MenuTIME CHANGE – November 6th
Remember to set your clocks back one hour on Sat., November 5th before you go to bed!
Crossroads
November 5th from 5-6pm
Holy Cross is hosting a once a month Saturday evening devotional experience. We will 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! Mark your calendars for November 5th at 5:00 PM, and please join us for this exciting new devotional experience. Please contact Samantha with any questions at samanthabrown.holycross@gmail.com
Youth Group
Join us for our bi-weekly youth group for Sr. High youth on Sunday nights from 5-6. Samantha will lead this new group on Nov. 6th & 20th and Dec. 4th. We will meet in the upstairs of the Christian Center and have games, the Word, and tons of fun!!!
Please contact Samantha at samanthabrown.holycross@gmail.com with any questions!
Give Thanks Gathering
On Saturday November 19th, the Sunday School will “Gather & Give thanks” in K-hall from 2pm-4pm. We will begin our gathering by offering guests donuts, cider, & hot chocolate. We will then have a kid-friendly devotion about “giving thanks” before we make cards to give to shut-ins!
Wednesday Nights @ Holy Cross
Holy Cross is inviting you to join us on Wednesday nights for fellowship and the Word. November 2nd we will conclude the Jonah Bible Study. November 9th and 16th We will study Habakkuk, and the 16th we will also have A Review of Holy Communion: what it is and why we do it. Jonah and Habakkuk will be in the Christian Center Conference room. Simultaneously, A Review of Holy Communion will be located in the sanctuary. All studies will be at 7:00 PM.
SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS:
There will be NO Sunday School on Sunday, November 27th.
Hymn Festival
St. Mark Lutheran Church • 1135 Oliver Street • North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Sunday, November 13, 2016. The Hymn Festival will kick off the Reformation Celebration on a high note. Bring the whole family and join us as we celebrate and sing hymns that helped to move the Reformation forward. The featured speaker and performer will be Paul Soulek, organist and composer at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Seward, Nebraska.
AED’s Arrive at Holy Cross
Per our voters’ meeting, Holy Cross has purchased and received two new AED’s for installation in both the church and in the Holy Cross Christian Center. And in case you are wondering, AED stands for “automated external defibrillator”. Along with the AED’s, about 15 of our members and friends received American Heart Association training in basic lifesaving CPR and AED usage. Many thanks to all who stepped forward to help protect the safety of our congregation, and a special thanks to Council Secretary Courtney West, who spearheaded the project through to completion. We pray that we never need to use these tools, but we also thank our Lord for providing us with these resources and the people willing to serve in this capacity, and trusting in His will for all.
Holy Cross Council News:
Once again Holy Cross continues to be blessed with generous giving; so much so, that as of the end of August, our giving has been up by 8% and our expenses are down by 3%, (compared to our 2016 budget). And thanks to some designated offerings, when the Council considered this, and our other financial metrics, Holy Cross was able to make a payment to reduce the mortgage on the Christian Center by approximately $42K, leaving our current balance at approximately $125K. A big thank you, to everyone, from everyone, for your generous giving. In other news, we hope everyone has met Samantha Brown by now. Thanks to considerable help from Camp Pioneer, we will have Samantha working with us until May, while she completes her internship as she pursues a degree as a Director of Christian Education from Concordia, Chicago. Speaking of Camp Pioneer, we hope everyone has seen their urgent appeal for help. As a Church, we have already made our 2016 commitment to Camp Pioneer, but we are reviewing their need as we prepare our 2017 budget. In addition, a group of us will be going to the Camp Pioneer informational meeting on Wednesday, October 19th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in North Tonawanda. Anyone interested in carpooling should see Tom Marzano. Lastly, we continue to strive to provide opportunities for all to grow in their Christian walk. On October 14th and 15th we will be hosting a LCMS seminar, “Connect to Discipleship”, as well as the many other opportunities for adult and youth Christian Education hosted weekly. (And let’s not forget the “Netflix” of Christian material, “Right Now Media”, that is available to all Holy Cross members for in-home studies. Please see Peter Olsen for logon information.) We encourage all our members to take advantage of these opportunities so that we may all go out and better reflect the love of God to our neighbors and friends.
~Tom Marzano
Council President
CAMP PIONEER NEEDS OUR HELP! (Appeal letter below)
On behalf of the Pioneer Board of Directors, I would like to thank everyone who responded to the recent “Urgent Appeal” from Pioneer. Your generous support has really made a difference in the lives of many people. As you know, 2016 was a great year at Pioneer and even in the fall months, hundreds of youth, teens and adults came to our camp to grow in their love and faith toward God.
I am writing this letter because we are still in tough times. The Bottom Line is that without an additional $100,000 by December 31, 2016 our Camp Pioneer will close! Decreased contributions over the last two years is the major factor as to why we are in this crisis situation, that, combined with the rising cost of maintaining our facilities and expanding programs has greatly stressed the finances of our camp.
We have solutions in place for 2017, but we have to get there. 2017 is already looking strong with an increase in retreats, events and stronger summer programs. The food is great and the facilities are improving every year. The staff has done a great job in developing a strong business model that is in keeping with our vision: To show the face of Jesus to all ~ by words and actions ~ amidst the splendor of God’s creation; and mission: To offer a safe, joy-filled outdoor experience where lives are renewed and strengthened in Christ. This is who we are and the camp you love. Some faces have changed but the mission and vision of our Pioneer is the same.
I visit Pioneer many times over the summer and I see the impact that camp ministry has on the families, the kids and the AGAPE campers. I go to my church and hear the camp stories and see the changed lives as kids become church workers and impact the world as pastors, missionaries, DCEs, teachers, etc. God has touched the hearts and minds of so many of us at camp, and we want to be able to see that continue for our children and our grandchildren. In this dark and difficult world, Camp Pioneer is still a place where our kids, whatever age they are, can still be kids, and where families can grow together.
We all have so many cherished memories of our families and friends worshiping and playing at camp. Please join me in continuing to support Pioneer so that our Grandchildren can have the same memories.
Camp needs our support now. If you can support camp today, please visit the camp website atwww.pioneercamp.org and click the “Support Pioneer” button or mail a tax deductible donation to: Pioneer, 9324 LakeShore Road, Angola, NY 14006.
If you cannot afford to financially support Pioneer at this time, you can make a pledge to support by the end of the year! Please send Pioneer a note with the date and your pledge to: Pioneer, 9324 Lake Shore Road, Angola, NY 14006 or to alex.knowles@pioneercamp.org or call the office at (716) 549-1420.
Thank you for your support for Pioneer and please pray for God’s Will to be done.
Weather Related Closings:
As we enter into the winter season it is good to remember that in the unlikely event of weather related closing, Holy Cross’ closings and delays will be announced on WGRZ, Channel 2, and online at www.wgrz.com/closings
Wednesday Evening Advent Services
(Times for below three dates: 6:00pm Dinner / 7:15pm Hymn Sing / 7:30pm Service)
Wed Nov 30 Pilgrim Lutheran Church 44 Chapel Rd, Buffalo, NY 14217
Wed Dec 7 Holy Cross Lutheran Church 8900 Sheridan Drive Clarence, NY 14031
Wed Dec 14 St. Luke Lutheran Church 900 Maryvale Dr. Buffalo, NY 14225
Heritage Home
Our Thanksgiving visit at the Heritage Home will be Sunday, November 27, at 10 a.m. The Bible story will be “A Leprous Man Thanks Jesus,” Luke 17:11-19. We will sing songs of thanks to our Lord and make a Thanksgiving placemat with each of the residents to use at an upcoming meal. All in all, a wonderful time to start Thanksgiving week!
Prayer Partners
This year we have 11 confirmation students. As they go on their journey of learning the Word of God we ask that you as a congregation member would keep them in your prayers. We are also looking for people to sign up to be prayer partners and receive the name of a specific student to pray for. God hears each beautiful word of your heart. Please prayerfully consider becoming a prayer partner. E-mail
samanthabrown.holycross@gmail.com to sign up.
Choir News
The Holy Cross Choir season has begun but we still have room for you! We will meet at the church on Tuesday nights at 7pm. If you are interested in joining please contact William Cook, our choir director, at 741-0040. Men’s Choir rehearsals will be held on Tuesdays at 8pm. Contact Bill Cook for more information.