Celebrating Christ the King Yesterday, Today, the Future

Christ the King Lutheran Church was 45 years old on December 21, 2006.

We celebrate yesterday. . . . . .

On September 10, 1961, Christ the King held its first worship service in the New Brighton Elementary School (now know as the Korean United Methodist Church, located at 8th Avenue NW and 7th Street). There were 177 people in attendance. After worshipping for 3 months, the organizational service was held on December 10th. Two hundred ninety one people signed the charter membership rolls.

On March 24, 1963, the first service in our newly constructed building was held. We rapidly outgrew this small space, so plans were made for an addition. On May 4, 1969, we dedicated a new sanctuary, a kitchen, and additional classrooms. The congregation continued to grow, and we soon needed more space, so in 1982, we built a fireside room, nursery, music room, and youth room. Then in 1993, we dedicated our last addition, which consisted of a larger fireside room, gym, chapel, and many Sunday school rooms, a youth room and large storage area on the lower level.

We appreciate our pastors and staff during this time of growth:

Our founding pastor, Paul H. Olson, served the congregation for 36 years, until he retired in 1997.
Rich Anderson, Assistant Pastor, from 1972 - 1976
Luther Olson, Co-Pastor, from 1977 - 1983
Harold Krull, Associate Pastor, from 1984 - 1993.
Steven Sampson, Associate Pastor from 1985 - 2000.
Mark Richardson, Associate Pastor from 1993 - 1997
Lisa Richardson, Associate Pastor from 1996 - 1997
Paul L. Larsen, Senior Pastor from 1999 - Present
Erin Bents Martinson, Pastor for Outreach from 2001 - 2005.
John Stiles, Pastor for Youth & Family from 2000 - 2005.
Deb Birkeland, Pastor for Outreach from 2005 - Present
Shelley Cunningham, Pastor for Youth & Family from 2006 - Present

Having ample space for our many programs and ministries, and the leadership to grow spiritualy is a blessing to Celebrate!

We celebrate today. . . . .

We continue to thrive spiritually through our worship services, and through many other opportunities for growth.

Worship at Christ the King is an adventure through the wonderful music, prayer, and the great sermons by our CtK pastors. One always leaves filled with the Spirit.

As you look at the CtK web pages, you will be aware of the many outreach ministries we offer. We have a large global ministry in Tanzania, Africa, and have helped provide scholarships for many youth to continue on to secondary school in that country. Through tithing our capital fund dollars, we not only continue to pay off CtK’s debt, but as importantly, we help build schools and churches in Africa.

CtK has formed a partnership with five other ethnic congregations in the Twin Cities. Look at our Local Mission Partner page to get just a glimmer of how we work with each other in our diverse cultures to make Christ known and spread the Love.

Our youth and children’s program serve our own members, but just as importantly, these programs welcome participation by other children and youth hungry for learning about God’s love.

Learning for adults continues through life. A Wednesday night Bible study for adults was warmly received, and 50 to 90 adults study the Scripture from 6 to 7:30 every Wednesday. In addition, Sunday forums provide opportunity for Bible study and information on how God works in our world through presentations by missionaries, social justice advocates, and many others working in the day to day world who know and love Christ.

Members are able to take advantage of other opportunities for fellowship, study and outreach through the myriad other programs offered throughout the year. Peruse the web pages to find out about some of the programs.

Christ the King has always had an open door policy and welcomes the community to use our facilities for non-profit events. We charter Boy Scout Troop 106 and its feeder program, Cub Scouts 106, so many dens use CtK as their meeting place. In addition, Girl Scouts meet at CtK. Christ the King’s dream for many years was to offer an after school program to youth in the community. This came to fruition several years ago when Christ the King opened its doors to host Community Partners with Youth, an after school program for middle school youth. In 2006, the program was expanded at CtK to include elementary children, and presently between 50 and 75 youth are serviced every day. In addition, our neighboring schools have used our facilities for meetings, and other activities. We have numerous other non-profit groups that use our building as a meeting place from time to time, and groups take advantage of the wonderful space we have for exercise classes and Yoga. We believe that the church is not just a building for Sunday, but that it feeds the body and soul daily.

We Celebrate the Future. . . .

As in life, the church is in constant change, for only through change can we grow in Christ. The staff and volunteers at CtK continue to upgrade programs to provide new ministries and to create an excitement for Christ that becomes contagious for all.

Please look at the web page and let us know if you would like more information on any of the programs and ministries you see. Our telephone number is 651-633-4674.

1900 Seventh Street NW • New Brighton MN 55112
Phone: 651.633.4674 • Fax: 651-633-0254

Guided by the Gospel - Gathering, Growing, Giving