ORDER OF HOLY CROSS IN SOUTH AFRICA
A few Sundays ago, we received a visit from Brother Timothy from Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery, a house of the Order of the Holy Cross – an Anglican Benedictine community of men in Grahamstown, South Africa. His purpose was twofold; to thank Christ the King-ers for the generous support of the monastery's educational programs (through the Quilt Show, Wine Dinner and other donations) and also to update us about the current situation in South Africa. After he gave us an update about the sad state of affairs of rural public school education in South Africa he told us that after much hesitation, the monks decided to rise to the challenge and build a school that would address the early education needs of the children in Grahamstown--specifically the neglected students in their immediate rural area. In addition to their scholarship fund and after school programs, this school would grow year by year and would be for students K thru 3. Brother Timothy showed us their budget and described the vision of the school... and well, one thing led to another and a small group of Christ the Kingers made a commitment to raise funds to build the school's playground...it has a price tag of $2,000. So in this time of giving-if you want to make a donation to our sister (or brother!) church in South Africa... please join us! As one of our fellow parishioners said "I can just see the kids on those swings-where do I send the check?" Please make checks out to Christ the King put "Playground" in the memo and we will take care of the rest. P.S. As Nick suggested - it's also a great way to honor Father Rob's 60th birthday!
Casey Kurtti
EPISCOPAL PEACE FELLOWSHIP - SAVE THE DATE!
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingston
on Sunday February 28th from 3—5 PM.
Prince of Peace: Just Warrior or Pacifist?
On Sunday, February 28th from 3 - 5 PM, our local chapter of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship is sponsoring a discussion on Just War at St. John's. Our speakers are the Rev. Bruce Chilton, Professor of Religion at Bard and Executive Director of the Institute of Advanced Theology and a renowned theologian and author; the Rev. Tom Margrave, graduate of West Point and a Vietnam veteran (Lt. Col., ret.) and current rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Cornwall; and Deacon Tom Cornell, member of the Catholic Worker Movement, founder of the Catholic Peace Fellowship, a pacifist, and one of the first to burn his draft card during the Vietnam War resulting in his serving six months in prison. Our program hopes to address these questions: When, if ever, is the use of military force morally justifiable? How do Episcopalians - and all faithful people - respond to this question in light of theological principles, tradition and the world situation today? There will be a free-will offering taken and refreshments will be served following the program. Christ the King is providing the snacks, and there will be a sign up on the bulletin board near the end of the month. Bring your friends and join us for a timely event.
Christ the King participates in the Hudson Valley chapter of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF). EPF connects people seeking a Christian response to violence, and offers opportunities for study, prayer and action for peace and justice. In recent years, the Hudson Valley chapter has organized a trip to Washington, DC to protest the war in Iraq, and has sponsored educational programs on the use of torture by the US government, and responses to deepening poverty in the current economic crisis.
EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT
This is the development and disaster relief arm of the Episcopal Church. Christ the King supports this organization by taking up collections to support humanitarian relief, most recently for those injured in the Myanmar government’s reprisal against its citizens. For more information on the work of Episcopal Relief and Development, go to www.er-d.org
RURAL & MIGRANT MINISTRY
Rural & Migrant Ministry is an interfaith organization that advocates for farm workers. CTK parishioners participate in Farmworker Advocacy Days in Albany, prepare welcome dinners and hygiene kits for local workers and the church hosts an annual week long summer camp for children from the community and area farms. For more information on Rural & Migrant Ministry, please see www.ruralmigrantministry.org.
ILLINGE ISIBINDI CHILDREN'S PROJECT
This project in Illinge, South Africa provides support to children and families rendered vulnerable as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Among other services, the project includes an after school program that provides nutrition, homework assistance, emotional support and transportation to enable the children to succeed in school. Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY helps sponsor this project, through their house in Mariya uMama weTemba. Holy Cross has also created a scholarship program to pay for children’s school fees. Each year, Christ the King raises funds for school fees, uniforms, the after school program and other necessities for these vulnerable children.
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
Christ the King’s Lent project for 2009 was to collect funds for Heifer International, a non-profit organization that purchases farm animals for families in developing nations. The animals enable poor families to earn cash by selling animal products such as eggs, honey, milk etc. Heifer International receives high ratings as a non-profit, from Forbes and others. In 2007, Christ the King raised over $5000, which was enough to purchase an “ark” of animals. For more information on Heifer, check out their website: www.heifer.org.
INTEGRITY
Christ the King is a proud partner of Integrity, the national Episcopal group that advocates for full inclusion of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters into the life and sacraments of the church. For more information about the work of Integrity, check out their website at www.integrityusa.org.
TUTORING PROGRAM
The committee working on setting up a tutoring program through CTK continues to meet. Plans are underway to get the program up and running as soon as possible, preferably in time to provide assistance to students who may need help with end-of-semester work. The committee is planning to continue and hopefully expand the program over the summer. For further information, speak with Tana Miller, Elbert Rogers, or Jane Wood.
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