Holy Cross Monthly Newsletter - July, 2008

VBS Evangelism…
Vacation Bible School is a great opportunity to be an evangelist. Is there a child in your neighborhood or extended family who is unchurched? Tell their parents about our VBS at Holy Cross, the week of July 7-11. Here are some discussion points:

• Their children can meet new friends.
• Their children can learn about the Bible.
• It’s free daycare each morning for a week.
• The children will have fun with lessons, crafts, music, snacks, and recess.
• Hand them the registration form (on the back of this newsletter) and offer to return it to church for them.

Pray for Youth Events
July is an event-filled month for our Holy Cross youth. Please pray that the events listed below will be blessed by God. Pray for our leaders and for our youth. Pray that God’s Word will strengthen our youth in their faith and fellowship with one another. Pray that God will use these events to work faith in the hearts of guests who attend.

• July 7-11, Vacation Bible School
• July 13-18, Camp Indianhead
• July 23-28, LYA Convention in San Antonio, Texas

Vacation Bible School
July 7 – 11 from 9 – 11:30am
Send your children, ages 3-12 (preschoolers need to be potty trained), to Holy Cross VBS! VBS meets each morning during the week of July 7-11. We’ll be singing, making crafts, learning Bible lessons, enjoying snacks and making friends! Bring a friend! To register, use the registration form provided on the back of this newsletter, or call Holy Cross.

Thanks from Parkersburg!
On Tuesday, June 10, nine Holy Cross members went to Parkersburg, Iowa to help with clean-up efforts after a tornado had destroyed many homes, including some of our fellow ELS members’ homes. Recently, we received this letter:

"To the members of Holy Cross who came and so willingly helped us clean up, we say, THANK YOU! Your support and help makes our load seem so much lighter. We continue to heal although some days are still a struggle. Please continue to pray for us and thank you so much!"

Madison Golf Classic
Monday, July 14 at 1 pm
Bethany Lutheran College invites you to join fellow Bethany supporters for the Madison Golf Classic at the Blackhawk Country Club. Contact Rollie Reinholtz, 827-7314 or Art Westphal, 800-944-3066, or register at blc.edu.

7^th Grade Confirmation
If your child will be in 7^th grade this fall and is not attending Holy Cross School, please talk to pastor Tweit about the confirmation instruction that will be on Wednesday afternoons from 4:30 – 6:00 pm during the school year.

Men’s Bible Study
The men who meet on Wednesday mornings at 6:30am during the school year, invite you to join them this fall, after Labor Day, for a study of the book of Matthew. Please let Pastor Tweit know if you are interested.

Rummage Sale
Friday, July 18, 8 am – 6 pm,
Saturday, July 19, 8 am – 1 pm,

The Rummage Sale helps accomplish several goals:

• The PTO uses the proceeds to help support the work of our Lutheran elementary school
• Community members have a reason to come into our building and be exposed to Holy Cross and its members
• Community members and all of us have the opportunity to be good stewards and buy gently used items at great savings
• You can serve your church and school by donating your items, or your time!

If you have items to donate, please leave them in the locker rooms in the gym. If you are able to donate your time, we need helpers. Please see the sign up sheet on the office window for tasks times we need help. This is a fun way to get to know fellow Holy Cross members!

I’ve Got Mail!
Our youth love to receive mail while they are away form home and at Camp for the week. Here is the mailing address:

Camp Indianhead
W5421 Aspen Road
Wild Rose, WI 54984-9177
Phone: 920-622-3350
Email: camp@luwisomo.org
Website: www.luwisomo.org

Weddings
Eric VandenAkker & Tricia Carolfi 6/14

Funerals
Nancy Mueller 6/5
Marjorie Scheel-Swalheim 6/20

• Numerous gifts to "Building Our Future on Christ" Fund
• To the Endowment Fund in memory of Nancy Mueller

Synod Convention Report
The 2008 Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod took place at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota June 15-19. Attending from Holy Cross were Pastors Bartels and Tweit and delegates Fred Bartel and Kermit Traska. The theme of the convention was "God’s Power for Salvation." The daily devotions and the essay by Professor Erling Teigen all developed studies around this theme.

The convention receives reports on the activities in the ELS for the past year and develops and approves plans for the coming year. The many committees meet to develop resolutions that are then presented to the full assembly for review, revision and finally approval. A few of the items from the convention include the ELS declaring fellowship with the

Lutheran Church of Portugal; celebrated 40 years of mission work in Peru; discussion and approval to take the ELS church related organization Thoughts of Faith under the ELS Board for Foreign Missions; a decision to explore home mission work in large metropolitan areas with a report due at the 2009 convention; developed support for Christian education through the Lutheran Schools in America program; revised synod guidelines for membership; and, approved the budget for the coming year. Convention reports will be included in reports from the ELS and in the Lutheran Sentinel.

There were several times during the convention that the doxology was sung to thank God for His goodness. You may have read about the girls that were lost in Denali National Park in Alaska. One of the girls was a member of the ELS congregation in St. Peter, Minnesota. Their adventure was followed via the news media with our prayers for a safe outcome that was accomplished on Wednesday for which we gave thanks to God!

It is a privilege to be able to represent the Holy Cross congregation at the ELS convention. Thank you for this opportunity to serve.

Voters Meeting Update
The Annual Holy Cross Voters Meeting was held on Sunday, June 29. The following items were acted on:

• The 2008-2009 budget was adopted. The budget for next fiscal year (August 1, 2007 – July 31, 2008) is $789,370.)
• New Holy Cross Board and Committee members were elected. Their terms of office will begin August 1. Installation of Board and Committee members will take place on Sunday, August 3
• $16,500 was released from the Endowment Fund to be used for carpet replacement, moving expenses for Principal Schubkegel, security improvements and extraordinary snow removal costs.

Prayer for the Nation...
Ruler of all men, we thank and praise Your for permitting a federation of peoples to grow into a nation within our borders. We thank and praise You that You enabled this nation to survive armed conflicts, cold wars, threats and rumors of war, and the uncertainties of life in this age of terrorism.

We pray You to make this nation a haven for refugees, for the persecuted and the displaced. We pray You to urge men in our nation to pursue always the search for human freedoms. We pray You to stimulate the leaders of this nation to regulate our government that it will offer hope of freedom for all who swear allegiance to it. We pray You to forgive our sins of pride, bigotry, lawlessness, indifference, and license.

Forgive us for our waste of natural and human resources, for the neglect of our own rights and the rights of others. Enable us to conduct ourselves honorably as citizens and to manage the affairs of government sensibly. Permit this nation to prosper and to fulfill Your purpose to the good of mankind. We pray in the name of Your Son, our Lord. Amen.

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