HOLY CROSS HAPPENINGS
Week of 11/30/25 Edition
Here’s what’s up and coming around the church and beyond:
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7th – Advent Hymn Sing at 9:55am. Advent Hymn Sing: Instead of a prelude this Sunday and next, we will be doing a Christmas Carol Hymn Sing. Please arrive at church early enough to join in on this Christmas tradition at Holy Cross. We will probably start singing at 9:55 am.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7TH – WOMEN’S ANNUAL YANKEE SWAP – Attention, Ladies of Holy Cross Lutheran Church! The annual Yankee Swap Christmas Party will be on Sunday, December 7th from Noon – 2PM. Everyone is asked to bring a wrapped gift with a $25 value and a dish to share. This is always a fun afternoon of food and friendship, and you’ll be home by dark. The party this year will be at the home of Mary Keating. Her address is: 34 Park Street in Kennebunk. If you need directions or have any questions, please contact Mary. There will be a sign-up sheet to see who is bringing what food in the Narthex as we get closer to the event.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH – THE LAST FREE COMMUNITY MEAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ST. DAVID’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH – 11AM – 1PM. If you’re interested in helping, meet in the parking lot of St. David’s, 138 York Street in Kennebunk at 9AM. Given the recent government policy changes in food benefits, the congregation has expressed energy around reaching those who cannot readily afford food. To embrace that passion, we have arranged to move our monthly community meal from St. David’s to the Seeds of Hope in Biddeford. If you’re not familiar with Seeds of Hope, among other services, they feed about 100 people a day that are in need of a meal. We will begin our monthly meal at Seeds of Hope in January, offering our last community meal at St. David’s in December. If you’re interested in volunteering, speak to Mary Keating.
REMINDER FOR ‘PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE’ – In the spirit of caring for our community, the Worship Committee moved to and designed a ‘read prayer list’ format. Names (first names only) for those needing prayers will be collected using the attached card and said during the prayers of the people by the Pastor. Please note, that the reason why you are requesting a prayer for someone does not need to be stated.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES (COS) UPDATE – DECEMBER 2025. Thank you to everyone who has generously donated food items in supporting our local partnership with COS. We have carried on this relationship with COS for 35 years, and collected almost 800lbs of food and supplies! Your contributions have answered the call. However, while restocking the COS Pantry shelves with nonperishable meal ingredients for the Thanksgiving holiday food basket program, hunger still persists and goes way beyond the holiday of Thanksgiving. We hope that you will continue to keep COS in your prayers and will continue to donate non-perishable food items through the remainder of 2025 and in 2026.
HOLY CROSS T-SHIRTS. It is important that if you have ordered a T-Shirt and have yet to pay for it, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Steven Morris is trying to ‘close the books’ on this project. You can either pay the $16 by cash or check to Steven Morris in Luther Hall on Sunday. Currently there are 45 T-Shirts ordered and 38 have been paid for. The sooner we get 100% of the T-Shirts paid for, the sooner an order can be placed to attain them.
EVERY THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY in Luther Hall from 10AM – 11AM led by Pastor Amy. We will be studying Matthew 3:1-12
THE READINGS FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7th:
First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Second Reading: Romans: 15:4-13
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12
Church Attendance for Sunday, November 30th: 61
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: November was our ‘8th wedding anniversary month’ for Kathy & Steven Morris’. I wanted to include a photo depicting the Genesis of our relationship. Yes, it is our engagement photo taken at the Brandt Point Grille in Nantucket. It actually took ‘two times’ to get engaged. This first time there was no picture and I was encouraged to ‘repeat’ so a picture could be taken. What are the chances that a woman would say ‘Yes’ to me twice in twenty minutes? Our 9th wedding anniversary in 2026, will take place in Europe celebrating the Christmas holiday and markets along the Danube River.
Don’t forget to check the church bulletin board and our calendar at HCLC events for up-to-date information on what’s happening at Holy Cross. We hope to see you at Sunday worship, 10AM.
With blessings,
Holy Cross Communications
