Dear Family,

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day in the season of Lent in which we remember the road that Jesus traveled for us that led to His suffering and death on a cross for our sins.  We begin the season with two worship services tonight at 5:00pm (Traditional worship with ashes) and 7:00pm (Contemporary worship with ashes) with dinner being served between the services from 5:30pm – 6:30pm.  Ashes will be placed on our foreheads tonight as a sign of sorrow for our sinfulness, but they will be placed in the shape of a cross as a sign of Jesus’ tremendous love for us.

God’s Blessings,
Pastor Bill

Our Family Night dinner menu for tonight has changed! We will be serving pizza and salad tonight at 5:30 pm, followed by bible study classes at 6:45 pm. We hope to see you there!

Just a reminder that we will have a pot luck dinner tonight for our “Family Night” ministries.  Dinner will be served from 5:45pm – 6:30pm.  Bible study for adults, high school youth, confirmation students, and children will take place from 6:45pm – 7:30pm.

God’s Blessings,
Pastor Bill

Dear Holy Cross Family:

Just a reminder that our Family Night ministries begin again tonight with dinner from 5:45pm – 6:30pm and Bible studies for adults, high school youth, confirmation students, and children from 6:45pm – 7:30pm.  There will be two new Adult Bible Studies:

The Bible On Trial: Beyond A Reasonable Doubt – In this video based series the case will be made that the Bible is authentic, dependable, God-inspired, and worthy of our complete faith.  This class will meet in the sanctuary.

Spiritual Warfare – This study will use the book titled, “The Bondage Breaker” by Neil T. Anderson and it will reveal the whys and hows of spiritual warfare, expose Satan’s battle for our minds, and teach us how to be the spiritual warriors God wants us to be.  This class will meet in the narthex area where we eat dinner.

I look forward to seeing you tonight.

God’s Blessings,
Pastor Bill

Due to the weather, both worship services today, December 9th, have been cancelled.

Dear Family:

There will be a visitation to honor Rev. Pat at Paul & Lizy Coleman’s home (1032 Newburgh Circle, Raleigh, NC 27603) on Friday, December 7, from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. I realize many of you may have activities taking place this Saturday and will be unable to attend the memorial service. Therefore, Paul & Lizy would like to invite you and anyone in the church to their home for a time of visitation to celebrate Pat’s life.

There will be a memorial service to celebrate Pat’s life next Saturday, December 8, at 11:00am. Everyone is invited to attend.

Dear Family:

I will begin a series of New Member Classes this Sunday, December  2, at 10:00am.  The schedule for the four classes is listed below.  If you are interested in becoming a member of the church or if you are already a member but would like a refresher on “What Lutherans Believe” then I invite you to join us for the following classes:

Sunday, December 2   – “Who Is God?”
Sunday, December 9   – “Differences in Denominations: Part 1”
Sunday, December 16 – “Differences in Denominations: Part 2”
Sunday, January 6 – “Our Vision and Values”

Our New Member Sunday will be on January 13.  Please know there is no obligation to join the church as a member after attending the classes.  The classes will meet in the area outside of the kitchen where our adult Sunday School class normally meets.

If you had been attending my adult Bible study on 1 Corinthians, we will finish the study in January and then we will continue with a study on 2 Corinthians in the new year.

God’s Blessings,
Pastor Bill
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
2920 NC Highway 42 West
Clayton, NC 27520
(919) 553-4784

Dear Family:

Rev. Pat Zimmerman was peacefully called home on Tuesday to live with Jesus in His heavenly kingdom.  There will be a memorial service to celebrate Pat’s life next Saturday, December 8, at 11:00am.  Everyone is invited to attend.  Please keep Lizy Coleman and her family in your prayers as she mourns her father’s death, but looks forward to the day that she will see him again in God’s heavenly kingdom.  I invite you to pray the following prayer with me:

Heavenly Father, we give thanks that You have kept Pat in the faith and have now taken him to be with You forever.  Comfort us with Your holy Word, and give us strength that when our last hour comes we may peacefully fall asleep in You.  Amen.

In God’s Service,
Pastor Bill

Dear Family:

I would like to invite you to join us for the following events at Holy Cross this weekend:

Friday, November 2 – “Trivia Night” at 7:00pm.  Join us for a fun evening of team trivia.  The cost is $10/person and the money raised will go towards sending our high school youth to the National Youth Gathering next summer in Minnesota.  Child care will be available.  To register, contact Rebekah at 919-553-4784 or rebekah.bajwa@holycrossclayton.com.

Sunday, November 4 – “Backpack Buddies Sunday.”  It is time for us to restock our food pantry for our Backpack Buddies program at East Clayton Elementary School.  Every family is asked to bring one of the following items with them to worship on Sunday:

• Shelf Stable Milk Boxes
• Canned Vegetables
• Individual Breakfast Items
• 100% Juice Boxes
• Canned Fruits
• Individual Pasta (ie – mac & cheese; Ramen noodles)
• Canned Meats & Stews
• Healthy Snacks

Please place your food items on the table in the narthex area before you go into the sanctuary for worship.

This Sunday, November 4, is also All Saints Sunday.  Every year churches around the world set aside the first Sunday of November to remember those who have died in the faith, but who live in God’s heavenly kingdom today.  While the names of all of our members who have died since our church was started in 2001 will be listed in the bulletin, we will only read the names of those who have died over the past year in our worship service.  Please join us for this special worship service.

In God’s Service,
Pastor Bill
(Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour this weekend.)

Dear Family:

Just a reminder that “Family Night” will not meet this evening, Oct. 31, in honor of Reformation Day (or Halloween as our society calls it). Therefore, enjoy your evening at home together as a family. If you give out candy tonight to trick or treaters, just remember that the free candy is like eternal life – free through Jesus’ death and resurrection, which is a real treat.

God’s Blessings,
Pastor Bill