What is your favorite Christmas

Carol? Why ? For me it would

have to be Silent Night! Holy

Night! Why? Because it takes

me back to a childhood memory

of sitting in church on Christmas

Eve with my family. My dad is on

my left, my mom on my right and

my two sisters next to my mom.

It is the close of the worship

service. The lights are low and

the sanctuary is lit by the soft

glow of two gigantic Christmas

trees that adorn the front of the

church. The organist softly intro-

duces Silent Night! Holy Night!

My mom is holding a hymnal on

her lap. But, as the carol begins

she gently closes it. No words

are necessary. She knows them

by heart. Together we sing of

the wonder of that first Christ-

mas and the dawn of God’s re-

deeming grace. In that moment

the love of God envelopes us. All

is warm, calm and bright. We

have a Savior. His name is Je-

sus.

But, there is more. This timeless

Christmas carol also defines

more fully what worship truly is.

Briefly, worship is:

PROCLAMATION – Christ the

Savior is born!

ADORATION – Jesus, Lord, at

your birth!

REVELATION – Son of God,

love’s pure light!

CELEBRATION -- Heavenly hosts

sing, Alleluia!

ANTICIPATION – With the dawn

of redeeming grace!

I am praying that in the midst of

the busyness of the Christmas

season you will make it a priority

to come to worship every Sunday

and on Christmas Eve. Each

time we gather we will focus on

one of the five aspects listed

above. We will sing the songs of

Christmas and share the stories

of Christmas. We will enjoy spe-

cial times with the children

around the Advent Wreath and

have visits with that unpredicta-

ble puppet, Gordy!

So, come, let us worship! You

will be creating a memory of a

time that takes you back to Beth-

lehem when God sent a multi-

tude of angels to announce the

Good News of great joy. We

have a Savior! His name is Je-

sus! And, because of Him all is

well. We can rest secure in His

redeeming grace and live with

the anticipation of one day be-

holding His beautiful face in the

glorious, eternal Kingdom of

God. And, it all began on that

Silent Night… that Holy Night!

A Blessed Christmas to You!

Pastor S

O H , C O M E , L E T U S W O R S H I P !

M N A D U L T / T E E N C H A L L E N G E C H O I R R E T U R N S D E C . 6 !

You won’t want to miss worship

at Holy Cross on Sunday, Decem-

ber 6! The Minnesota Adult/

Teen Challenge Choir will be with

us in worship. They were a great

blessing to all who heard them

last year and we look forward to

another great time of worship

and testimony.

Minnesota Adult & Teen Chal-

lenge is a faith-based residential

drug and alcohol program for

people of all ages 13-70+.

In addition, our Band of Broth-

ers will be hosting a BRUNCH BRUNCH BRUNCH BRUNCH

following worship, and we will

have the opportunity to give a

special offering to support that

great work of MNATC in Roches-

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5 F U L L Y A L I V E !

Fully Alive! C OMM U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

P O B L O C H R I S T M A S E V E N T

2

S H A R I N G T R E E 2

L I F E T R E E I N D E C E M B E R

3

K I D Z A L I V E 4

B A N D O F B R O T H E R S

4

Y O U T H N E W S 5

R C L S N E W S 6

U P D A T E F R O M S U R E S H

7

Page 2 F U L L Y A L I V E !

H O L Y C R O S S ’ S H A R I N G T R E E

Have you noticed the Sharing

Tree in Holy Cross’ Lounge yet?

It is there to give you more op-

portunities to give the gift of

Jesus’ love this Christmas.

All you need to do is take an

'ornament' off the tree, read the

directions, shop, and donate

the items right back under the

tree. Please do not wrap the

gifts.

The Missions & Evangelism

team will collect, wrap, and

drop off all gift items.

This year's local charities in-

clude: Maple Manor Nursing

Home, Golden Living Center

West, MN Teen Challenge,

Women's Shelter, and the Sa-

maritan Fund. Feel free to take Feel free to take Feel free to take Feel free to take

more than one ornament! more than one ornament! more than one ornament! more than one ornament!

Praise God for His gift to us, our

Savior Jesus!

Many, many thanks to all who

helped in any way with the fu-

neral for Dan Schottler. Sharing

your time, talents and condo-

lences meant a lot!

Karla Schottler

Kelly and Aaron Isackson

Jon and Krissy Schottler

T H A N K Y O U F R O M T H E S C H O T T L E R S

P O B L O C H R I S T M A S E V E N T @ H O L Y C R O S S

When you think of Christmas,

you may think of all of the tradi-

tions that your family has. Those

traditions may include going to a

tree farm to pick out a Christmas

tree, going Christmas caroling,

making Christmas cookies, or

volunteering at a soup kitchen

on Christmas Eve. There are

many different Christmas tradi-

tions.

As a service event, the confirma-

tion class at Holy Cross will be

hosting an event on the evening

of Wednesday, December 16th

for the international students of

POBLO (People of the Book Lu-

theran Outreach) to introduce

some of these Christmas tradi-

tions. The event will include

decorating Christmas cookies

and singing Christmas Carols.

The students at POBLO are very

interested in learning about

American culture. This event is

a wonderful way to introduce the

students not only to Christmas

traditions but also to the Good

News of our Savior.

At the event, the students will

receive a handout inviting them

to local Christmas programs and

services. Hopefully, we will see

a few new faces join us in our

worship of Jesus during the

Christmas season!

L I F E T R E E C A F É — A D E C E M B E R T O R E M E M B E R !

Page 3 C O MM U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

SPECIAL SUNDAY SPECIAL SUNDAY SPECIAL SUNDAY SPECIAL SUNDAY

PRESENTATION!PRESENTATION!PRESENTATION!PRESENTATION!

Just in time for

Christmas, join

us for “The Spirit

of Santa” at Life-

tree Café on Sun-

day, December

20 from 10:45 to

11:45 in the

Parish Hall!

We'll be talking

about: Santa: the

legend, the love

the lowdown.

Guaranteed to

help put you in

the Christmas

spirit. Join us for

“The Spirit of

Santa” at Lifetree

Café!

Pastor Steve, in the lead article

called, “Oh, Come, Let Us Wor-

ship!”, mentioned that this De-

cember, we will enjoy special

times with the children gathered

around the Advent Wreath.

A part of these times will include

the Kidz Alive children helping

the rest of us worship God in

song (and teaching Gordy some

of what that means).

The Kidz Alive children will be

singing on Sundays, Dec. 13

and 20, and on Christmas Eve,

Dec. 24. Parents, please bring

your children to Holy Cross 30

minutes prior to each worship

service, and meet in the Library.

K I D Z A L I V E A T H O L Y C R O S S T H I S C H R I S T M A S

Page 4 F U L L Y A L I V E !

Band of BrothersBand of BrothersBand of BrothersBand of Brothers is our men’s

ministry at Holy Cross. We strive

to live a shared life of disciple-

ship as we focus on four specific

areas of ministry.

Basecamps Basecamps Basecamps Basecamps are our primary

meeting where we cover rele-

vant and meaningful topics,

such as the current study on

authentic manhood. We meet

on Monday evenings 6:30-7:45

in the lounge at Holy Cross. This

group is open to all men.

Excursions Excursions Excursions Excursions are special events

such as our recently held chili

feed and the annual Peak Chal-

lenge event. These events are

intended to provide fun, fellow-

ship, and/or adventure for our

men and are also great opportu-

nities to invite new men to join

our group.

Acts Acts Acts Acts are serving opportunities

for our men, such as the brunch

put on by the Band of Brothers

for our hosting MN Adult and

Teen Challenge.

Fireteams Fireteams Fireteams Fireteams are the final compo-

nent of our men’s ministry.

Soon we will be developing this

vital piece. A fireteam is a small

group of men, 3-4 who gather to

share the challenges and victo-

ries of everyday life. These

groups are able to provide the

place for genuine discipleship to

occur.

Contact Pastor Fran if you’d like

to learn more about the Band of

Brothers fran@holycross-

church.org, 507-289-1354, x. 4.

B A N D O F B R O T H E R S

“Be patient, then, brothers

and sisters, until the Lord’s

coming. See how the farmer

waits for the land to yield its

valuable crop, patiently wait-

ing for the autumn and

spring rains. You too, be

patient and stand firm, be-

cause the Lord’s coming is

near.”

- James 5:7-8

Another great year of provision

is now complete, and once

again the ground at the youth

garden lies in wait for a new

spring and a new beginning. It

is quiet out there right now, a

great place to sit and reflect on

God’s creation. Much like our

own lives, God’s timing and the

need for patience are front and

center there. Life will return in

the spring, at a time that God

will determine. We stand firm

and wait.

CONNECTION CARD COMMENT! CONNECTION CARD COMMENT! CONNECTION CARD COMMENT! CONNECTION CARD COMMENT!

On November 22, 2015, a wor-

shiper included the following

comment on his Connection

Card:

Our minds tend to stray to the

object of our passion. Let us

make JESUS the object of our

passion!

F R U I T S O F T H E S P I R I T G A R D E N S

B I T S ‘ N P I E C E S

W 0 R K C A M P M I S S I O N 1 6

Workcamp Mission16 has been

set for Cedar Grove, WV. We will

depart June 30 and return July

10, and the trip is open to any-

one grade 6 or older.

Everyone needs a Workcamp

experience. Here is a quote

from a 15 year old Workcamper

from a few years back:

“The very, very best part of Work-

camp though, is the spiritual

growth you’ll experience. I’ve

been to two Workcamps so far,

and each time I came back so

much closer to God. God is pre-

sent in everything that goes on

there. He’s there with the group

of kids playing cards in the hall-

way, and He’s there with the

singers as they practice for the

evening program. He’s there in

the hearts of the workers and

the residents. It’s just so amaz-

ing to be able to walk around

and see Him working every-

where! This past summer I came

the closest to God I think I ever

have, and it was an experience I

will never forget; it still brings me

to tears when I think about it.”

So sign up yourself and a friend

at www.holycrossyouth.org, or

get a form at church. Cost this Cost this Cost this Cost this

year is only $50. We have year is only $50. We have year is only $50. We have year is only $50. We have

worked hard to develop finan-worked hard to develop finan-worked hard to develop finan-worked hard to develop finan-

cial systems that make this cial systems that make this cial systems that make this cial systems that make this

possible. possible. possible. possible. Now you have no ex-Now you have no ex-Now you have no ex-Now you have no ex-

cuse! Join us, won’t you?cuse! Join us, won’t you?cuse! Join us, won’t you?cuse! Join us, won’t you?

“God is present

in everything

that goes on

there….”

Page 5 C O MM U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

Our main garden plot, idle now as we

wait upon the new season.

“Love the Lord

your God with all

your heart and

with all your soul

and with all your

strength ...”

~Luke 10:27

From Suzanne Lagerwaard,

RCLS Principal

The students at RCLS are living

out the message of Jesus as the

Prince of Peace, who said, “For I

was hungry and you gave me

something to eat, I was thirsty

and you gave me something to

drink, I was a strange and you

invited me in, I needed clothes

and you clothed me, I was sick

and you looked after me, I was

in prison and you came to visit

me.” (Matthew 25)

In response to Jesus’ love,

RCLS students are actively giv-

ing to our community and world

neighbors by:

• Feeding the hungryFeeding the hungryFeeding the hungryFeeding the hungry. The

first grade Stuff the Turkey

project. This bountiful gift

of food was donated to

Habitat for Humanity to

provide nourishment to

many.

• Welcoming a stranger. Welcoming a stranger. Welcoming a stranger. Welcoming a stranger. The

RCLS Sharing Tree is brim-

ming with gifts that will be

taken to the Salvation Ar-

my Sharing Tree – provid-

ing smiles to many chil-

dren.

• Creating warmth.Creating warmth.Creating warmth.Creating warmth. The sixth

grade is making Fleece

Blankets for New Life

Christian Services. New

Life is a Christian organiza-

tion that honors the sancti-

ty of life specifically to

those with unplanned preg-

nancies.

• Providing water. Providing water. Providing water. Providing water. The fourth

grade is publishing, The

Bobcat Gazette, and the

third grade is making book

marks. The sales of the

newspapers and the book

marks will go towards the

chapel offerings. RCLS is

supporting the purchase of

a water pump for the Fond

Blanc Orphanage in Haiti.

The faculty, staff and students

of RCLS invite you to perfor-

mances highlighting the birth of

Christ, beautiful music and the

Peace of Christmas.

We hope you can join us on:

• Friday, December 11Friday, December 11Friday, December 11Friday, December 11 at

6:30 pm for the Preschool

– Grade 4 Christmas

Concert

• Thursday, December 17Thursday, December 17Thursday, December 17Thursday, December 17 at

6:30 pm for the Grade 5 –

Grade 8 Advent Music

Concert

As we prepare for Christ’s com-

ing, know that you are in our

prayers. May God’s blessings

be with you and all your loved

ones.

C H R I S T M A S G R E E T I N G S F R O M R C L S !

Page 6 F U L L Y A L I V E !

October 2015 general fund re-

ceipts were $40,774. October

2015 General Fund expendi-

tures were $39,898, for a cash

increase of $876.

In designated gifts we received

$3,664, and paid $1,135 for an

inflow of $2,529, most which

related to support of Youth min-

istry. $395 was paid in addition

to the normal amount on the

lighting/sign.

As we move toward the end of

2015 please consider an over

and above gift to support the

mission and ministries of Holy

Cross.

Our faithful giving is making a

difference in the lives of chil-

dren, youth and adults, not only

at Holy Cross, but in our commu-

nity and around the world.

Thank you to everyone who sup-

ported our mission of Helping

People Become Fully Alive in

Jesus in 2015. Our tithes and

offerings are a part of our be-

coming fully alive in Jesus as

we respond to God’s great love

in Jesus by using our God-given

gifts and resources to fulfill our

mission!

“Freely you have received, so

freely give. (Jesus to His Disci-

ples in Matthew 10)

O U R F I N A N C I A L S T E W A R D S H I P

G R E E T I N G S F R O M I N D I A

Dearly Beloved Saints,

Hearty greetings to you all from

India in Jesus mighty name!

I thank our precious Savior for

this blessed privilege He has

given me to come to all through

these lines. By His amazing

grace we are fine and doing

well here. We praise His name

for all of you and for your pray-

ers for the mission here among

the poorest of the poor and

needy.

The Lord is with us and He is

guiding us every day for His

glory! Blessed be the name of

the Lord!

In the last month, our worship

center east faced wall was col-

lapsed and it has fallen. We all

prayed to the Lord with tears.

And with the leading of the Holy

Spirit and immediately we start-

ed to reconstruct the wall. The

hard work of the masons went

well and finally they finished the

construction work. They dig

foundation deep and we were

able to put two long concrete

beams and seven cement pil-

lars. Now the worship center

and our children home are in

the safe condition. In India com-

pound walls are very necessary.

They are very important too due

to sensitive security reasons.

We all worked together and we

offered our physical help too in

the construction work. I praise

God for eight young men who

helped in this work. The Lord

answers the prayers of His chil-

dren. Our children are fine in

our Children Home and they are

growing in the Lord and it is so

wonderful see them walking in

the light of the Lord. Every day

They pray for you and for your

beloved families.

Last week we had heavy rains

and now some of our neigh-

bouring districts were attacked

by heavy rains and floods. Be-

cause of His grace, our region is

safe. Now, it is the beginning of

the winter season. Please pray

for our Children and poor wid-

ows. They are in the need of

sweaters and blankets. We

need 95 sweaters and blankets

to distribute to the Children and

widows. We trust in Him and

we know that our Lord is Jesus

is our faithful provider!

Once again, I thank you very

much from the bottom of my

heart for your love, prayers and

for your sacrificial support for

the ministry here in India. In-

deed, you are all making a real

difference in the lives of the

people. The victorious Gospel of

our Lord is being shared and

the people are coming into the

knowledge of our Savior!

My wife Suneela , our Children,

widows, our believers and our

family members are sending

their love and greetings to all of

you.

Have a glorious day in the Lord!

With much love in Jesus,

Brother Suresh

Page 7 C O MM U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

Before /During After

Latest Issue of Fully Alive!

2703 9th Avenue NW

Rochester MN 55901

Phone: 507.289.1354

Fax: 507.289.4815

Email: info@holycross-church.org

Website: www.holycross-church.org

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Singing the Songs Singing the Songs Singing the Songs Singing the Songs

of Christmas!of Christmas!of Christmas!of Christmas!

Worship is...Worship is...Worship is...Worship is...

PROCLAMATION! PROCLAMATION! PROCLAMATION! PROCLAMATION! ---- December 6 December 6 December 6 December 6

ADORATION! ADORATION! ADORATION! ADORATION! ---- December 13 December 13 December 13 December 13

REVELATION! REVELATION! REVELATION! REVELATION! ---- December 20 December 20 December 20 December 20

CELEBRATION! CELEBRATION! CELEBRATION! CELEBRATION! ---- CHRISTMAS EVE CHRISTMAS EVE CHRISTMAS EVE CHRISTMAS EVE

@ 6:30!@ 6:30!@ 6:30!@ 6:30!

ANTICIPATION! ANTICIPATION! ANTICIPATION! ANTICIPATION! ---- December 27 December 27 December 27 December 27

(Sunday Morning Worship @ 9:30)(Sunday Morning Worship @ 9:30)(Sunday Morning Worship @ 9:30)(Sunday Morning Worship @ 9:30)