February 2026 – Digital Newsletter

CLICK HERE to download full printable PDF

Contents:

• From the Pastor
• Saint of the Month
• Life-to-Life Witness with Matt Kelly
• Lenten Sermon Series
• RMD vs QCD: How to Give Smarter in Retirement
• AMR Women’s Retreat
• Giving Service to the Lord
• Church Council Minutes

Bold or Blessed?
You may have noticed over the past few months that during the service of Holy Communion, after I have recalled Our Lord’s work of instituting His holy supper (the Eucharist), some weeks I introduce the Lord’s Prayer by saying, “We are bold to call you ‘Father,’” and other weeks I do it saying, “We are blessed to call you ‘Father.’”
So which is it? We are indeed blessed to call God “Father,” but nearly seventeen centuries of Christian dominance has made us forget how bold a claim that is. Nobody has the right to call God “Father” except Jesus. We can call God “creator” because we are His creations, but to call God “Father” is to claim an intimate family connection with Him to which we have no birthright… and one potentially insulting to both Him and the only Son of God who can by rights call Him that.
WE only to get to call God “Father” because by His grace, His goodness, His gift, we have a share in the one and only Sonship of Jesus Christ. Having faith in Jesus means sharing what is His as He came to share what is ours. Luther said it beautifully. “Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You took on yourself what was mine; yet set on me what was yours. You became what you were not, that I might become what I was not.”
We are not born “children of God,” entitled to call God “Father”—we are only born again into that reality. We would unspeakably bold as mere humans to call God “Father;” we are immeasurably blessed as redeemed sinners to call Him by that name.
Who are the people around you who don’t yet share that blessing? Christian witness is about sharing the greatest blessing in our lives… but most of us are not bold enough to do so very often.
This Lent we will be focusing on witness, especially to family and friends. Not to be “pushy,” but to share with others that which is—or should be—most precious to us.

Like St. Paul, Lutherans refer to all those in Christ as “saints,” and we look to the great ones as role models in the faith.

This month we are remembering the Martyrs of Japan on Friday, February 6th. There were many Christians who died for their faith from the years 1597-1873. Christianity first came to Japan when Father Peter Baptist Blasquez was sent to Japan by King Phillip II of Spain to negotiate peace with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the taikō(a ruler with control over the government and military). Peter Baptist succeeded. He then began spreading Christianity in Japan, converting many Japanese people and founding many churches. Hideyoshi tolerated Christianity until Japanese bonzes convinced him that the Christians were trying to conquer Japan for Spain. Hideyoshi ordered the killing of the Christians in Japan for February 5th, 1597. Before transportation, the prisoners’ left ears were cut off as a mark of dishonor. Honor is a very important aspect in Japan. On the 5th, the Christians were publicly crucified in Nagasaki. The next year Hideyoshi died, bringing over a decade of peace. Later, though, Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun of Japan and abolished Catholicism. In 1622, the “Great Martyrdom” occurred in Nagasaki, claiming the lives of many Christians. From 1624-1627, Christians in Japan continued to be burned alive, beheaded,
crucified, imprisoned, and exiled.

As we read this, let us remember Romans 14:7-8, which states, “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

by Melissa Misiti

As Lent begins, we are blessed to have Matt Kay of Cru Church Movements join us here at Holy Cross to share with us invitational, welcoming, non-confrontational ways of sharing our faith in Jesus with family, friends, and others close to us. During the Sunday School hour on Feb. 22, March 1 & 8, Mr. Kay will gather us in the social hall for some amazing and heart-opening ways of sharing our precious Christian faith with others. On Wednesday, March 18th at 7:30pm, there will be a special follow-up class taught with Pr. Brett, Staying with People Through Their Objections.
All who attend our regular Sunday adult offerings as well as those who do not but have someone they would like to see come to know the living God are invited for these three weeks to share, laugh, and grow together in this crucial discipleship practice. For those interested, an evening follow-up deep dive will be offered when these classes are done.
The NALC’s discipleship initiative is called “Life-to-Life Discipleship” because the centerpiece of it is “doing life” with others as a follower of Jesus. When I told Mr. Kay about this, he was extremely excited because that matches perfectly the road-tested experience of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), which they call “Cojourning” (journeying with).
Mark your calendars, and be sure to come out for these three life-changing weekends!

• Matthew Kay is a candidate for ordained ministry in the Anglican Church in America with 15+ years of experience with fulltime evangelism and discipleship-building.

The last book of the Bible, the Revelation of St. John, which our Tuesday daytime Bible study has been learning about for the last several months, begins with seven letters to seven churches in Asia-minor, modern day Turkey.
While these letters contained particular messages for those churches, they are preserved for us in Scripture so that every church can learn from them. In these letters, Jesus has words of both hope and warning to any gathering of people who would claim to worship or represent Him.
Our time is much like that faced by those churches; it is a time of cultural change, temptation, difficulty, and sometimes persecution. We need to know how to better live as the people of God during this time, to live faithful lives that testify to both the mercy and strength of our God.
Jesus says, ““Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”” (Revelation 22:7) His coming is the great hope for which we live, and a reminder that we wish to be prepared to welcome Him when it happens.
Lent is a season of spiritual renewal and discipline—the perfect time to hear again these words spoken to the Church of all time. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (Revelation 2:29)

If you are age 73 or older, IRS rules require you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts.
A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA, payable directly to a qualified charity, as described in the QCD provision in the Internal Revenue Code. Amounts distributed as a QCD can be counted toward satisfying your RMD for the year, up to $111,000 in 2026. The QCD is excluded from your taxable income. This is not the case with a regular withdrawal from an IRA, even if you use the money to make a charitable contribution later on.
The rules of QCDs
A QCD must adhere to the following requirements:
• You must be at least 70½ years old at the time you request a QCD. If you process a distribution prior to reaching age 70½, the distribution will be treated as taxable income.
• For a QCD to count toward your current year’s RMD, the funds must come out of your IRA by your RMD deadline, which is generally December 31 each year.
• Funds must be transferred directly from your IRA custodian to the qualified charity. This is accomplished by requesting your IRA custodian issue a check from your IRA payable to the charity. You can then request that the check be mailed to the charity, or forward the check to the charity yourself. Note: If a distribution check is made payable to you, the distribution would NOT qualify as a QCD and would be treated as taxable income.
• The maximum annual distribution amount that can qualify for a QCD is $111,000 in 2026. This limit would apply to the sum of QCDs made to one or more charities in a calendar year. If you’re a joint tax filer, you and your spouse can each make a QCD from your individual IRAs, giving you a potential combined total of $222,000 in 2026.
Source: Fidelity Investments
The information above is general and educational in nature and should not be considered legal or tax advice.
You should consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific situation.

5pm Friday, April 24 – 1pm Sunday, April 26
at Black Rock Retreat in Quarryville, PA

What could be more precious than diamonds? YOU!
We are the precious, treasured possession of our heavenly Father, who sought us and claimed us as His own in Christ! From coal to diamonds, we are continually being transformed in Christ, reflecting His glory and light to a dark world.

Come join us this spring for the 5th annual AMR Women’s Retreat!
The weekend includes Bible studies, fellowship, a service project, worship, quiet time, games, a campfire, and an optional trip to a local ice cream parlor! All 5 meals and linen’s are included in the cost of the weekend retreat. A Saturday-only option is being offered as well.
Single room – $465/person
Double room – $295/person
Triple room – $245/person
Saturday ONLY – $100/person (3 meals included)

Click the link to register.
https://atlanticmissionregionnalc.regfox.com/2026-amr-womens-retreat-registration

COMPLETE Church Council Minutes are posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex. Attachments are filed in the church office with the originals.
The meeting minutes summarized here are pending Council approval at next month’s meeting.
Meeting Highlights for January 14, 2026

Seven members present.
Absent: Rich Siegfried, Tom Kneisly
GUESTS: Pastor Jenkins
Review of Reports:
Secretary’s Report – 2026 renewal application for Boy Scout Troop 74 for approval and March 6 & 7 facility use application for approval. Both approved by Council.
Treasurer’s Report – Category Overview provided, month by month analysis for giving provided. General Operating Report with detail provided. Category Fund Statement for all Funds Report provided.
Pastor’s Report – Christmas services were well attended and joyful. Youth group meetings have significantly decreased in attendance. I will be exploring other ways to meet the spiritual needs of our youth besides typical “youth group” meetings, at least until the current group of confirmation students age into this ministry. In place of a summer trip were we stay at another NALC church and serve in their community, I am going to look at the option of attending the NALC national youth gathering to be held in Virginia in 2026. Also considering a week “at home”.17 new members were welcomed into the life of our congregation on December 21st. Our plan has been to do a new member orientation monthly, but I am recommending to the Council that we do so on even-numbered months to allow us to accumulate a slightly larger group of people AND because our new member welcome rite involves a substantial recommitment on the part of the congregation, which I don’t want to have lose its “punch” liturgically. Andy Zaso has completed wiring to send a video feed to both our library and nursery. Many thanks for doing this at a substantially lower cost than originally estimated. He has wired our sanctuary for a direct internet feed which has increased our internet speed. He is continuing to clean up old wiring in an attempt to improve reliability of the network throughout our building. The pictorial directory project is underway.
Committee Reports:
Christian Education: See hard copy of minutes. Lisa M. Is stepping down as a teacher so we are looking for someone to step in. Thank you Lisa for all you have done.
Fellowship Committee: See hard copy of report.
Prayer Team: Two requests for the month of December.
Social Ministry: See hard copy of report.
Women of Abundance: See hard copy of minutes.
Old Business: Two potential nominees for Church Council: Kevin Martin Jr. And Tom Riger. Three potential candidates for Elders: Tom Kocher, Cindy Bonney, & Barbara Lynn-Sarley. Church security: Outdoor solar system and floodlight with camera for corners of buildling totaling approx. $2000. Motion approved. Tech equipment: Laptop donated by Rich. Motion to purchase splitter/extender approved.
New Business: Approval of ERT Plan. Thursday 1/29/26 Active Shooter Class 6:30-8:30pm. Rob Ingenito’s resignation from Council was approved. Lynne Auger will fulfill Linda Rissmiller’s unexpired 2 year ter, AJ Arfanella will fulfill Rob Ingenito’s unexpired term.

Meeting adjourned at 7:54 pm.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.