CtK’s Habitat Update

On May 4th, Habitat for Humanity broke ground on the 2020 build and reopened the Restore that is virtually open for business.  To shop there, please go to Habitat’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HFHLPC/ and scroll down to Posts.  Click on the first entry, about the new virtual Restore, and follow the directions from there — it’s easy!

As for the build, Christ the King Lutheran’s date has-yet-to-be-determined.  Right now, Habitat is working on the infrastructure for the duplex and does not need groups.  They are developing a strategy for having volunteers work and hope to start with groups the beginning of June or July.  Keep in mind, like everything else these days, their plans are subject to change.  As soon as CtK has additional information, we will notify you.  So, stay tuned.

Everyone take care!

Rap Fairley

CtK Social Ministry Committee

Ouick Reminder about the Love Fund

Hello Everyone,

During these improbable times, the Social Ministry Committee wanted to remind you that Christ the King maintains a Love Fund to help parishioners who find themselves in temporary financial distress.  If you or someone you know in the church is having problems paying bills right now and has exhausted other avenues of help, contact Pastor Tim.  He will pass the information along to the Social Ministry Committee who will make the decision to grant Love Fund money.  The process is totally confidential — without identifying details.

One the other hand, if you are able, the Fund can always use donations to maintain itself.  Just send your check to CtK with “Love Fund” written in the memo line.  Your donation will be used as needed within your church family.

Thanks to all,

The Social Ministry Committee.

CtK’s Habitat Update

May 4th was a big day for Habitat for Humanity.  They broke ground on the 2020 build and reopened the Restore!  The Restore is virtually open for business.  To shop there, please go to Habitat’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HFHLPC/ and scroll down to Posts.  Click on the first entry, about the new virtual Restore, and follow the directions from there — it’s easy!

As for the build, Christ the King Lutheran’s date of May 16th has been postponed to a later, as-yet-to-be-determined date.  Right now, Habitat is working on the infrastructure for the duplex and does not need groups.  They are developing a strategy for having volunteers work and hope to start with groups the beginning of June or July.  Keep in mind, like everything else these days, their plans are subject to change.  As soon as CtK has additional information, we will notify you.  So, stay tuned.

Everyone take care!

Rap Fairley

CtK Social Ministry Committee

Help Needed in Our Community

As our community deals with the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, some of our partner ministries are working hard to support the needs of those in the community with few resources.  VOA is asking folks to remember Mothers at this time, in honor of Mother’s Day.  You can mail a check to Volunteers of America, 1055 Avenida del Sol, Durango, CO 81301 to support mothers and children at the Safehouse.  You may also donate on the phone:  970-259-1021.  The Durango Food Bank is also working tirelessly to provide food to so many people. Please consider supporting their food drive at http://durangoareafoodbank.org/online-food-drive/.

Manna is providing meals to those in need throughout this time as well; all food may be picked up at their site.

The graphic below offers various ways to help and support Manna, and in turn, help those people in our community who are food insecure.

Blessings, and thanks for your ongoing support to these nonprofit organizations.

Jigger Staby

CtK Social Ministry Team

Olive Oil Project Update

To all of you who ordered olive oil–THANK YOU!  We have 46 bottles of oil which we hope to be able to distribute eventually.  The good news, there were no shipping or handling costs since we had such a big order. So the prices are 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 continuing to cope with this unexpected isolation.

John Condie

CtK Social Ministry Committee

CtK’s Habitat Update

CtK’s Habitat work date, originally scheduled for Saturday, May 16th, has been postponed.  Habitat still hopes to build this year, but like many things, this build is currently on hold.  Hopefully CtK will be notified soon of the revised schedule, and we can get another date.  Till then, please stay tuned.  Thank you.

Everyone take care!

Rap Fairley

CtK Social Ministry Committee

Help Needed in Our Community

As our community deals with the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, some of our partner ministries are working hard to support the needs of those in the community with few resources.  VOA is asking folks to remember Mothers at this time, in honor of Mother’s Day.  You can mail a check to Volunteers of America, 1055 Avenida del Sol, Durango, CO 81301 to support mothers and children at the Safehouse.  You may also donate on the phone:  970-259-1021.  The Durango Food Bank is also working tirelessly to provide food to so many people. Please consider supporting their food drive at http://durangoareafoodbank.org/online-food-drive/.

Manna is providing meals to those in need throughout this time as well; all food may be picked up at their site.

The graphic below offers various ways to help and support Manna, and in turn, help those people in our community who are food insecure.

Blessings, and thanks for your ongoing support to these nonprofit organizations.

Jigger Staby

CtK Social Ministry Team

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.