- Holy Cross Lutheran Church ELCA

Holy Cross Lutheran Church
13014 Olive Boulevard
Creve Coeur, Missouri 63141
Non Profit Org.
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
PAID
Permit No. 3167
St. Louis, MO
Holy Cross Lutheran Church — ELCA
Cross Currents
Volume 42 No. 6
June 2015
Picnic PotluckSunday May 30
Address Service Requested
TO:
following combined service at 10 a.m.
This is a wonderful opportunity to attend church with people
from the "other" service.
DATED MATERIAL
Mailed on
What is a dad?
A dad is someone who wants to
catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up, brushes you off,
and lets you try again.
A dad is someone who wants to
keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence when you get hurt.
A dad is someone who holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail.
First annual Holy Cross Rummage
and Bake Sale
Saturday, June 20 from 8:00a.m.t0 3: p.m.
Donations, bakers and workers needed.
See page 4 for more information.
—Unknow
Page 1
Notes from Pastor Jim
Sometimes you don’t have to reinvent
the wheel. Sometimes you don’t have to
write your own newsletter article. The
following words were written by Bishop
Roger Gustafson, the bishop of Central
states Synod, in his column in the May/
June 2015 synodical newsletter, Making
Christ Known. I found them extremely
thought-provoking, challenging, and exciting – so much so that I wanted to share
them with you.
Pastor Jim
What if …
What if every member of your church supported your church exactly the way you do?
What sort of church would you have?
What if every member of your church volunteered the same hours that you do? What sort
of church would you have?
What if every member of your church gave to
your church the same amount that you do?
What sort of church would you have?
What if every member of your church shared
your church just the way you do? What sort
of church would you have?
Page 2
Called to Grace
Let’s put it another way. The exciting
thing about being part of a mission congregation – a church that’s just getting
under way, with few resources but a ton
of enthusiasm –is the realization that
there is no “other guy.” You know, as in
“let the other guy take care of it.” There
is no “other guy” to teach Sunday school,
to direct the choir, to prepare Communion, to usher, to extend a hand of greeting
to a first-time guest, to … you get the
point.
In a mission congregation people simply
step up because there’s no expectation of
perfection, just a desire to be a valuable,
even indispensable, part of what’s coming into being. And when what’s coming
into being is a community in which God
is worshiped and God’s people near and
far are cared for, stepping up isn’t a burdensome obligation but rather a happy
anticipation that comes from knowing
that you’re an essential part of the divine
whole.
This sense of personal engagement and
excitement isn’t confined to mission congregations; it’s a characteristic of leadership that’s available to each and every
one of us, each and every day.
What if every member of your church saw
leadership as an activity available to anyone?
What new ideas could emerge?
What if there were no sidelines in your
(Continued on page 4)
Through the Eyes of a Photographer, Vol. 2
1 Peter 3:3-4 – Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair
and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the
unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
If God were to pick up a camera…hmmm…
There would be no need to adjust the shutter speed. God sees everything; we could not
move fast enough to create a blur.
No need for ISO adjustments; sunlight, twilight, midnight, the lighting is always just
right. He sees it all.
No need to adjust the white balance; the tungsten lights won’t turn you blue, nor will
the sunlight wash you out.
No need to move the modes to anything other than manual. He is already in control.
And there is no worry about composition as God created the very landscape.
Let’s face it, God has no need to “capture the moment” as He created the moment. All
those moments that came before and all those that are to follow – His creation.
God is the camera; He is the lens: wide angle, fish eye, telescopic, macro. And yet, God
is so much more than the camera. While some people may be told that the camera loves
them, well, that may be true in the digital world. But what about the real world? God
doesn’t stand before us and pull out light meters and gray cards and adjust all the external settings to make us beautiful. No, God lives within us, working on the internal
settings because He already finds us beautiful.
Thanks be to God!
Yours in Christ,
Jackie Johnson†
Page 15
Family & Friends—Activities
Directory changes
Keith DeCamp
15309 Golden Rain
Chesterfield, MO 63017
314.452.1993
Michelle Klingler
12732 Shady Creek Lane, Apt. F
St. Louis, MO 63146
Evelyn Artz
314.550.3008†
Garden party
The only things prettier than the flowers
at the April 23 garden party were the 28
ladies who attended, all wearing creative
and colorful hats. Tammy of Greenscape
Gardens gave a talk
concerning Greenscape’s initiative, in
conjunction with the St. Louis Zoo and
other concerned groups, to promote efforts at improving the habitats and health
of pollinators. She noted that there is a
three-and-a-half acre pollinator-friendly
garden in Florissant with plans to create
a similar garden at the Zoo. Browsing
among the countless varieties of annuals
and perennials (and purchasing a few)
added to the enjoyment of the day.
Darlene Kuhlman†
Page 14
Church Business
Cross Currents
For fun
Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his fond father to
fork over the farthings and flew far to
foreign fields and frittered his fortune,
feasting fabulously with faithless
friends.
Fleeced by his fellows in folly and facing
famine, the fellow floundered as a feedflinger in a filthy farm. Fairly famished,
he fain would have filled his frame with
foraged food from fodder fragments.
“Fooey, my father’s flunkies fare far
finer!”
The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled,
frankly facing facts. He fled forthwith to
his family. Falling at his father’s feet, he
forlornly fumbled, “Father, I’ve fruitlessly forfeited family favor.”
The farsighted father, forestalling further
flinching, frantically flagged his flunkies
to fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a
feast. The fugitive’s fault-finding brother
frowned on fickle forgiveness of the former folderol. But the faithful father figured, “Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found! What forbids fervent festivity? Let flags be unfurled! Let fanfares
flair!”
Your halo is
showing
Many thanks to the following people who
signed up to help out and/or bring food
for the Agape memorial luncheons at
Holy Cross. Our gratitude extends also to
those who have contributed their time
and talents in the past to offer hospitality,
support, and comfort to those experiencing grief and loss in our church family.
Julie Aleshire, Courtney Andrews, Dot
Bangert, Becky Benson, Kari Brangan,
Christine Doud, Jean Forson, Susie
Garrett, Jan Gratzer, Janet Haas, Sandy
Hagen, Lexlie Heimsoth, Laura Hulsey,
Pam Jokerst, Darlene Kuhlman, Cathy
Mosher, Lola Nosker, Peachie Prange,
Lois Ristau, Susan Rockwell, Donna
Stone, Judy Unland, Peter Yoo.
Cross Currents is published monthly and
distributed to members and friends of
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
Articles for Cross Currents are due in the church
office by the 10th of the month.
Pastor
James R. Schack
314-628-9434
pastor@holycrosselca.com
Music Ministry
Administrative
Assistant
Joanne Way
office@holycrosselca.com
Director of congregational Ministry
Dan Johnson
youth@holycrosselca.com
Church Council
council@holycrosselca.com
Editor
Lola Nosker
crosscurrents@holycrosselca.com
Please contact Judy Niebling
(636.225.7363) or Susan Jentes
(314.434.4675) if would like to be a part of
this ministry.
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to
(Continued on page 4)
—The Treasury of Good Clean Church Jokes
Holy Cross Lutheran Church — ELCA
13014 Olive Boulevard
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
314-434-0546
Fax 314-434-0741
www.holycrosselca.com
636-519-0320
All are welcome for worship and Sunday school
Sunday Worship
8:15 a.m. — Traditional
11:00 a.m. — Contemporary
Sunday School - 9:45 a.m. to 10:45.a.m.
Supervised nursery provided Sunday
8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Page 3
Church Business
Family & Friends
Thank You
(Continued from page 3)
show hospitality to strangers, for by doing
that some have entertained angels without
knowing – Hebrews 13:1-2.
And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell
you, just as you did it to one of the least of
these who are members of my family, you did
it to me’ – Matthew 25.40.
Susan Jentes†
(Continued from page 2)
church, but everyone was active on the playing field at any given time as either a leader
or a follower? What could your church accomplish?
What if every member of your church saw
herself and himself as a leader in your community? What sort of community would you
have?
What if …?
Bishop Roger Gustafson†
Page 4
Rummage sale
The “first annual” Holy Cross rummage
sale is scheduled for Saturday, June 20,
from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Donations of
gently-used furniture, appliances, electronics, miscellaneous “treasures,” and
clothing (jackets and baby items only) are
being accepted. Items for the sale are being collected in the classrooms in Fellowship Hall, beginning with the one closest
to the furnace. If you need help bringing
your “stuff” to Holy Cross, or if you are
able to help pick up, please contact Gerry
Rechek at 920.344.6129 or grechek@sbcglobal.net.
There will also be a bake sale going on at
the same time. We welcome your donation of cookies, brownies, muffins, etc. –
packaged in ones and twos in ziplock
bags. Deliveries accepted on June 19 or
20.
Enthusiastic workers are needed to help
set up, work during the sale, and clean
up at the end of the day. Gerry is eagerly
waiting to hear how YOU can help! Let’s
make this an AMAZING event that we
will want to duplicate next year!†
Dear Friends in Christ,
On behalf of the Hohenstein Family, I
would like to thank you for the cards,
phone calls, food, and hugs during this
most difficult time following the death of
our mother, Ruth. We deeply appreciate
your kind words and prayers which continue to uplift and sustain us. We know
that our parents have been reunited with
each other and, most importantly, they
are with their risen Lord and Savior.
Holy Cross helped Preben Christensen
celebrate his 91st birthday on April 19,
following the 8:15 service, with cake and
many good wishes.
I am blessed to have such a loving and
caring church family.
In Christian love,
Laurie Schack†
Rest Eternal Grant
Him, O Lord, and Let
Light Perpetual Shine
Upon Him
Dan Rogers, our brother in Christ, died
on Tuesday, May 12.
Page 13
Family & Friends
6.5
6.5
6.10
6.11
6.14
6.15
6.17
6.19
6.20
6.20
6.21
6.23
6.24
6.26
6.26
6.28
6.29
Linda Tyahla
Evan Holbrook
Peachie Prange
Diana Jost
Rick Treis
Fred Emch
Luanne Dennison
Jayne Kasten
Jackie Schapp
Michael Tocco
Mike Napier
Sandy Kalin
Cathy Mosher
Wayne Mosher
Brandon Enlow
Judy Gockel
Keith Krull
Remembering and Celebrating
Cradle Roll Baptismal Birthday
6.23.13 Cooper Braun†
6.6
6.7
6.9
6:11
6.11
6.11
6.13
6.14
6.17
6.19
6.20
6.25
6.27
Dan & Jackie Johnson
Ben & Renata Crutcher
Justin & Melissa Sims
David & Kathy Dicke
Mike & Peachie Prange
Mark & Penny Rudolph
Tony & Carole Vierling
Erik & Sandy Hagen
Mark & Judy Unland
Rick & Sylvia Treis
Greg & Sarah Miller
Steve & Darlene Kuhlman
Jeff & Becky Benson
Did we miss your birthday or anniversary? If so, please contact Joanne Way at
office@holycrosselca.com or 314-4340546.†
Church Business
God's blessings to LaVonte Adams,
Jada Allen, Brandon Enlow, Deirdre Jost,
Cade Rechek, and Justin Williams who
reaffirmed their baptisms in the Rite of
Confirmation.†
April
financial statistics
April Budgeted Income
April Actual Income
April Budgeted Expenses April Actual Expenses General Fund balance as of
Greg Miller, Treasurer†
Page 12
$133,500
$135,378
$138,744
$134,963
4.30.15
$6,662.
Congratulations to our graduating seniors – Sam Susina, Nick Susina, Meagan
Nalepa, and Matt Napier (Absent from
photo – Monica Enlow).†
Priorities
My father used to play with my brother
and me in the yard. Mother would come
out and say, “You’re tearing up the
grass.”
“We’re not raising grass,” Dad would
reply. “We’re raising boys.”
—Harmon Killebrew
Page 5
Music
Church Business
Strategic Process Team
The point of any church should be spreading the news of the Gospel of Jesus. That
means that we as members of Holy Cross should be introducing our neighbors and
friends to Jesus Christ. When was the last time you spoke to someone not at church
about Jesus? Recently, Pastor Schack gave us a method to prepare us to discuss faith
with others. Have you used it? How did it go?
Members have told me that everyone they know is a Christian. I would challenge that
idea since studies have shown that the majority of people do not attend church on a
regular basis. Even those who claim to have a church home do not attend on an average Sunday. In the military, the fastest growing selection in the choice of religious affiliation is “none.”
Think about the people you meet on a regular basis – the person who cuts your hair,
the person who sells you coffee. Start talking with them about Jesus. It can be done; we
Lutherans can talk about Jesus with strangers. We need to change our habit of keeping
faith personal.
We spread the Good News of Jesus with our actions as well as with our words. When
planning events or activities, let’s think about how we can equip our members to invite
others to join us and connect with God.
Dan Johnson†
Special dates
• Flag Day, June 14, 2015
• Father’s Day, June 21, 2015
• First day of summer, June 21, 2015
Page 6
Can You Guess the Hymn?
Word clues that may have helped you guess last month’s hymn were: saints, river, and
throne. The last phrase of the refrain of the hymn ends with “Gather with the saints at
the river that flows by the throne of God.” So, last month’s hymn was Shall We Gather
at the River, #423 in the Lutheran Hymnal.
This month’s hymn was penned by American songwriter and hymnist Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (1866-1960). Chisholm was born in a log cabin in Kentucky and in addition to writing more than 1,200 hymns was a teacher at 16 and began a career as an insurance salesman. He had a religious conversion at the age of 27 and became a Methodist minister for a year. Chisholm was plagued with fragile health and at times was confined to bed and unable to work. Between bouts of illness he would push himself to put
extra hours into his job to make ends meet. Chisholm found comfort in the Scriptures
and his favorite verse was Lamentations 3:22-23, which was the genesis of this month’s
hymn. His belief was that God provides strength and all our needs during times of illness.
At age 57, while on a mission trip, Chisholm wrote to his good friend William Runyan,
a relatively unknown musician, and gave him some of his poems. Runyan was impressed by the poem which provides the lyrics for this month’s hymn and wrote a melody for it. The poem and melody (hymn) were then used so often at chapel services at
the Moody Bible Institute, with which Runyan was associated, that it became the official hymn of the Institute.
The hymn remained obscure until it gained worldwide acclaim when it was sung by
George Beverly Shea during the Billy Graham Crusades in 1945. Today it is considered
one of the great hymns of faith.
Jack Hamill†
Page 11
Music
Church Business—Lay Ministry
The label on the back reads: “Assembled
by the Banner Ministry Committee, December 2004. Donated by Norma Jean
Gamble in loving memory of her husband, Howard.Ӡ
The French Baroque and Classical Organ
We take a break from the symphonic French organ composers to talk about the French
baroque and classical organ. In German baroque organs, builders aimed for a unified
sound with the scaling of pipes in octaves and mixtures to blend into an ensemble
sound ideal for the contrapuntal music of J. S. Bach. However, French baroque organ
builders chose the creation of color possibilities where solo stops such as cromhorns,
trompettes, and various combinations of flute stops such as cornets and tierces carried
the melody while being accompanied by softer stops on another manual or contrasting
with other sounds of the organ.
Among the genres of French baroque music were Masses, Suites, and Noels. The
Masses and Suites were composed of small pieces of music that could be played for the
Roman Catholic Mass. Often they contained sections called recits where an ornamented
melody would be played on a solo stop such as a cromhorn or tierce accompanied by
soft flutes. Dialogues were conversations between two different sounds of equal
strength. Duos were composed of two voices played on different manuals with contrasting registrations; trios were like duos but with an added pedal part or an additional manual part. Fugues were similar to the German fugue with an introduction of a
subject in each voice; echos were compositions based on two unequal sounding registrations with one being softer than the other. Finally, the plein jeu was a piece in a meter of 2 or 4 with a principal chorus sound, including mixtures which often opened or
closed a Suite or Mass.
French baroque and classical organ music is divided into three periods. The early
school, whose composers included Louis Couperin (1626-1661), established the principles and forms of the school. The second period, with composers like Nicholas Lebegue
(1631-1702), established the French school proper. The third, with composers like Louis
Claude Daquin (1694-1772), whose claim to fame was his 12 Noels, expanded and refined the principals of the school.
Jack Hamill†
Page 10
Funeral banner
This banner caught our attention as it
was printed in color on the back of one of
our books, Celebrations of Faith, 60 Banner
Patterns, by Carla Krazl. But the words
on it were “Lift High the Cross” since it
was a processional banner. Well, not only
did we have a banner with that wording,
we were looking for something to use
during funerals and memorial services.
Then one of our sainted committee members suggested we just use the design, a
ribboned path winding its way around
the cross on its journey between earth
and heaven, and choose different words
– say, a line from the hymn Amazing
Grace.
And that is the story behind our funeral
banner, although you will see it displayed on other occasions also since its
message, “’tis grace will lead me home,”
is a comfort at all times.
HavenHouse remodel
The HavenHouse remodel project on
May 2 was a great success thanks to
Becky Benson, Pat Goertzen, Helen and
Keith Krull, Darlene and Steve Kuhlman,
John Paruolo, Philip Paul, and Peter Yoo.
We appreciate their hard work—as do
the guests of HavenHouse. Pam Jokerst
donated the bedding, and Mark and Leslye Molamphy gave a mattress and box
spring. Thank you to all—and to those
who supported the project monetarily.†
Page 7
Christian Education
Lay Ministry
Peanut butter
drive
Thank you to all who supported the peanut butter drive! More than 300 jars were
collected and will be delivered soon to
the St. Louis sponsor of the House of
Hope Orphanage in Haiti. HOH is a children’s home in the Port-au-Prince suburb
of Tabarre, part of the work of AmerHaitian Bon Zami (AHBZ), Inc. Formed
in 1976 to help alleviate the suffering of
children in Haiti, AHBZ is a cooperative
effort between Haitian and United States
staffs. “Bon zami” means “good friends”
in Haitian Creole.
The mission of HOH and AMBZ is to
care for the orphaned and abandoned
children of Haiti, preparing them to be
well-rounded adults physically, emotionally, and spiritually, who can provide for
themselves and their impoverished nation, and to establish bonds of friendship
and understanding between Haitians and
Americans.
We look forward to expanding our relationship with House of Hope. Look for
more information in the near future.†
Page 8
Youth Ministry
It has been a very busy and productive
time for youth ministry at Holy Cross.
We have wrapped up our Sunday night
program for the school year and are preparing for the summer trips. Youth Sunday was wonderful with four of our
youth presenting meaningful messages.
It was good to honor Meagan Nalepa,
Matt Napier, Nick Susina, Matt Susina,
and Thomas Meyer on this special day.
Thanks to all who helped make Youth
Sunday memorable.
As we have done for a number of years,
we will again be selling sponsorship tshirts ($25 plus a free t-shirt, with the option to not receive the t-shirt). Funds
raised with t-shirt sponsorships, along
with gift card sales, negate the need for
other fundraisers. The youth are grateful
for your support.
Dan Johnson†
Seminary Journey
I am approaching the end of my second
year at Wartburg – WOW! I have submitted my final paper and made the last
post for my two classes. The course on
New Testament Letters and Revelation
has been particularly meaningul,
prompting me to look at the New Testament in a deeper way.
During the first week of June I will be
back on campus for some intensive
classes. It will be good to see my classmates and spend time with them face-toface. During the summer I will have two
classes, Spiritual Practices and Pastoral
Care.
Fun at
Outback
Rock Vacation
Bible
School
Blessings,
Dan Johnson†
Wednesday morning
Bible study
Meets in the church library
9:30 a.m.
Led by Pastor Schack†
Page 9