Holy Cross Lutheran Church

NEWSLETTER

JULY 2011

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
JULY 10: Special Congregational Meeting in the Fellowship Hall after 10:00 worship
Sole purpose of the meeting: to vote on whether to call Benjamin Morris as associate pastor for youth, culture, and mission. Pastor Ben will be preaching at both services and available for Q & A after each service in the Fellowship Hall. A letter with details was mailed to each household the week of June 19. Please refer to this letter for details.

Vacation Bible School
with Faith Lutheran and St. Matthew's Methodist
JULY 18 -22, 9am-Noon

Register today (online www.holycrosslivonia.org) or on Sunday in the Fellowship Hall. Sign up to join the fun-filled week of interactive Bible lessons, crafts and games that teach kids how to explore the Bible as an exciting cookbook filled with recipes for living out God's Word.
Once again Holy Cross will combine VBS with Faith Lutheran and St. Matthews. St. Matthews Methodist 30900 6 Mile (next door to Holy Cross) will be the hosting church location. A Sunday program will take place on Sunday, 7/24.

The fee is just $10 per child for a full week of activities from 9am to Noon. The participant cost covers (1) materials & supplies for the activities and crafts. (2) a T-Shirt. (3) In addition the children will receive a snack each day. Scholarships are available if needed.
Questions? Contact Lynda Ashbay (734) 765-8344 lynda.ashbay@gmail.com or Cheryl Pearson (248)444-4003 rich-and-cher@comcast.net Volunteers are always welcome.

See BELOW for a list of needed items.

Donations Needed for Vacation Bible School

Sign up in the narthex or contact (248-349-4195) or rich-and-cher@comcast.net
1 bag (10-11oz) mini marshmallows
1 (11 oz) boxes of goldfish crackers (need 2 total)
1 (18 oz) bags of small round tortilla chips (need 3 bags)
1 (16 oz) tub of Cool Whip
2 tubes of refrigerated cookie dough (Pillsbury type)
1 (19 oz) canister(s) of Kool-aid or lemonade mix (need 4 total)
1 (13.7 oz) box of Cheez-its
1 (9 oz) container of rainbow sprinkles
1 (15 oz) jar(s) of non-refrigerated ranch or french onion dip (Lays type) (Need 5)
25 mozzarella cheese sticks (need 2 sets)
25 individual serving ice cream cups (assorted flavors) (need 2 sets)
25 individually wrapped cheddar cheese squares (Land O' Lakes type)

Red checked boxes will be located in the Holy Cross kitchen for donations. Please put perishable items in VBS labeled box in the refrigerator. Please put non-perishable items in labeled box on the counter.

The Pastor's Pen

Back to the Future!

Last month I penned these words in this column: With the Bishop election process behind us, I am so eager for us to "roll up our sleeves" and move forward together in mission and ministry in this place! Being part of the process was such a blessing to me, and I know all those blessings, and of course the source of all those blessings -- our Triune God -- will carry us into an amazing future!

It appears that this amazing future has already begun! Many things have come together to bring us to this moment in time. We donít have a word for that in English, but in Greek an occasion such as this is called kairos. Kairos means a particular moment in time, which may be the ideal moment of opportunity, or the ideal moment for fulfilling a particular quest or need. It is not temporal time, which is referred to by the word chronos (which is where our English word chronological comes from). In our search for a part time lay youth director, we 'stumbled' upon someone who exceeds our wildest hopes. Beyond his gifts and passion for youth and family ministry, he has a passion for evangelism and community building among 18-35 year olds -- precisely what we need at this moment! You should have received a letter in the mail with more details about the kairos context for our connecting with Pastor Ben Morris and information around this call, with an official notice for a congregational meeting July 10.

"Why do we need an associate pastor?" We don't– that is, if we're going to stay as we are, or maintain the numeric trends of the last several years. We don't need an associate pastor if we are simply going to ìride outî our time in maintenance or survival mode. We donít need an associate pastor if we are a congregation in hospice care, waiting to die, and staying as comfortable as possible in the process so we can die with dignity. I can serve this congregation as a hospice chaplain without an additional ordained colleague.

But the Holy Spirit seems to have other ideas. In 2010, we had far more funerals than baptisms. So far in 2011, that trend has been more than reversed. So far, we've had five baptisms and one funeral. Young families have begun to worship with us, and we don't want to lose them! Factors that we could never have imagined aligned to make this happen. Ellen Batkie, our council president, became acquainted with Pastor Ben while working with the synodís mission strategy process. Pastor Ben became acquainted with who I am through the bishop election process. He just happened to come to a place where he needed employment at the very same time we just happened to get stuck in our search for a youth director–and on it goes. I urge you to worship with us July 10 to become acquainted with Pastor Ben. Then stay to vote at the congregational meeting that follows. Can we afford to do this? Can we afford not to?

Faithfully,

Pastor Dana Runestad

Bible Study in the Park
On the last Monday of June, July and August we will be meeting again at Rotary Park on 6 Mile Road. We will set up by the ball diamonds. Bring your lunch, a chair, your Bible and a copy of the Lutheran Woman for the "right" month, if you have one. If you don't get the magazine a copy of the Bible study will be available. This is a great time for Bible study and fellowship! Hope to see you there.

I want to thank everyone for the support you all gave me after the tragic passing of my mentor child, Dominic. Your prayers and hugs meant more to me than you know and helped me through this time of grieving. Special thanks to Pastor Dana for being there for me. Much love to you all.
Gael Ivanac

Music in the Park Series

The summer concerts for June, July and August continue†on Friday at 7 p.m. under the cool trees at Kellogg Park in the heart of Plymouth. Plan to park your chairs close to the Holy Cross sign which will be near the fountain. Then feel free to browse beautiful Plymouth or pick up some food and take it back to your chair.

The schedule is as follows:
June 24 - The Crutches - Dance tunes and more
July 1 - Zap Toro - Guitar talents from around the world
July 8 - No concert - Art in the Park
July 15 - Steve King†& the Dittlies--King of Detroit Rock & Roll
July 22 - Gia Warner Band - Detroit Music Award winner
July 29 -The Bluescasters - Blues
Aug 5 -Those Delta Rhythm Kings - Jump Blues and Swing music
Aug 19- Mass Transit Band - Hits and party
Aug 26 - Randy Brock Group - Guitar-driven blues
Sept 2 - Lady Sunshine & the X Band - Soul/funk/R&B

We know you all have ideas for fellowship and we need them so please either write Marilyn Grable at marilmad@hotmail.com or call her. Look for our first big event in September to tour Detroit with a knowledgeable and humorous Detroiter.

September's Fellowship Activity: Bus Tour of Detroit!
Mark your calendars for Sunday, September 25! On that day (12:30 – 6 pm), we will be boarding a bus and heading out to see parts of Detroit you may have only heard or read about. Our tour guide will be Dr. Reynolds Farely, Professor Emeritus of sociology and Research Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Social Research at UM. He has been actively involved in research and writing about Detroit throughout his career and he brings his excitement about Detroit and wonderful sense of humor to every tour. (More about Ren can be found at http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/people/profile/27.) Tour highlights include Indian Village, the Manoogian Mansion, the Heidelberg Art Project, Detroit's Cultural Center, areas of revitalization, possibly Hope Lutheran Church, and much more! The cost of the tour will depend on how many people are interested. If we have between 20– 40, the cost will be $20/person, 40 – 55 people will drop the cost to $15/person. We hope to have an approximate count by early September so we can reserve the proper bus size. If you are interested, there will be a sign up sheet on the Fellowship Board and in the narthex after worship. You can also sign up or get further information by contacting Lynette Hoelter at lhoelter@umich.edu Hope to see you on the tour!!

Pastor Dana was to receive a 3-month sabbatical after serving Holy Cross for five years. The purpose of a sabbatical is to give a pastor the opportunity to re-charge and focus on learning about a new area of ministry or strengthening skills for ministry. In October, Pastor Dana will have been here seven years. Instead of taking three months all at once, she is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Seminary. Time away will be spread out over four years in order to complete course work and reading and writing requirements. The area of emphasis for this degree is ìTransformational Leadershipî and will apply directly to our vision and mission at Holy Cross. Classes take place at either Trinity Seminary in Columbus or the Methodist Theological Seminary of Ohio during the last week of July and the second week of January. The first class, which she will attend July 25-29, is ìContinuity and Change.î It examines the constructive tension between the churchís desire to maintain authentic traditions and the need to adapt and respond to current socio-cultural forces. Issues will be studied with particular attention to biblical, historical, and theological matters.

Below are the goals of this first course:
• To explore the dialogue between continuity and change in various key areas of theology and ethics brought on by forces in contemporary culture.
• To analyze the ways in which congregations and their individual members are affected by these changes.
•To examine the ways in which the theology we bring to these issues is challenged by the need to maintain continuity while responding to change.
• To explore ways in which change may be in the service of continuity.
• To develop clearer ideas of how faithfulness to the gospel while responding to the realities of change will take shape both in pastoral practice and the church's missional vision.
•To examine the challenges and strategies involved in the education of the laity for the ongoing ministry and mission of the ch8urch in times of change.

THE LABYRINTH IS COMING!
Later this summer you can expect to see construction on our property just east of the sanctuary and in front of the chapel. We will be building a labyrinth. A labyrinth is a walking path with twists and turns incorporated in a larger circular pattern. The object is to walk until you reach the center. Unlike a maze, there are no dead ends, no forks and no decisions to be made. It will be a short 15 or 20 minute journey which is representative of your lifeís journey, where there are advances and setbacks. This journey is a very meaningful, reflective and sacred experience. Our church council first had the opportunity to walk a labyrinth at St. Johnís Retreat Center in Plymouth.

Our labyrinth will be about 40 feet in diameter and made mostly of brick pavers. We have a small task force including Jeff Schuman, Jeff Dudek and Dave Wheeker to get the ball rolling. Our plan is to incorporate the patio adjacent to the library and Memorial Garden into the project. Some of this planning started a few years ago. We will join the separate areas with paver paths also to lead to the east entrance of the sanctuary and the east parking lot. We plan on landscaping the area for enhancement and to provide noise and visual separation from the Six Mile Road traffic.

Because we plan on doing the work ourselves, we will turn a $30,000 project into a $20,000 project. We will be needing volunteers for various stages and I will be putting out the call as needed. We will be asking for donations later in the summer to help fund the cost and to supplement Memorial Fund monies. The use of the labyrinth will be inclusive for all types of church activities and groups. We also will publicize its existence and offer its use to the community. There are 94 labyrinths of various constructions in Michigan presently. Our goal is to have #95. To stay informed about the progress, all you need do is look through the door-wall of the library on Sunday mornings. We are all excited about the experience we are about to have.
Dave Wheeker

A Letter from ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

June 2, 2011

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Our hearts have been breaking for weeks as we have watched incessant storms devastate many parts of the United States. From the plains of North Dakota to the bayous of Louisiana, floodwaters and torrential rain have washed out communities and cropland. Destructive tornado strikes leveled homes for miles in cities and towns including Joplin, Mo., and Cullman, Ala. Two ELCA church buildings -- one in each state -- were destroyed.

The winds destroyed the building of Peace Lutheran Church in Joplin, but not the faith of its members. Last Sunday they gathered in the parking lot in the midst of debris and shattered hopes to worship in the strong name of the risen Christ.

In the aftermath of storms that seem relentless, we may feel overwhelmed and anxious, but not powerless. For Godís promise is clear: nothing in all creation will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Trusting in Godís promise and the power of the Holy Spirit, we respond by joining together in Godís work of restoring community. The liberating power of the gospel frees us to repair roofs in Cullman and fill sandbags in Fargo, on behalf of people we donít know and may never meet.

These are our commitments as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

• We will pray. Pray with me that those affected may have the strength and courage they need to face these difficult days.

• We will stand together, roll up our sleeves and work with partners to rebuild lives and restore hope. In Alabama, we are already at work with the Mennonites and the Christian Reformed Church in a rapid rebuilding project. Elsewhere, partnerships are unfolding with the United Methodist Church and others to coordinate volunteers to repair and rebuild homes and lives in the months and years to come. Working together we can achieve more on a scale and scope than we could ever achieve alone.

• We will give generously. We are already organizing volunteer opportunities in response to the unmet needs of these communities. To support our efforts, please give now to ELCA Disaster Response. Your gift designated to Severe Spring Storms will be used in full -- 100 percent -- for the people and communities deeply affected by these storms.

• We will stay until the work is done. One of our strengths as Lutherans is our practice of sustained response after a natural disaster, built on local networks of congregations and social ministries.

• Central States Synod Bishop Gerald Mansholt compared our work to long-distance running. ELCA Disaster Response was one of the first to arrive in Missouri and Alabama, and they will be the last to leave. Even as we begin this journey, our work continues on the Gulf Coast and in Haiti.

• We will witness to our living faith in Christ Jesus as we join together to do Godís work with our hands.

• In all these things, I give thanks for each of you. May we be about Godís healing and restoration in a time of despair. May we bring God's message of hope in the wake of spring storms.

In God's grace,

Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

YOUTH NEWS & EVENTS:

The SEMI Synod of the ELCA presents–
BRIDGES NOT WALLS YOUTH LEADERS SUMMIT
TUES., JULY 26-THURS., JULY 28, 2011
TRINITY LUTHERAN CAMP, MIDLAND
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Senior High youth leaders from SEMI Lutheran churches
HOW MUCH? Only $40! The fee includes meals, lodging and programming for the three day summit
HOW DO I APPLY? Contact Lisa Jeffreys at Youthandfam@stgeorgelutheran.org or call 810.229.6670
Pastor Dana will cover the cost for any of our young people who wish to attend this event.

Bass Lake Festival
August 5, 6, 7 at Mi-Chi-Lu-Ca For information click link: http://www.elcalivingwater.com/basslake/ then contact the office or Pastor Dana

ATTENTION ALL YOUTH:
Watch the green sheet, emails, and stay tuned to find out how you can help get the white house ready if Pastor Ben is called here as Associate Pastor!

SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER DEADLINE is set for August 14th Send articles to holycross_news@yahoo.com Altar Flowers Many Sundays are open. Contact the office if you’d like to provide flowers for Sundays or sign up on the board outside of the office. How do I sign up??? Find the Flower Chart on bulletin board, and pick a date. Pay for the flowers in the offering, marking your envelope “Flowers.” That’s all there is to it!	WORSHIP ASSISTANTS for JULY Lectors July 3 Norm Sorensen July 10 Shari Dudek July 17 Sue Scherbarth July 24 John Hall July 31 Jeff Schuman	Iced Tea & Lemonade Servers for JULY July 3 ....... ..Linda Haddock & Susan Scholz July 10 ..........................Cheryl & Rich Pearson July 17.......................Betty & Vern Adams July 31 ....................Eric & Mary Anderson August 7..........................................Joan Onkka August 28 ...................Priscilla Circle W/ECLA August 14 & 21 are open. Please sign up for this much-appreciated ministry. This couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is serve and clean up. Contact Susan Scholz to volunteer