NOVEMBER2020 Holy Cross Lutheran Church - Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church
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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS ON NOVEMBER 1st
at 2:00AM. Remember to set your clocks back 1 hour!!
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
Pastor David L. Brown
2700 Jacksonville Road
Bethlehem, PA 18017
610-867-6231
Holycrossoffice@rcn.com
Holycrosspastor@rcn.com
Holycrossfin@rcn.com
www.holycrossbethlehem.com
NOVEMBER 2020
24
October/November 2020
10/25 – REFORMATION/CONFIRMATION.
9:00AM - Holy Communion
10:30AM – In-Person Sunday School for all ages.
10/31 – TRUNK OR TREAT 4:00-6:00PM
11/1 – ALL SAINTS SUNDAY.
9:00AM - Memorial candle-lighting and Holy
Communion (including drive-in Communion.
10:30AM – In-Person Sunday School for all ages.
11/3 - ELECTION DAY
11/8 – 23rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST.
9:00AM - Praise Worship
10:30AM – In-Person Sunday School for all ages.
11/15 – STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY.
9:00 AM - Holy Communion.
10:30AM – In-Person Sunday School for all ages
11/22 – CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY.
9:00 AM - Holy Communion.
10:30AM – In-Person Sunday School for all ages
11:45AM - Congregational Meeting
11/25 - COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING EVE.
6:30PM – Praise Worship
11/26 – HAPPY THANKSGIVING !
11/29 – FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
9:00AM - Holy Communion
10:30AM – Advent Workshop
1
2 WORDS FROM PASTOR DAVID
2020 Vision (continued)
We are focusing on 20-20 vision in the year 2020. How is our
vision? Are we seeing things clearly? Do we need a new
prescription?
I made a promise back in March that, symbolic of the focus on
vision, that I would to get new glasses before the season of Lent
was over. Little did I know what was just around the corner --
COVID-19. I didn't see it coming. I still haven't gotten those
new glasses, but I hope to before the end of the year.
Maybe we needed something like COVID-19, bringing life as we
know it to a screeching halt, to get us to open our eyes and take a
fresh look at life. It's good to take time to re-evaluate many of
the things we just assume are a given. As life slowly gets back
to normal I hope you have envisioned a better normal that you
are shooting for.
Our congregation's Vision Statement reads:
Holy Cross Shines Bright for Jesus, reflecting His light in
this dark world. This community of faith gathers to draw
strength and wisdom from the truth of the Word of God
in Jesus Christ. We reach out and witness the love of
Christ and the message of eternal salvation to our
neighbors, our community, and the world.
If we are going to "shine bright" that means we have to be
noticeably different from the world. Hopefully people will think
we are weird because we don't participate in the immorality of
our culture (1 Peter 4:4). The main thing that will catch people's
attention and attract them to Christ is the way we love one
another and the unity we have in the body of Christ (John 13:34-
35). Conversely, nothing will turn people off more than fighting
and division among us.
2To truly love someone means to care more about their interests
than you do your own. I implore everyone to commitment
themselves to that kind of love. We should be slow to anger and
quick to forgive, like our Heavenly Father is. We should rather
be wronged than do anything that brings harm or dishonor to our
brothers and sisters in Christ (1 Corinthians 6:7-8).
There are two action words in our vision statement: we "gather"
and we "reach out." It is when we gather in the Lord's presence
that we get our glow on. In Exodus, when Moses came out of
the tent of meeting, his face glowed (Exodus 34:29-35). Paul
said that should be true of every New Covenant believer (2
Corinthians 3:18).
We need to gather together. I invite everyone who is in good
health to return to worship. I assure you it is safe. In July I read
an article headlined, "Churches Hit Hard by Coronavirus." As is
so often the case, the headline was completely misleading. The
article said that there were over 600 infections (out of about 5
million at that time) traced to church gatherings. More than half
of them were in two churches that acted foolishly and took no
precautions. Nothing in life is risk-free, but the vast majority of
churches have had no cases of the virus as a result of gathering
for worship.
Once we have our glow on we can reach out effectively. We
should leave worship with the glow of an expectant mother. We
should be pregnant with the word of God, looking to share the
Good News with those around us. Opportunities for the church
to reach out are limited at this time. We mustn't give up. We
need to find creative ways to share God's love with people.
My prayer is that the vision we put down on paper many years
ago would truly be our vision for Holy Cross. Let us recommit
ourselves to living out that vision. May we would truly "shine
bright for Jesus."
– Pastor David
3HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
If you are admitted to the hospital, please have
someone tell the hospital admissions department that
you are a member of Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran
Church on Jacksonville Road in Bethlehem AND ask
them to notify us. Also, you or a family member can
notify the church (610 867-6231,
holycrossoffice@rcn.com) or Pastor David. Most
hospitals still have visiting restrictions, but if we can't
visit at least we can pray.
1. Connie Foster resigned as Treasurer and Lisa
Wechler was appointed to serve as Treasurer for
the remainder of the year.
2. Trunk or Treat will be held on Saturday, October
31st at 4:00 pm. If you are interested in
participating, we will be decorating all cars using
Bible themes. See Ruthann Kistler for details.
3. An October/November Epistle will be mailed to all
members by October 15th.
4MESSAGE FROM THE TREASURER
Starting 12/1/2020, if the requisition form is not filled
out correctly, it will be returned to you for completion.
If the account number is not listed on the back of the
form because it is something special, then that must be
noted in the account number section. You must also fill
out the description/usage line so there is no confusion
or guessing.
-- Lisa Wechsler, Treasurer
WORSHIP & MUSIC NEWS
Welcome back! We’re thankful that through the
past months corporate worship has continued to be
offered, and that through live-streaming the services
most have been able to join us on line if not in person.
We will continue the live-stream for those unable to
join us in person for whatever reason – whether health,
safety or travel.
On communion Sundays only, we will continue projecting
the service into the Fellowship Hall where masks are
required at all times. Communion will be served there
as well. We are hoping to project the bulletin in the
sanctuary for the Praise services. Everyone is asked to
wear a mask when entering and exiting the building. If
you are at a safe distance in the sanctuary, you may
remove your mask.
5Upcoming events are many as we move toward the end
of the liturgical calendar and then the beginning of a
new one.
On the 25th of October we will celebrate the
Reformation with the confirmation of four young ladies:
Sarah Barlow, Julia LoConte, Faith Miller, and Erineah
Quan. Congratulations to all of them and their families!
November 1st is All Saints Day. If you’d like the name
of a loved one shared, please see the insert for
directions on submission of names for inclusion in the
bulletin.
November 25th is Thanksgiving Eve. Yes, we will have a
Thanksgiving Eve service beginning at 6:30pm. Advent
begins on November 29th. A decision on having
midweek Advent services has not been made at this
time. Your input is always welcome.
It’s not too early to put your order in for poinsettias
that will decorate our sanctuary for Christmas. See
the insert for details.
We pray that we will see more people worshiping in
person.
-- Janet Stryker, Chair
6Trunk or Treat
Imaginations are running wild!
Many of our Holy Cross friends are coming
up with creative ways to deck out their
vehicles with
Bible messages for
Saturday, October 31
4:00-6:00 PM
Reserve a spot on our sign-up
sheet on the bulletin board
across from the church office
Let’s reach out to our community
with the gospel! Invite your friends
and neighbors.
7PRESCHOOL NEWS
Holy Cross Christian Preschool is in its
20th year of operation!�PTL! This
year we have a combined class of 3
and 4 yr. olds that meets Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays. There
are currently 6 children enrolled with two more due to
start shortly! As a result, everyone is wearing a mask,�
(Even the Weather Bear), maintaining Social Distancing
as much as possible by using the Fellowship Hall daily,
and going outside whenever possible. We are thankful
for the beautiful fall weather and the playground space
to enjoy it. We ask that you please pray for the health
and safety of the children and staff as they proceed
through this school year!
Yours in Christian Love,
Karen Steiner
REMEMBER TO VOTE NOVEMBER 3RD
This is a presidential election with significant policy
differences between the candidates that will have a
major impact on the future direction of our country.
Be sure and get to the polls (or vote by mail) and
register your preferences.
8Financial Update
It Is Budget Time Again!
It is that time of year to again put our next year (2021)
Budget together to present to the congregation in
November. This process was much more involved and
complicated this year because of the pandemic.
However, we followed a similar process as in previous
years. Just a quick refresher to help you understand
the process. We use the current year’s income from
Jan 1 – Aug 31 to calculate a projected full year (Jan 1 –
Dec 31) income based on historical giving patterns from
the last several years. Historically, the end of August
giving is approximately 63% of the full year amount.
The table below shows the actual numbers for 2017,
2018, 2019 and an estimate for 2020. As you might
expect, our giving for 2020 was down during the first
several months of the pandemic, however, your
stewardship throughout this difficult period was
amazing! Most of you continued to faithfully give to the
Lord’s work here at Holy Cross. August set an all-time
record for that month as members caught up on their
donations. Thank you for your faithfulness!
When comparing our 2020 giving projection to previous
years we can see the somewhat surprising result that
we are quite close to last year and at the same pace as
2018. Isn’t it amazing what we can do when we all pull
9together for God’s work? We, of course, will need
another big finish at the end of the year to meet our
ministry and benevolence expenses for 2020.
Comparison of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 Holy Cross Giving
2017 2018 2019 2020 Est*
Total Local Min/Current $179,780 $184,350 $188,610 $184,300
Benevolence $46,080 $36,570 $37,270 $34,720
*Based on giving from 1/1/2020 – 8/31/2020 using a 62.9% Historical Average
The Committee Chairs, Executive Committee, Treasurer
and Church Council will use this information along with
their 2021 expense estimates and salary projections
for Pastor David and the other 4 staff members to
come up with a 2021 budget. You will hear more about
this shortly once council has adopted a new budget. We
hope you will prayerfully consider what the Lord is
guiding you to give to our ministries here at Holy Cross
for the rest of the year and 2021so that we can remain
financially viable.
~ Lynden Stryker, Stewardship Chair
INGATHERING 2020
It is already time for Ingathering
2020. Holy Cross is responsible
for 175 bars of soap and 175 washcloths. Also,
donations of new or good used towels, blankets,
sheets, pillow cases, caps, gloves, mittens, socks
& sweatshirts, scarves, baby clothes and any
new or good used board games, toys, puzzles,
10playing cards and cleaning supplies. Monetary
donations can be made to Darlene Treisner or
Yvonne Frankenfield.
Please, no stained, torn or frayed items. Place
donations in the designated receptacle in the
Gathering Place beginning Sunday, Dec. 6.
Donations due NO LATER than Sunday, Dec 27.
BIRTHDAY CAKES FOR THE FOOD BANK
I am a Webelo Cub Scout. I am working on my
Duty to God in Action Badge. You may remember
that my brother, sister and I made a neighbour-
hood prayer table this summer. For my service
project, I am collecting cake mixes, frosting,
candles and medium sized birthday bags for the
ingredients.
These items will be collected and donated to the
food bank. When I helped serve food at
Everlasting Life Ministries last year, I saw that
there were no cake mixes. These people have
birthdays too! Please bring your donations to the
church and place them in the labelled box in the
Gathering Place by Saturday Nov 7th.
Thank you, Adam Barlow
11SOCIAL MINISTRY NEWS
Social Ministry Committee news is sparse since we have
not been able to meet because of the Pandemic. At our
March meeting we appointed new officers for the
coming year. They are as follows;
Chair, Judy Iasiello; Vice Chair, Alyce Stein;
Funeral Luncheon Coordinators. Darlene Treisner and
Yvonne Frankenfield; Council Rep., Sandy Repnyek..
All activities and events were cancelled for the
upcoming months.
We recently met on Sept. 30. We have decided that
with the flu season coming on and the Corona Virus still
raging, that we will not plan a Christmas luncheon for
December. There will also be no Fifth Sunday brunches
until further notice. We will try to come up with an
alternative plan for the Rosewood Christmas Party. We
have a tentative date for the Hawaiian Spring Tea
Party which will be Saturday, April 17, 2021.
It was announced that Penny Cowan will no longer be
able to serve on our committee. She has sold her home
and will reside with her daughter in Allentown and will
be attending church there. We will miss her and thank
her for her work with our group. We wish her well in
her new home and church family.
Our committee is exploring ways that we can be of
service to our congregation in helping them feel
12connected during this time of social isolation. If you
know of ways that we could reach out, please let us
know. You are welcome to call Judy Iasiello at 610-691-
8216.
Yours in Christ,
-- Judy Iasiello, Chair
DONATIONS FOR THE HOMELESS
We are continuing to collect items for the homeless.
The following new or unused items are needed:
Combs emory boards toothbrushes
Band Aids razors toothpicks
Cotton swabs reading glasses greeting cards
Stationary Dollar Tree gift cards
Travel size anything No prescription bottles please!
A labelled basket will be on the table in the Gathering
Place. All donations will be appreciated and God bless
your generosity.
13Two opportunities for Bible Study:
First and third Tuesday evening
6:30 PM
(Please note the change in time)
or
First and third Wednesday morning
10:00 AM
Prayerfully consider
attending one of the sessions
when we will dig into a study
of Acts.
14THE START OF FELLOWSHIP
CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
On June 12, I was the keynote speaker for Lehigh Valley
Christian High School’s class of 2020’s graduation. It was a
bittersweet honor since it was the last graduating class from
LVCHS, a ministry that I’ve poured out my life over the past
eight years. Many of our parents as well as the entire teaching
staff felt the Lord’s lead to continue the good work of providing
a Christian high school education option for families throughout
the Valley. From that lead Fellowship Christian was established.
The formal efforts to start the school only began on June 23.
Before that, we teachers were swamped with ending the previous
school year and cleaning out our classrooms PERMANENTLY.
Imagine trying to start a new school from next to nothing. Now
imagine doing it in the age of COVID. Now imagine doing it in
the space of less than three months! That is exactly what God
guided a small group of us to do. To do this, we have had to
spend much time in prayer and scripture study, as well as many,
many virtual meetings and countless emails. Allow me to briefly
cite some of the other things that God has accomplished through
the FCHS group: recruiting a dedicated Board of Directors,
incorporating with the Commonwealth, gaining IRS tax status,
developing numerous school policies, setting a reasonable tuition
level & budget, preparing and distributing enrollment packets,
opening a bank account, retaining a cadre of Christian teachers,
raising the capital to DO all these things, and finding a location
for classes. This is where Holy Cross came in. There were
numerous locations that the school considered, including Holy
Cross. A Christian school is a complementary ministry to a
church as generally the two groups use the building at different
times throughout the week. When the Fellowship folks toured
15our facilities here, they were very excited by what they saw and
how well it would work for our students as we built the program.
As we considered things like transportation, the property almost
seemed as if it were designed for a school. The classrooms were
open and inviting, accessible, and in good repair. To consider
what Holy Cross would potentially need to charge to be rented
by a school, Council formed a task force. We looked at
everything from insurance costs to internet accessibility. We
considered the square footage that would be used as well as
heating, cooling, electric, and water usage costs. We looked into
what other groups pay to rent space here, as well as a similar
lease arrangement at another church. And we have Bob Harwick
to thank for developing a spreadsheet so that all that data could
be easily processed and come up with what we thought would be
a reasonable amount. Because this neighborhood is zoned the
way it is, however, Fellowship would need to hire a lawyer to
present the case for a special exception to the zoning board. This
was a cost of $3-4K that God simply did not provide at this time.
That cost had to be paid out even if the zoning board would say
“no,” and they wouldn’t even decide until August 27th. Classes
were scheduled to begin September 8th.
Realizing this at the end of July, Fellowship began looking for a
Plan B, and found one at 51 Hillmond St in Bethlehem. This is
where Life in Christ Church is located, where Eleanor Gunkle
worships, and they were very excited and accommodating for us
to lease space from them. I would be remiss without mentioning
Covenant Christian Academy, or CCA. They are a K-8th grade
Christian school headed by Pastor Phil Miller, and they have
been tireless in encouraging our efforts. They are serving as a
channel for receiving tax-deductible gifts for Fellowship until we
obtain our own 501(c)3 authorization from the IRS. I’ve only
touched on the story of setting up Fellowship Christian. I haven’t
16told you how the group was able to get an $180K debt forgiven
for a sister ministry, or mentioned how Christian education
supports God’s mandate to parents to instruct their children in
the Lord, or shared my personal call as a teacher in full-time
ministry. I ask for the church’s prayer support of Fellowship
Christian. We are looking for God to grow our enrollment. We
have families who struggle with tuition. Our teachers are
sacrificing financially to support this ministry. But when we look
at what we are about, the students we have taught over the years,
the lessons in faith God has taught us this summer, we are
blessed and thankful to have this ministry.
-- Karen Brown
Birthdays:
19 – Wendy Oscavich/Adam Barlow
20 – Kelsey Wagner
22 – Herb Stein
23 – Don Frankenfield/Lori Westwood
30 – Deb Pecka
31 – Briana Pillar
Anniversaries:
Robert & Gayle McLaughlin – 10/19
17Birthdays:
1 – Bob Buzzard
4 – Jennifer LoConte
5 – Kayla Mosser/Connor McLaughlin
7 – Nickolas Perrett, Jr.
8 – Pat Chmela
9 – Rebecca Harwick/Bertram Unangst III/Edwin Wirth
11 – Aaralyn Wilson
13 – Emily Novak
17 – Eric Quan
18 – Yvonne Frankenfield
21 – Stephanie Hottenstein
22 – Grace Ritter/Erma Gohn
25 – Elizabeth Wertman/Sophia Fuesler
26 – Sandy Bickert
29 – Pat Gilbert
30 – Marlene Thomas
Anniversaries:
1 – Truman & Marie Eshbach
5 – Chris & Pat Chmela
7 – Sam & Carol Glasmire Jr.
20 – Edward & Carole Franceski
22 – Ed & Barb Gubich
Please notify the church office with any corrections or omissions.
18Member Changes and Updates
This new section will provide address changes and other
updates of our church family in an effort to keep you
connected and up to date. Feel free to make
contributions by contacting the church office by phone
(610 867-6237) or email holycrossoffice@rcn.com.
Linda Jo Albertson moved to a new apartment in the
same complex. Her new address and phone are:
1710 Sherwood Court, Apt. B
Alllentown, PA 18109
Ph. 610 419-4346
Sharon Branigan is moving Nov 4 to
5503 Republic Way
Bethlehem, PA 18017
Ph. 610 739-9544
Penny Cowan moved to Allentown. New address is:
1039 Debbie Lane
Allentown, PA 18103
Ph. 484 515-1390
Sandy Krisanda moved to Lutheran Manor. Her new
address & phone are:
2085 Westgate Drive, Apt. 417
Bethlehem, PA 18017
Ph. 610-419-0026
Jessica Steiner was married in September and her
new information is:
19Ethan & Jessica Leary
2365 South 18th St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15210
Richard & Diane Beil transferred their membership
to St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Lancaster, PA.
Tom & Carol Royer transferred their membership to
Star of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Andy & MaryAnne Sedler transferred their
membership to St Mark Lutheran Church,
Bethlehem.
We will be updating our church directory at the
beginning of the new year. This Epistle contains a form
for you to update your information. Please review your
information and let the church office know of any
changes or omissions. We are particularly interested in
adding cell phone numbers and email addresses. Please
notify us when you move because the church pays 57
cents for every wrong address in our bulk mailing of the
Epistle. Thanks
20 POINSETTIA PLANTS – It is time to place your
order to help decorate the sanctuary for
Christmas. Look for a Sign-up sheet on the
bulletin board for details.
ANNUAL ADVENT WORKSHOP – Sunday,
November 29th, in the Fellowship Hall. All Holy
Cross families are invited to attend. This is a
wonderful time to catch the excitement and
anticipation of the Advent season.
DECEMBER/JANUARY NEWSLETTER – The
December 2020/January 2021 Newsletter
covers TWO months so please plan accordingly.
The deadline for submitting articles is Tuesday,
Nov 17.
SOUP TIME – It will soon be time to make soup
in 2021. Extra donations for supplies would be
greatly appreciated. Please mark your Giving
Envelopes “soup” on the Other Line.
21Please join us at the
Advent Workshop
Sunday, November 29th
During the Sunday School hour.
All ages will come together to
prepare our hearts for the coming
of the Christ child and the season
of giving!
Chrismons, reverse Advent calendars, nursing
home favors, the giving tree and more!
22Looking Ahead Calendar Update!
Sunday, November 29 - Advent Workshop
Saturday, December 12 - Community Christmas Caroling &
Luminaries
Sunday, December 20 - SS Birthday Party for Jesus
Sunday, December 27 – Nursing Home Visit (if allowed)
It's hard to believe 2020 is almost over.
Let’s bring the year to a great finish!!
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