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One of the results of the CtK/Cristo Rey Transition Taskforce was the call to form a CtK-Cristo Rey Partnership Team to support in continued relationship building, partnership, and ministry together. We are excited to share that this partnership team is formed by members of CtK and Cristo Rey, and we look forward to our opportunities of shared ministry together.
In our kick-off meeting in November, we discussed how the Spirit is moving both in our lives and the lives of the CtK and Cristo Rey communities. Stories were shared of personal moments of experiencing the spirit moving in both blessings and hardships of the past and present. Images of a child’s joy for being in church, communities coming together in conversation, and personal notes of encouragement and love filled our minds’ eyes of the Spirit at work. The Spirit is at work in this ministry partnership, and we pray to follow where the Spirit leads us. Current members of the CtK/Cristo Rey Partnership Team:
All of us on the Partnership Team welcome you to join us at any future meetings, shared ministries, worship, and fellowship. The members of the Partnership Team have chosen to be leaders in this shared ministry, but we serve to represent the larger community and church, which includes all of you! Thank you in advance of your support of our shared ministry, and we look forward to communicating more with you about opportunities to partner together. To start, every Sunday we can worship together – no matter the language, the liturgy is familiar and the Spirit is moving! 9:30am Worship in English 12:00 Worship in Spanish En Español Equipo de Asociación de Cristo Rey-CtK Uno de los resultados del Grupo de Transición enfocado en la relación entre Cristo Rey y CtK fue la llamada de formar un Equipo de Asociación para Cristo Rey-CtK para apoyar en continuar en establecer relaciones, colaboración y ministerios juntos. Estamos emocionados de compartir que este equipo de asociación está formado por miembros de Cristo Rey y CtK, y anticipamos la oportunidad de nuestro ministerio compartido. En nuestra reunión inicial en noviembre, conversamos sobre cómo el Espíritu está moviendo tanto en nuestras vidas como en las vidas de las comunidades de Cristo Rey y CtK. Se compartieron historias de momentos personales en los que experimentaron el espíritu moviéndose tanto en las bendiciones como en las dificultades del pasado y del presente. Imágenes del gozo de una niña por estar en la iglesia, comunidades reuniéndose en conversación y notas personales de animo y amor llenaron los ojos de nuestras mentes en ver el Espíritu trabajando. El Espíritu está trabajando en esta asociación ministerial y oramos para seguir adonde el Espíritu nos lleve. Miembros del equipo de alianza para Cristo Rey/CtK:
Todos nosotros en el Equipo de Asociación le damos la bienvenida a unirse con nosotros en futuras reuniones, ministerios compartidos, adoración y compañerismo. Los miembros del Equipo de Asociación han elegido ser líderes en este ministerio compartido, pero servimos para representar a la comunidad y la iglesia en general, ¡que los incluye a todos ustedes! Gracias de antemano por su apoyo a nuestro ministerio compartido, y esperamos comunicarnos más con ustedes sobre oportunidades para colaborar. Para empezar, todos los domingos podemos adorar juntos; no importa el idioma, ¡la liturgia es familiar y el Espíritu se mueve! 9:30 am Servicio de Adoración en inglés 12:00pm Servicio de Adoración en español
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by Kisten Thompson on behalf of the Racial Justice Team We commemorate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a Federal Holiday on the third Monday of each January. We have done this as a nation since 1986. We remember Dr. King as a civil rights leader in the 1950’s and 1960’s, as a committed proponent of non-violence as means of protest and activism for systemic change, and as a remarkable preacher, prophet and pacifist. Dr. King’s actual birthdate is January 15 and he would have been 95 years old today had his life not been cut short by an assassin’s bullet April 4, 1968 at the age of 39. Dr. King was known for his soaring rhetoric and use of scripture in calling for change, equality and full acceptance as guaranteed under the laws of this country. One of his most well-known writings is “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” which was written just over 60 years ago. To give a little background, Birmingham, AL was at that time known as the most segregated city in America. While integration laws were on the books in 1962, white business owners kept the stores segregated and refused to remove “whites only” and “coloreds only” signs. So, students and activists undertook a campaign to peacefully force change and integration. The Birmingham leaders invited Dr. King to Birmingham to help lead the efforts. The protests were met with resistance, violence and arrests on the part of the police. On April 12, 1963 Dr King, Dr. Ralph Abernathy and the Rev. Fred Shuttleworth were all arrested and 8 white clergy wrote an open letter condemning the protests as “unwise” and “untimely”. This resulted in the famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” written on pieces of paper as Dr King could get hold of them. He uses Amos 5:21-24 to reply to the white clergy and public at large. Here are the verses from which Dr. King drew inspiration: I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. 22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. 23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream. And Dr. King wrote: But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter, I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.” Dr King further wrote, “Wait has almost always meant ‘Never’” and “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negros great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the The White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice,” and he advocated that “the white church needs to take a principled stand or risk being dismissed as an irrelevant social club.”
As we commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday, our thought for today might be to wonder what might move us to protest? Or to be arrested? Or to call out people in authority who are oppressing others? Or to join a movement that is committed to dismantling racist systems? Or to read, study, listen, act for justice? What might make our hearts burn for justice and for us to become extremists for love? |
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Christ the King Lutheran Church
1900 7th Street NW New Brighton, MN 55112 Phone: 651-633-4674 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: 9 am - 2 pm Mon - Thurs or by appointment Sunday Schedule Morning Worship at 9:30 am |
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