April 15, Tuesday. CROSSROADS Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Livermore, CA

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2 1020 Mocho Street Livermore, CA Phone: FAX: ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED CROSSROADS DEADLINE for next month s issue is April 15, Tuesday. Please your articles to Kate Valley at admin@holycrosslivermore.org or bring to the Church office. Remember to send your change of address or to admin@holycrosslivermore.org or call The Ministers The people of Holy Cross Senior Pastor John Preston Bost Office Manager Kate Valley Director of Music Susan Peterson HCLSchool Director Jenifer Montgomery Organist Susan Peterson Crossroads Production Cheri Brewster & Ronnie Kiefer Custodian Weston Nale CROSSROADS A monthly publication of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Livermore, CA

3 HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWSLETTER CROSSROADS APRIL 2014 Services of Worship 9:30 am Remembering and Looking Ahead Jenifer Montgomery, our Director of Preschool Ministry, began her time at Holy Cross shortly after I arrived as your pastor. Our almost simultaneous arrivals meant that we were able to learn the ropes together. She has been a constant source of support and encouragement over the last seven years, and has served Holy Cross Lutheran School with the highest integrity and unwavering commitment. Each of these qualities will be missed when she retires at the end of this school year. News of Jenifer s retirement was bittersweet. While she will be missed for more reasons than I have space or time to write about here, I am also excited for her as she enters into the next chapter of her life, looking forward to spending more time with her family, especially with future grandchildren. I am told that there are no grandkids currently on the way, but that when that time comes, she will be 100% ready to step into the role of proud grandmother. I invite you to join me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude for her many years of dedication and faithful service to the school, arguably one of this church s signature outreach ministries. Jenifer has weathered many changes and challenges over the last seven years the changing needs of parents, a downturned economy, and the evolving education environment of the public school system s transitional kindergarten program but through it all, she has remained steadfast in her goal of providing the best spiritual, academic, developmental, and emotional environment possible for children and their families. Thank you, Jenifer, for seven extraordinary years of leadership, devotion, and service! As we now bid Jenifer Godspeed and farewell, we also turn our attention to the next chapter in Holy Cross Lutheran School. With this attention comes a primary focus on evaluating where we are currently, contemplating where we want to go, and who will be the next strong leader in moving us there. At the instruction of the Church Council and in conversation with the School Board and the school staff, I am in the process of organizing search and interview teams to help with the next steps of development. The evaluation of our current program and the search for the next director is at the top of my priority list. I ask for your prayerful love and support in this process as we move forward, trusting that God will help us put the necessary pieces of the puzzle together, while also directing us toward the next director for the school. I continue to be grateful for the school s rich history in our community, its faithful and dedicated leaders over the years, and the opportunity going forward to continue to offer a premier program and environment for children and families in the Tri-Valley. I am excited about the possibilities ahead and I look forward to making the journey into the school s bright future with you! Living, loving, and leading in the grace of God, Pastor John Maundy Thursday: Thursday, April 17 7:00 pm - Holy Cross Good Friday: Friday, April 18 12:00 noon - Ecumenical Good Friday service Vineyard Christian Fellowship 460 N. Livermore Ave. 7:00 pm - Holy Cross Easter Sunday: 8:30 am and 11:00 am - Holy Cross Easter Breakfast: 9:30am Breakfast will be served by our Senior High Youth and they need your help. Please sign up to donate egg casserole, fruit salad, or orange juice to help them prepare. The youth will provide table service Easter morning along with pancakes, muffins, and coffee. This is a fundraiser to help the youth attend the Western States Youth Gathering this Summer in California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. All donations are welcome.

4 Page 4 Volume 54, 4 Issue Crafty Ladies Luncheon On Tuesday, April 22, the Crafty Ladies will be having their annual luncheon. We will meet for lunch at The Railroad Café in Livermore at 11:30 a.m. If any ladies of the congregation would like to join us, we would be glad to see you. Please call Joyce Correia at if you would like to attend the luncheon or have questions about Crafty Ladies. Holy Cross Book Club Discussions In March, the Tuesday morning book club read and discussed Farewell, Fred Voodoo: A Letter from Haiti, by Amy Wilentz. If you missed the book club discussion, you are encouraged to attend an adult forum book discussion in late spring (date to be announced). Anyone interested in Haiti and the work being done there will find the read worthwhile. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai will be discussed on April 8th. All are welcome to attend the discussion about the life of this courageous young woman. Wednesday Morning Forum In April we will begin a video series titled Painting the Stars. It will be a discussion on faith and science and how the two mesh. Join us at 10 am in the Music Room every Wednesday. HCLutheran School News During March, we were so happy to have some rain and welcome spring. We were even able to plant some flowers in the garden boxes. We also held parent-teacher conferences, celebrated Saint Patrick s Day and enjoyed the ice cream social, our annual fund-raiser. St. Patrick s Day found the leprechauns causing havoc throughout the school! (The children get excited and remember it from one year to the next.) Our celebration included lots of green paint and glitter, and even our snacks and the water turned green! The Godly Play focus for our four-year-olds in April will be the Faces of Easter. Children learn so much from this story and the life of Jesus. Our ice cream social, on March 23rd, was a huge success. The weather was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a great time. The carnival games included a lollipop tree, a duck pond and a can knock-down. The bounce house was also a big hit. I want to thank Christie King s family for providing the bounce house and supervising it. Our dedicated hardworking fundraising chair, Kara Rapp, did an awesome job and I could never thank her enough. She spent countless hours planning, organizing the event and soliciting donations. I also need to thank our hard-working, dedicated teachers; the class parent representatives, and our board members for all their help and support. We are still accepting applications for all of our fall programs. Some of our classes have limited openings and we expect them to fill up by summer time. If you know a young child who may benefit from an excellent early childhood program, please give them our phone number or ask them to visit. We offer a high quality program with very low ratios and an experienced teaching staff. We are fortunate to offer a limited number of scholarships for those who may be experiencing financial hardships. Families just need to fill out an application to see if they qualify. Holy Cross Lutheran School s summer program takes place Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursdays July 1st-July 31st from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Please call the school office if you would like more information: (925) Our mornings will be jampacked with fun-filled activities that are sure to delight your preschooler! The atmosphere will be relaxed, informal, joyful, messy, and noisy--everything a good summer program should be. Sign-ups begin April 8th and space is limited so don t delay signing your child up for this exciting summer program. Let your child take part in the fun happenings right here at Holy Cross this summer! God s Blessing, Jenifer Montgomery

5 Page 5 The Stewardship 365 Report 365 STEWARDSHIP Season: Holy week & Easter We can t get to Easter without going through Holy Week first. Without Christ s passion and death, we can t find the empty tomb. Except for Easter Day itself, the Church s most ancient annual observances center around the events that took place in Jerusalem during the days that led up to Jesus crucifixion and death. The Church has long recognized the centrality and the essential quality of these events for those who follow the way of Jesus. The writers of the four Gospels spend a great deal of time describing the events that unfold in the days we remember as Holy Week so much so, that some biblical scholars refer to everything else contained in the Gospels as prelude to the heart of the Good News: Christ s passion and death, with Easter as the sign of God s victory over sin and death on the cross. Without these events, none of the rest of the story of Jesus is intelligible. Theme: From Death to Life Time slows down as the Church moves from the triumphal Palm Sunday procession to the cross. Time slows down in the Gospels as well, as Jesus moves toward his self-offering and death. Probably the greatest acts of stewardship the Church can call us to in this short season center around the use of our time, not least in giving time to join the Holy Week pilgrimage in the liturgies offered. Taking time to enter into these stories with the gathered church really does matter. Considering Christ s complete and perfect offering leads us to consider how we are offering (or not offering) our own lives in service to God and his world, for Christ s sake. Another fruitful stewardship consideration for you during this season might center on reconciliation; that is, what is accomplished for us by Christ s death and resurrection. To whom do you need to be reconciled? To whom is our congregation called to reach out in this community? As Jesus entered fully into the suffering of the world, how is he now calling you to do the same? As exercises to lead you into this work, you might consider the physical and metaphysical tasks of mending and repairing, of knitting together and binding up. It is holy and hard work, but is the way of our Lord. Here are some ways to walk in the way of our Lord this month: Spiritual Growth: This month, make a commitment to attend all Holy Week liturgies Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. Having experienced the death of Christ, and perhaps through the process of dying to yourself in the shadow of the cross, you will find yourself rejoicing all the more on Easter morning. The exercise of dying to yourself requires an honest inventory of the aspects of your life where you still maintain control, effectively keeping God s power to lead and love you at a distance. Consider through quiet meditation how God might be invited into the places where you don t need or desire him. Ministry Spotlight: The ministry that is being focused on this month is Hospitality and Fellowship Ministry. Besides the faithful workers on the Property Committee, there is no other group at Holy Cross working behind the scenes as much as the people serving in the roles of hospitality and fellowship. These are the folks who are the first to show up at events and banquets, on Sunday mornings and evenings, too; and the last to leave after everyone else has gone home. But while you may not always see them, ministry at Holy Cross would not be possible without them. Look for faces and names to emerge this month, and don t miss the opportunity to tell them how much their work at and for Holy Cross means to you. Financial Health: Summer is around the corner and for many people this means a time to get away on vacation with family and friends. A great way to make sure you continue in your financial generosity is to sign up for Simply Giving, a program that allows you to have your financial gift automatically deducted from your bank account, so that even if you can t be in worship on Sunday, you can continue to financially support the mission and ministry of your church. To find out more about Simply Giving and to enroll today, visit our website at holycrosslivermore.org/simply-giving. Outside Ourselves: Consider serving with two of the benchmark non-profits of our community: the Tri-Valley Haven and Shepherd s Gate. Both of these organizations are doing great work in our community, especially in the area of women and children advocacy. For more information, visit and shepherdsgate.org/. God s Creation: Earth Day is April 22, and reminds us to nourish what God has given us the ground under our feet and all of our natural surroundings. We are part of the Earth and Earth is a part of us. God called our earthly home good, and has left it in our hands to tend and cultivate for generations to come. Instead of driving every day, find a day to take a break and walk instead. Take your family on a nature walk. Build a bird house. Plant a tree. Start a compost pile. Start a garden. Open the windows to your home, and let the fresh air in. If you don t recycle, then start. If you already recycle, then recycle better and show others how you do it. Instead of throwing old or broken electronics away, drop them off at an e-waste site instead. Commit to disposing of batteries and old cell phones properly. Instead of ordering a larger trash bin for your home, implement ways that help you reduce the amount of waste your household produces. Strive to step down one size in trash can by year s end. Take the time to wash your recyclable items, and recycle them, rather than throwing them away in the interest of convenience and time. Stay Tuned: Next month we ll take a look at ways to encounter Christ with a special ministry emphasis on Mothers and Women s Ministries at Holy Cross. Your Stewardship 365 TeamLiving, loving, and leading in the grace of God, Your Stewardship 365 Team

6 Page 6 Volume 54, 4 Issue AMONG family & friends In Memoriam Don Fridland, father of Heidi Wolfson Bea Swanson, mother of Joel Swanson Earl Eckrote, former member Elmer Olson, father of Laura Hasaka Members in Our Prayers Bill & Sue Bormolini Olga Carroll Jim Fuchs Merry Farnady Carole Kehl Anna Sundberg Donna Vickroy Barbara Zinser Please keep Holy Cross informed about births, deaths, weddings, graduations, hospitalizations, or a special recognition in your household by calling the church office at Friends & Family in Our Prayers Lois Anderson, sister of Donna Mapes Greg Lyons, nephew of Donna Mapes Dylan Scott, friend of the Millers Kay Craft, friend of the Hottingers Margaret Krauss, friend of the Bormolinis Michael Huddock, friend of Kate Valley Dave Huddock, friend of Kate Valley MILITARY DEPLOYMENT: Joshua Saucier, to Afghanistan - grandson of Dick & Jean McCabe INcelebration APRIL Birthdays 2 Sue Bormolini 3 Eric Jurgenson 4 John Farrell Joe Kirby, Jr. 5 Elaine Kirby Jillian Kirby 6 Donna Pontau 7 Barbara Gulliford Donna Hendricks Amy Kirby 8 Carol Abert Lou Ann Yang 9 Amanda Hasaka Richard Treff 11 Amber Landcaster 13 Bob Pierson 16 Bill Hurson 17 Merry Farnady Jeff Latkowski 20 Thomas Ellis 21 Kristi Littell 22 Walter Latkowski 24 Izellah Bagby 25 Bill King 26 Helen Potthoff Lucas Shephard 28 Emma Midtaune Dave Olson 29 Bill Bormolini 30 Gary Kumfert Thank You your donations will help us to continue to welcome these new babies into the world and show that we are truly a community that cares. So writes Heidi Stark, Co-coordinator of the Bundles of Joy program, to those of you who contributed bundles of baby items and monetary donations. This program, which was begun five years ago, has grown to include participation from several local churches and the people of the Tri-Valley. Their goal is to provide 12 bags per month to Axis Community Health. Our donations have helped them achieve this goal.

7 Page 3 Council President s Message For the past several months I have been writing about Nehemiah and how his life, outlook, determination and perseverance led him to the completion of his objectives. He never faltered nor deviated from those objectives, though from time to time approached those objectives in many different ways. The key is he overcame roadblocks and found ways to move forward. He learned to expect opposition and, in fact, used it many times to help him accomplish the tasks at hand. I believe it is human nature for some to oppose even when the objective may benefit many and is in their best interests. Some believe things should never change - even if the change will help them or others in the long run. This should not apply to us at Holy Cross as our congregation celebrates God and all he stands for. We strive to make God s house beautiful, cheerful and friendly. When an oversight occurs, we try not to jump down each other s throat, but to seek the reasons for what happened. Many times, after discussion, we find other s reasons far outweigh our own and will help all of us serve God better. Nehemiah also believed in sharing the work. Never should one person or group be expected to do everything by themselves. Not much is accomplished by a few doing what they wish - not caring about other feelings and desires, or just using resources for personal gain. Nehemiah worked hard for all. He got others involved and accomplished his goals, and credited those who helped him accomplish his goals. We have seen it many times at Holy Cross. Our committees have responded when requested and guided us to our objectives. We have given them credit for their accomplishments: most recently, our Community Garden. It will now truly become a thing of beauty and, with the gardeners donations of time, energy and produce, will serve our less fortunate as well. We are really blessed to have such good people here at Holy Cross who want to help others. Glory to God, Bill Miller Are you ready to decorate the sanctuary for Passion Sunday? 9:30 am on April 12 If you have some palm branches, bring them! No palm decorating experience is needed! We just need your imagination! Contact Jeanette Kuneli, sponsored by the Worship Committee Holy Cross Lutheran Church Financial Report for February 2014 Ministry Spending Plan Category Receipts Expenses/Outgo Current Operating (Salaries, facilities, debt reduction) $24,947 $23,577 Benevolence Miscellaneous (i.e. World Hunger, ELCA Disaster, HCLS, etc.) Goal: $1,000 per month $ 696 $ 671 Mission Support (Synod) Goal: $833 per month $ 763 $ 763 Emphasized Benevolences Haitian Timoun and Open Heart Kitchen Goal: $1083 per month $1,083 $1,083 As of February 28, 2014 we have a bank balance of $ 36,125. This balance is above our starting balance on January 1, We were below our budgeted monthly goal of $1000 for Benevolences by $ 304. Giving for Mission was below our budgeted goal of $833 per month by $ 70. Haitian Timoun Foundation giving was under our budgeted monthly goal of $833 by $ 208 and donations to Open Heart Kitchen were above our monthly goal of $375 by $ 83. Thank you for your donations!

8 Page 2 Volume 54, 4 Issue The Fun Is Building for Vacation Bible School! Join us for a week of exciting Bible learning at Weird Animals VBS, June 22 - June 27. We ll start the week with a Vacation Bible School kickoff on Sunday, June 22, where participants can get a preview of these wild and weird animals and their habitats for VBS. They can meet our teachers and dance along with our Singing Crew. We are still looking for volunteers to explore the zoo with us. If you enjoy sharing you love for Jesus, sign up to be a Zoo Crew leader. There is no preparation required - just wear your walking shoes - to make sure each Zoo Crew checks into each location. We could use both youth and adult volunteers. If you have a great smile, then please help us with registration. Each day, we need responsible adults to help with check-in and check-out. If you like to take part in games, we need leaders to work at the Untamed Games. You will share with participants fun facts about life in Bible times and about our Weird Animals. If you like to take pictures, and would like to visit all the stations to see what s going on, then we need you to help with Spotlight VBS. You ll get to spend about 5 min. each day helping us spotlight each crew. If you like to share the power of story, we need leaders to tell others about Jesus love for us on a daily basis at the Bible Adventures. If you like to experiment, and have a good imagination, then we could use your help at the Imagination Station, where kids try some simple research and experiment every day. Do you like to sing or act? Have a desire to learn American Sign Language that you can share with the kids? Then we need your help in the opening and closing celebrations. Our pre-school needs teachers to share their love of Jesus. Kids 3 to 5 years old can participate in the same exciting program as the elementary school kids, but in an age-appropriate setting. We are also looking for an adult to stay in the nursery with children under 3 while moms and dads help out in the Habitats. If none of these positions fit your time or talent, we would greatly appreciate any donations from our supply list, conveniently located in the narthex/gathering space just outside of the sanctuary. Thanks in advance for all of your support for this year s VBS: Weird Animals, Where Jesus Love Is One- Of-A-Kind! Questions to Amy Kirby: tigremom@aol.com, or Heather Le Con: heatherreneelol@yahoo.com

9 Check our website for specific times and locations. APRIL 2014 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 -Crafty Ladies -Stephen Ministries -HCLS spring break 2 -HCLS spring break 3 -Young at Heart -HCLS spring break 4 -AA meeting -HCLS spring break 5 -Men s Ministry 6 -Worship Celebration -Adult Education 7 -Troop 999 meeting -HCLS parent forum 8 -Moms in prayer -Book Club 9 -Interfaith chat 10 -Young at Heart -Council meeting 11 -AA meeting -CAPE faculty training 12 -Men s Ministry 13 -Palm Sunday Worship Celebration -Spiritual Formation Groups -GS Troop Troop 999 meeting 15 -Moms in prayer -Finance Young at Heart -Venture Crew -Maundy Thursday Worship 18 -AA meeting - Good Friday Worship 19 -Men s Ministry -Easter Egg Extravaganza 20 -Easter Worship Celebrations -Easter Breakfast 21 -HCLS closed -Holy Cross office closed -Troop 999 meeting 22 -Moms in prayer -Crafty Ladies luncheon 23 -Social Ministry Team meeting 24 -Young at Heart -Moms connect 25 -AA meeting 26 -Men s Ministry 27 -Worship Celebration -Spiritual Formation Groups -GS Troop Troop 999 meeting 29 -Moms in prayer 30 SUNDAY SCHOOL JUNIOR HIGH YOUTH MINISTRY SENIOR HIGH YOUTH MINISTRY April 6 10:45 am Youth rooms April 20 10:45 am Youth rooms April 13 10:45 am Youth rooms April 27 No Meeting MEN S MINISTRY Join us every Saturday at 7:30 am 9:00 am at Holy Cross. DATE 1ST READING 2ND READING GOSPEL April 5 Exod 24: Peter 1:16-21 Matt 17:1-9 April 12 Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Rom 5:12-19 Matt 4:1-11 April 19 Gen 12:1-4a Rom 4:1-5, John 3:1-17 April 26 Exod 17:1-7 Rom 5:1-11 John 4:5-42 We discuss the readings for the following Sunday worship service.