Olive Oil Project Update

Thanks to all of you who ordered olive oil.  We ordered 46 bottles of oil!  It has now arrived.  God willing, we will be able to distribute it eventually.  The good news, there is no shipping or handling since we had such a big order. So the prices will be based solely on the cost per bottle.  $11.99 for the small Jenin, $21.99 for the large Jenin, and $24.99 for the bottles of Rumi and Nabali.

Thanks for all your support!

I hope you are all coping with this unexpected isolation.

John Condie

CtK Social Ministry Committee

CtK’s Habitat Update

Right now, CtK’s Habitat build is tentatively scheduled for a May 18th start.  Given the current pandemic crisis, it’s possible there will instead be a June start, or later—it all depends.  I will keep you posted as information becomes forthcoming.

Status of Habitat Restore

• Restore currently closed.
• There is concern about receiving “new merchandise” when the store is re-opened. Will it be contaminated? Can items be cleaned; if so, how? Should items just be thrown it out?   
• Habitat continues to pay staff, both administrative and in-store. The administrative staff is working from home; the in-store staff is just waiting the situation out at home. Given that Habitat closed on one of their resale units last month, they currently have the funds to support this effort.

Current Habitat Families 

• Habitat is giving their families a 90 day mortgage deferment.  This time/payment will be added on to the end of the mortgage. 

Faith Relations

• Kirk Johnson with Summit Church (formerly First United Methodist Church) is trying to organize a Faith Based Committee for Habitat.  He will be contacting me.

Everyone take care!

Rap Fairley

CtK Social Ministry Committee

Lenten Focus on World Hunger

From your persistent friends on the Social Ministry Committee: 

The First Sunday in Lent falls on March 1st this year.  And as we have for several years, the Social Ministry Team would like to focus the congregation’s attention on hunger; hunger in the US, and hunger around the world.  As a visual aid to assist us with this task, the ELCA has provided us with Lenten devotional calendars designed to help us think about and understand hunger.  We hope you received one of these calendars and will use them during Lent—they were given out on Sunday, February 23^rd.  If you did not receive one and would like one, please check with Linda in the Front Office.

In addition, as part of the ELCA’s campaign to raise money for ELCA World Hunger, we have set a goal of $5000 for Christ the King.  If each person in the congregation put aside 50 cents a day during Lent, we would more than fulfill this modest goal.  Please prayerfully consider this worthwhile cause.  You may put your contributions in the Noisy Offering or put a check in the offering plate with “World Hunger” on the memo line. To further help us reach our goal of $5000, the Noisy Offerings for both March and April have been designated for ELCA World Hunger.  Thank you all for your generosity and for all you do in God’s name.

Olive Oil Project

This project is an ELCA partner project that supports over 1700 small farmers represented by the Palestine Fair Trade Association.  This association empowers marginalized, Palestinian rural communities caught in conflict so they can sustain their livelihoods.  You are invited to join us on March 8^th after each service when we will be doing a tasting of three types of organic olive oil that you may purchase from the land of Canaan.  If there is demand, we will take orders.  Come taste and learn more about this project.  Contact Wanda Ellingson for more information –

johnandwanda@bresnan.net or 970-385-4882. 

The Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission

On Sunday, March 22^nd, CtK will welcome Patterson Yazzie, the Mission Director for the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission. He will be leading a Q&A between services that day to talk about the ministries of NELM and answer any questions that you may have about the Mission. We are currently working on setting a date(s) for folks from CtK to travel to NELM to install solar light kits in people’s homes and to do some other work projects around the Mission Campus. The plan is to do this in April, but dates have not yet been confirmed. Please let me know if you would be interested in this trip by emailing me at pastortim@ctkdurango.org.

Did You Know . . . .?

Christ the King has a Love Fund to provide short-term monetary support to members, attendees, and staff in times of crisis.  This support comes as an expression of God’s love from the congregation and imposes no requirements on the recipient.  The names and circumstances of all recipients are held in strictest confidence. The fund was created upon the death of a member in 2003, and the funds have been used over that time, as well as been replenished by many members who give periodically.

The process is administered by Pastor Tim, with support from the Social Ministry, who weighs in on each confidential need presented to Pastor Tim. The potential recipient is also encouraged to seek resources from other avenues, such as the Community Emergency Action Coalition, which also responds to emergency one-time requests from people in the community.

A part of this process has been that we communicate directly with the congregation so that members understand this support.  To  help achieve this goal, we are hoping to do regular communications in February–the month of Valentine’s Day!

So we celebrate and are thankful for God’s love–always.  And Scripture reminds us of this love in John 13:34-35:  “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

On February 9th, we will lift up this way we show God’s love to one another. As Pastor Tim says often, “God loves you, no matter what!”

Lenten Focus on World Hunger

From your persistent friends on the Social Ministry Committee:

Lent is fast approaching; it will begin on February 26^th this year.  As we have for several years, we would like to focus the congregation’s attention on hunger; hunger in the US, and hunger around the world.  As a visual aid to assist us with this task, the ELCA has provided us with Lenten devotional calendars designed to help us think about and understand hunger.  Members of the committee will be passing these calendars out beginning February 23^rd, the Sunday before Lent. Please look for them.

In addition, as part of the ELCA’s campaign to raise money for ELCA World Hunger, we have set a goal of $5000 for Christ the King.  If each person in the congregation put aside 50 cents a day during Lent, we would more than fulfill this modest goal.  Please prayerfully consider this worthwhile cause.  You may put your contributions in the Noisy Offering or put a check in the offering plate with “World Hunger” on the memo line. 

On another note: please plan to be in church March 8.  We will be doing a tasting of olive oils from Canaan.  If there is demand, we will take orders.  More about this in the March Scribe.

Thank you all for all you do in God’s name.

The Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission

On Sunday, March 22^nd, CtK will welcome Patterson Yazzie, the Mission Director for the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission. He will be leading a Q&A between services that day to talk about the ministries of NELM and answer any questions that you may have about the Mission. We are currently working on setting a date(s) for folks from CtK to travel to NELM to install solar light kits in people’s homes and to do some other work projects around the Mission Campus. I hope that this will happen in March or April, but dates have not yet been confirmed. Please let me know if you would be interested in this trip by emailing me at pastortim@ctkdurango.org.

CtK’ers Have BIG Hearts

The Social Ministry Committee would like to thank all the people who participated in the various activities we sponsor that benefit the community.  We had a terrific turnout for the stuffing making and very quickly turned out 32 pans of stuffing.  Special thanks to Jeff Saville who has volunteered to be the new Stuffing Czar at Christ the King.

We had a good response to the plea for volunteers to ring the bell for the Salvation Army.  We did have a few open slots.  Let’s make it a goal to do better next year.  Walmart is a very important collection site for the SA.  They routinely collect $5000 a week there!  At the time of writing our totals for this year were not available, but we will share those next month.

And a huge THANK YOU to all of you who took an angel from our Angel Tree!  And an even bigger one to the folks that volunteered to deliver the gifts to the families.  It is a wonderful feeling to be part of a congregation with such a big heart. 

Just a reminder—John Condie is going to step down as coordinator of the Angel Tree.  Talk to him if you are willing to shoulder some or all of this task, or if you simply have questions about it.  And THANK YOU JOHN for your many years as the CtK coordinator for this ministry. 

Thank you from the Social Ministry Committee, and Christ’s blessings on all of you.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!

Christmas Giving Opportunity

In the past few years, the Social Ministry team has shared about a distinctive opportunity in Colorado to support the non-profits you may support throughout the year on one special day.  This program is called Colorado Gives and will happen on one day only:  December 10th.  The Community First Foundation and FirstBank each donated $500K to this effort in order to celebrate and increase philanthropy throughout the state.  The non-profits who are approved to be a part of this program receive a pro-rata share of the $1 million incentive fund, based on the total donations for that day across the state.  Some of the organizations who are in the mix for this year are:  Manna, Rainbow Trail, Boys and Girls Club, La Plata Family Centers, KSUT, San Juan Symphony, for example.  You can browse the local and statewide organizations and schedule your donation to happen automatically on December 10th.  The website is:  coloradogives.org

We hope you may consider this opportunity.  Blessings to you as you prepare for the birth of our Lord.

Bread for the World – Offering of Letters Update:  Dr. Condie Goes to Washington!

Wanda Ellingson and John Condie were in Washington D.C. at the beginning of November with their son Ian.  They took the opportunity to hand deliver the letters that all of you wrote to our national legislators.  They visited the offices of Representative Scott Tipton in the Canon House Office building and met with one of his staff, Matt Atwood.  They also went to the Russell Senate Office Building to the offices of our two senators.  At Michael Bennet’s office, they visited with staffer Margaret Mullins, and at Cory Gardner’s office they met Kyle Green (pictured below, far right, along with Wanda Ellingson and John Condie). 

Everyone was very attentive and took notes to pass along to their bosses.  Bennet’s office even provided an intern to accompany them to the Capitol on the senators’ underground train.  She then guided them to the Speakers Balcony, a treat, since it is not a normal part of the public tour.

The Social Ministry Committee would like to thank everyone for contributing their time to this year’s Offering of Letters.