Holy Cross Connections

Transcription

1 Holy Cross Connections Upcoming Events: Holy Cross Connections August 2014 Vacation Bible School August to8 PM Classic Car Show September PM Inside this issue: Newsflash 2 Alpha News 2 Children s Ministry 3 Holy Cross Giving Tree 3 Footsteps of Paul Trip 3 Young at Heart 4 Men s Breakfast 4 Mom s Group 4 Holy Cross Crafters 5 Stephen Ministry 5 School News 6 Our New Vicar 7 Do you know?... What Do Non-Christians Really Think About Christians? You might be surprised; Non-Christians appear to be more curious about--and desirous of--what we Christians have than they are negative about us. Long-time evangelist and Christian researcher, Thom Rainer, did a study and discovered the 7 most common types of comments (in order of frequency) that non-christians made about us Christians. 1) Christians are against more things than they are for. 2) I would like to develop a friendship with a Christian. 3) I would like to learn about the Bible from a Christian. 4) I don t see much difference in the way Christians live compared to others. 5) I wish I could learn to be a better husband/wife/dad/ mom/etc., from a Christian. 6) Some Christians try to act like they have no problems. 7) I wish a Christian would take me to his or her church. WOW! What great news! The non-christians with whom we live, work, associate and play are not out to get us after all. In fact, they want to interact with us, be befriended by us, and learn of the Lord Jesus love from us. Granted, we have some public relations issues that we need to address. And there are some attitudinal adjustments we need to make as statements 1 and 4 clearly state. But, they are in keeping with God s Word. We are for more than we are against, so let s communicate that. We do have our hang ups and problems. We are not perfect, just forgiven and loved by a perfect and gracious God. (Article continued on page 2)

2 Page 2 Holy Cross Connections What do Non-Christians really think about Christians con t... So how do we reach out to them in authentic and non-threatening ways? Pastor Kip is going to preach a 3-week series on this subject this month. The dates and themes are as follows: August 3rd: What on earth are we here for? August 17 th : Come and See August 24 th : Help me understand Jesus. We all know someone who does not know Jesus. Most of us care enough about that person that we wish we could somehow introduce them to our Savior. Here is a chance to become better equipped to do so. Please come to worship eager to learn these 3 Sundays. Better yet, please invite an unchurched friend to join you for these services and then take them to lunch. Pastor Kip NEWS FLASH It looks like Pastor Bernard and his family will be visiting us from August 8-14th. They still have to get their airplane tickets. God willing, plans will all work out and Pastor Bernard will be preaching at all 3 services on August 10th. He and His wife, Lynda, will also be leading our Adult Bible Class that day. We want you to have a chance to meet Pastor Bernard and ask him any questions you might have about his ministry or our involvement in Cap Haitian. So, we are tentatively planning to have another Congregational picnic on August 10th. Hot dogs, hamburgers, condiments, drinks, and tableware will once again be provided. You are asked to bring a side dish or dessert. Pray for good weather this time. Of course, we now have a better back-up plan in place should rain make us move back into the building again this time. ALPHA NEWS! Well, it is in the planning stages and we are getting everything ready so that you can participate in one of many ways to make this year s ALPHA a huge success! ALPHA is designed as a non-threatening way to teach about Jesus and Christianity. It s a pre-living Discipleship class. We meet once a week (Tuesdays) in the evening, share a meal, watch a video and discuss what we see! It s that simple! Here s how you can help. When you pray about this, be mindful of someone you know who may benefit from ALPHA and give them a brochure (west and north welcome tables) that describes what will take place. One of the ways you (and some friends) can help is by preparing a meal. Rather than have one person be responsible for all meals, it would be great for groups of people (like we do for Advent or Lenten soup suppers) to share in food preparation. APLHA Meal sign-up sheets are on Welcome center tables. If you want to know more about ALPHA, call Ron Akins ( ) or Karl Schulze ( ).

3 Holy Cross Connections Page 3 Children s Ministry Holy Cross VBS 2014 is coming! Spread the Word! SHINE! August 4-8, 6-8PM. Holy Cross VBS 14 is almost here! We will be touching little hearts with the love of Christ so they can SHINE in Him. Hope to see you there! Holy Cross Giving Tree... The Holy Cross Giving Tree will be supporting back to school supplies for McGregor Elementary school now through August 10. Crayons, glue, scissors, Kleenex, pencils, disinfectant wipes and financial donations are very appreciated and needed! We will be delivering and handing out the items at their back to school open house on Thursday, August 14 from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Come join us for the fun! Thank you for blessing and helping our McGregor families start their school year off right! Pastor Kip and Lora invite you to join them for a trip back into The Footsteps of St. Paul. They will be hosting this trip October 28 November 7 of There is also an optional 3-day Rome extension that you can add to the end of the trip. What most excites Pastor Kip about this trip is that it will take you to both the cities of Greece and to Ephesus, which is in Asia on the other side of the Aegean Sea. Most of these trips only cover one side or the other. When you add in Rome with Pompeii, the Vatican & Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, and catacombs, it makes for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Pastor and Lora will host an informational meeting on Tuesday, August 7:00PM in room A3 for all who might be interested in making the trip. Please contact Pastor Kip or Lora for more information. Early-bird deposits are due by September 28, 2014.

4 Holy Cross Connections Page 4 Young at Heart Are you ready for a relaxing day? Well, then, come and join the Young at Heart on Tuesday, August 12th. Meet at the church at 10:00, leaving church at 10:15a.m. We will ride the Atwood Queen Boat, which will depart at 11:30a.m. Upon returning, we will enjoy a delicious lunch at the Atwood Bistro. The rest of the afternoon will be spent at Yvonne Miesel s cottage chit-chatting, playing card games and who knows what else! Directions to the Marina are next to the sign-up sheet posted outside Room A-3. Please bring a friend or two and lawn chairs. The more, the merrier! Vicar Mark may even show up! Men s Breakfast August 9! Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach, There is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof leads to death and on and on the wise man recounts how important the fear of God is to understanding His ways that are good for all people in every time and place. We are continuing in the book of Proverbs as we are challenged to consider and use the wisdom God offers. All are welcome! 7:30-9AM. (HC August Mom s Group Thursday, August 14th is this month s Mom s Group. It will be held at Becky Davidson s house (3392 Shepherd St. NW North Canton, OH 44720) and it s a pool party! Bring your bathing suit and enjoy a nice dip in the pool (non-swimmers are welcome for a relaxing evening by the pool). This is open to all moms of kids, birth through high school! Show up anytime after 7:00PM, stay as long as you like, and leave whenever you need to. Psalms for Your Life Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not His benefits! We continue to be amazed at all the different ways we can express well, most anything to God by way of praise and exultation to heavy questions and even our fears. Come join us any time Sunday at 10am and bring a friend for lively discussion. We are in room A-1, West hallway! What to Study (if you did not know) Holy Cross has a Small Group resource room (between the Office and Pastor Kip s office or better known as Katie s office!) that offers many ideas for small group Bible studies. We receive new materials all the time. Whether it is a study of a book of the Bible or a current issue topical study, you are sure to find something that will edify and strengthen your faith life. If you are interested in being part of a small group or desire to start a small group, please see Pastor Ralph or : , pralph@holycrossnorthcanton.com Thanks!

5 Holy Cross Connections Page 5 Holy Cross Crafters Get your scissors ready and come to the Holy Cross Crafters where we make cards for our shut-ins while we fellowship with one another. Sherry Lemke will lead us on Tuesday evening August 7:00PM in Room M6. No experience is needed, but we do ask you to bring $2.00 to defray expenses. Ministering to those who are experiencing... loss of a loved one retirement changes Chemical dependency Unemployment Anxiety and depression Childbirth Hospitalization Separation or divorce Grief Terminal illness Being shut-in Stephen Ministry One-to-One Ministry By trained, Caring Lay Ministers Are you in need of... Someone who cares? Someone who supports? Someone who listens? Someone who shares? A Stephen Minister is available to help you. In a time of crisis, all you need to do is call. Contact one of our Stephen Leaders: Diane Diehl, (330) ; Judy Forsythe, (330) ; Rosemarie Millin (330) ; Joe Wonsettler, (330) ; or Pastor Kip Smith at (330) , ext Our Stephen Ministers are there to care!

6 Holy Cross Connections Page 6 The summer is flying by! We have an active and busy group attending this summer. Early childhood is a time of wonder and excitement. When you stop to think about how much these children have yet to learn, it becomes easy to understand how we can easily find things to teach them! Learning goes on year round. The Christian education of the children is not neglected during the summer, they are learning more about Jesus and God s love for them with each passing day. Below are comments taken from our Parent Evaluations which the families filled out at the end of the school year. These comments are from the three s and four s parents who had children with Mrs. Eagon, Mrs. Wallace and with Mrs. Hockman/Mrs. Clay. Mrs. Eagon/Mrs. Wallace: We have been very happy with the program. The staff is wonderful and my child loves coming to school! I noticed that my child has opened up a lot this year. My child is not as timid to try new things and has an easier time making friends. I credit Holy Cross with their interaction with the kids and making them each feel special; I love the program! We were very pleased with our child s growth and cannot wait to see how he grows next year; Love new bathrooms perfect addition; We have become friends with the teacher this year and continue to stay in touch with her; The staff is wonderful! The change of Miss Rapp to Mrs. Eagon was unfortunate, but she did a nice transition & we were blessed to have Mrs. Eagon ready for the job with no intermediate needed. Our child really seemed to adjust well to Mrs. Eagon, she really did everything she could to help him feel comfortable & welcome in class. Mrs. Hockman/Mrs. Clay: School Mission and Ministry News Mrs. Hockman s lessons & activities are age appropriate and stimulation-nicely done! Awesome! Thank you SO much for such a wonderful, educational, Christ-centered, caring and truly special experience for my child! My child was always telling me things he learned at school! The Gospel was strongly taught as were social and emotional skills. I m happy that my child started praying at home, and also asking me questions about God, allowing us to have conversations about our faith. The center is well laid out & organized. The classrooms are well lit. We are now gearing up for the fall. Mrs. Swiger is pouring over registration documents making sure all are filled out properly. The teachers are making plans for things they want to improve/ do differently/ teach in the coming school year. I am very busy overseeing everything and getting ready for the influx of new children and parents. We pray that you will pray for us as this new year begins. We do what we do, not with our own power, strength or authority but with power, strength and authority from above. I found this prayer today that I am putting in a prominent spot in my office and plan to share with my teachers. Almighty God, Heavenly Father, You have blessed us with the joy and care of children. Give us calm strength and patient wisdom that, as they grow in years, we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen We are not full. We still have openings for a few more students. Please continue to recommend our program to your family and friends. In His Service, Marjorie James, Administrator

7 Holy Cross Connections Welcome to our new Vicar Mark Gearig with his lovely wife Jen and adorable son Ezra! Page 7 Jen and I would like to thank everyone here at Holy Cross for gladly welcoming us and helping us transition into this new chapter in our lives. We especially want to thank everyone who sacrificed their time and effort to prepare the vicarage house for us, help us unload our truck, and set-up, prepare food, and clean-up for the wonderful picnic in our honor. It has been wonderful to get to meet so many of you and we look forward to getting to know you more. It is a great privilege to be able to serve and learn here at Holy Cross this year and in the surrounding community. I look forward in anticipation to all that God has in store for me this year as he continues to form me for the pastoral office. I pray that God would work through me this year to faithfully preach His Word and to serve faithfully in the many and various ministries offered and carried out by the faith community which is Holy Cross. Thank you all again and God's blessings as you continue to live to God's glory and service! Your Brother in Christ, Vicar Mark, Jen, and Ezra The Induction AND... The Celebration!

8 Holy Cross Lutheran 7707 North Market Avenue North Canton, OH Non-Profit U.S. Postage P A I D Canton, OH Permit No. 123 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED is a Christ-centered, friendly, mission-minded, Bible-based community of believers who strive to carry out ministry with integrity and excellence. DVDs of Sunday worship services are on the counter in the north and south hallways. Audio is on the website. Sunday Mornings At Holy Cross 8:00 AM Liturgy of Praise Traditional Worship 8:45 AM Majestic Praise Blended Worship 8:45 AM Adult Bible Class 10:00 AM Sunday School, Youth Bible Class, and Adult Bible Hour 11:00 AM Expressions of Praise Contemporary Worship September Newsletter Deadline Sunday, August 17 Office Phone Office FAX Preschool info@holycrossnorthcanton.com Richard Kip Smith, Senior Pastor Ralph Hough, Associate Pastor Ted Voss, Pastor Emeritus Mr. R. Lee Zacharias Worship Ministries Coordinator Mrs. Lorin Zuppe Director of Youth Ministries & Children s Ministry Mrs. Christi Ludwig Assistant Director of Children s Ministry Mrs. Vicki Zacharias, Office Manager Mrs. Katie Stiver, Soul Accounting Secretary Mr. Joel Maze, Technical Coordinator Mrs. Rose Ann Crowder, Visitation Coordinator Mrs. Diane Diehl, Stephen Ministry Mr. Richard Reed, Property Manager Mrs. Marjorie James