MenuLenten and Easter Season at Holy Cross
Wednesday March 1st: Noon Imposition of Ashes
Wednesday March 1st: 7:00pm Ash Wednesday Service
Wednesday March 8th: Noon Lenten Devotions
Wednesday March 15th: Noon Lenten Devotions
Wednesday March 22nd: Noon Lenten Devotions
Wednesday March 22nd: 6:15 supper/7:15 Hymn sing/7:30 Holy Cross hosts Lenten Service
Wednesday March 29th: Noon Lenten Devotions
Sunday April 9th: 8:00am & 11:00am Palm Sunday Service
Thursday April 13th: 7:00pm Maundy Thursday Service
Friday April 14th: 7:00pm Good Friday Service
Sunday April 16th: 8:00am & 11:00am Easter Sunday Service
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Living Lent As People of the Resurrection — A Series of Services for the Season of Lent — Wednesdays
March 8th St. Luke, Cheektowaga Theme: “Purpose”
March 15th Our Savior, Buffalo Theme: “People”
March 22nd Holy Cross, Clarence Theme: “Proclaim”
March 29th St. John’s, Depew Theme: “Praise”
April 5th Nazareth, Buffalo Theme: “Pain”
Soup and sandwich supper at 6:15pm
Hymn sing at 7:15pm
Worship at 7:30pm
Loose Plate offering directed to Our Savior Lutheran Church-Seed money for community mission.
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Brown Bag Devotions During Lent
Unable to make Wednesday evening Lenten Services? Bring your lunch and join us in the Holy Cross Christian Center for “Brown Bag Devotions” at Noon on Wednesday during Lent. We will be doing a series of “lite” devotions on the same theme as “Living Lent as Resurrection People” reflecting on Luke Chapter 15. All are welcome! See Pastor Nickel for details.
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The Sunday School is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt!!
Who: Children Birth-8th grade(accompanied by their parent/guardian),The Clarence Community, and High School Youth: grades 9-12, are invited serve before and during the event(youth sign-up sheet is posted in the HCCC youth lounge and k-hall)
What: We will begin the event with an Egg Hunt, followed by a kid-friendly message centered around the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
When: Saturday, April 1st: 1pm-3pm Rain or Shine
Where: Holy Cross Lutheran Church, This is an Outdoor Event!
Sign-up: using the sign-up sheet located on the k-hall bulletin board or send an to email: holycrossclarence@gmail.com that includes your child’s name and current grade level. Please bring a friend!
Questions? contact: Lindsay G, lindsaygugliuzza@gmail.com, or call/text (716)435-3007
HOLY CROSS MEMBERS! The Sunday School needs your help! Candy Donations and or Monetary Donations, for the Holy Cross Easter Egg Hunt Outreach are graciously being accepted beginning Sunday, February 5th thru Sunday March 26th! Please drop off bags of assorted, individually wrapped candies in the bin labeled “Easter Egg Hunt Donations”, located in the narthex. Monetary Donations can be placed in the offering plate or given to Sue Brooks.
Thank you in-advance, for your help in making this outreach a success!!
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See the NEW Martin Luther Film:
A special screening of the new Martin Luther film will be on April 6th, at 6:30pm at the Transit Regal Cinemas 6707 Transit Road, Williamsville. All tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets can be purchased online through this dedicated site http://williamsville.NewLutherMovie.com or if you would rather not purchase tickets online you can contact Bob Hamp at (716) 863-8367 or email him at rlhp64@yahoo.com . Everyone is welcome. Invite your friends! A portion of the ticket sales will be returned to the Holy Cross congregation for our mission and ministry projects.
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Heritage Home Update
Sunday, March 26, at 10 a.m. will be our monthly visit to the Heritage Home just west on Sheridan past Harris Hill Road We are there for 45 minutes with a Bible story, this month “Jesus Feeding the 5,000” from Luke 9 and Nark 6. As always we will talk about Jesus and the story, pray, sing, make a simple craft, and then visit and get caught up with birthdays, holidays, and odds and end This is truly a time of fellowship and caring. Join us…Alfrieda, Margaret, Ron
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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 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.
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CrossRoads is March 4
Crossroads is 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. The next few months we are exploring God’s character as we hear Him say, “I AM.” Mark your calendars for March 4th from 5:00-6:00 PM, and please join us for this exciting devotional experience.
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Escape Room:
On March 3rd our high school students will meet at the Galleria Mall: Escape the Mystery Room, for an evening of fun! An escape room is a hour long challenge where individuals must work as a team to find clues and escape the room! We will meet at 7:45 and go until 8:45, the cost is $10. As rooms have a limited capacity, there are limited spots. The first people to give Samantha their $10 fee will reserve their spot!
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Nailed It! Holy Cross Work Day:
Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Castle Church door 500 years ago- join us in celebrating this historic anniversary! On Saturday, May 6th we will be doing some nailing ourselves, as we venture downtown for a day of service with Habitat for Humanity. We will meet at church at 8:15 AM and return 2-3 that afternoon. More details to come. See Peter Olson with questions.
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Lutheran “3-0” Radio:
Broadcast Schedule and a call for volunteers: Holy Cross will sponsor “Lutheran 3-0” on WXRL 1300 AM from 9:00-9:30am on Sundays March 19th, April 16th, May 14th, and June 11th. “Lutheran 3-0” precedes the Lutheran the Lutheran Hour on WXRL on Sundays. If you would like to help be a part of this ministry as a lay reader, sound or technical person or in any other capacity please see Pastor for more info.
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NEWMAN CENTER MEN’S CLUB PRESENTS Men’s Night of Reflection:
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY NEWS
Habitat provides housing for low income people who do not qualify for a traditional mortgage. The applicant must meet certain qualifications and work 500 volunteer hours in order to obtain an interest free mortgage. Habitat also has 2 stores called ReStores. The stores are not for profit. They sell new and gently used appliances, building supplies and materials, furniture and home accessories. They do not sell clothing. Many of the items are donated by stores and construction companies as well as individuals and are sold at a fraction of the cost of retail. The proceeds are then used to help build more homes. If you wish to donate items they can arrange a pickup. The stores are at 1675 South Park Ave in South Buffalo and at 501 Amherst Street in Buffalo. To arrange for a pickup call 8526607 x 203. Any questions see Jill Carl.
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Books, Books, Books:
SPRING CLEAN UP:
Nailed It! Holy Cross Work Day: Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Castle Church door 500 years ago- join us in celebrating this historic anniversary! On Saturday, May 6th we will be doing some nailing ourselves, as we venture downtown for a day of service with Habitat for Humanity. We will meet at church at 8:15 AM and return 2-3 that afternoon. More details to come. See Peter Olson with questions
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VBS HELP WANTED!:
Do you love kids? Do you love serving God? Then please consider helping us celebrate God’s victories as we plan to host the Go Fish Guys’ VICTORY VBS this summer! There are many opportunities for adults and our older youth to serve, from leader positions to technology expert to skit actor. If you are interested in helping, please contact Ruth Marzano at themarzanos@gmail.com or text Katie Marzano at 716-270-3170.
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Holy Cross 2016 Financial Report:
Once again Holy Cross has been blessed by God with good stewardship on both sides of the accounting ledger. We are pleased to report that the offerings “subject to tithing” for 2016 totaled $292,167 compared to the $268,064 collected in 2015 which represents an increase of $24,103 or 8.99%. Compared to the 2016 anticipated Budget of $268,010, the amount received was greater than the amount budgeted by $24,157 or 9.01%. Also, the “Total Income” for 2016 totaled $296,149 compared to $270,178 for2015 which represents an increase of $25,971 or 9.61%.
Holy Cross’s expenses for 2016 totaled $252,051 compared to $242,212 expended in 2015, which represents an increase in spending of $9,838 or 4.06%; however, compared to the budgeted amount of $249,925 our expenses were less than the amount budgeted by $2,126 or 0.85%. Combined, this resulted in an operating surplus of $44,099 for 2016.
With this blessing and some carry over blessings from 2015, on January 28, 2016, the Church Council voted to utilize $30,000 of excess Operating Fund cash to make a special principal reduction payment on the LCEF mortgage. And again on August 25, 2016 the Church Council voted to utilize $40,000 of excess Operating Fund cash to make a second special principal reduction payment on the LCEF mortgage. This, in addition to $2,100 in designated member debt reduction offerings, resulted in a mortgage balance at the end of 2016 of $117,309, compared to $212,998 at the end of 2015, and leaving Holy Cross with a yearend Operating Fund cash balance of $61,890.
And, in addition to the Operating Fund, Holy Cross maintains several “Restricted Funds”, the “Dream Fund”, and a “Building Budget”. On December 31st, 2016, Holy Cross had $13,999 in miscellaneous restricted funds, $28,729 in the Dream Fund and $71,908 in the Building Fund.
The long term goal of the Council is an early satisfaction of the mortgage on the Holy Cross Christian Center, (before April 2026), which when paid off, would free up approximately $2,400 each month, that could then be used to further grow His Kingdom. Another goal we have is to prepare for anticipated building maintenance expenses, such as the heating units in Holy Cross and other large property maintenance costs.
But lest we forget, giving all thanks and glory to God, by His grace our congregation was blessed to share in the mission and ministry of the whole Christian Church, and with our prayers we were able to participate and support the efforts of our Circuit, our District and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod; our Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Operation Christmas Child missions; our in-kind donations to Hearts for the Homeless, the Clarence Food Pantry, and others, and our collective financial support to mission and mercy work outside Holy Cross in the amount of $39,811 in 2016 (compared to $27,852 in 2015).
A more detailed report is available upon request, and we thank everyone for their continued generosity and we look forward to serving together in 2017.