Church in the Round Is Here
During the months of July and August, come experience the ancient form of worship practiced by the early Christian house churches in the first century. It is also one of the purposes for which the church architect designed our new building! With the altar, or Lord’s Table, in the center of the church, we the community gather around it as the first disciples did, to receive the bread and wine made holy, to see and feel the presence of the risen Lord in the faces and bodies around us, and to be sent out to be Jesus’ face, body, and physical presence in the world.

Come as You Are Evening Prayer Service
On the July 20 the last evening prayer service of the summer will take place at 5:00 p.m. This informal service is no more than a half hour, without the Eucharist, and is the perfect way to start your week. Music is singable and uplifting, led by Holy Cross' guitar group. If you have been looking for a more casual but still contemplative way to worship, pray, and sing, this is it. Starting in September, this service will include a Eucharist, but will retain its informal contemplative nature. If you have any questions, or would like to help lead the music or the liturgy, please contact the Rev. Bob Becker in the church office at 703 698-6991.

Music Comes to the 8:30 a.m. Sunday Service
One of the great early Church Fathers is known to have said, “Singing is prayer.” Beginning in September, we will be adding a few beautiful, simple hymns to the 8:30 AM service. Don’t be alarmed! The service will still run just under an hour, so you’ll still be able to have your cup of coffee by 9:30 AM. The rest of the service remains the same, and adult Bible study will remain at its usual time, 9:30 AM, in the downstairs classroom.

This is a development that we should feel proud of: the 10:30 AM service has grown significantly, and we are running out of space, which is a good problem to have. With music now part of the early service, some 10:30 folks may be inclined to attend the early service. Even more, there is a new face to the 8:30 service, with more children and families, as well as those who have specifically mentioned the importance of music in their worship life. Finally, in the textbooks about church life, music is always a form of hospitality to those who are looking for a new church home—and hospitality is one of the areas in which we love to excel.

Mara DeLuca, our Director of Music Ministry, is sensitive to the transition all of us, including her, will be experiencing. With this in mind, some of the hymns may be accompanied by the organ, the piano, a guitar, or nothing at all—whatever best facilitates meaningful, prayerful, and beautiful worship. If you have any questions about this transition in our life, please feel free to contact the rector in the church office.

New Hymnals—Make a Memorial Gift
Wonder, Love, and Praise is the supplement to the Hymnal 1982. This wonderful hymnal is a collection of new hymns and tunes, spirituals, favorites from other worship traditions, hymns from different world cultures, and more. At Holy Cross, we have been using this resource more and more as a way of enriching and enlivening our worship. So that we can all appreciate the wonderful hymns this book has to offer and begin to take ownership of them as a regular part of our worship, we would like to purchase a set of these hymnals for the congregation.

If you would like to be a part of this, please consider making a donation to purchase one or several hymnals. Each hymnal costs $17. Donations may be made in honor or memory of someone, or simply as a gift to the church. If desired, a book plate will be put in the hymnal to record this, making your gift a part of Holy Cross history!

Our goal is to purchase 150-200 hymnals. The campaign will be ongoing during this summer. Please consider making a donation that will enrich our worship for years to come. To purchase a hymnal, please make checks payable to the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross and write “WLP” in the memo line. For memorial gifts, fill out one of the forms in the upper room and submit it to the office or place in the offering plate.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sunday School News
I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in Sunday school this year. You are the reason Holy Cross has a thriving Sunday school program. None of this would be possible without all the dedication from you, the congregation. Thank you again for all the support for this program and the children of Holy Cross.

In addition to learning all about Covenants this year the children participated in several special events including: advent wreath making, Christmas pageant, creating an “Alleluia” banner during Lent, and making Palm crosses. The children also completed several service projects. They raised money for Episcopal Relief Development, helped make food for the homeless, made cards for the troops overseas and for residents of Iliff, and made blankets for the children at Iliff. This summer they are continuing by running the summer lemonade and cookie stand on the porch after the 10:30 service.

We kick off Summer Sunday School Story time on June 22. This is a shortened program with no crafts or snacks. The theme this year is Animals in the Bible. The children will be in the service until the hymn before the Gospel. During the hymn they will leave the service and go downstairs to the classroom for Story Time and then will return to the service.

Needed:

• Volunteers for Vacation Bible School July 20 – 24. For more information contact Pam Nicholson.
• Summer Sunday School Leaders August 3 and August 10. Sign-up sheet is on the sign-up table. For more information contact Cassie Rosado.
  

Wednesday Morning Bible Study
Every Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the Upper Room, we gather for bible study. Currently, we are studying Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, one of the most influential texts in the New Testament.

Vacation Bible School
Yes, it is happening again this summer! It is called “Be Bold! God is with You.” The program will be kicked off with dinner on Sunday, July 20 and run Monday through Thursday, July 24 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars! Our seminarian, Justin McIntosh, will lead the program. But, we need LOTS of help. We will need volunteers to help do crafts, snacks, shepherding, publicity, registration and more! To be a helper, please contact the office.

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