THE FISHERMAN. Reminder: We have been given the gift of light! Worship begins 10:00am. Dear Holy Cross Family,

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1 THE FISHERMAN Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Farnham, NY January 2019 Mission Statement: All Generations Working Together In the Name of Jesus Christ Reminder: Worship begins 10:00am Dear Holy Cross Family, We have been given the gift of light! Happy New Year! As we walk together into 2019 may we pause and take time to reflect on the light of Jesus Christ in our lives. As January opens we begin our first Sunday celebrating Epiphany. This is the story of the magi arriving at the nativity scene. This is a time where the image of light is focused on. Christ is the light of the world. He is the light that pierces the darkness. The time of Epiphany means manifestation. Jesus Christ is revealed to all nations. In the word and sacrament we can go forward in light to witness God s grace and mercy. This time of Epiphany is during the darkest time of the year. Often in the cold long days of winter we find it hard to focus on light. The days of Christmas get packed away and people go back to day to day routines. Christmas lights get turned off and all may not seem bright. How do we focus on light during a cold dark season? Did you ever look up into the stars during a clear cold winter night? Have you ever reflected on how you can be a source of light to others? Have you been involved in the discussions on how Holy Cross can be a light in our community? Epiphany spans for two months and most of our Gospel readings come from Luke. We start out the season with the baptism of Jesus Christ and conclude it with the Transfiguration of Our Lord. At Christ s baptism we hear the words, This is my Beloved Son and at His Transfiguration, This is my Son, my Chosen. After the journey through this season of manifestations we move into the season of Lent. During this season of light, we will continue to focus on how we can share the light of Christ with others. As a church family, we will look at how our ministries can reach out to our community. We look forward to sharing some special joint worship services with other churches. We will look within our walls to the needs of our building and some accessibility issues. We are striving to learn new music and rebuild our choir. Bible Study will continue each Sunday at 9:00 and together we will grow as the body of Christ. I am eager to share this church year and the New Year 2019 with all of you. Invite someone to join you at a service and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. May your light shine before others In His Service, Lynn Whitworth

2 Oh, the weather outside is frightful If worship is cancelled due to weather we ll have notices on Channel 2 and 7 and our Emergency Tree will be activated. A reminder: Please be sure to fill out a communion record card at least once a year. It is important for the church record keeping. They are located in the pew racks and may be handed to an usher as you come to communion. Whom should we call? When an emergency medical or spiritual situation arises, or a special home visit is needed, please contact Deacon Lynn Whitworth ( ) Reminder: Please submit articles by January 15th, for the February FISHERMAN. Thanks! Operation Good Neighbor OGN a tote is located in the narthex for your donations of cereal.

3 Weekly Worship Leaders The following leaders play an important role in helping worship to run smoothly. If you will be away on the day you are scheduled, please find a replacement and let the church secretary know as soon as possible so the bulletin is accurate. These schedules are made in advance, so plan ahead. January 2019 Jan. 6 The Epiphany of Our Lord Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-7; 10-14, Ephesians 3:1-2, Matthew 2:1-12 Preacher Lynn Whitworth Worship Assistant Janet Bowman Ushers Brad Borngraber, Bob Whitworth Coffee Hour - Lynn & Bob Whitworth Jan. 13 the Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 29, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, Preacher Lynn Whitworth Worship Assistant Wendy Wodzinski Ushers Bob Whitworth, Bill Kieffer Coffee Hour Jeff & Linda Papke Jan nd Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalm 36:5-10, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11 Preacher Lynn Whitworth Worship Assistant Thea Ells Ushers Tim & Kathy Wesolek Coffee Hour Tim & Kathy Wesolek Jan rd Sunday after Epiphany Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6,8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21 Preacher Kelly Bull Worship Assistant Chrissy Yohn Ushers Bill Kieffer, Janet Bowman Coffee Hour Nell & Daniel Lausch Please, if you are going out of town for vacation or the winter, let Mary know so she can schedule worship leaders with that in mind. secretaryhclcf@gmail.com or call and leave a message: Thanks!

4 A Message from the President We welcome our new council members: Joannie Will, Kelly Bull and Vicki Happell. Your President is Lynda Ostrowski, Vice President is Marcia Kieffer, Secretary is Diane Reynolds and Treasurer is Joe Ostrowski. If you ever have any questions, concerns or ideas, please contact any of our council members. Our other members are, Donna Borngraber, Brad Borngraber, Janet Bowman, Mary Mueller and Deacon Lynn Whitworth. We thanked Nell Lausch for a job well done as she leaves the council. We had a very successful gift card fundraiser! See the details in the Mary/Martha report below. Veronica Sullivan from the Evans Senior Center and the South Towns Coalition was overwhelmed and so thankful for all the cards! I could see her mind already working on how many families she is going to be able to help! Thank you all so much! We have been enjoying the coffee hour following worship every week. Sometimes we work on projects that s always lots of fun. Please take some time to join us. It s wonderful getting to be with our Holy Cross Family. If you would like to host a Sunday, please sign up. Coffee and a light snack like donut holes or cookies are perfect. May you all have a very happy and healthy New Year! Yours in Christ Lynda Ostrowski Council President The ladies of Mary Martha Circle send out a huge thank you to the members of our Holy Cross Family for the outpouring of support in our 2018 Gift Card Giving Tree Christmas Mission. The following donations were received: Store Number of Cards Amount WalMart 26 $ 670 Amazon 7 $ 175 JC Penny 3 $ 65 Old Navy 4 $ 100 Visa 1 $ 25 Through your generosity and the Grace of God, the total donations came to well over $1000. That far surpasses your donations from 2017!!!!! The cards have been given to the coordinator who oversees their distribution to 41 financially needy families in our local area, thereby helping their Christmas celebrations to be a bit brighter this year. In Service to Our Lord, The Members of Mary Martha Circle PS Our business meetings are at church on the first Thursday morning of every month at 11:00 AM. We combine fellowship, church and community service, and personal spiritual growth. We would love to have you to join the group. No advance notice needed.

5 Important Dates for January 1/6-Celebration of Epiphany Bible Study resumes at 9:00 Council members installation during service Council meets after service 1/26-Holy Cross covers at Operation Good Neighbor Clothing site 1/27-Cemetery Committee meets after service 2/3- Welcoming of New Members during service and reception following service. Overview of our 11/18 Vision and Ministry Mission Discussion As we gathered to review the discussion we participated in at our September Congregational Retreat we reviewed some of the hopes and goals for Holy Cross. At this time over the next several months after Christmas the council will be looking into a means to make our sanctuary and bathrooms accessible with the minimum amount of cost and construction. We discussed that any major building or construction at this time would not be financially responsible but we would like to make our building more accessible. This will be an ongoing discussion and we will be sharing with the congregation each step of the way. Presently we are only in a discussion stage. We also will be developing our mission work by getting more involved with Operation Good Neighbor, SASI, Churches in Action and helping when disaster strikes through Lutheran Disaster Assistance More information will be shared in the next several months! SASI Each Friday a group of 6-8 individuals from SASI-a group that serves developmental disabled people-comes to Holy Cross and helps with a variety of things. You might notice our bulletin boards have been changed and the group was very helpful with getting some things ready for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Community Dinner. Sometimes they change the hymn board or fold bulletins. It has been a pleasure to work with them. We will offer lunch to them as a thank you in later January. Thanks be to God for SASI and their service!! To everyone that helped prepare cards and decorations for the Christmas Community meal at Most Precious Blood. The decorations added a beautiful touch and were appreciated! THANK YOU For the beautiful centerpieces amd place mats for the Thanksgiving Dinner! We appreciate the time spent on making them. They made the tables look so beautiful. May the Lord bless you all generously! Lorraine Glashauser Dear Holy Cross Family, I ve enjoyed The Fisherman for many years. Time has come that I will probably not be traveling up to my home area of Angola. I always liked to worship where I was confirmed (1944) and married (1954). It s always good to see the people I knew and I have great memories. I met a new friend, Megan Kowalski. I pray she is doing well in school. I hope she is still participating in Holy Cross activities. Greetings to all! God s richest blessings to all the Holy Cross Family! Love in Christ, Elfrieda (Brose) Lytle

6 Coffee Hours Bible Study 1/6-The Whitworths 1/13- The Papkes 1/20- The Wesoleks 1/27- The Lauschs 2/3- Mary Martha Ministry Phone Ministry On January 6 th at 9:00 we will join together for our continuation of our study of the small catechism. Come and join us as we study some of the roots of our Lutheran foundation and share in meaningful conversation. Receiving of New Members Service and Reception Many have spoken to me about how much a phone call and sharing a prayer has meant to them as they were recovering from an illness or difficult time. Holy Cross would like to begin a phone ministry to help people and share God s light with others. If you are interest in being part of this ministry, please see Deacon Lynn. We are also in need of a coordinator for this meaningful ministry. Church Council Members Installation On January 6 th the Holy Cross Council will be installed during the service. We give thanks to God for their service. Please keep the council in your prayers as we move into a new year of working together. Officers President-Lynda Ostrowski Vice President-Marcia Kieffer Secretary-Diane Reynolds Treasurer-Joe Ostrowski On February 3 rd we will be blessed by receiving 3 new members to our Holy Cross family. We will be holding a welcome reception after service. Please see Lynda Ostrowski if you would be interested in bringing a finger food to share. Council Members Brad Borngraber Donna Borngraber Janet Bowman Kelly Bull Vicki Happell Mary Mueller Joanie Will Serving together!

7 January Birthdays 2 Sharon Moppert 2 Carol Zeffiro 3 Brad Borngraber 3 Kerry Mayne 5 Madison Justinger 11 David Berns 15 Matthew Lee-Mueller 17 Ron Mason 20 Jeff Mlacker 20 Wendy Wodzinski 21 Beth Miller 21 Kaylee Peacock 23 Michael Wodzinski 31 Jere Hoisington Congregational Directory We ll be putting together the updated congregational list in the next few weeks. If you haven t yet turned in your updated information, that sheet is on the back of the calendar page. And if things change (address, phone #, etc.) please make sure you drop a note or an to Mary in the office so we can keep our information current. In Our Prayers: Linda Bates, Breelyn, Kelly Bull, The Burbige Family, Sue & Peter Bunting, Joe Cook, Gregg Davis, Carlton Falk, Tammi Fiener, Todd Fleury, Scott Greenawalt, Dorothy & Don Harrison, Sandy Heinrich, Keith, Jesse Keith, Jack & Phyllis Kohler, Mary Korbut, Ron & Linda Krolczyk, Joey Lee-Mueller, Ed Marchant, Mary Ellen, Sharon Moppert, Judi Shuck, Tim Shally, Louis Small Sr., Michelle Sutter, Carolyn Tedesco, Lorenzo Tomasello, Diana Voss, Bev Wasmund The Youth of the Community, All people suffering from mental, emotional or physical stress, Holy Cross Council Members Note: Please let Mary know if you want to remove people or add people on the list. Please ask any person before putting them on the prayer list. Thank you! You can articles, announcements or messages directly to the church secretary at: SecretaryHCLCF@gmail.com

8 The Fisherman is a monthly publication for the spiritual & informational benefit of our readers. Please send submissions & correspondence to the church, Secretaryhclcf@gmail.com, or place in the Fisherman mail slot at church Fisherman Articles Deadline 15th of each month by 9:00am Friend us on Facebook: Holy Cross Lutheran Church/pages Holy Cross Lutheran Church is a member of the Upstate New York Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lake Shore Association of Christian Churches Pastoral leader: Deacon Lynn Whitworth phone: (716) pastorhclcf@gmail.com Secretary: Mary Wolf Church Phone# (716) Secretaryhclcf@gmail.com Worship with Holy Communion 10:00 am every Sunday Website: HolyCrossLutheranChurchFarnham.Weebly.com The Fisherman Holy Cross Lutheran Church 633 Church St, PO Box A-3 Farnham, NY 14061