A Publication of the Holy Cross
The Cross
January 2018
Articles and News
Giving Tree
THANK YOU, HOLY CROSS FAMILY!
 The families at the Redmond YWCA Family Village
send their heart-felt thanks to you for bringing such
joy to their kids this Christmas! In many cases the gifts you provided were the only ones they received, and they are very grateful!  

A special Thank You to Lori Wheeler for organizing and delivering these gifts. We really appreciate your help!
Epiphany New Member Celebration
On Sunday, January 14 at 8:00am & 10:00am services, the Newcomers Ministry group would like to introduce our Newcomers. After the 10:00am service we will have an Epiphany Celebration to welcome them. If you would like to be officially welcomed as a new member please contact Heidi Leto in the office. Publisher@HolyCrossRedmond.org or #425-885-5822.
Annual Meeting
Mark your calendar and plan to attend the meeting & potluck.
January 28 @ 11:30am.

Christmas Pageant
Congregations for the Homeless
Congregations for the Homeless works to end homelessness in East King County. They do this by helping men to successfully make the transition from homelessness to permanent housing. In their Year-Round Shelter program, different local host churches take turns providing housing for a month, while partner congregations like Holy Cross bring in hot meals. This January, Holy Cross will be feeding 40 men every Tuesday night at Redmond United Methodist. To find out more about this program, check out cfhomeless.org
To help shop, cook and serve meals to our neighbors in need, please see the sign-up sheet in the back of the Narthex and/or contact coordinator
Teresa Guenther at ursamaia@live.com .






 Super Seniors ~ 
 By Melissa Holmes     
“We wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” from the Holy Cross Seniors. 
To celebrate the season of our Lord and Savior’s birth the Seniors group had a Holiday Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 7 th in the parish hall. 27 Seniors attended he event. We dined on a delicious sampling of potluck dishes that included baked ham, scalloped potatoes, sweet squash, salads, veggie tray, luscious desserts, punch and beverages. 
For entertainment we solved the Christmas Carol word game before lunch. 
After lunch, Jan Saarela led us in an activity on Christmas legends (candy canes, star, spiders, poinsettia, wreath, rose etc.) which was very fun and informative.
Following that Beth Bishop played the piano as we sang favorite Christmas Carols old and new. Finally, individuals shared precious Christmas memories of traditions or experiences that they’d had in their younger years. It was touching to hear their personal stories. 
Lastly, we collected jars of peanut butter from Seniors to donate to the local food bank to help needy families on the East Side.
Special thanks to Fr. Jim, Marilyn and Dick Lidicker, Audrey and John Gilbert,
Jan Saarela, and all who helped set up and take down and clean up. 
In this time of Christmas busyness our Seniors Holiday Luncheon allows
us to pause, relax, and treasure our Holy Cross Seniors community. 
We are blessed. 
Faith Formation
Middle School Youth
Miracle Ranch Retreat 
Depart Holy Cross Friday, January 12 at  3:30  P.M.
Return Sunday, January 14 at 1 PM. 
Paintball, Horseback Riding, Ropes.
Fun, Fun, Fun! $160 ~   REGISTER HERE    Waiver
Middle School Youth Curriculum
Youth continue their studies on Fundamental Theology and meet once a month on Friday evenings to view Harry Potter movies. Our curriculum, The Deathly Hallows, To Die Is Gain: Good and Evil in the World of Harry Potter, which includes mighty comparisons to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection will begin in January.
Friday,  January 5      Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Sunday, January 7      Book 1 Discussion
Sunday, January 14    Miracle Ranch Retreat – no regular Youth Group
Friday,  January 19    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Sunday, January 21    Harry Potter Book 2 Discussion
Sunday, January 29    Harry Potter Book 3 Discussion
Friday,  February 2    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Friday,  March 2       Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
High School Youth Curriculum
Youth will wrap up their studies on Diversity soon and begin Nikki Gumbel’s Alpha Course in January.
Drop-In is every Wednesday evening for conversations, movies, music and fun. 
Middle School Youth put Faith into Action Tuesday, January 23 rd
meet at Holy Cross in the Parish Hall Kitchen at 4:30 to cook meal for Congregations for the Homeless. Delivery will be at 7 PM to Redmond United Methodist Church. Come help prep at the church and serve on site sharing the meal and fellowship with the group.
Sign up with Sue Dimmitt or Sara Carroll.
High School Youth Curriculum
Youth will begin Nicki Gumbel’s Alpha Course Sunday, January 21.
Drop-In is every Wednesday evening for conversations, movies, music and fun. 
Upcoming JYC & HYC Youth Conferences

HYC - High School:
J anuary 5-7, 2018  -- Winter HYC at Camp Berachah, Black Mountain Camp. If you prefer onsite housing, and having some extra activities in a great camp environment, this is the conference for you! Cost is $90- $130. The theme for this is Nail it to the Door! We'll be exploring our reformation ties.   Register online. 
April 6-8, 2018 Spring HYC at St. James, Kent, $35
JYC – Middle School:
May 4-6, 2018 Spring JYC at St. Andrew Port Angeles
Updates on our Youth by Patrick Kelly
Hello Everyone! Patrick Kelly here, your friendly neighborhood Youth Director. Well, it’s been a great few months working at Holy Cross. We have had some great activities that your youth have taken part in, and I am certain that we will have more fun and entertaining activities in the coming months! Our Diversity Lessons on Sundays have been going well and have been very engaging for the students. With only two sessions left in Diversity Lessons, we will be starting our new lessons following Christmas break. The new programming is the Alpha Youth Series, which will take the students through video lessons on various faith driven topics with interesting questions during the video. I am very excited for God’s plans for the year to come! I hope you all had a blessed Holiday Season!
Music News!
Sacred Night : Concert by Ancora Women’s Choir
Seattle-based women’s choir Ancora is pleased to offer members of Redmond Church of Holy Cross’s congregation and families free admission to Sacred Night , a seasonal winter concert on Sunday, January 28, at 4:30 p.m. in the church’s sanctuary. Under the direction of Interim Artistic Director Freddie Coleman, accompanied by Justin Hansen, and joined by guest artists Resonance Handbell Quartet, the program features a Gregorian-inspired Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis by Frank La Rocca, the Bach-inspired Mass No. 6 by Romanian-born Hungarian György Orbán, and the mystical Northern Lights written for treble voices, handbells, and tuned glasses by Latvian Eriks Esenvalds.
Free tickets are available only through advance online purchase at redmondsacrednight.bpt.me
Enter the password northernlight in the Password/Discount field.
Pricing at the door is $16 general admission, $13 for seniors; students are free. “We look forward to welcoming you to our performance on January 28.”
BOOK CLUB READS FOR 2018

1/01/18 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

1/09/18  Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran Holy Cross- Melissa will organize group effort
2/20/18  The Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles  Holy Cross
*This is 3rd Tuesday due to Mardi Gras—(Dianne will organize group effort)
3/13/18  Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger  Melissa, Marilyn & Vicki
4/10/18  Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Sue Crossley
5/08/18 Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly Mary Shifton (probably)
6/12/18 Left open for a book still to be discovered…. Laurel
or a classic we want to read again.

7/10/18 Potluck BOOK SELECTION IDEA—TRY FOR JUNE. Submit book ideas ONE WEEK before May meeting…..then vote ONLINE by each member ranking their favorites.
    Women's A.M. Bible Study
Come join us on Tuesday mornings, January 9th starting @ 9:30am.
Questions: Contact Pam Stanton-Wyman -  pamstwy@gmail.com
ELL Class will resume on January 9th
at 9:30am.
Green Elephant Plant Swap ~ January 13
Rain or shine, Pacific Northwest gardeners gather to exchange and share plants, seeds, cuttings and gardenalia with all. Whether you feel the budget crunch or just want to grow your own delicious healthy food, the vegi-swap is offered so we can exchange and share vegetable seeds and plant starts for our own Beat-the-Economy Victory Gardens. It’s too late for bare root plants but potted trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and tropicals are most welcome. If you are interested in growing your own food, you are not alone. Swappers are free to come and go as they please. Most of the deals are sealed by 11:30 am. Arrive at 10 am for the best selection.
Tailgating Encouraged. The format for the trade is like a tailgate party. Traders exchange expert gardening information as well as plant materials. In two hours all the deals are sealed. We have plenty of new parking .
Free Stuff. Many gardeners generously share plants from the abundance of their gardens—An excellent way to begin your garden. Also an excellent way to thin out that giant patch of shasta daisies, etc. There is always a pile of plants free for the sharing at the swap.
What if I have nothing to trade? Cookies and chocolate work like money.
May We Pray For You?
Contact Karen Smith to be placed on the Holy Cross Prayer Chain.