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In-Person WorshipFinally! (Maybe?) It has almost been a full year since we last worshipped together, in-person, on a Sunday morning, in our building. Hopefully, we will be returning to in-person worship soon. In January, the Congregation Council decided to use the new Nebraska Synod recommendation of returning to in-person worship when the “Positive Cases per 100,000 per Day” goes under 20,000. Based on that metric, the Council announced that we would resume in-person worship beginning Sunday, March 7. At the time of the announcement, the positive cases in Douglas County per 100,000 was at 16 and steadily moving downward. Unfortunately, that downward movement has stopped. For more infomation visit:
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March WorshipThe Season of Lent On Sunday mornings, we continue reading through the Gospel of Luke. Here is the March worship schedule:
For more information about the Mid-Week Lent at Lunch services CLICK HERE. For more information about returning to in-person worship CLICK HERE.
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Making the JourneyBecky Jones-Worship & Music Coordinator From Lent to Easter Sunday, we will make the journey together! For more infomation visit:
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Lent at LunchMid-Week Lenten Worship We are trying something new this year for our Midweek Lenten Worship. Each of the next five Wednesdays we will have "Lent at Lunch," a 45-minute Facebook Live gathering beginning at 12:00 noon. The theme for these services is what in Christianity needs to stay and what needs to go. This theme was inspired by the Lenten emphasis on repentance and renewal. I began by listing five things that I believe should stay and go in Christianity. I then asked the friends and members of Holy Cross to come up with their own lists. I received several very thoughtful replies. Based on what I came up with and the responses I received, here is the list of what we will be talking about.
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Snow to ButterfliesRemember Those Sticks? We gathered sticks in the freezing cold and made a cross to use in worship. Now, we transform those sticks into the beauty of spring. For more infomation visit:
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March Youth NewsA time to reflect... Click "Read More" for a Confirmation update, Youth Trip information, our Youth Group devotional and more! For more infomation visit:
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March Children's Ministry UpdateIt's time to think PURPLE!! We are officially in the season of LENT! Click "Read More" for a Sunday School update and some fun summer opportunites! For more infomation visit:
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Food Pantry UpdateFebruary Pantries 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 the cold and snowy month of February, we served 66 families with 271 individuals. We were up against fridgid temps, alot of snow, and a road closure, so I call this month a Success!! Great job everyone! We appreciate all of your support as we to continue to serve the community. February Pantry Dates: If you would like to volunteer to help with the March 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! For more infomation visit:
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Stewardship and FinanceControlling Your Addiction “A friend of mine taught me about addictions when he discovered that he was not just a compulsive eater, but a foodaholic. He had an uncontrollable addiction to food and was unable to break the addiction. That kind of addiction is not like an addiction to heroin or alcohol, though it is equally fatal. Food is something one cannot simply say no to! Saying no to food leads to death. One can neither walk away from food entirely nor give in to the addiction and let it control one’s life. The task of living is to try to find a way between the extremes. My friend tells me of a conversation he had with an alcoholic who had been successful in staying dry. The alcoholic said, ‘Compared to you, I am lucky. I can put my tiger under lock and key and never let him out. You have to let your tiger out three times a day.’ Every time that compulsive eater has a meal, he has to control his addiction, his tiger. No easy answers, here…. “We who are haunted by an addiction to things, to wealth, to money have that tiger of addiction sitting on our laps every time we watch television. When we pay our bills. When we go to a restaurant. When we sign a mortgage. When we try to figure how much to tip a taxi driver. When we think about our retirement plan. When the church asks us for a donation. It is all around us all the time. It never goes away, and it never lets go of us. And we never seem fully to tame it. “In our world, we must learn to live with the tiger without letting the tiger destroy us. “Because we and our world are so obsessed with this particular addiction to money, the church must help us learn how to live with it—to work through the inherent tensions we feel about our wealth.” [Financial Meltdown in the Mainline?, Loren B. Mead] In addition to helping God accomplish numerous ministries, that is a benefit of our offerings. They help us to keep the tiger of addiction to money on a short leash.
Financial Update through January 2021 2020 Income (Deficit) 11,684 214 For more infomation visit:
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Centering Prayer GroupConnecting with God More Deeply 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, Thursday's, 1:30 to 3:00 pm. For more information, click here to email Paula McDonald. For more infomation visit:
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Council UpdateFebruary Highlights • Election of Officers: • Council Appointments: • Council voted to return to in-person worship beginning March 7, contingent upon Douglas County Positive Cases per 100,000 Population per Day (based on 7-day rolling average) remains below 20. • Confirmation classes will move back in the building beginning in March. • A decision regarding outside groups using the building will be revisited at next month’s meeting. • Council approved looking for funding for a Streaming System |
March Birthdays and Anniversarys
Birthdays Anniversarys |
Dates and Calendar
March Meetings Zoom Finance Committee Meeting - March 11 at 6:30 pm Zoom Council Meeting - March 16 at 6:30 pm For more infomation visit:
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