Holy Cross Connections Upcoming Events: Holy Cross Connections July 2014 Vacation Bible School August 4-8 6 to 8 PM Classic Car Show September 13 3-6 PM Inside this issue: Footsteps of Paul Trip 2 Alpha News 2 Children s Ministry 3 Holy Cross Youth 3 Young at Heart 4 Men s Breakfast 4 Holy Cross Crafters 5 Stephen Ministry 5 School News 6 McGregor VBS 7 Live Free or Die Live Free or Die I saw these words tattooed across a young man s forearm, which he had hanging out of his car window the other day. I wonder what made this phrase so meaningful to him that he would have it permanently inked into his body. I think I know what our country s founding fathers meant by these words. They meant that they were willing to lay down their lives to fight against tyranny and oppression, against taxation without representation. Unfortunately, that isn t what many think of when they hear these words today. Living Free today means being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, without having to answer to anybody for it. Freedom today is almost synonymous with being irresponsible. It s a license to sin, which is not real freedom at all. God tells us in Galatians 5:13: You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. What the Bible is telling us is that we were all conceived and born in bondage to our sinful nature. It controlled us; we did not control it. But Christ Jesus has redeemed us from our bondage to sin. He purchased and won us back from its slavery over us. Jesus did not just die to forgive us of our sins; He suffered, died and rose again to break the all controlling power sin had over us. You might say that Jesus has given us spiritual independence. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Who is at work in us, we don t have to cave into sin anymore. Sin does not have to reign over us. We can choose to put the wants and needs of others before our selfish sinfulness. In other words, we have been set free from self so that we can love one another as Christ Jesus first loved us. So this Independence Day, let s pause to contemplate the real meaning of the words, Live Free or Die. Let s thank God for the men and women who gave their lives so that we can live in a free country. Even more important, let s thank God for Jesus Christ Who gave His life for us so that we can live free from sin s bondage over our personal lives. Have a great 4th of July. Congregational Picnic July 13th We will have a congregation wide picnic following our 11 o clock worship service to welcome, meet and greet our new vicar, Mark Gearig, his wife, Jennifer and their baby, Ezra. Hospitality will provide the hamburgers, hotdogs, condiments and drinks. Please bring a side dish, bag of chips or a dessert of your choosing. Volleyball, corn hole and some other games will also be available. Come, join in the fun and meet our new Vicar! Pastor Kip
Page 2 Holy Cross Connections 11-Day Walk in the Footsteps of Paul 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 2015. 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. There will be an informational meeting at church for those who might be interested in making this journey, on Monday night, July 14, 7:00 PM in room A-3. Please contact Pastor Kip or Lora for more information. 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! What you can do to help us is, as you pray about this, be mindful of someone you know who may benefit from ALPHA and give them a brochure (coming July 13) 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, groups of people (like we do for Advent or Lenten soup suppers) share in food preparation that would be great. APLHA Meal sign-up sheets (July 13) are on Welcome center tables. If you want to know more about ALPHA call Ron Akins (330-966-7711) or Karl Schulze (330-494-2425).
Holy Cross Connections Page 3 Children s Ministry Holy Cross VBS 2014 is coming! Spread the Word! Join us August 4-8 from 6-8 p.m. for GoFish Guys SHINE Vacation Bible school! Volunteer staff signups will begin around July 6 for our Elementary and Preschool staff to help in the following areas: *Crew Leaders/Guides *Snacks *Games *Bible Leaders *Crafts *Openings/Closings/Tech *Decorating Set-Up & Clean-up You name it, we need your help with it! Please prayerfully consider joining our staff this summer to reach lots of little hearts and keep in step with the Spirit! Please see the VBS display to sign up and contact Christi Ludwig (preschool staff) or Lorin Zuppe (elementary staff) for more information! Staff meeting will be held after late service on Sunday, July 27. Thank you! Holy Cross Youth Goings on... Hope you re having a fantastic summer! Volunteer Staff sign-ups for McGregor VBS being held July 8-10 from 9:30-12:30 are now going on in the church Welcome Centers! Please sign up to help the kids of McGregor to hear about Jesus and fellowship with the Allegro Bells kids! It will be a blast! Holy Cross VBS sign-ups will begin in July for our VBS dates of August 4-8 from 6-8:00 p.m. Join us for some youth group fun on Sunday, July 13th @ 1:00 p.m. at Dogwood Pool! Please sign up on the youth bulletin board and THEN come to Sluggers & Putters in Canal Fulton on Friday, July 25 from noon til 5:00 p.m. Sign-up sheet will also be on the youth bulletin board! These events of course will be weather permitting and parent drivers will be needed. Have a great July!
Holy Cross Connections Page 4 Young at Heart Young at Heart will meet at the church on July 8th @ 9:15 and carpool to Canal Fulton to tour the Canal Fulton Glassworks. We will see a demonstration of glass blowing and tour the gallery that includes ceramics, fused glass, turned native wood, stained glass, jewelry, marbles and much more. We will then have lunch at the Dragonfly Tea Room at approximately 12:15. We need to call Dragonfly Tea Room for reservations, so be sure to sign up and bring a friend. Sign up sheet is posted outside Room A-3. Men s Breakfast Men s Breakfast on July 12! 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 9:00 a.m. 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 contact him by email: pralph@holycrossnorthcanton.com Thanks! Psalms for Your Life Sunday mornings @ 10:00 a.m. We continue to be amazed at all the different ways we can express everything to God by way of praise and exultation with thanksgiving. Praise God, the Psalms also tell us that we can even bring him all of our heavy questions and our fears. Come join us as we study Psalms for Life. Bring a friend. We are in room A-1, West hallway! Gideons Holy Cross members: Thanks for once again generously supporting the Gospel ministry of the Gideons. As of June 18th, you contributed $1,300.00 to this ministry. Thanks for letting me talk to you about the Gideon mission. George Samara
Holy Cross Connections Page 5 Holy Cross Crafters Attention crafters! The Holy Cross crafters meet each month to make cards for our shut-ins. This month we will be meeting on Tuesday evening, July 15, @ 7:00 pm in Room M-6. Besides the card for the shut-ins, we will also make two other cards or projects for our own use. The fellowship of the participants, as well as the prayer and outreach to our shut-in friends make the evening special. You need only bring $2.00 to defray the cost of materials and a pair of scissors. Hope to see you there! 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) 491-1402; Judy Forsythe, (330) 494-7532; Rosemarie Millin (330) 966-9365; Joe Wonsettler, (330) 834-0365; or Pastor Kip Smith at (330) 499-3307, ext. 108. Our Stephen Ministers are there to care!
Holy Cross Connections Page 6 School Mission and Ministry News The school year has ended. With that came some very tearful good-byes to children (and families) moving on to Kindergarten or first grade. Our prayer is similar to the prayer Jesus prayed for all believers in John 17: 21-26. We can t stand the thought that even one of these precious little ones could be lost forever. Thank you for your generous contributions to purchase Bibles for the children. If you could have seen the looks on their faces and the reverence with which they handled the Word of God, you would have been touched just as we were. Be sure to check out the banner picture on the church s website! We were able to cover the cost of all of the Bibles thanks to your donations. The Link Group, under the direction of Barb Hardin, gave a luncheon for the Staff. The food was wonderful, but even better was the opportunity to meet our secret prayer partners and thank them. All year, just about the time things got tough, a note or card would come from a secret friend and we would once again realize that we are never alone in this ministry. We are being upheld to and helped by Almighty God. Special thanks, Barb, to you and all you prayer warriors. We are so blessed here at Holy Cross by being part of such a loving, supporting and caring congregation. Also, a special thanks goes to Al Haft, Frank Telesz and Chet Stromsky who recently spread 6 yards of mulch on our playground keeping us in compliance with state regulations. A safe fall zone is so important for the safety of our children. We asked parents to evaluate our program at the end of the school year. Following are some of the comments we received from the parents: Mrs. Hankin s thematic units are nicely aligned to seasonal holidays, Biblical concepts, & readiness skills!... I was very pleased with the program content. The center is well laid out & organized. The classrooms are well lit. All of the teachers are warm and kind. The school is very clean. It is a wonderful place to send our children. We love Mrs. Hankins & her team. Can t say enough she s a blessing & a treasure! The beginning years can make or break a child s attitude & spirit. My child looks forward to spending time with his family away from home. She exceeds the requirements for establishing the foundational skills! Thank you to Mrs. Hankins for being accessible and willing to talk. Exceptional program, highly recommended! Kudos to Mrs. Rinehart for doing a fantastic job in the PM your efforts & hard work are NOT overlooked! What a blessing Holy Cross has been for us and our children! Thank you for all of your hard work to make such a special place. These comments were all from evaluations turned in for Mrs. Hankins toddler class. The other members of her team are Ms. Kelli Picot and Mrs. Deanna Maze. They all do exceptional work with these children. We are here to make disciples, and we are blessed to be a blessing. With God s help we will continue in this important ministry to our Lord and King. In His service, Marjorie James, Administrator
Holy Cross Connections Page 7 With Special Guest: Allegro Bells from Roselle, Christmas in July!!! 2014 Joy Free! at McGregor Elementary McGregor July 8, 9 and 10 9:30am - 12: 30pm Breakfast and Lunch Supplied Grades 1-5 Info - 330-499-3307 Peace Hope Love The Daniel Plan Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church, and members of his congregation have come up with a plan of healthy living called the Daniel Plan. It is based on the book of Daniel which recounts the story of Daniel being carried off into Babylonian captivity. Daniel and other young, strong men were chosen to work in the King s court. Daniel refused to eat the rich foods served in Nebuchadnezzar s court. Read about it in Daniel 1. The Daniel Plan is not a diet. It is a plan for healthy living (Romans 12:1) with 5 essential components: Faith, Food, Fitness, Friends and Focus. Patty Wallace and Marjorie James will be leading a small group study of The Daniel Plan beginning on Wednesday, July 9 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. We would like to invite anyone who would be interested to join us. Patty and Marjorie (and Tom) have been following the Daniel Plan for the last 6 to 8 weeks. We are feeling better and, most wonderful of all, have lost weight. There are 6 sessions. We will begin on July 9 and finish on August 20. We will not meet on August 6 because of VBS. There is a Study Guide we will order for our meetings. There is also a book The Daniel Plan which you will want to purchase. There will be weekly reading assignments out of the book and recipes in the back. Please call Patty at 330-244-1656 or Marjorie at 330-492-4742 if you are interested in being part of this group.
Holy Cross Lutheran 7707 North Market Avenue North Canton, OH 44721 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 August Newsletter Deadline Sunday, July 20 Office Phone 330-499-3307 Office FAX 330-499-2319 Preschool 330-494-6478 www.holycrossnorthcanton.com e-mail 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 Holy Cross School Administrator