“Well done good and faithful servant” comes from the Parable of the Talents. (Matthew 25:14-30) It is spoken to the two servant who were entrusted to invest large sums of their master’s money while he was on a long journey. When the master returned, he discovered that these two servants had wisely invested what he had entrusted to them. “His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'” (Matthew 25:21&23) I have chosen “Well done Good and Faithful Servant” as the theme of this year’s stewardship campaign. It is exactly what I want to express to the members and friends of Holy Cross in regards to their good and faithful stewardship of what God has entrusted to us, especially in the midst of this global pandemic. Our last worship service in the building was on March 15. If you had asked me back then how I thought Holy Cross would be doing if we were still out of the building at the end of September, with no specific end in sight, I fear I might have been rather pessimistic.

We have been very fortunate to be able to worship together in our parking lot these past few months. While it is not the same as worshipping in our building as we are accustom, I believe it is the next best thing considering the circumstances. Parking Lot Worship has allowed people to remain in their cars or sit outside. We get to see and visit with each other much more effectively than on Zoom calls. We are also blessed to be able to live stream and record our worship services. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The weather has begun to change and worshipping outdoors will soon not be an option. Our hope is to continue Parking Lot Worship throughout the month of October. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we may have to go to online worship only. It is possible we could move inside if the Covid numbers drop to a safe level. Beginning in November, we will either be inside, if the Covid numbers are low enough, or online until the Covid numbers drop to a safe level. We will continue to live stream our worship services and have them available on our website whether we are outside or inside.

Take a walk through the Old Testament by way of the Narrative Lectionary.  The Narrative Lectionary will also give us a focus on the Gospel Luke beginning around Christmas.

As a child, I remember Dionne Warwick and her silky, smooth voice singing, “I Say a Little Prayer” written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  It has a great melody, and the music is  perfect for choreography!

Click "Read More" for Youth Group & Confirmation Updates, and 2020 Confirmation Faith Statements!

Sunday School Sunday mornings are a little chillier outside, and the leaves are turning - we are officially in OCTOBER! It has been so great to see you in the parking lot after worship, in your cars, and online for our short Sunday School time! 

Join us for the FINAL DESIGN UNVEILING for the Diversity Mural Thursday, October 1, 2020, via Zoom at 6:00 p.m. Can't wait to see you there!

Topic: Diversity Mural Design Unveiling!
Time: Oct 1, 2020 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://midlandu.zoom.us/j/98313215266

Holy Cross Lutheran Church and the American Red Cross are hosting an upcoming blood drive. In this time of need, Holy Cross is holding our normally scheduled Blood Drive. The need for blood is great and we can all help. Safety precautions will be followed and masks will required. The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every two to three seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime. Please join our lifesaving mission and schedule an appointment today by CLICKING HERE!

On Sunday October 4th at 2:00 PM, bring your cat, dog, reptile, amphibian, pet llama... AND her mama!... for a Pet Blessing on the front lawn! If we have incliment weather, the event will be canceled. Please watch the website and Facebook Page for updates!

The Holy Cross Food Pantry continues to serve the community the First Saturday and Third Thursday of every month.  We continue with our COVID Prevention Model of a drive-thru pantry service. 

During our September pantries, we served 61 families with 232 individuals.  In September of 2019, we served 61 families with 241 individuals.  We continue to see new faces monthly. 

This month, we brought our Confirmands back into helping with the food pantry by helping with Pantry Prep prior to this month’s Thursday pantry.    

We continue to see more and more new faces in need of assistance. We appreciate all of your support as we to continue to serve the community.

September Pantry Dates:

• Friday, October 2, 6:00 - 7:30 pm: Pantry Prep

• Saturday, October 3, 7:45 - 10:15 am: Drive Up Pantry

• Thursday, October 15, 4:45 - 7:15 pm: Drive Up Pantry

If you would like to volunteer to help with the September pantries, please click on the button below to sign-up. Please do not show up to help if you have not signed up.

Questions? Contact Dave Magnuson or Kelley Kennedy. Thank you!

There are a number of email scams directed towards churches right now. A church member receives an email, supposedly from the pastor or some other staff member or church leader, asking them to buy some gift cards or purchase a prepaid credit cards. They usually ask the person to keep it confidential. Some of these emails look very authentic and even include our church logo. (Logos and staff memeber names are copied from our website.) One way to spot a scam email is to carefully check the email address it came from.

Please know that no one on staff or in a leadership position here at Holy Cross will ever send you an email asking for money, gift cards, or any other form of payment, outside of our regular giving options. If you have any doubt concerning the legitimacy of an email, do not reply to it, but instead contact the person who supposedly sent it to confirm if it is real or fake

Join us on Sunday, October 18, 4:00 - 7:00 pm at Carol Joy Holling Camp in Ashland, NE for a Holy Cross Congregation Campfire! Each year, we gather together in the fall for a hayrack ride and dinner over the fire. We didn't want to lose the fall fun, but also recognize that things are different due to the pandemic. So this year, we are doing a campfire at Carol Joy Holling Camp! The space we have reserved is big enough for everyone to spread out and keep distance, and there are restrooms nearby. We think it will be the perfect way to gather together safely and celebrate the fall season!

Back in 2017, we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation with what we called our “Beer, Brats and Movie Bash.” Many of us gathered to watch the 2003 movie “Luther” followed by a Martin and Katie Luther inspired meal, including bratwurst and beer. We continued the tradition in 2018 with a "Beer, Brats and Escape Room Bash" and in 2019 with a "Beer, Brats and Scavenger Hunt Bash." I assume you have noticed the trend in these celebrations. The question is, how do we continue this delicious and fun tradion in the time of Covid? How about:

(Root)Beer, Brats and Drive-in Movie Bash

The staff at Holy Cross has made the hard decision to cancel our annual Trunk N Treat event at church this year. After trying to be creative, throwing around outdoor options, asking around to other churches who do similar events, and seeing the CDC guidelines, we came to the conclusion that it was the safest to not plan an event this year.  We hope that you still have a SPOOK-tacular Halloween. Here are a few ideas for you to enjoy Halloween in a safe way this year...

The California wildfires, the Derecho windstorm damage, and damage from a record Hurricane season: these are recent events that have displaced people from their homes for months if not years.  Lutheran Disaster Response is there because of the Lutheran Churches support, allowing 100 % of your monetary gift to go to the cause.  For more information, please visit Lutheran Disaster Response on the ELCA website.   

Centering Prayer is a method to move beyond conversation with Christ, to communion with Christ, and to hear His voice speak to us. This is a practice that through listening to the Word of God, we can open our minds and our hearts to the Voice of God. The Centering Prayer Group is currently meeting online via Zoom, Wednesdays, 1:30 to 3:00 pm. For more information, click here to email Paula McDonald.

We find these words in the book of Malachi: “Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings! …Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing” (Malachi 3:8-10).

Malachi tells us that when we rob God we also rob ourselves. Each Sunday morning, we have the opportunity to worship God with our offerings. That act of worship also gives us a chance to stop the spiritual robbery that keeps God from pouring out overflowing blessings on us. Count on it. When you put God at the top of your life priority list, God returns that attention.

  Financial Update through August

                                                2020             2019
Beginning Balance        1,453          4,617
Monthly Expenses    (33,077)     (33,543)
Monthly Income          30,715        26,140
Income (Deficit)           (909)            (2,786)

• The Council discussed plans for the 2019 Audit

• The Council hopes to be able to continue Parking Lot Worship through October, and then move inside in November. Based on Covid numbers we could be inside earlier or go to online worship only.

• The Council has begun recruiting for the Nominating Committee and the Audit Committee.

October Meetings

Zoom Finance Committee Meeting - October 15 at 6:30 pm

Zoom Council Meeting - October 20 at 6:30 pm

Birthdays

 Lisa Jones…………………………………………………10/1

Steph Waskowiak……………………………………..10/1

Duane Doering…………………………………………..10/2

Tyler Gift…………………………………………………….10/5

Randall Howard…………………………………………...10/5

John DeBoer……………………………………………….10/6

Peter Sukstorf……………………………………………..10/6

Sandra Doering……………………………………………10/7

Anna Grell……………………………………………………10/7

Dave Olson………………………………………………….10/7

Walter Roberts……………………………………………..10/7

Myah Toscano………………………………………………10/7

Nichol Dolezal………………………………………………10/8

Wendy Erickson……………………………………………10/8

Alexander Howatt…………………………………………10/8

Valerie Birch………………………………………………….10/9

Julie Leahy……………………………………………………..10/9

Anna Perilo……………………………………………………10/12

Ryan Buckley…………………………………………………10/14

Julia Poole……………………………………………………..10/15

Rusty Behr………………………………………………………10/17

Bob Krueger…………………………………………………..10/17

Kathy Magistretti…………………………………………..10/17

Kiah Shaw………………………………………………………10/18

Jen Gitt…………………………………………………………..10/19

Sharon Wineman……………………………………………10/20

Lauryn Shaw……………………………………………………10/21

Brian Thilliander……………………………………………..10/24

Paula McDonald……………………………………………..10/26

Henry Sukstorf……………………………………………….10/27

Tom Bybee……………………………………………………..10/29

Kirsten Glesne…………………………………………………10/30

Jim Schneider………………………………………………….10/30

Anniversaries

 Joel & Jenny Fitzpatrick………………………….10/6

Harry & Marie Pitner………………………………10/6

Ken & Kathleen Jackson…………………………10/8

Ryan Buckley & Sarah Duncan………………..10/22

Dave Magnuson & Rohn Collins……………..10/24

Kevin & Nichol Dolezal…..……………………….10/25

Ed & Alisa Krueger…………………………………..10/28

Al & Paulette Thomsen…………………………….10/30