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.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!

The Social Ministry team is sharing some important input as you prepare for the season of giving.  Over the years, we have helped the congregation consider the option of doing “alternative giving,” donating to a cause or organization in honor of the person who normally receives a gift from you.  In the more recent years, we have provided the ELCA Good Gifts catalog in the Welcome Center, to help you shop for your family and friends.  Those catalogs are there now and ready for your use.  Please take one, or you can go to ELCA.org/goodgifts and place your order there.

Also in the past few years, we have 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 ColoradoGives and will happen on one day only:  December 10th.  The Community First Foundation and First Bank 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 12/10.  The website is:  coloradogives.org

We hope you may consider these opportunities to honor family and friends in this way at Christmas .  Blessings to you as you prepare for the birth of our Lord.

OFFERING OF LETTERS UPDATE

Hello everyone,

First, we would like to thank everyone who wrote letters to congress for Bread for the World.  We took them to Washington, where they were graciously received.  Between emails and letters, we sent 113 messages to Congress in support of hunger legislation.

Second, we are moving into a busy season for all of us, so the Social Ministry Committee would like to remind you of the things we always do in November and December so you can have them on your calendars. 

• Tuesday, November 26 (the Tuesday before Thanksgiving for John Condie), we will have our annual Stuffing Making Party to produce enough stuffing for more than a thousand people at the Durango Community Thanksgiving Dinner. We need a few onion and celery choppers at 4:00 and then hordes of bread rippers at 5:00.  It will take place a Manna Soup Kitchen.
• December 9-15, we will be ringing the bell for Salvation Army at the North Door of Wal-Mart. Sign-up sheets will be out mid-November, so be looking for them.
• Finally, as always, we will be doing our Angel Tree in conjunction with Project Merry Christmas. We hope to have the Angels up on the board by Sunday, December 1 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving).

Thanks for reading to the end.  As always, we exist to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”

The Social Ministry Committee.