Flower Order Forms

There are flower order forms available in the Church Office for PALM PLANTS (for Palm Sunday), DAFFODILS (for March 21), and EASTER FLOWERS (for Easter Sunday). If you need a form for any of these, please stop by the church office and see Patty.

Hershey Park 2010 Discount Ticket Orders

We can help ANYONE save money on admission to Hershey Park this summer! There are discounted rates available for various age groups. All admission tickets are valid any regular public operating day all season long! Order forms are available at the Church Office. The order form and payment MUST be returned to us BY APRIL 18.

March Youth News

March's LUNCH 'N' LEARN is entitled "Redemption and Salvation." The session is set for March 28. It will begin at Noon in the Fellowship Hall with pizza for lunch. The class will end at 1:30 p/m/ To sign up for pizza RSVP by email to the Church Office (holycr1975@aol.com) or call the Office (610-759-6383) by Saturday night and leave a message! Please keep in mind we always need an adult volunteer to be the "pizza runner", so let Pastor John know if you can help in this role!

New Member Sunday

We invite all committed Christians who desire to make Church Membership a meaningful part of their life to become a member of Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church. We will welcome NEW MEMBERS on Sunday, March 28 at any of the worship times. If you have been "thinking about taking this step" - here is your opportunity. Please call Pastor John at 610-759-7363 or email him at prjohnkunkel@aol.com by March 21.

Church Council Notes

The meeting was held on February 9. Seven members and Pastor John were present; five members were absent. The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. with Pastor John presiding.
The minutes from the January meeting were approved.

The December 2009 and January 2010 Reports from the Treasurer were received and approved. The Treasurer's Report will be presented in a different format. The annual audit needs to be completed by March 31. Pastor John will review all regular, recurring bills on a monthly basis; items out of the ordinary will be brought to Council's attention.

The Pastor's Report was accepted as information.

Committee Highlights: Pastor John reported that our new Secretary, Patty Wilkinson is doing well in adapting to her role and he is well-pleased with her work; the John Deere diesel tractor will be advertised for sale closer to spring; a new pressure tank and faucet for the sacristy need to purchased; dates of upcoming events were reported by the Spirit 4 Life Committee.

New Business: Informational/Mail Trays have been set up for Church Council members in the Secretary's Office to improve dissemination of information; a Church-wide Spring Clean-up Day has been set for April 17; an official Church Cancellation Protocol was adopted; the following officers were elected by acclamation: Glenn Mann - President; Don Bostic - Vice President; and Julie DeGroot - Secretary.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:52 p.m.; the next meeting will be March 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Worship During Lent

The Sundays of Lent

February 21 - Lent I - Holy Communion
We begin our journey with our first step - seeing in God "the power of prayer." In the day's Gospel verse, Luke 4:12, we find encouragement in noting how forcefully Jesus deals with Satan concerning a problem that we all share - temptation. If only we were so forceful in speaking out!

February 28 - Lent II
Our Gospel verse, Luke 13:34, is sorrowful lament by Jesus over Jerusalem's inability to gather around and follow him. That Jesus' atoning death is the basis of our claim to Eternal Life will be shared by our very special guest Ms. Robyn Wilk from Jews for Jesus. Please note: there will be NO 9:30 a.m. Service this day; the program "Christ in the Passover" will be presented at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Spread the word and invite all to join us for this meaningful event!

March 7 - Lent III - Holy Communion
We pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." And God does. But, this food is provided "for a purpose". We will take a closer look at that purpose with the help of our Gospel verse, Luke 13:5.

March 14 - Lent IV
What should or could be an easier part of our lives as human beings - forgiveness - is made increasingly more difficult without one important ingredient that God so graciously provides. Our Gospel verse, Luke 15:20b, makes what is clear, "crystal-ly" so!

March 21 - Lent V - Holy Communion
Giving honor and praise to God has always been desired of us by our Creator. Doing so can be a frequent human struggle. We'll try to get a handle on this with our Gospel verse - John 12:3. Daffodil Sunday's observance will serve a two-fold purpose. First it will benefit the research work of the American Cancer Society. Second, the beautiful yellow flowers will help us usher in spring!

March 28 - Palm Sunday
"Your Kingdom come," we pray and it most certainly will - God has said it is so! The main question for each of us is just how will it come to us? The Gospel verse, Luke 19:38, recounts the jubilant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday begins what is historically the most important week on our life of faith - Holy Week. In the ebb and flow of the week's dramatic progression, we come to see and begin to understand a differing insight of precisely what God's Kingdom is really all about!

The Wednesdays of Lent

Our mid-week Lenten worship times from February 24 through March 24 HAVE BEEN CANCELLED!

Week-day Lenten Worship

During Lent there will be three Week-day Worship opportunities...

February 17 - Ash Wednesday - when Lent begins. Holy Communion will be celebrated and for those desiring, there will be the Imposition of Ashes. Worship times will be 12 NOON and 7:00 p.m.

During Holy Week on Thursday, April 1 we will hold Maundy Thursday services at 12 NOON and 7:00 p.m. At these times Holy Communion will be celebrated.

April 2, is Good Friday, the somber day recalling that the Son of God freely gave his life, dying on a Cross on Calvary's hill, that we might receive Eternal Life. The Tenebrae Service times will be 12 NOON and 7:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday

The finale of our Lenten preparation, study, and devotion will reach its culmination in the joyful celebration of The Resurrection of Our Lord on April 4. The Good News of God's victory over death will be shared and Holy Communion celebrated at all four Services 6:30, 8:00, 9:30, and 10:30 a.m. The Gospel verse is Luke 25:5b-6a. We will learn that the finis of Christ's utterance from the Cross has by the power of almighty God become for us the taking of a new circumstance in hand...incipio - the beginning!

Food Drive Set

We are asking families to take part in a congregation-wide food drive on February 7th. Bags of items may be brought in that day and placed in the Sanctuary at the designated spot. The items collected will be given to the Bath Area Food Bank to help enable their ministry to the needy families in our area. Thanks for caring and sharing!!!

YOUTH NEWS

KOOL KIDZ 4 CHRIST
That is the name of the new youth group for students in 4th, 5th and 6th grades. They held their first meeting on Sunday, January 10. Twelve students participated in brainstorming future activities that include serving the community, social activities, and fund raising endeavors. Please check the Sunday bulletins for upcoming activities. If you have questions or seek more information, please contact Christa Browne, Carol Filchner, or Amanda and Jeremy Shuler.

KOINONIA YOUTH RETREAT - February 26 - 28
Our youth have requested a return to Koinonia for our annual winter retreat. Reservations have been made for the Trail Building for up to 36 beds. Hope for plenty of cold weather and snow so we can go tubing, skating , and hiking on the lake. Make sure to bring winter clothing and boots as well as a sleeping bag and pillow. Pastor John will be joining us for the fun and some spiritual growth and fellowship. We will be departing Holy Cross at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening with a stop for dinner along the way. We will return on Sunday afternoon around 3:00 p.m.

Commitments form youth (grades 6 through 12) and chaperons are needed. We need a list of participating youth no later than February 7th. Friends are welcome if you wish to bring someone along. Sing-ups will be secured with a $20 deposit per family. The total fee for the retreat is $45 per person; the second sibling is $22.50. To sign up a Retreat Health and Permission form must be returned along with your deposit.

We look forward to another great retreat! If you want to go on the retreat and are financially unable to do so, please see Pastor John in confidencefor scholarship assistance. Please contact Terry DeGroot with any question.

FEBRUARY LUNCH N' LEARN
"Mission and Ministry" is the Lunch n' Learn theme set for February 21. Pizza will be served at Noon in the Fellowship Hall. To sign up you must RSVP by email to Pastor John or call the Office by Saturday night and leave a message. Looking forward to seeing you there!

February Worship Calendar

February 7
The 5th Sunday After Epiphany - Holy Communion
The fifth Sunday after Epiphany continues to highlight unlikely instruments and circumstances appointed to reveal the glory of the Lord. "Who will go for us?" queries the voice of the Lord. The call is answered by a man of unclean lips, a former persecutor of the church of God, and three fishermen who couldn't catch a thing. More surprising still, perhaps, is the fact that we are also called.

Join us for worship as we celebrate Holy Communion at all three worship times. HERE we receive the grace and strength for the journey in answering the call!

February 14
Transfiguration Of Our Lord
Witnesses to the glory of God in the face of Jesus will be unable to avoid reflecting that glory in the world. It was true for Moses. It was doubtless true for Peter, James and John. We pray that it will be true of all of us who see the glory of the Lord in the word and in the supper and who are being "transformed into the same image" by the Spirit of God.

Join us this closing Sunday of the Epiphany Season. On Wednesday, February 17 - Ash Wednesday - we begin this year's Lenten pilgrimage. Worship details will be available in a special mailing that will be sent in early February.