Written by Isaac Warner, Council President
 
Brothers and Sisters,
 
It’s hard to believe August is already upon us! Perhaps more than anything, these last few months have shown me that time is but a construct and who really knows what day it is anyway? In all seriousness, I hope you and your families are doing well mentally, physically, and spiritually. This year has been out of the ordinary for all of us, some profoundly so, and my family and I continue to pray for each of you as we journey onward. As we move into late summer, I wanted to take a moment to catch up and fill you in on what staff and your council have been up to as well as look at the months to come.
 
First, a big THANK YOU to those who have given their time calling members. I have heard from so many in our community who have so appreciated the personal connection, myself included. It has been a joy to hear how we continue to care for each other, even when we aren’t able to gather in-person on Sunday morning. With the recent extension of our in-person suspension through 2020, we must continue to seek out ways to be together until we can safely do so in person.
 
Since the onset of COVID-19, your council has been focused on ensuring that we continue to be able to meet the needs of our community and the responsibility we have to each other and to our staff. We are incredibly blessed to have the staff and council that we do and for their tireless work adapting to continually changing circumstances. Thanks to KC Gubrud and her efforts, we were able to secure a forgivable Payroll Protection Program grant from the federal government which allowed us to uphold commitments to our staff through the end of June and prevent any income-related staff reductions. And, thanks to your continued generosity, we remain in a position to care for those in our faith community and our community at large who have been affected by this pandemic in ways that so many of us are privileged to not know. One manifestation of this care is through our COVID-19 Relief Fund which will support members of our community directly impacted by this pandemic. I ask that you join me in increasing your giving, if you are able, to support this effort.
 
On the staff side, a huge shout out to our entire team who have poured heart and soul (and a little time and effort too) into creating unique worship experiences for us each week and allowing us to continue to join together in Jesus Christ and proclaim the good news. Amid uncertainty, these opportunities to connect are very much appreciated and valued. I’m looking forward to the new and creative ways that we will worship and share in fellowship together in the coming month. If you haven’t been able to join us, please visit our website for more info about how you can be a part of our virtual worship. Don’t miss our drive-up service coming up this Sunday, 8/9, at 9:30am. See you in the parking lot!
 
In peace,
Isaac Warner, President

Written by Pastor Peter, Lead Pastor

This past week, several dedicated volunteers (with a little help from a few staff members) completed a second round of calling everyone in our membership directory. They noted a few numbers that needed updating, left quite a few voice mails, and had a number of good and wide-ranging conversations with folks from Christ the King—maybe some of you! In most instances, both the callers and the called appreciate the connection that was made between them as fellow members of CtK.

More than on the first go-round, however, they also discovered that there are folks right here at CtK whose lives have been significantly impacted by the Coronavirus, and more specifically by the economic crisis which this global pandemic has brought on. Fellow members among us have lost jobs and income, have faced mounting bills and threats of eviction, or have not been able to secure childcare in order to continue their “essential” jobs. These neighbors of ours are in great need because of the situation our world is currently in.

At the same time, callers also discovered a whole group of CtK folks who find themselves moved by the stories of hardship they have heard and have offered to “give a little extra,” were CtK to set up some sort of emergency fund. At least a few of them even offered up all or part of the stimulus check they received from the federal government, noting that there must be others who need the help more than they do. They were both moved by the immediacy of the need and the depth of connection felt between members of the same congregation.

For that reason, we are setting up a “CtK Covid Relief Fund,” to be used exclusively for members of our faith community who are experiencing difficulties in this time of pandemic and shut-down. While we would continue to work with community partners and make use of existing benevolences such as the “Good Samaritan Fund” for responding to needs in the larger community, this fund would be exclusively funded by special gifts by members over and above their regular pledged offerings and would be available for those within CtK who are experiencing financial difficulties.

Many of us might be tempted to think that our resources are too meager, our gifts too few,  or our ability to meet these neighbor’s need too limited. But Jesus shows us in today’s gospel (the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish) how he can multiply what we have to offer. He shows us how what we have is not only enough, it is more than enough. That with Christ’s help we, too, can take next-to-nothing and make it into something that feeds and heals and protects and provides—for a multitude, with a whole lot leftover as well.

Let us put our compassion into action, church!
 
Pastor Peter
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To donate to the CtK COVID Relief Fund, please indicate “Covid Relief” in the memo portion of your check or electronic gift.

Written by Pepe Demarest, Pastoral Intern
 
After one year of being welcomed to Christ the King as a pastoral intern, there may be some wondering, "what crazy program has interns work in their settings for two years?"  Well, I am part of the inaugural cohort of MDivX at Luther Seminary.  Luther describes the program as a “holy experiment to help the church reimagine theological education in a time of tremendous change.”  This time of tremendous change was envisioned well before the changes that have happened due to Covid-19. The idea was “to rethink how we cultivate Christian community in a secular age.”  The plan was to bring applicants who were spiritually and theologically innovative to reimagine what the church could be.  My cohort consists of 28 students of various backgrounds from around the country.     

At the beginning of our program, about a third of us met on Luther Seminary’s St. Paul campus for most of our classes, while the rest joined on Zoom.  Now, we all only meet virtually.  There are students Zooming in from Florida, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, California, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and outstate Minnesota.  There are some who have just graduated from college, others who had been working in government and social services, youth ministry and business.  Some of us are empty-nesters, others just starting families, but all of us knew that this experiment was going to be intense- not only for us, but also for our loved ones.  You see the “X” in MDivX stands for expedited (some would say exhausting). 

Traditional Masters of Divinity programs last four years.  The first three years focus mostly on academics and the fourth year begins the contextual learning or internship for the seminarian. But last June, when I began my internship here, I was also taking Christian Public Leadership, The Gospel of Mark, Systematic Theology, and The Old Testament.  I am lucky to call Christ the King my home where I can apply some of the theological theories to a real-world community.

The MDivX program has been funded for three years, and my cohort has already seen major changes.  Usually each term starts with one or two weeks of intensives where all the dispersed learners get together for long days of classes at Luther. This was one of the great things about this program as we were able to share not only what each of our contexts was doing, but more importantly how God was using each of our individual gifts. Since the pandemic shut down in-person classes, we have not been able to meet and I miss my cohort so much!  The second cohort started this June, and they have never gotten a chance to bond like we were able to. Please keep them in your prayers as the support of my cohort has always been one of the best things about this program. Luther is now taking applications for the final year of this program, hopefully by then they will be able to meet in person. 

As I look forward to my final year here at CtK, I am excited to work with the pastoral team as we try to rethink what pastoral care will look like if in-person meeting is dangerous for our community. I am also very grateful for any feedback I receive about my sermons.  Especially now with service online, it is hard to judge how they are received. Finally, I love to brag about the mentoring I get from Pastors Peter and John, but also the awe I feel when I think of how open to the Spirit this community is. So, it may not be that this program is crazy, but as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:13: “If we are crazy, it’s for God’s sake. If we are rational, it’s for your sake.”

​Written by Priscilla Berg, CtK Member
 
This time of social distancing in response to a pandemic has made us long for the time when we can gather again as a Christian community.  At the same time, it is made clear that church is not a building.  We, as God’s people, live our Christian lives and witness beyond the walls of a physical place.
 
Christ the King has a long history of supporting the needs of our community.  The weekly Herald newsletter highlights many of those needs. The Social Ministry Team encourages you to read those highlights carefully and consider how you might be involved.  Here are two that serve our immediate neighborhood:
 
Ralph Reeder Food Shelf has had a 30% increase in demand.  The needs will only increase now that children don’t have access to school meals.  Unfortunately our SUNNY program, which in the past has tried to fill some of that gap, had to be cancelled this summer due to COVID-19 concerns. If you would like to donate to Ralph Reeder you can mail a check to: 2544 Mounds View Blvd, Mounds View, MN. 55112 or do so online at: https://www.moundsviewschools.org/Page/173
 
The Community Support Center (CSC) works to prevent homelessness by preventing evictions and working long-term with participants to move toward stability.  The CSC has continued to work with participants via Zoom or conference phone calls. The CSC expects a surge of demand when the emergency moratorium on evictions ends. Thanks to those of you who donated to the online “Un-luncheon” in lieu of the CSC annual fundraiser.  Donations can be made to the Community Support Center, 1600 Silver Lake Road Northwest, New Brighton, MN. 55112.
 
I have long had a quotation from Martin Luther King above my desk.  It’s from his “Mountaintop” speech on April 3, 1968, one day before his assassination. It reads:
 
It’s all right to talk about “long white robes over yonder”, in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here! It’s all right to talk about “streets flowing with milk and honey”, but God has commanded us to be concerned about slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day. It’s all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the new New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennesee (the new New Brighton). This is what we must do.
 
As I have watched a resurgence of activism for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd and the recent Supreme Court decisions providing protections for LGBTQ individuals, and at least temporary protection for DACA “dreamers”, I have renewed hope that we as individual Christians and as a Christian community can look for those places where God moves us to make a difference.

​Written by Nate Crary, Director of Worship

Even though I have learned a lot since my sweet son, Noah Alexander, came into this world a bit earlier than expected back on November 20, I still have no idea what I’m doing. Noah weighed 4.2 pounds at 33 1/2 weeks, and as my mother (Grandma Nana) observed during her first visit to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the U of M, Noah instantly made my universe a whole lot smaller. How I was living life before baby suddenly shifted to revolve around his and Chelsey’s basic needs to eat and sleep. My first diaper change, under the careful supervision of Noah’s rotating nurse, involved a sudden stream of unbridled urinary expression. I have no idea what I’m doing. But I won’t let that stop me from trying to be a good dad.
 
When Christ the King closed down in response to the threat of COVID-19 in our community, my job description more than slightly changed. Time once spent sending out weekly reminder emails to communion servers and coffee brewers was quickly filled by correcting audio drift and watching the snails-pace progress made during the rendering of worship videos. I have no idea what I’m doing. But I won’t let that stop me from trying to be a thoughtful Director of Worship.
 
When George Floyd was brutally murdered at the hands of a white police officer on May 25, the complicit numbness I have been clinging to as a cisgender, straight, white man in the midst of a racist pandemic was laid bare, exposing raw anger and sadness. I will no longer stay silent while I examine and challenge the ways I’ve used my own whiteness to gain power in our country, one that was built on what it continues to benefit from by destroying Black lives. I have already made shameful errors, and I will continue to mess up. I have no idea what I’m doing. But I won’t let that stop me from trying to be an outspoken anti-racist.
 
When Jesus told his disciples, “Take up the cross and follow me,” I’m guessing there were a few clarifying questions they wanted to ask before embarking on a lifelong journey of sacrifice, service, and certain exile. They were faced with a decision, like many of us face everyday, to leave the comforts of what we know and have grown used to, or to take a step in faith for the sake of love and for the sake of our neighbors.
 
People of Christ the King, white supremacy and racism aren't going away. COVID-19 isn’t going away. Being a dad (or a mom, brother, son, sister, or daughter) thanks be to God, isn’t going away. God’s claim on our lives as beloved children isn’t going away. So why would we wait to respond?

What are you waiting for?