunt; Keeping the Word Alive; Great Vigil of Easter
April 12 (10am) – Easter Sunday/The Resurrection of Our Lord
(All Sundays – Online Worship at 10am; Bible Classes at 11am)
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While the world may be turned upside
down, the Hunt must go on! We are
inviting anyone who would like to
participate to join us for a FlipGrid
Easter Egg hunt.
We are in need of volunteers to be
“Hiding Houses.” This will mean that
you will be sent a document that you
can print off with eggs that you will
color and hide around your home. We
will also send you a Bible verse to
include. Then, you will make a FlipGrid
video from a link that we will send you.
You need a laptop, tablet, or smart
phone with a camera to make this video
portion work.
Everyone (Including Hiding Houses)
will be able to go on the hunt after
worship on Easter Sunday by watching
the videos with a link to a coloring sheet
that you can print at home. Therefore,
our prizes this year are the Word of
God! After you finish your hunt, you can
make your own FlipGrid video so that
we can all enjoy and interact with each
other.
If you would like to be a “Hiding House”
who will hide printed eggs that you
color in your home and make a video on
FlipGrid please let Jennifer Carr (cell:
804-998-7525, email:
[email protected]) or Meredith
Howard (cell: 804-381-1359, email:
[email protected]) know
by noon on Maundy Thursday. We will
send you a coloring page and the
FlipGrid information. Please have your
videos posted by 6pm on Holy Saturday.
If you would just like to hunt, everyone
will be invited to join in after worship
Easter Sunday.
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Contact Information
Christ The King Lutheran Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 9800 West Huguenot Road Richmond, Virginia 23235
Website: ctkrva.org
Office: (804) 272-2995
Fax: (804) 272-2090
Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm
Friday 9am -1pm
Pastors’ day off: Friday
Sunday Schedule:
Worship Online 10am
Sunday School Online 11am
Randall N. Lohr Pastor [email protected] (804/389-4238)
Christopher D. Carr Pastor [email protected] (804/998-7526) Lindy Moore Church Administrator [email protected]
Beverley Edwards Choir Director/Organist [email protected]
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