Transition
CTK Administrator
Congregational Meeting

The members of Christ the King Presbyterian Church are called to a Congregational Meeting on Sunday, November 22, 2020 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, preceded by a prayer meeting that will start at 6:30p. This meeting will be held virtually.

Business to be conducted at the meeting:

  1. Elect a pastoral search committee* for the purpose of recommending a pastoral candidate for Cambridge

  2. Elect church officers – the slate of candidates to be elected will be shared upon approval by the Session

  3. Share information with the church

Instructions for how to participate in the virtual meeting will be forthcoming.

* PCA Book of Church Order chapter 20-2

Transition
CTK Administrator
Congregational Meeting (10/18)

The members of Christ the King Presbyterian Church are called to two upcoming Congregational Meetings.

The first is on Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 7:00 PM and will be held virtually. Business to be conducted at the October meeting:
1. Consider the resignation of Rev. Rick Downs as Pastor of Christ the King Presbyterian Church
2. Approve a process for forming a pastoral search committee*
3. Hear more information and ask questions related to placing an interim pastor in Cambridge and the search for a permanent replacement

The second is on Sunday, November 15, 2020 at 7:00 PM and will be held virtually. Business to be conducted at the November meeting:
1. Elect a pastoral search committee* for the purpose of recommending a pastoral candidate for Cambridge
2. Elect church officers – the slate of candidates to be elected will be shared upon approval by the Session

For updates about these two meetings, please follow https://www.ctkboston.org/news-events. Instructions for how to participate in the virtual meetings will be forthcoming. Other business may be added to either meeting. If so, we will provide advance notice.

* PCA Book of Church Order chapter 20-2

Park Street Job Opportunities

Park Street School is located in the heart of Boston’s historic Beacon Hill neighborhood and offers a continuous, integrated, Christian-based learning environment to students from toddler to grade six. They are seeking to fill the following positions for the 2021-22 school year:

  • Elementary Specialist Science Teacher (Gr 1-6)

  • Elementary STEM Instructor

  • Preschool and Elementary Lead and Associate Teachers

Please email employment@parkstreetschool.org for complete job descriptions and application instructions.

Congregational Meeting (2/21)

Congregational Meeting Announcement: The Session of CTK has called a congregational meeting for Sunday February 21 at 7pm - 8pm. The purpose of the meeting is (1.) to release Pastor Nathan Barczi as a pastor of Christ the King Presbyterian Church* and (2.) to present a communication plan for the Five Year Plan. There will be a prayer meeting directly preceding the congregation meeting, using the same link, starting at 6:30pm. The Zoom link will be emailed to members, or you can request it by emailing office@ctkcambridge.org.

*Because Nathan is an Associate Pastor the congregation must vote to release him from his current role at the church. Nathan has accepted a call to be a pastor on the staff of CTK Newton. He is also currently serving as the director of the Octet Collaborative.

Pastoral Search Prayer Time

The Pastoral Search Committee is well on its way, but for all its considerations and deliberations, we need prayer more than anything. Paula Sachsenmeier and Laura Bullock have started Prayer Visits with our Community Groups to encourage all of us to join in regular prayer for the pastor and path God has in mind for our church family. If you’re not part of a Community Group, or if you missed the prayer visit for your CG, there will also be an additional prayer meeting on Zoom on February 23rd at 7pm. Please contact Laura to get the link. Let’s turn Psalm 127:1 into a prayer of dependence on God and anticipation of His faithfulness, by crying out: ‘MAY the LORD build OUR house…!’

Giving Thanks for the Barczis

The Barczi family will be transitioning to CTK Newton in March after 15+ years at CTK Cambridge. Please join us on Saturday, February, 27 at 6:30pm for an online celebration of the Barczis and their ministry at CTK-Cambridge. We will spend the evening hearing and sharing stories of our time with the members of the Barczi family. Consider bringing a brief memory or anecdote to encourage the Barczis and our church community. Contact the maoffice for the Zoom link.

Arts Cohort

Do you work in the field of creative arts (painting, film, design, writing, fiber, etc)? The Boston Fellows Arts Cohort is now accepting applications for its upcoming 8-week series starting February 18. Join other artists from varying disciplines to discuss the integration of faith and art. Info and apply at bostonfellows.com/industry-cohorts. This cohort will be led by several Boston-area artists, including CTKers Paula Sachsenmeier and Laura Bullock. Application deadline February 10.

CTK Transition Plans

In the CTK Reader in December, we announced that the elders had officially issued a call to an interim pastor, and that a few steps remained to be completed: his presbytery needed to release him and our presbytery (Southern New England Presbytery) needed to approve him.

We were hoping that the interim’s current presbytery would complete these steps to release him in January, but that has been delayed until March. The Cambridge elders are still pursuing this interim candidate, but, in case of further delays, they are also working with McGowan to secure other possible interim candidates. This is a disappointing delay for us, but we are respectful of this other presbytery’s decisions and processes, and we trust in the Lord's provision in His time.

In the coming months, Omar Ortiz, the Director of the CTK Church Planting Center, has agreed to step in as acting interim pastor. He will preach at Cambridge through the next two months and will also pick up some of Nathan’s responsibilities as Nathan transitions to CTK Newton. Other weekly responsibilities, such as teaching Adult Education, will be assumed by the elders.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to transition@ctkcambridge.org.

Please continue to pray for CTK’s leadership and our congregation as a whole during this transition: for wisdom, patience, and most importantly, an abiding trust in God's faithfulness.

Pumpkin Carving

CTK's Great Pumpkin Event This church-wide pumpkin carving and decorating event will be on Saturday afternoon, October 16th at Arsenal Park in Watertown from 2-5:30pm. All are welcome for food, fun, contests and prizes! Bring your own pumpkin to carve from 2-4:30 (tools will be provided) or bring your already carved pumpkin for judging at 4:30 (there will be several different categories and prizes)! Hot dogs and chips served from 4p - 5p and mini pumpkin decorating for all throughout the entire afternoon. Please email dana@ctkcambridge.org if you have questions.

Job Openings at Gordon College

Gordon College in Wenham, MA has multiple job openings currently available. To apply, go to www.gordon.edu/jobs, select “Open Staff Positions” and the job of interest. A job description, instructions and the required application are included there. All questions can be directed to Susan Wilson, HR Operations Manager, (978-867-4499, susan.wilson@gordon.edu).

Hymn Highlight

Hymn Highlight for Kids: Jesus, Lover of My Soul . To learn this hymn we’ll sing in Sunday worship, parents and kids can read the following paragraph and listen to this recording of the first verse on our website.
Charles Wesley is known as one of the greatest hymn writers of all time. He published over six thousand hymn texts and wrote an additional two thousand! Some people say this week's hymn, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," is the best ever written in the English language. The words are written as a prayer of trust and dependence in God, who knows and loves his children. The four verses invite believers to find refuge, healing, comfort, and freedom in Christ alone, to know their sin and receive God's "plenteous grace."

Christmas Eve Instructions

Lessons & Carols Reader.png

Join us tomorrow night at 6pm for our Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols service. You can find the bulletin for the service here. The service will be over a Zoom call with a shared screen, so we recommend updating your Zoom app so that you’re able to have a side-by-side view. Read further instructions about side-by-side view here. The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87588933067. Please feel free to share this link with family and friends, but please do not post it to social media or other online platforms.

CCC Diaper Drive

The deacons are partnering with the Cambridge Community Center in a diaper drive for families served by the CCC. If you would like to participate, you can drop off donations at the church building until December 24th, or make a monetary donation to the CTK Special Giving fund — all donations to that fund before the 24th will be ear-marked for this CCC drive. Please contact deacons@ctkcambridge.org with any questions or to arrange a drop off donation.

Church Building

Over the past several months, the deacons have been reviewing the condition of our church property. We commissioned a third-party capital needs assessment (available here) to estimate when different components of the building will need to be repaired or replaced and how much those repairs might cost, and we are currently planning some potential building exterior and sanctuary renovation projects. If you have any questions about the building, or if you are interested in getting involved, email us at deacons@ctkcambridge.org.

Winnipesaukee Winter Weekends

This year, we will not be having our usual annual Getaway up in Alton, NH. However, the camp we usually visit, Brookwoods, is still offering limited-capacity Winnipesaukee Winter Weekends. These weekends are designed for individuals, couples and or families to give an opportunity and chance to get away for a couple of nights and enjoy the beauty of camp in the winter time. If you’re interested, you can learn more at their website.