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AIM RELECTIONS

November is the month in which our thoughts turn to the day of Thanksgiving, a day that is set aside for a national holiday, a day in which we join with family and friends to share a special meal and fellowship, as well as to give thanks for our blessings. It is also a day when some of you donate food to a food basket or help to serve a meal at a soup kitchen, knowing that not everyone has family or friends or the means to have a meal without your generous help. Your kindness is appreciated by many.

The celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday is also a time to reflect or ponder on all of the wonderful gifts that you have been given by God. I use the word "ponder" as it is a word that we have been using in our Mary, Mother of Jesus, Bible study. Mary was a woman who pondered or reflected on all of the amazing events of her life, from the announcement that she was to bear a son who would be the promised Messiah, to the wonderment of her son's wisdom and knowledge at the young age of twelve, to her amazement at his preaching and miracles, to her sorrow when her son was killed, and to her joy at his resurrection. So many extraordinary events occurred in the life of Mary, so many things on which to ponder.

By comparison, our lives are very ordinary. But that does not leave us without amazing things on which to ponder. Please join me on Thanksgiving Day, or at some other time during this month, to ponder upon the many blessings and gifts that we have been given by our Heavenly Father. True, we all have our troubles and sorrows, some greater than others. But we also all have our blessings, gifts that we have been given by God, many of which he expects us to share with others. So after you ponder, consider how you can share your gifts. This could be something as simple as giving a smile to a stranger or knitting a prayer shawl. It could be financially helping the victim of a natural disaster or a contribution to world hunger. It could be serving on a church committee or singing at a residential facility. The opportunities are endless if you look for them.

One of my greatest blessings has been the opportunity to serve this congregation as an Associate in Ministry. It still amazes me, when I ponder on all of this, that God has called me at this time of my life to do this work. As we say at the conclusion of every worship service - Thanks Be to God!

Serving you in love, peace, joy, and with great thanksgiving,

Karen

A NOT-SO-EXTREME MAKOVER

This was the title of a recent news story in The York County Coast Star. Certainly this was not a story relating to the TV show - Extreme Makeover . This was a story of caring people just trying to help a family that had fallen on hard times. As the reporter stated in her article, -neighbors helping neighbors . The Collamati family residence was in need of some work on the exterior to get it ready for a harsh Maine winter.

The Collamati family is of course very thankful for all the help they are receiving. They are grateful for the members of Holy Cross who have given of themselves to work on this project. However, I believe that the many members of Holy Cross who have contributed in some way have been blessed beyond measure. I believer we all share in a quote by Bob Dennison, who is leading this project. "It's not a chore. It's an opportunity".

This opportunity was presented to the members of Holy Cross. The response was beyond anything we imagined it would be. We forget, I think, how the Holy Spirit can work. Our hearts and minds were opened. Over 50 people signed up to help with work on site. This included both breakfast and lunch being prepared by loving hands. People gave in more than a generous manner so all of our monetary funding goals were reached.

So as our opportunity nears completion, let us rejoice in what has been placed before us. It is great to see the smiling, happy faces of people ages 11 to 80 working side by side. We are truly blessed that we are able to give of our time, talents, and treasure, all to God's Glory. Bob Kreie

CHANGING SEASONS

As the leaves change color and fall, and the days get shorter and colder, so too the seasons of the liturgical year change. Ever since mid-May, the church has observed the season of Pentecost, with green the color adorning the altar and worship space. In the niches we have had green growing plants, reminding us of the growth of our spirits through faith. The gifts of the spirit have been symbolized for us not only in the growth of the vines, but in the ever-growing accumulation of decorations marked "Faith", "Love", "Peace", "Patience", "Gentleness", "Joy", "Kindness", and "Self-Control". If you haven't noticed these, take a closer look. "Joy" is a bouncy pink rubber ball, "Kindness" is a nurturing watering can, and that gift that is so hard to manage, "Self Control", is represented most aptly by pruning shears!

Later this month, the season of Pentecost will end, and the season of Advent will begin. Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas, and it is unusually long this year because Christmas falls on a Sunday. The color for Advent is blue, a quiet and restful color, because Advent is a season of quiet waiting and hope. There will be no altar flowers during Advent, as it is a period of inward contemplation while we await the joyous celebration of Christ's birth. While there will be no flowers, we will have a traditional Advent wreath with four candles. Each Sunday, one additional candle will be lit, to mark our growing anticipation of the celebration of the light of Christ appearing on earth.

The normally dark and quiet Luther Hall has become a "bee-hive" of activity on Wednesday afternoons and evenings as the Logos Program begins another year. Once again there are children_s voices raised in laughter as they enjoy Recreation Time and share a table game after their meal. These same voices can be heard "making a joyful noise" as they learn Worship Skills and music. They can also be heard in hushed prayer during Bible Time.

Currently there are sixteen students enrolled in this exciting program with eight adults who have volunteered to shepherd the children through their spiritual journey in Logos. In addition there are also parents and other members of the congregation who come to help prepare a meal each week for the Family Time portion of Logos. These meals can be "quite the event" and usually have a theme. For example, the first meal for this year was labeled as a "Bar-B-Que"

Logos (coming from the Greek word log_ os) is translated to "WORD" and relates to John 1: 1-18 "in the beginning was the Word - the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" The Logos program is a system of Christian nurture to help those involved to become more like Christ, through the Word of God. It is meant to be a self -sustaining program through the fees that are charged the participants. However no program is successful without its volunteers.

The Logos program could always use more volunteers to help prepare a meal on Wednesday nights. You do not need to have a child in the program to volunteer to help prepare the meal, to help set up or to help clean up after the meal. If you would like to volunteer, there is a sign up sheet in Luther Hall or contact Lynne White or Mary Keating.

Through volunteering your service you will find an amazing thing happening. You, like the participants of Logos, will become nurtured and more Christ-like in other areas of your life. Volunteering, as a popular advertisement for a credit card states, is "PRICELESS".

SENIOR HIGH LOGOS

A new Logos program for Senior High youth is meeting twice monthly on Sundays from 4:00-7:00. Additional activities may be planned. There will be adult leadership, but much of the program will be driven by the youth. All senior high youth and friends are welcome to attend. The meetings in November will be on the 6th and 20th. See Karen, Diver Dan, or Michele Janiak for further details.

CHANGE IN THE SERVING OF COMMUNION

The Worship Committee will be making a change in the way we serve Holy Communion during the season of Advent. Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas, is seen by the Church as a solemn period of waiting and hoping for the coming celebration of Christ's birth. Advent was chosen as the time to make this change, to help deepen our awareness of the solemnity of the season. Holy Communion will be served as it has been, with the exception that the Worship Assistants will present the chalice before passing the individual glasses. Our practice for worshippers will remain the same, in that those who do not wish to partake of the presentation before them may keep their hands folded until their preferred presentation is brought.

The reason for bringing the chalice before the individual glasses is its symbolism of church unity. According to the ELCA, "There is a profound theology of the entire assembly drinking from one common cup. It conveys the communal nature of the sacrament, and of the Christian life, by virtue of our Baptism. We who are baptized are all one in Christ. This applies also to eating from one loaf, rather than using individual wafers. When using the common cup, the chalice bearers wipe the rim inside and out after each communicant with a purificator. Studies have not shown any hygiene problem with the chalice, although it is common courtesy for communicants who have colds or other contagious maladies either to intinct (dip the bread in the wine) or to receive only the bread." (From the ELCA website)

If you are not familiar with the procedure of taking Communion from the common cup, you may find it worthwhile to try it. There are two modes of taking Communion from the common cup. When the Worship Assistant bearing the chalice is in front of you, you may either hold out your bread and then dip it into the chalice and place it in your mouth (called intinction), or you may hold your hands open and either take the cup from the Worship Assistant or simply guide the Worship Assistant's hand as you sip from the cup. The rim of the cup is wiped and turned between communicants. When you have received communion, you may cross yourself in remembrance of Christ's death on the cross, or simply make a brief prayer before returning to your seat.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE NURSERY MINISTRY AT HOLY CROSS

The Board of Deacons is in the process of assessing the ministry of Nursery Care here at Holy Cross. Currently two high school students, Emilie Brady and Alison Janiak staff our nursery. These young ladies have been doing a super job of making sure our nursery is taken care of each Sunday. Now we would like to expand on the number of volunteers who are willing to help them provide Sunday morning care for our younger members.

At this time we are looking for members of our congregation who could help with this ministry on a rotating basis. Initially this will be for the 10:45 service, however our goal is to have nursery care available at both services. Singles, parents, grandparents, high school age youth grades 9 and above (this is a great way to get "community service" hours), and even people who do not have young children or grandchildren - WE NEED YOU!

As a "staff member" of the nursery, here is what you would have to do:

• Be willing to volunteer your time to work with another volunteer from 1-6 times a year (or more) beginning in January of 2006.
• Arrive ten minutes before the 10:45 service to greet the children and stay ten minutes after the service to make sure all the children are picked up by their parents.
• Be prepared to have a wonderful time with the children enriching them with your presence and coming away feeling enriched by theirs.

We have determined the need for at least 25 people to work in pairs to provide this important ministry. We are also looking for substitutes who may not be able to commit on a regular basis but could fill in occasionally on an "as needed" basis.

This is a wonderful way you can "serve the Lord with gladness". If you are interested in this ministry, there is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board in the church Narthex or you can call Deadra D'Addeo.

CHOIR NOTES

HURRICANE RELIEF

YOUNG AT HEART EVENTS

TROLLEY TRIP

MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS