September 2026 – Digital Newsletter

Click HERE to download full printable PDF

Contents

• From the Pastor
• Saint of the Month
• What and Why?
• Back to School Blessing
• Harvest Home
• Pet Blessing
• African Children’s Choir Concert
• AMR Convocation
• Pennsylvania March for Life
• NALC News
• Giving Service to the Lord
• Church Council Meeting Minutes

Back to School
When our children were young, one of our favorite TV commercials was produced by the office supply company, Staples. It only ran in August. A couple of glum-faced children were trudging dourly behind their mother down the aisles of the store as she danced to the sound of Danny Kay’s rendition of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. As she dances, mom is tossing pencils, notebooks, and other school paraphernalia into the shopping cart, making the reason for the children’s gloom evident.
The commercial was funny because we all remember the feeling we had as kids; the freedom of summer ending and the unwelcome structure and routine of school beginning.
Based on some comments I have heard from our congregation, I think that some of us are feeling that way right now; hasn’t it been great to have one service with such a full church, where we feel unified as a congregation, at a time when we don’t have to get up too early or feel like we are getting out of church with half the day gone?
I get it. Those are great things, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them too. But just as a childhood made up exclusively of summer vacation would not have equipped us very well for life, so our summer rhythm with its lack of time for Sunday School cannot equip us to live a robustly Christian life in the 21st Century; it has always been challenging to be an authentic disciple of Jesus, but the “prince of this world” (John 14:30, Eph 2:2, 2 Cor 4:4) has been working overtime to create a landscape seemingly tailor-made to hack us spiritually and increase the powers of sin and death in our lives.
We need defense against this attack. We need building up in Christ, and our school year pattern of worship wrapped around Christian education more effectively gives us that. As we all wait for the return of summer’s schedule, let’s throw ourselves into the routine of fall, looking forward to what the Lord will use it to do in our lives!

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 Saint Hannah on Wednesday, September 2nd. Hannah is in the book of 1 Samuel. She was married to Elkanah, but she had no children. Every year they would go to the temple at Shiloh and sacrifice to the Lord. Hannah desired a son, so, while at the temple, she had wept and prayed to God for a son. She promised that if God gave her a son, she would dedicate her son to Him. Hannah had conceived a son and named him Samuel – a prophet and judge of Israel – and dedicated him to the service of God at the temple in Shiloh, along with a sacrifice of thanksgiving for God’s answered prayers.

As we read this, let us remember Psalm 37:5-7a, which states, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

When I was training to become a pastor, my dad, a lifelong Christian, asked me a question; “If God loves us and wants to forgive us, why are we always asking Him for mercy and confessing our sins to Him over and over again?”
It is a good question, but it misunderstands what the Bible means by God’s forgiveness; God’s forgiveness is not really a change in God’s attitude or perspective toward us. God’s love is not conditioned by our repentance. It is eternal and the very reason He sent Jesus to die for humanity while we were still sinners. (Rom 5:8)
But our reception of God’s forgiveness…? Ah, that’s another story. Ever tell somebody that you forgive them for something they didn’t feel sorry for? They either look at you like you’re crazy or rage at you for your arrogance in assuming they need your forgiveness. You may be more willing to give forgiveness than they are to receive it, but your forgiveness offered without their reception of it does nothing to restore your relationship.
It is the same way with God’s forgiveness given in Jesus Christ. God wishes to give it to all humanity but only those who trust–have faith in–Him will receive it. Because sin puts distance between us and the God who loves us, we who sin want that distance erased as quickly as possible… and certainly before we encounter God in worship! While the forgiveness of humanity’s sins was won by God on the cross, that victory must be applied to each of us individually. Our confession and cries for mercy are the way we dispose ourselves to receive God’s forgiveness, spiritually opening our hands to receive the gift He wants to bestow and be back in a right relationship with Him.

Sunday, September 27, at 5:30pm

Blessing is a long part of the Christian tradition; it is part of how Christians, who are being saved by God’s grace, begin to exercise once again our primordial priesthood, extending God’s blessing out to the creation that “waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19)
Bring your pet on Sunday evening on October 5 to an outdoor service (weather permitting) and have them receive the blessing of Christ through the hands of His Church! In the event of rain, the service will be moved inside to the social hall.

Save the date for this amazing event!

The African Children’s Choir will be visiting Holy Cross again from Saturday, October 3rd to Sunday October 4th. They’ll perform Saturday evening and then join us for our 10:30 worship service and potluck on Sunday! Helpers and Host Families are needed. Please see the full article in the PDF version of this newsletter.

Convocation – Volunteers Needed

This year, Holy Cross has been chosen to host the annual theological conference, Women of the NALC gathering, and Convocation of the Atlantic Mission District. On October 8-10, our humble church building will be home to Lutherans from Boston to Virginia, gathering together to learn more about God’s Word and how to better live the Christian life in the 21st century.
We are expecting 80-100 people to be attending. We need volunteers to help serve and to bake.
There will be sign-up sheets in Fellowship Hall starting in early September.
Please consider signing up to help. It will give you an opportunity to connect with the larger NALC and also to get to know our congregation members better.
If you are interested and have any questions, please feel free to contact Cindy Bonney at cindybonney1055@gmail or 610-704-1266.

2026 AMR Lutheran Week Light

Registration is open for the 2026 AMR Lutheran Week Light & Convocation. You may register online by using this link:
https://atlanticmissionregionnalc.regfox.com/2026-amr-lutheran-week-light
or use the paper registration included in the newsletter or pick one up in the Social Hall.
Registration is required if you plan to attend an event that includes a meal.
The registration deadline for all events is September 24, 2026. It is important that you register before the deadline so that the appropriate materials can be available for you at the event. Our presenters and speakers will have information to hand out at the event

Friday and Saturday’s Convocation theme for this year is “Be Patient in Tribulation: Jesus is With Us!” Featuring: Matthew Kay, Director of Mission Expansion for Cru Church Movements from Cru; Pr. Tom Brashears, Director of Leadership Development for the NALC; and Gary & Laurie Pecuch from Faithwebbing, our featured Ministry Partner. The Rev. Carol Fryer, Northeastern Area Assistant to the Bishop will be the featured preacher at Saturday’s Eucharist.

Join us on the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol for the sixth annual Pennsylvania March for Life on Monday, September 21, 2026 and make your voice heard! This inspiring event brings together people from all walks of life to stand for the dignity of every human being, beginning in the womb. Be a voice for the voiceless – because every life has purpose!
Registration is not required but is encouraged.
Please RSVP at https://marchforlife.quorum.us/campaign/2026PAMFL/
• Free breakfast beforehand for all who would like to participate!
• 10:00AM Pre-Rally Praise & Worship
• 11:00AM Rally
• 12:00PM March
Please pray for the Lutherans that gather and ask for the Lord’s blessing on the work to make PA a state that promotes the life of all—both the unborn and the care of their mothers and fathers as well as the aged among us. Join us—your family, your church family—young, youth, adult, and old as we work together as Lutherans to uphold and witness the teachings of the Bible about the value and dignity of each and every human life created by God. Come and march with us on September 21. 
In Christ,
Pr. Chris Seifferlein—Mount Calvary LCMS-Lititz

Feel Called to Help Those in Need?
After more than 16 years leading NALC Disaster Response, the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) announced that Mary Bates will retire as Disaster Response Coordinator effective October 31, 2026, concluding more than 16 years of faithful service with the NALC.
Have you ever wanted to help people?
Can you imagine knowing that you are helping those facing flood, fire, hurricane and other disasters?
Maybe God is calling you…
The Director of Disaster Response oversees all aspects of NALC Disaster Response, LLC, including disaster preparedness, emergency response, volunteer coordination, long-term recovery efforts, and the continued development of the ministry’s regional response network. Working alongside congregations, volunteers, the Disaster Response Board of Directors, and the Office of the Bishop, the director helps equip the church to serve communities impacted by disasters with the love of Christ. A complete position description and application information are available at thenalc.org/drdirector.
Applications for the position are now open.
Questions regarding the transition or the Director of Disaster Response position may be directed to the Rev. Mark Werner at mwerner@thenalc.org.
On behalf of the North American Lutheran Church, we give thanks to Mary Bates for her years of faithful service, steadfast leadership, and heart for being a Christ-centered presence to those facing the unimaginable. We pray God’s continued blessings upon Mary and her family as she begins this new chapter, and we are filled with gratitude for the foundation she has laid, confident that NALC Disaster Response will continue to bring the hope and love of Christ to communities in need for years to come.

Giving Service to the Lord

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 August 12, 2026

Nine members present.
Absent: AJ Arfanella, Tim Kryman
GUESTS: No guests present.

Review of Reports:
Secretary’s Report – Renewal of Facility Use application from Girl Scout Troop 81134 has been received. Approved by Council. Renewal of Facility Use application from Girl Scout Troop 8162 has been received. Approved by Council. Girl Scout Troop 8162 leader, Amanda Peterson, has two girls in the troop looking to complete their service projects. She inquired if the church has any needs. Copy of email provided in the President’s folder.
Treasurer’s Report – Category overview provided, month by month. General income was positive this month.
Pastor’s Report – New Business Pastor has continued to work on the issues related to printing a church photo directory directly from our ChurchTrac software. At this time, there are unresolved issues, some of which require direction from church Council. Please refer to the attached sample printouts when appropriate. Website updates so far: Changes instituted so far largely do not affect the look of our website, only its navigability, especially for people exploring the possibility of making Holy Cross their church home. Landing pages have been added for menu options with a special focus on the way they populate on a mobile device since that is the way most people are surfing the web now. Please see the landing page for “Grow,” which she has crafted in preparation for the annual kick-off to Sunday School. Menu options have been re-arranged to reflect a more logical layout of search options. The “Catechism and Bible Study” and “Sunday School” options have been combined into a single page to reflect our vision of Christian education being a normative part of lifelong Christian formation and discipleship. Anita Zaso has given an initial positive reaction to the changes. The original boilerplate homepage banner material has been replicated either below the banner (for scrolling on mobile devices) or to menu options so that the homepage banner may be re-purposed for ministry emphases and current activities. The church calendar has been reformatted so that it shows as a list of upcoming activities rather than a paper-style block calendar. A staff page has been added. We will need to get short bios and pictures of all staff including Deacon Michael, to populate it fully. Old Business 7 out of 11 confirmation end-of-year exams were turned in during the month of July. The senior high school service and retreat week went exceptionally well. In particular, the night where we invited the middle school aged confirmation students to stay in order to build friendships among the different peer groups went well. The goal is to retain at least some of the confirmation aged kids as a foundation for senior high aged ministry moving forward.

Committee Reports:
Cemetery: 1 burial.
Christian Co-op: 68 students from 29 families. Approx. 15 adults during the school hours. 8/18 Picnic. 8/25 Orientation. 9/1 School begins. Students will continue to help with weeding, gardening, and leaf clean up.
Christian Education: Hard copy of minutes provided.
ERT: Hard copy of minutes provided. Coverage needed for Convocation. 4 hour shifts.
Prayer Team: Marianne Nichols is new Team Leader.
Property: Hard copy of minutes provided. Glass in library was replaced.
Women of Abundance: See hard copy of minutes.
Other Committee Reports:VBS- See hard copy of minutes.

Old Business: Church Directory: tabled for now. African Children’s Choir is confirmed 10-3-2026. Christian Co-op requested facility use. September thru June. Total attendance is expected to be approximately 68 students, and 15 adults. Prayer Stations have a new location. Discussion resulted in a proposal to remove the candles. Leave the prayer stations in place. New copier lease is being investigated. We will stick with Fraser under a new contract costing less and allotting for more copies. T-shirt sales went well. Second order is currently being collected.

New Business: Convocation will take place October 8, 9, 10. Children’s bulletins: we will provide an activity sheet corresponding to the service topic for younger children. Cost is $80/yr.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.