Holy Cross Lutheran Church

CHURCH COUNCIL MEMBERS
In the last newsletter you were introduced to some of your church council members. Following is a brief bio on some others.
JIM KANAK is one of the new members of council. He has worked as a reporter for the York County Coast Star for the past year. Previously he worked with health and human service nonprofit organizations. Jim and his wife, Susan, have lived in Wells for seven years. They are serving as coordinators of our Holy Cross greeters.
ANN SCOTT, council president, is a life-long Lutheran, who was born in Madison, Wis., raised in upstate NY and has lived in Maine since 1970. She works as a CPA and is a wife, mother of four and grandmother of four. She is passionate about backpacking in the Grand Canyon and loves gardening, piano, needlework, reading, roller-blading and snow shoeing. Her favorite saying is -"If I knew grandchildren were this much fun I would have had them first."
DON BALLUTE, council vice-president, is a partner at Paquin & Carroll Insurance and is involved with Sweetser, Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce and on the board of Biddeford Saco Area Economic Development Corp. He has 3 children and a wonderful wife. He enjoys swimming, skiing, biking and watching the “Sawks.”

YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED
A big THANK YOU to all of you who helped to make the visit and performances of the Young Acolytes Steel Drum Orchestra such a success. To the Horners, Scotts, Freemans, Kings, Donovans, Kreies, Stephens, Mills and Bansmers who provided housing, making new friends in the process, you are greatly appreciated. To Vi Stephens for coordinating the meals and to all who contributed food and helped to setup, cook, serve or cleanup, you are greatly appreciated. To Roger Rotvig for the posters and tickets, and Sue Perkins for the press coverage, and to all who helped to distribute posters, you are greatly appreciated. To Judy Avy and Church Life for help with the receptions, and to all who brought in desserts, you are greatly appreciated. For members of the Youth Group who accompanied the Young Acolytes on their Friday outing, you are greatly appreciated. For all who bought books, gave donations, ushered, provided transportation, and helped in any other way, you are greatly appreciated. And for all who attended the concerts, you are greatly appreciated and richly blessed!

SUICIDE PREVENTION WALK
An “Out of the Darkness Community Walk” to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will be held on September 11th on Baxter Boulevard , Back Cove in Portland (approx. 3.5 miles). Walkers can register at the Hannaford parking lot starting at 9 am and begin walking at 10. You can go on line at www.outofthedarkness.org to learn more, to register, or to sponsor someone like Donna Simmons, a member of Holy Cross who has recently published a book on suicide in memory of her son. You can also contact Donna directly for further information or to signup as a sponsor.

YOUNG AT HEART
What a wonderful time we had this summer at a cookout at the Rotvigs and a foot tapping performance of “Swing” at the Ogunquit Playhouse. Back by popular demand is breakfast at the Potting Shed during foliage season. On Friday, September 30th, we will meet at church at 9:00 am to carpool to this lovely spot in Acton, overlooking the mountains and their colorful leaves. All who are 55ish are invited to join us for any of our activities. During good weather seasons, we usually go somewhere fun or interesting for our activities. During the winter, we usually meet at church or nearby. If you have any requests or suggestions, see Karen.

ROOTED FOR LIFE-JOURNEYS OF FAITH
The New England Synod’s annual workshop event, "Rooted for Life – Journeys of Faith," will be held on Saturday, October 15th at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester, MA. Forty-five different workshops will be offered, covering many aspects of faith journeys, led by leaders from other synods, seminary faculty, and local synod staff, pastors and lay persons. Register early to get the best choice of workshops. – 400 people participated in this event last year. Before August 31st, the fee is $20 for electronic submission, $25 for paper. This includes four workshops, continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks. The fee increases to $30 and $35 after that date. Registration details can be found at www.nesynod.org or on the board in the Narthex. Local housing in homes will be available to first comers with a deadline of August 31st. Last date to register is September 30th. Pastor Horner will be presenting a workshop on Logos. See Karen for further information.

SHARNG THE JOY
Come and join us for our 3rd Sunday of the month sing-a-long at a local residential facility. On September 18th we will be returning to the Wardwell Home in Saco, home of our own Dorothy Klinefelter. We will meet at church at 1:30 to car pool and then sing from 2-3. We will return to church by 3:30, just in time for the 4:00 Organ Concert. Anyone is welcome to come and experience the joy of sharing music with our residential friends. You don’t have to sing – a friendly smile or holding of hands is just as appreciated. A SPECIAL THANKS to Ann Scott who donated songbook covers and paper for new folders and song sheets for use by the residents. All of the music is reorganized and formatted in a more user friendly, large print version.

SMALL GROUP DISPLAY AT RALLY DAY
How much do you know about the various “small groups” that are happening at Holy Cross? There will be a display by each of these groups in the Narthex between services on Rally Day. This is a chance to learn more about them and perhaps to join one of them. Small groups have a four-fold purpose: to learn together through Bible study or devotion; to pray together; to be of service to some one or some group; and to be of care and support to each group member. The main focus of the group may differ depending on the nature of the group. For instance, one group may be more service oriented and one may be more focused on Bible study. But the goal is that all four components would be present at least some of the time. As our congregation changes and grows, being a member of a small group is a way to feel connected to others while growing in faith and service. All groups welcome new members.

EVENING BIBLE STUDY
Beginning on Tuesday, September 27th, an evening Bible Study will be held from 7:00-8:00 in the downstairs of Luther Hall. It will meet about three times a month, finishing in early December. The subject is Mary, Mother of Jesus, a perfect topic for the months before Christmas. The study will be led by Karen, Associate in Ministry, who wrote and taught this course last year in the Wednesday morning group. A sample chapter will be available at the small group table in the Narthex on Rally Day, as well as a sign-up sheet.

DINNER FOR PARENTS OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN
On Saturday evening, September 17th at 6:00, a candlelight dinner will be held in Luther Hall for all parents or guardians of school-age children. This will be an adult-only evening for couples and single parents to socialize and to get to know other parents in the congregation. There is no charge – food will be provided and served by members of Young at Heart. Entertainment will be led by Holy Cross staff. Please RSVP to Karen by September 11th.

YOUNG ACOLYTES FOLLOW-UP
There have been various conversations about continuing a more intentional relationship with the young people of the steel drum orchestra, as well as their leaders and their congregation, an ELCA church in Brooklyn, NY. There have been emails and phone calls back and forth with them, but a more formalized relationship has been discussed, including “adopting” them as a sister congregation. Several HC folk have talked about a trip to NYC, part mission trip and part recreational, including both youth and adults from our congregation. Anyone who would like to participate in furthering these conversations and exploring the possibilities, is invited to a meeting in Luther Hall on Tuesday, September 6th from 7:00 – 8:00. If you cannot attend the meeting but have some input, please contact Karen and she will make sure that your voice is heard.

THANK YOU
We wish to thank Pastor Rich as well as friends and members of Holy Cross for their love and support during the difficult time of our Mother, Fran Karron’s death.
A special thank you to Pastor, Karen, Warren, Val, Judy, The Church Life Committee, and The Needlework Group for making our mother’s memorial service so memorable.
We are truly blessed to belong to such a loving church family.
Sincerely Yours, Susan and Larry Karron

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS OF LOGOS AGED CHILDREN
Our LOGOS program will be starting on October 5th for children in the fourth through eighth grades. LOGOS is a mid-week program that includes recreation, family time (in the form of a supper meal), worship and Bible Study. All parent of children who will be attending the LOGOS program are asked to attend a meeting on September 14th at 7:00 p.m. If you are not sure if your child should be in LOGOS, come to this meeting to find out more about our program. If you have any question prior to the meeting, call Deadra D’Addeo.

BEAN SUPPER
Beginning Saturday, Sept 3 Holy Cross will host a dinner on the first Saturday of each month in Luther Hall at 5:30 pm. “Share the Bounty” will be a monthly meal for those are in need. A sign up sheet is posted in the Narthex if you can help –needed are volunteers for set-up, serving and clean-up. The menu will be baked beans, cole slaw and corn bread. The bean recipe is over 50 years old and handed down from my mother-in-law, who assured me that the beans are good for everyone, not just Lutherans.

AIM REFLECTIONS
What an eventful summer this has been at Holy Cross, highlighted by the Steel Drum Orchestra in July and Godspell Jr. in August. All of the young people in the Brooklyn Steel Drum Orchestra and the young people from our own community in Godspell have shared their gifts with us in marvelous ways and blessed us bountifully. Both groups, along with their leaders, spent a significant amount of time and effort in rehearsing and performing. They presented their wonderful talents to our congregation and our community, as well as enriching our Sunday worship. We thank them all, from the depths of our hearts, for what they shared and how they inspired us.
As the seasons begin to turn once again and calendars begin to fill quickly, take a moment and think of how you can use your talents to enrich the life of Holy Cross. Whether you serve on a committee, or attend a small group, or help with a meal, or participate in worship, or teach a class, or sing with the choir, or reach out to the elderly, sick or hungry, or serve in countless other ways, many of them noted in this newsletter, you will be following Christ’s command to love God and serve your neighbor. We are all ‘neighbors’ to one another and we all need the support and encouragement of each and every one of us. Please join us as we live together in God’s kingdom, praising Him for His goodness and sharing what He has first given to us. Your gifts, and yes you have them, are blessings from God. Use them to praise God and to bless others.
Serving you in joy, love and peace,
Karen

MEET MIKE AND JULIA MALOY AND FAMILY
Their membership at Holy Cross is due to a long, deep friendship of two young boys. 11 year old Clint Maloy and Evan Black (the son of our members Jeff and Wendy Black) attended Logos together and have become fast friends who share their lives, friendship, and their faith at our church. The Maloy's also have nine year old twins, Callum and Maggie. Maggie enjoys gymnastics and cheer leading while Callum is into football and baseball. Mike Maloy works for Standard Insurance Co. and is president of the East Biddeford Little League. Julie is the treasurer of the Youth Cheerleaders and is employed at Unum Provident.

MEET INGRID STRANGE AND FAMILY
The high point of Ingrid Strange's summer was a trip to the Black Forest region of Germany. Her youngsters, Sarah, soon to be six years old, and Samuel, 3 years old, went too and visited many of her cousins in the region. Ingrid is an adjunct Professor of English at UNE. Her husband is an electrician with Johnson and Jordan Contracting. Ingrid was a life long resident of Malden, MA and member of First Lutheran Church in Malden. She enjoys reading, biking and playing with her youngsters.

MEET MEL LANTIGUA
A new member of Holy Cross, who has been worshipping with us for several month, Mel and his wife Sharon live in Arundel, have been married 46 years, and have four children and seven grandchildren. Mel was a field engineer for technical equipment installations, traveling worldwide in his work. After retiring, Mel and Sharon moved from Burlington, MA, to Maine and Mel has been very active in volunteer activities here. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at Church Community Outreach Services, where fellow board member Henry Perkins invited him to visit Holy Cross. He has also been active in the Kennebunk Food Pantry, the Biddeford Hospice Book store, and in delivering food at the holidays. It is great to have you with us. Mel.

VACATION BIBLE CAMP 2005
Vacation Bible Camp, “Serengeti Trek, where kids are wild about God!” was held the week of June 27th. It was a terrific success and everyone had a great time!
As you entered the sanctuary, you went through a safari-type hut and entered into a jungle like atmosphere. The sanctuary was decorated with handmade vines, a waterfall, hand painted animals and crates of cargo, snakes, flamingos and a beautiful Acadia tree. The halls were lined with vines and monkeys, palm trees and more crates. Thanks to Ryan Richmond for designing and drawing out the animals, and Allie Janiak, Katie Anderson, Ryan Richmond, Emilie Brady, Jenna Horner and Tom Cherry for building and painting the “Land Rover” which was placed in the Narthex as the registration table! The rest of the kids and adults who helped with the props and decoration include Annie and Mary Keating, Kayla Richmond, Michele, Courtney and Tyler Janiak, Vicky and Ben Cherry, and Jana, Jillian and Jessica Blazas. Many thanks go out to them for a job well done.
Luther Hall was transformed into the snack shack with tiki torches, hula skirt umbrellas over the tables, and animal print tablecloths. There were hula skirt lighted garlands around the hall too! Vi Stephens was in charge of planning all the snacks, and per usually, they were yummy! Her assistant Inga-Lisa Lindgren and helpers, Barb Leslie and Sue Schell made snack time delicious and enjoyable!
Deadra D’Addeo and Ingrid Strange organized Critter Crafts. Tammy Krampetz helped with all the prep work. All the hard work paid off because the kids loved craft time! Andrea Ballute was also an assistant; it was her third year doing it! The whole team came up with brilliant craft creations that all related to a Bible story of the day! Many thanks to all these talent women!
The church basement was transformed into “Bible Expedition” with the scenery changing each day according to the Bible story. Elaine Ballute and Cathy Bansmer coordinated this area and did a fabulous job. They had storytellers, Irene Bancroft, Tara Euler, Helen Collamati, Helen Rotvig and Jana Blazas helping them and the kids loved it!
Recreation time was held outdoors and we were very lucky to have only one rain day! Jessica Sleeper planned great games for all the kids. Her assistant Tom Cherry was wonderful with all the kids and did a great job! Many thanks to them for all their hard work!
Music class was a joyous time with singing and dancing to many new songs and some classic ones too! Thank you to Marilyn Anderson and Warren King for doing such a wonderful job teaching those songs! It was very uplifting!
We had a great teaching staff this year! A lot of them were high school kids who gave their time to help out with VBC. Great thanks and appreciation go to Dot Bois, Galina Freeman, Ian Black, Courtney Janiak, Emilie Brady, Allie Janiak, Ryan Richmond, Jen Kohn, Dianne Falconer, Jenna Horner and Katie Anderson.
Our mission project this year was “Operation Kid to Kid”. We collect school supplies for children in Africa and ended up sending off 25 school kits to them! Congratulations to all who donated these items and thanks to Karen Indorf for explaining and organizing this event!
Of course, all this was blessed by our own Pastor Horner. He welcomed the kids and adults each day with the opening and performed a great skit along with Warren King, alias “Serengeti Eddy”! The Mane Event was the closing of the Bible Camp day. Pastor Horner summed up the day’s events and we sang some camp songs too! The C.I.T.’s (Counselors in training) performed their skit of the day at this time too. They did an awesome job and entertained us very well! They were directed and assisted by Amy Jeffers and Vicky Cherry. This was Amy’s second year helping with the C.I.T.’s and we appreciate all her devotion and time! She came all the way from Valparaiso University in Indiana to help! She did a terrific job with all 11 kids! Vicky was also brilliant, per usual, in keeping them all together and focused! Thank you all for making the Mane Event, ROAR!!!
There were a lot of pictures taken during this time by Mary Keating, who was also the Vacation Bible camp director! There was a “photo gallery” posted during Bible Camp, but now they have all been put into a scrapbook! They will be available to view during Rally Day Sunday in Luther Hall and for a while after that. Please take a look and see what fun it was and how great everything looked! It was a job well done by everyone! It was a fantastic week!!