MenuSummer Hours: In June, July, and August Holy Cross will have two Sunday services at 8:00am and 10:00am. This will begin on Sunday June 4th. We will resume our “regular hours” on Sunday, September 3rd.
Women’s Bible Study is doing a summer service project for Care-Ing Circle. See Linda Cummings if you would like to get involved.
The Camp Pioneer Golf Benefit on Monday, July 17th, has met its quota of 120 golfers. Thank you for your support of this Benefit that will enable children of our military to have a week’s camping experience. Registration for the Benefit at Brierwood Country Club in Hamburg is 11:00 a.m., a buffet lunch at 12 Noon – and a Shot-gun start at 1:30 p.m.
VBS Decorator Sought: Planning is well under way for this summer’s Victory VBS. We have filled most volunteer needs, but we still need a creative person to be in charge of decorating. It is a pep rally theme, so decorations can be simple (balloons, pom poms, etc.). But the better it looks, the better the atmosphere we will present. If you have a good decorating eye and are willing to help, please let Ruth (themarzanos@gmail.com) or Katie Marzano (text 270-3170) know. We will be decorating after the late service on August 6th, so this is a good job for someone who cannot help us during the week, or for someone who can!
VBS Registration!: Parents, it’s time to register your kids for VBS! The dates are August 7-11th from 9 AM-Noon. You can register online at https://vbspro.events/p/events/holycrossclarence-victory2017, fill out a paper registration form, available in Krampitz Hall and place it either in the Marzano or Scarantine mailbox, or fill out the fillable .pdf version available at https://holycrossclarence.com/vbs.html. You can print it and give it to Ruth or Katie Marzano or Laura Scarantine or email it themarzanos@gmail.com. Please invite family, friends and neighbors! We want this to be the biggest pep rally for God ever!
Exercise Class: Our Tuesday night exercise class has been a success so far! It is not too late to join us! We meet in Krampitz Hall at 5:30. The cost is $3 per class (pay as you go) or $2.50 per class if you prepay for a 6-week session. Wear good shoes and comfortable clothes. Bring a bottle of water, and light hand weights, if you have them. (Some are available for those who don’t have their own.) This class is for all ages, abilities; men and women! Come get fit and have fun! For more information, contact Ruth Marzano at themarzanos@gmail.com.
Soul Strollers: Join us on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM, starting July 12th, as we walk the bike path to get fit with fellowship! We will meet at the parking lot by the Clarence Highway Department at 6185 Goodrich Road (just south of Clarence Pizza Company), then hop onto the bike path. All are welcome! Wear good shoes and bring a bottle of water.
Crossroads: Saturday July 29th from 5-6pm Holy Cross is hosting a once-a-month Saturday evening devotional experience. We praise God with some contemporary christian songs, meditate on the Word with a short devotion, and connect with others in God’s love and peace. All are welcome! Please join us!
Sunday School News: Please re-register your child for the 2017/18 Sunday School Year on our website: holycrossclarence.com, the electronic registration forms are located under the “Sunday School Tab”. We look forward to another year of Growing together in Christ! Mark your calendars for The Rally Day & Church Picnic on Sunday, August 27, 2017 @ The Clarence Town Park, Pavilion. Please join us for worship @ 10am followed by lunch, fun-games, and fellowship (hot dogs provided, please bring your own beverage & a dish to share). Please click here.
Help Wanted–Nursery Attendant: As the years fly by, Holy Cross will lose another trusted Nursery Attendant as Taylor moves on to pursue her college education. Many thanks and prayers go with Taylor on this next part of her adventure. And now we look for the next person (or persons) to provide this important service to the young families that join us at our late Sunday worship. Specifically, we are looking for someone able to watch children during the second service, entertain newborns to three year olds for the full hour of the service, and to lead children up to the age of 7 in activities during the sermon. The proper candidate must be able to change the occasional dirty diaper, and Red Cross or equivalent Babysitter Training is required for any youthful attendants. Please see any Council member or Pastor Nickel if you are interested in learning more about this compensated position. Thanks!
NEW! He-Brews Handyman Service: The He-Brew guys are willing to lend you a hand. We would particularly like to help those who are unable to do the work themselves. If you want advice or help around the house or yard ask us. If we can’t help we probably have someone who can point you in the right direction. Call the church office (716) 634-2332 or email: holycrossclarence@gmail.com and Lynda the church secretary or the Pastor will contact us. A handyman will then get back to you to determine who may be the best fit for your needs and when they can come help. There are certain jobs that may be beyond our scope but even if that’s the case will be happy to advise you.
All-Church Rally Day Picnic: Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 27th! We will have a time of worship starting at 10:00am at the Clarence Town Park Pavilion, followed by lunch, games, fun, and fellowship. Hot dogs will be provided, please bring your own beverage and a dish to share.
Holy Cross to Camp: Holy Cross is going to camp! Join us for a week of camp July 9-14. At “Seizing the City” we will get to run a VBS for Our Savior Lutheran Church downtown during the day, and experience the traditional fun camp activities during the evening! All 13-18-year-old students are invited to sign up! The cost of the camp is $350, and financial assistance is available. Camp Chaperones needed! Experience camp with our amazing youth! If you are interested in going with some wonderful students to Camp Pioneer for a week this summer (July 9-14).
Visitation Care: If you are or will be hospitalized or homebound and desire Christian care from the Holy Cross staff, please phone the church office at 634-2332 and/or email
holycrossclarence@gmail.com to let us know. Please do not assume that we know your situation because for many reasons we often don’t. We will do our best to visit you, and if homebound, see that you receive communion.
Heritage Home: Summer dates for our regular visits include June 25 and July 23, both at 10 a.m. We enjoy working through the Bible creation stories in Genesis 1, “God Creates Land, Water, Plants” and then “Living Creatures.” The residents have a lovely patio on the east side of the house where they can enjoy God’s nature more fully. It is good to be with them over the summer months. Join us! -Ron, Alfrieda, Margaret
ATTENTION MARRIED COUPLES: Have you signed up for your fall Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekend? Both of our spring Weekends had waiting lists, so sign up now for a fall Weekend to avoid disappointment! Couples overwhelmingly report that the Weekend is the best thing they have ever done for their marriage.
The fall Weekends are:
September 15-17, 2017 at Spruce Lake Retreat Center, Canadensis, PA, a new hotel-style facility on Spruce Lake in the heart of the Pocono Mountains – an hour north of Allentown.
October 6-8, 2017 at the Black Swan Inn in Lee, Massachusetts. Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, a hidden gem overlooking Laurel Lake – an hour north of Hartford, CT.
Two nights lodging, 5 meals for each of you, and all supplies are included with your $100 per couple registration fee, plus toward the end of the weekend you will be given an opportunity to make a confidential contribution of whatever amount you wish toward the continuation of the program. Registrations are limited, so sign up today by going to the website: www.GodLovesMarriage.org and paying the registration with your credit card, or marking the option to mail a check. For questions, or if you would like a brochure with registration form mailed to you, contact Northeast US Directors of Lutheran Marriage Encounter, Fred & Julie Schamber, at fjschamber@comcast.net or 724-325-3166.
Register for the 2017 International LCMS Disaster Response Conference: The 2017 International LCMS Disaster Response Conference will be Sept. 26-28 at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., under the theme “Lutherans in the Midst of Disaster.” Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, will make a special banquet presentation. Registration is $30, including meals.
Pastor’s Trip to Israel
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
My daughter Laura and I will be embarking on a study trip to Israel June 20 – July 3. The trip is organized by Rev. James Thomas of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church (St. Louis, MO). We will be visiting Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Judea, Mount Carmel, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan Valley, Jericho, Masada, the Dead Sea and the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. During my absence, Rev. Spilman will preach on June 25 and Vicar Fox from Pioneer Camp will preach on July 2. In case of spiritual care emergency, please contact a Holy Cross Elder (Peter Olsen 406-2494, Francis Cote 568-1373, David Chalmers 759-7377 or Scott Brooks 636-4858). I am excited to look out across the field where David and Goliath did battle, to look out across the waters of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus stilled, to walk on the shore where Jesus called His first disciples, to visit the synagogues where Jesus stood and preached, to stand at the very spot where Jesus was judged by Pilate, and even to see the places where He likely was crucified and buried and the mount of His ascension. I expect that having this opportunity to stand in the footprints of our Lord, to hear His words from the very places they were spoken, to see with one’s own eyes the places that He saw, will move Laura and me spiritually and will benefit my ministry at Holy Cross. Dear brothers and sisters, this is the land where the actual story of our Lord Jesus Christ’s gift to us of forgiveness, life and salvation unfolded. I pray, by God’s grace, that I may bring back a sense of that to you. Please pray for Laura and me and our entire study group, that the Lord would use this trip to draw us closer in knowledge, wisdom and faith in Him. And thank you so much for your support.
~Pastor Nickel
Save the Date: Disaster Response Conference September 26-28: Register for 2017 International LCMS Disaster Response Conference
The 2017 International LCMS Disaster Response Conference will be Sept. 26-28 at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., under the theme “Lutherans in the Midst of Disaster.”
Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, will make a special banquet presentation. Registration is $30, including meals.
HeBrew Handyman Update: We have about 12 guys currently signed up who to date have rebuilt fencing, painted stairways, garden and yard work, laid vinyl floor and repaired screen door. We’ve not been sued, kicked off the premises or otherwise rejected and the feedback suggests we’re doing something right. It is now time to look for our next projects, so please come forward with your suggestions. It is true that we’ve only helped senior ladies in the congregation thus far but are happy to help anyone out either because you have time constraints or just not sure how to go about a project. Work doesn’t have to be for members of the congregation either but can be for friends and neighbors also. So put your requests in, either to Pastor, Bob Hamp or Bob Corneck and we’ll see what we can do. If you’d like to offer your help, we’d be delighted. Men or Women. Sometimes we’ve found a wife can provide company while the men work. There is absolutely no charge for our services (neither do we accept beer on the job) but you might have to pick up the cost of materials. We’ve not been asked (yet) to do plumbing, electrical work, configuring smart phones or provide general advice all of which we have talented ‘experts’ to call on. If you feel that you’d like to help (you don’t have to be a ‘he-brew’!) then let us know and we’ll add you to our list.