Sunday School Christmas Service Longest Night ... AWS
HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH December Issue 2017
SSuunnddaayy SScchhooooll CChhrriissttm maass SSeerrvviiccee Sunday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m. (with Congregational Fellowship following)
LLoonnggeesstt N Niigghhtt SSeerrvviiccee Monday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m.
CCH HRRIISSTTM MAASS EEVVEE SSuunnddaayy M Moorrnniinngg SSeerrvviiccee December 24 at 10:00 a.m.
SSuunnddaayy EEvvee CCaannddlleelliigghhtt SSeerrvviicceess December 24 at 4:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
CCH HRRIISSTTM MAASS D DAAYY H Hoollyy CCoom mm muunniioonn SSeerrvviiccee Monday, December 25 at 10:00 a.m.
N NEEW W YYEEAARR’’ss EEVVEE SSuunnddaayy M Moorrnniinngg SSeerrvviiccee December 31 at 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
SSuunnddaayy EEvvee H Hoollyy CCoom mm muunniioonn SSeerrvviiccee December 31 at 4:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
That They May Be One - John 17:11
by Rev. Nolan Astley
In Advent we prepare not just for the celebration of Christmas, but we are also being prepared for the day when our Lord returns in glory to gather His people to Himself and to bring unity to all his people in heaven and on earth. St. John’s vision of heaven in the book of Revelation tells us that before the throne of the Lamb there will be people from every tribe, nation and language and that they will join together with one voice to sing the praises of our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Over the past five of years it has been a great privilege for me to serve on the national dialog between pastors and theologians of LCC and our counterparts in the Roman Catholic Church. (At the top of this article you will see a picture taken at our last meeting, right here at Holy Cross.) This participation has deepened my longing for the day when the “one holy Christian church” will indeed be visibly and eternally one! Some of you may wonder what the point of such meetings are, and I have to confess I wondered about it all 5 years ago. Surely 9 Canadians meeting two times a year is not going to mend a 500-year-old rift in the Christian church. But I can tell you from my experience that while we might not bring unity between Lutherans and Roman Catholics, the 9 of us who have participated in these discussions have a much deeper understanding of each other’s teachings and a growing realization that despite the many divisions between us, there is much we hold in common. Among the commonalities are:
A clear confession of the Triune God A common understanding that salvation is found in Christ alone A shared reverence for the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion An understanding that our worship grows out of a common root and has many similarities A shared understanding of the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel to all the world A profound commitment to the value of life from conception to natural death
I have also learned that our little Synod can and ought to take its place in discussion with other Christians; we have many things to share with them and they listen to us and respect our views. Perhaps more importantly I have come to see the 4 men and 1 woman who represent the Roman church to be my brothers and sister in the faith who share the same joys and sorrows as we do. That does not mean we can all gather at the Lord’s Table just yet, or that we should gloss over our differences, but it does make me long for the day when we will all be seated at the marriage feast of the Lamb of God in heaven forever. As we move further into what seems to be a post-Christian world, it will be more and more important for Christians to be open to each other and to love and support one another. So, amid all the other things we pray about in this Advent season, please also pray for the unity of Christ’s church and for our little dialog group here in Ontario. In so doing we are joining our prayers with the prayers of our Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed in His High Priestly Prayer, “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” John 17:11. In Christ, Page 2 | www.holycrosskitchener.org
Come Christmas Caroling! Sunday, December 3rd Carolers are invited to being a bag lunch to eat together after the late service as we meet at 1 p.m. in the basement to organize into teams and set out at 1:30 p.m. for our visits. We plan to return to the church about 4:45 p.m. For more information contact Marjorie Snyder 519-745-4698 or email [email protected]
Carolers of all ages are welcome www.holycrosskitchener.org | Page 3
Women in Christ Café WICK Enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas traditions from all over Europe! Please join us in watching travel expert Rick Steves' beautiful European Christmas DVD, followed by a devotion and caroling!
Page 4 | www.holycrosskitchener.org
.
www.holycrosskitchener.org | Page 5
Pray with us... anytime, anywhere! Ephesians 6:18 says, "And pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
In 2004 the ministry of "Prayer Partners" began for our Confirmation students. We currently have 20 Confirmation students who have 31 people connected to them, giving the gifts of time in prayer and care to our Grade 6 & 7 students. The praying goes "both ways" as the pre-teens are encouraged to remember "their adults" in prayer too. We wonder if more of you would like to join us when we have a new confirmation class? What a powerful intergenerational blessing and service we can provide for one another! If you are interested, please contact Roz Kays or Henrietta Schafer for more information. Page www.holycrosskitchener.org Page 66 || www.holycrosskitchener.org
Reformation 500 / Organ Dedication
On Reformation Sunday, October 29 we dedicate the newly refurbished Casavant Organ which was purchased nearly 18 months ago by Holy Cross and has now been updated and installed in our balcony. This organ was designed by Casavant Brothers in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec in 1960 and was installed a short time later at Eglise St. Octave, a Roman Catholic Church in East Montreal. Our organ is #2615 of the nearly 4000 organs Casavant has built, and continues to build, all over the world. There are some 1500 (?) pipes in the organ, each with a different sound. Thanks to the updates installed by Dodington Pipe Organ Services this organ has new electronic circuitry which will greatly increase its reliability and versatility. Thanks and praise to God for all who contributed, time, talents, treasures and prayers to this project which will most likely outlive everyone who had a significant role in it. Sola Deo Gloria; To God be the Glory!
Lego Reformation Rose Many hands did fun work! Around 100 people of all ages were involved for a couple of weeks in May and then again, for 1 week in October, to create a “Luther Rose”. We had a group begin putting it together after pizza supper on the same Friday night as the Creation Ministries presentation, with help from Sunday School students and families on Sunday, May 28. This Fall, LINC participants were a significant help to creating (and then pulling apart the pieces from their base) so it was almost complete in our building on October 31, the 500 year anniversary of the Reformation! It was a great intergenerational time involving all skill levels as each person could decide if they wanted a complex design to follow or just fill up their “square” with all white! We assembled 100 squares with 16x16 pixel dimensions (25,600 single pieces – thankfully some were laid out using doubles & quads!) If you had a chance to look into the gym from the hallway above, the blue, light grey, dark grey, white, yellow, red & black Lego pieces provided a beautifully detailed image. There are resources in our church and online that describe the spiritual symbolism of the colours used in the cross, heart, flower, background and ring. Free “Meet Martin Luther” booklets are still available at the Welcome Centre. Thanks to Lutheran Church Canada East District for purchasing the materials and sharing with congregations in our area. Watch for a LEGO “Books of the Bible” project coming in 2018! Submitted by Henrietta Schafer www.holycrosskitchener.org | Page 7
WEEKLY
At a glance
Worship Service Worship Service Nuer Service
8:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
Adult Bible Study Young Adult Bible Study Youth Bible Study Children’s Sunday School
9:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m.
MONDAY ESL at Historic St. Paul’s(Dec 4,11)10:30 a.m. Griefshare Seminar (Dec 4,11) 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY ESL, Historic St. Paul’s (Dec 5,12) 6:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY LWMLC Quilts (Dec 6,13)
9:00 a.m.
THURSDAY Beginnings Program (Dec 7,14, 21) 9:30 a.m. Prayer Group (Dec 7,14) 9:30 a.m. Church Choir 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY Youth Activities
7:00 p.m.
S A T UR D A Y Nuer Bible Study
2:00 p.m.
How to Contact Us! Church Office 519-742-5812 VoiceMail Extensions/Email Pastor Astley – Ext. 223 [email protected] Pastor Syens – Ext. 224 [email protected] Pastor Chuol – Ext. 230 [email protected] Henrietta Schafer – Ext. 226 [email protected] Lenora Wallden – Ext. 231 [email protected] Jennifer Massicotte – Ext. 228 [email protected] Richard Roth – Ext. 229 [email protected] Janet Cumby – Ext. 222 [email protected] Debbie Pritchard – Ext. 221 [email protected] Page 8 | www.holycrosskitchener.org
Wi-Fi Access at Holy Cross With the changes that were made to the Holy Cross network, we can now have members access Holy Cross's Wi-Fi. To request access, log in to the Holy Cross website and in the MEMBERS tab click on Constitution/Policies/Procedures. On the Constitution/Policies/Procedures page in the Policy & Guidelines column, read the document titled 3.6 Wi-Fi Usage Policy. If you agree with the policy, you can send an email (the policy contains what is required in the email) to Office Administrator (Debbie Pritchard) and she will send you the connection details. If you have any question contact: Debbie Pritchard or Reinhold Schmidt.
www.holycrosskitchener.org
DDeeaaddlliinnee ffoorr ssuubbmmiissssiioonnss ttoo tthhee DDeecceemmbbeerr VViissiioonn iiss:: FFrriiddaayy,, DDeecceem mbbeerr 1155
SSuunnddaayy SScchhooooll CChhrriissttm maass SSeerrvviiccee Sunday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m. (with Congregational Fellowship following)
LLoonnggeesstt N Niigghhtt SSeerrvviiccee Monday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m.
CCH HRRIISSTTM MAASS EEVVEE SSuunnddaayy M Moorrnniinngg SSeerrvviiccee December 24 at 10:00 a.m.
SSuunnddaayy EEvvee CCaannddlleelliigghhtt SSeerrvviicceess December 24 at 4:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
CCH HRRIISSTTM MAASS D DAAYY H Hoollyy CCoom mm muunniioonn SSeerrvviiccee Monday, December 25 at 10:00 a.m.
N NEEW W YYEEAARR’’ss EEVVEE SSuunnddaayy M Moorrnniinngg SSeerrvviiccee December 31 at 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
SSuunnddaayy EEvvee H Hoollyy CCoom mm muunniioonn SSeerrvviiccee December 31 at 4:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
That They May Be One - John 17:11
by Rev. Nolan Astley
In Advent we prepare not just for the celebration of Christmas, but we are also being prepared for the day when our Lord returns in glory to gather His people to Himself and to bring unity to all his people in heaven and on earth. St. John’s vision of heaven in the book of Revelation tells us that before the throne of the Lamb there will be people from every tribe, nation and language and that they will join together with one voice to sing the praises of our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Over the past five of years it has been a great privilege for me to serve on the national dialog between pastors and theologians of LCC and our counterparts in the Roman Catholic Church. (At the top of this article you will see a picture taken at our last meeting, right here at Holy Cross.) This participation has deepened my longing for the day when the “one holy Christian church” will indeed be visibly and eternally one! Some of you may wonder what the point of such meetings are, and I have to confess I wondered about it all 5 years ago. Surely 9 Canadians meeting two times a year is not going to mend a 500-year-old rift in the Christian church. But I can tell you from my experience that while we might not bring unity between Lutherans and Roman Catholics, the 9 of us who have participated in these discussions have a much deeper understanding of each other’s teachings and a growing realization that despite the many divisions between us, there is much we hold in common. Among the commonalities are:
A clear confession of the Triune God A common understanding that salvation is found in Christ alone A shared reverence for the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion An understanding that our worship grows out of a common root and has many similarities A shared understanding of the urgency of proclaiming the Gospel to all the world A profound commitment to the value of life from conception to natural death
I have also learned that our little Synod can and ought to take its place in discussion with other Christians; we have many things to share with them and they listen to us and respect our views. Perhaps more importantly I have come to see the 4 men and 1 woman who represent the Roman church to be my brothers and sister in the faith who share the same joys and sorrows as we do. That does not mean we can all gather at the Lord’s Table just yet, or that we should gloss over our differences, but it does make me long for the day when we will all be seated at the marriage feast of the Lamb of God in heaven forever. As we move further into what seems to be a post-Christian world, it will be more and more important for Christians to be open to each other and to love and support one another. So, amid all the other things we pray about in this Advent season, please also pray for the unity of Christ’s church and for our little dialog group here in Ontario. In so doing we are joining our prayers with the prayers of our Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed in His High Priestly Prayer, “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” John 17:11. In Christ, Page 2 | www.holycrosskitchener.org
Come Christmas Caroling! Sunday, December 3rd Carolers are invited to being a bag lunch to eat together after the late service as we meet at 1 p.m. in the basement to organize into teams and set out at 1:30 p.m. for our visits. We plan to return to the church about 4:45 p.m. For more information contact Marjorie Snyder 519-745-4698 or email [email protected]
Carolers of all ages are welcome www.holycrosskitchener.org | Page 3
Women in Christ Café WICK Enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas traditions from all over Europe! Please join us in watching travel expert Rick Steves' beautiful European Christmas DVD, followed by a devotion and caroling!
Page 4 | www.holycrosskitchener.org
.
www.holycrosskitchener.org | Page 5
Pray with us... anytime, anywhere! Ephesians 6:18 says, "And pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
In 2004 the ministry of "Prayer Partners" began for our Confirmation students. We currently have 20 Confirmation students who have 31 people connected to them, giving the gifts of time in prayer and care to our Grade 6 & 7 students. The praying goes "both ways" as the pre-teens are encouraged to remember "their adults" in prayer too. We wonder if more of you would like to join us when we have a new confirmation class? What a powerful intergenerational blessing and service we can provide for one another! If you are interested, please contact Roz Kays or Henrietta Schafer for more information. Page www.holycrosskitchener.org Page 66 || www.holycrosskitchener.org
Reformation 500 / Organ Dedication
On Reformation Sunday, October 29 we dedicate the newly refurbished Casavant Organ which was purchased nearly 18 months ago by Holy Cross and has now been updated and installed in our balcony. This organ was designed by Casavant Brothers in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec in 1960 and was installed a short time later at Eglise St. Octave, a Roman Catholic Church in East Montreal. Our organ is #2615 of the nearly 4000 organs Casavant has built, and continues to build, all over the world. There are some 1500 (?) pipes in the organ, each with a different sound. Thanks to the updates installed by Dodington Pipe Organ Services this organ has new electronic circuitry which will greatly increase its reliability and versatility. Thanks and praise to God for all who contributed, time, talents, treasures and prayers to this project which will most likely outlive everyone who had a significant role in it. Sola Deo Gloria; To God be the Glory!
Lego Reformation Rose Many hands did fun work! Around 100 people of all ages were involved for a couple of weeks in May and then again, for 1 week in October, to create a “Luther Rose”. We had a group begin putting it together after pizza supper on the same Friday night as the Creation Ministries presentation, with help from Sunday School students and families on Sunday, May 28. This Fall, LINC participants were a significant help to creating (and then pulling apart the pieces from their base) so it was almost complete in our building on October 31, the 500 year anniversary of the Reformation! It was a great intergenerational time involving all skill levels as each person could decide if they wanted a complex design to follow or just fill up their “square” with all white! We assembled 100 squares with 16x16 pixel dimensions (25,600 single pieces – thankfully some were laid out using doubles & quads!) If you had a chance to look into the gym from the hallway above, the blue, light grey, dark grey, white, yellow, red & black Lego pieces provided a beautifully detailed image. There are resources in our church and online that describe the spiritual symbolism of the colours used in the cross, heart, flower, background and ring. Free “Meet Martin Luther” booklets are still available at the Welcome Centre. Thanks to Lutheran Church Canada East District for purchasing the materials and sharing with congregations in our area. Watch for a LEGO “Books of the Bible” project coming in 2018! Submitted by Henrietta Schafer www.holycrosskitchener.org | Page 7
WEEKLY
At a glance
Worship Service Worship Service Nuer Service
8:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
Adult Bible Study Young Adult Bible Study Youth Bible Study Children’s Sunday School
9:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m. 9:45 a.m.
MONDAY ESL at Historic St. Paul’s(Dec 4,11)10:30 a.m. Griefshare Seminar (Dec 4,11) 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY ESL, Historic St. Paul’s (Dec 5,12) 6:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY LWMLC Quilts (Dec 6,13)
9:00 a.m.
THURSDAY Beginnings Program (Dec 7,14, 21) 9:30 a.m. Prayer Group (Dec 7,14) 9:30 a.m. Church Choir 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY Youth Activities
7:00 p.m.
S A T UR D A Y Nuer Bible Study
2:00 p.m.
How to Contact Us! Church Office 519-742-5812 VoiceMail Extensions/Email Pastor Astley – Ext. 223 [email protected] Pastor Syens – Ext. 224 [email protected] Pastor Chuol – Ext. 230 [email protected] Henrietta Schafer – Ext. 226 [email protected] Lenora Wallden – Ext. 231 [email protected] Jennifer Massicotte – Ext. 228 [email protected] Richard Roth – Ext. 229 [email protected] Janet Cumby – Ext. 222 [email protected] Debbie Pritchard – Ext. 221 [email protected] Page 8 | www.holycrosskitchener.org
Wi-Fi Access at Holy Cross With the changes that were made to the Holy Cross network, we can now have members access Holy Cross's Wi-Fi. To request access, log in to the Holy Cross website and in the MEMBERS tab click on Constitution/Policies/Procedures. On the Constitution/Policies/Procedures page in the Policy & Guidelines column, read the document titled 3.6 Wi-Fi Usage Policy. If you agree with the policy, you can send an email (the policy contains what is required in the email) to Office Administrator (Debbie Pritchard) and she will send you the connection details. If you have any question contact: Debbie Pritchard or Reinhold Schmidt.
www.holycrosskitchener.org
DDeeaaddlliinnee ffoorr ssuubbmmiissssiioonnss ttoo tthhee DDeecceemmbbeerr VViissiioonn iiss:: FFrriiddaayy,, DDeecceem mbbeerr 1155
