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Holy Cross Newsletter February 2012 40 This number appears many times in Scripture, often indicating a time of trial or testing, or simply marking something significant. It rained 40 days and nights during the Great Flood. Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasted for 40 days and was with the disciples for 40 days between His resurrection and ascension. Taking this symbolic number to heart, the Christian church has long observed 40 days of Lent (not counting Sundays). **************************************************************************************************************** February Highlights Feb. 6th - 10 am Women's Board meeting Feb. 11th - 4-7pm Foster Parents Night Out Feb. 12th - 19th Interfaith Hospitality Week Feb. 20th -Presidents Day - Office is closed Feb. 21st - 1:30 pm Esther Circle 5:30 pm Council meeting 6:30 pm Pancake dinner Feb. 22nd - 7:00 pm Ash Wednesday Worship Every Monday 7:30 pm Thorsmen Choir Every Tuesday 9:00 am Tuesday Crew 7:00 pm Mission New Day in the Little House 1st & 3rds Wednesday 9:00 am Quilters meet Every Wednesday 9:00 am Rosemaling 10:00 am Pastor meeting Bell Choir & Vocal Choir (TBA) Every Thursday 9:00 am Norwegian Language Class 7:00 pm Mission New Day 7:30 pm AA meeting Every Sunday 9:30 am Worship 11-11:45 am Sunday School for Everyone 4:00 pm Mission New Day 6:00 pm Bible Study in the Library Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 6:30 P.M. Ash Wednesday Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 7:00 P.M. Come let us worship Him. Following Weds. in Lent: 6:00 pm Soup Supper 6:45pm Worship ******************************************************* From the Pastor's Desk February seems chock-full with special days. To name a few, there are Ground Hog Day, The Super Bowl, Valentine's Day and President's Day. People will be paying attention to some or all of these days. All such days have their cheerleaders. But one day has no such cheering at all. Indeed, it goes unnoticed by a huge part of the general population. In fact, though it is a specific Christian day, it is ignored by a great many folks who call themselves Christian. The day I refer to is this year February 22. We call the day Ash Wednesday. We receive an as cross on our foreheads as a sign of our need to amend our lives and seek God's forgiveness. Ash Wednesday begins our forty day journey to the death and resurrection of Jesus which brings the great good news that our journey is not in vain. Serious self-examination and the consciousness of one's own need of forgiveness seems to me to be greatly lacking in our day. Oh, of course, nearly everyone senses that there are troubles in life and all is not well with us but it often stoops there. Ash Wednedday is a difficult day because we are asked to face a very hard truth about ourselves. We do not get to focus on how unfair life can be, how we have been vitims of evil and such things. No. Ash Wednesday is that day, bu definition unpopular, when we are asked to acknowledge that evil lies within ourselves. To face that truth is in itself painful. Who wants to do so? But it is also the first necessary step on the road to forgiveness and the amendment of life. Come, join us for Ash Wednesday worship. Receive your ashen cross and wear it for all to see as you acknowledge that you are one of God's children in need for forgiveness and new life. Pastor Doug ************************************************************************************************************************* Holy Cross Women's News February 2012 Our February study in the gospel of Mark is based on Chapter 10. The title is "Tough Questions". It deals with tough questions asked of Jesus. We will probably also consider tough questions we sometimes have for God. Circle February Schedule: Esther Circle will meet February 27, 1:30 PM in the Church library. Pat Bryant is the hostess and Carolyn Ford will give the lesson. General meeting, January 21 A general meeting was held Saturday morning, January 21. The Annual Thank offering was received. These monies are sent to the national office of ELCW and are used for women and children in crisis situations. The amount contributed is $345. 00 so far. Soup Suppers Soup suppers will be held Wednesdays after Ash Wednesday. Altar Circle will be in charge on February 29, and Esther Circle will serve on March 7. February Kitchen duties are by Esther Circle ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hi it's Girl Scout Cookie Time! 100 Years of Scouting! If you plan on buying Girl Scout cookies this year please consider buying them from me. I will be having a table outside the narthex before and after service on Sunday February 19th with cookies to sample and I can take personal orders anytime. Cookies are $4 a box and there is a new lemon cookie called Savannah Smiles Thank You! Natalie Nuquest ************************************************************************************************************************* Welcome Back to Our Soldiers! Cody Passmore is now in Fort Reilly, Kansas. He will be in Salem in February. Justin Bessent, grandson to Ray and Eileen Miller, has returned from Iraq. He is now in Texas where he continues in the army for a couple more years. Nicholas Bessent, grandson to Ray and Eileen Miller, also continues in special services at Fort Lewis. Please thank God they have returned and continue to keep our soldiers in your prayers as they adjust to changes in their lives and in their military service to our country. Among Ourselves: Those we have kept in prayer this month: Ethel Padoen, Karen Fisk, sister in law to Gloria Ferris, Marie Thomson, Fred Landt, Luther Dahlen, Roy & Fern West, Phyllis Johnson, aunt to Gene Shriner, Juanita Soule, Judy Marth, Judy Wilson Jerry Holman, Elaine Dahl, Sue Shadrick, sister to Penny Ruiz, Evaline Jo Peterson, Marlene McCoy, Alyce Hewlett, and Ken Neal, Al Saul, Marvin LeRud, brother to Ruby Rue, Brenda Poulton, daughter to Jean and Peggy Reed, and Evelyn Herrick. Serving in the military Granddaughter to Rev. Eugene and Lillian Strinden, Jade and her husband Joe Reidy, Derrick Duer, former nursery attendant in Iraq, Eileen and Ray Miller's grandson Nicholas Bessent, Scott Hanson, Paul Reisch, and James Hodge, son-in-law to Don & Penny Erickson in the military & Cody Passmore in Fort Reilly, Kansas. Please pray for the family of Ed Ackerman, great uncle to Gene Shriner, John Struck, father to Kathy Mears, and Corrie Brunn, Head Start Teacher. Attention Council Members Because Shrove Tuesday is the same night as the council meeting, council will meet at 5:30 pm. Bible Study at Holy Cross 6:00 PM on Sunday Evenings Everyone is invited to come and experience Go's Presence in Word. 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Note of Thanks Dear Friends, Thank you so much for the delicious cookies that Arnie and Joyce Jensen delivered and the welcome visit that came with them. I have such warm feelings when I think of all my friends there and the cookies are such a tasty treat to come with it. Thank you so much. I wish each and all a very happy, healthy new year and may God bless you all Alice Byerley Pastor and Congregation, I wish to thank all of you for your prayers during my cancer treatment. I am doing very well! Also a thank you for my prayer shawl. Thank you ladies! I am very appreciative for all of you and your friendships. God's blessings, Juanita Soule Thank you Ladies and Pastor! Thank you very much to Daphne Bentson, Pastor Doug, Gloria Ferris, Velma Sundet, Sharon Whitwer , and Charlene Zitzewitz for putting together the annual report. They put it together in an expeditious manner. Thank you again very much for your help. Linda Siver **************************************************************************************************************************** Sharon Whitwer is Moving Her new address is 494 West 10th Ave. #205 Eugene, OR 97401 PH: 541-683-5113 If you are in Eugene, give Sharon a call ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Senior Party, Feb. 14th Valentine's Day 11:30 am in the Gym Sandwiches, cupcakes and coffee provided. Bingo with prizes to follow. Please sign up on the bulletin board so the Senior Committee will know how much food to provide. Interfaith Event Our next Interfaith Hospitality Hosting will be Feb. 12th - Feb. 19th The families so very much appreciate the Holy Cross members who care for them by providing a wholesome nutritious meal or by staying overnight as host and hostesses to ensure their well being. Pleas plan to participate in this much needed ministry to our Salem neighbors and sign up on the Narthex bulletin board. --------------------------------------------------------- Jason Lee Food Bank For the month of February, soups of all kinds, chili, stews and crackers would help warm the homeless people of Salem. But whatever you would like to give to the food bank is very much appreciated. May God Bless You! Gary Strand, Chairperson of Social Concerns @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Trip to the Holy Land Pr. Nick Doversberger, Zoar Lutheran, Canby is taking a group to the Holy Land including Jordan & possibly Egypt, Nov. 1-12, 2012. For more info phone 503-266-4061 or email: ndovers@juno.com. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Note from Helping Hands Thank you so very much for your recent gift to Helping Hands Resources. Our mission since w967 has been to provide frree clothing, bedding and household items to individuals and families in our community who are in need. Thnks, the quilts are beautiful and our clients are grateful for a warm cover. Your contribution is especially meaningful because you chose us from among man worthy recipients. We are horned by your generosity. Bonnie Nelson, Helping Hands Resources To Our Friends at Holy Cross Our highest thanks and praise for your gifts of 1502 lbs of food and $675 in cash donations for the Jason Lee Food Bank in 2011! We served a record 3689 families, an increase of 828 families from the previous year! This staggering increase taxed our resources to their limits. We were so grateful for your help in helping us meet this challenge! Thank you for the difference you have made in thousands of lives! With gratitude, Candace Nichols, Jason Lee Food Bank //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Dear Members of Holy Cross, Thank you so very much for your contribution of $200 to HOME Youth & Resource Center. Community support is critical to our ability to provide services to at-risk and homeless teens. More than 70 young people were able to enjoy a very happy Christmas party here at HOME. Financial gifts enable us to continue throughout the year to provide a safe environment for Salem's troubled and homeless teens. Best Wishes for a happy 2012! Peggy Kahan, Program Director Thank You Dear Ladies of Holy Cross, Thanks so very much for all of the delicious cookies we have enjoyed. May God bless each one of you in your labor of love. Pastor Gene and Lillian Thrivent Members Thank you to those members who continue to send "Choice Dollars" to holy Cross. If you have "Choice Dollars and have not designated them for a non-profit, please consider Holy Cross. You can do this by the internet or phoning Thrivent. The patio play structure is gone and the area looks different. Watch for new growth in the area. Consider volunteering your time, talents and other gifts to Holy Cross and the community in 2012. Respectfully, Darlene Tolleson "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me." Revelations 3:20 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HOLY CROSS - Now that's a web site (holycrosslutheran-salem.org). Did you know that Holy Cross has a web site? Have you visited it? Lately? WHERE CAN I FIND HOLY CROSS'S WEB SITE? - the web address is: holycrosslutheran-salem.org. That may be a lot to type, so we suggest that you put it in your favorites where it is always just a click away. You could do a search, but there are a lot of Holy Cross Lutheran Churches, especially in the mid-west. If you end up at Holycrosslutheranchurchsalem.org, that is our page on the Thrivent site. It will kindly remind you of the correct address: holycrosslutheran-salem.org. WHY WOULD I WANT TO VISIT holycrosslutheran-salem.org? - Because there is good stuff there. Have you ever misplaced your church calendar? Go to holycrosslutheran-salem.org and you will find one there. Did your newsletter get thrown into the recycle bin? Go to holycrosslutheran-salem.org and you will find on there. Can't remember pastor's email address or who the web master is? Go to holycrosslutheran-salem.org and you'll find it there. Are you just curious? Go to holycrosslutheran-salem.org and satisfy your curiosity. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE OR DIFFERENT THINGS ON holycrosslutheran-salem.org? Our webmaster, Gae Nichols, would welcome your input. Perhaps you committee or group would like to have a page on holycrosslutheran-salem.org. Just talk to Gae, gn2418@yahoo.com and she will fix you up. Hope you enjoy your visit to: HOLYCROSSLUTHERAN-SALEM.ORG @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Bible Brain Twister I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu, kept people looking so hard for facts, and for others it was revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books are not capitalized, but the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of the 17, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. See how you can compete. Relax now, for there really are the names of the 17 books of the Bible in these sentences. Timothy found 16 in 20 minutes. It took him three weeks to find the seventeenth one. How many can you find: #################################################################### Find each word from the t h a t verse below the word search puzzle. f c t h e u a c Thus it is written, that l t o p q t n d s h o u l d the Christ should suffer and on the third day d j e k r e p e n t a n c e h rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness should be s z a o b e g i n n i n g i r a preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. k h i s n a t i o n s u f f e r Luke 24:46-47 i w o t u c c h v o n j j b z $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ n h r u t h u s i e a d e a d You know you're a Lutheran when: w i l e l y u r n o r k l m t d a y s e d e u i t .....it's 100º with 90% humid- ity, and you still have coffee after worship. f c b h t h e c h r i s t s e .....you hear something really r r n a m e v r f w a a s r e funny during the sermon and smile as loudly as you can. x r o t y z n r r y l g o t ......most of your relatives graduated from a school d q m q p u o e l x called Concordia. ......when you watch a Star c a n d m y Wars movie and the say, "May the force be with you," you respond, "and also with you." ......it takes ten minuets to say good-bye. 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