My fellow Christians,

This Sunday’s lectionary includes a reading that has always disturbed me. It is one of the lowest points in the story of David, where he covets, lies, and then disposes of another human being for his own satisfaction. David sees the wife of his soldier Uriah, Bathsheba, from his balcony. He has her come to his palace and lies with her unbeknownst to Uriah. His covetousness leads him to order that Uriah lead a doomed assault in battle so that he will be killed. David then takes Bathsheba as his own, and she becomes pregnant, but not all is as smooth as David would like…

“…and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, ‘There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meagre fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.’ Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’

“Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?” (2 Samuel 12.1-9)

The child that Bathsheba bears for David becomes ill and dies, and many other terrible things happen to many of David’s children, a calamity he brought on himself through his ego, pride, greed, and through his lack of empathy. No, it is not the end of David’s story, but it’s the end of the story for many whom he loved. Let us be careful what we covet, and may we guard our hearts so as not to seek what is not ours, but to instead seek what God is seeking with us. That is how we will be ones after God’s heart, and when we inevitably stumble, we can put the pieces back together, with God’s help.

In guarding our hearts,

This Sunday we welcome the Rev. Maria Cristina Borges Alvarez to Holy Cross. Rev. Maria most recently served as Priest-in-Charge at St. Matthews in National City. She will preach and preside while Rev. Richard is away on vacation this Sunday. A message from Rev. Maria:

My name is Maria Cristina Borges Alvarez. I was born and raised in Cuba. I am married to the Rev. Carlos E. Exposito Irarragorri, who is currently the Rector at All Saints’, Hillcrest, SD. We are both graduates from Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington D.C. In 2012 I ended my ministry as a member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council having the honor and privilege of serving with our former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and experiencing the beauty of the diversity in the Anglican world. On May 1st, 2013, I landed in San Diego to be reunited with our family. Since then I have been serving the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. I pray I continue to listen to God’s calling each day of my life and have the willingness to exercise his will. 

Is your email cutting off the full newsletter? - If you see a message at the end of your email that says something like "[Message clipped] View entire message" click on the "view entire message" link and the full newsletter will open - you may also click on the "View Entire Newsletter" link at the top of the newsletter (it's safe) and it will open the full newsletter in a new browser.

Thank you to those who have donated to our July outreach project - rice and cooking oil donations for distribution to refugee families throughout San Diego County. To date we have received over $550! Once again, a very generous anonymous donor is providing a $1,000 matching donation. Please prayerfully consider helping us reach the full amount of that matching donating!!

In-kind donations of rice and oil are gratefully accepted, please bring them to church THIS Sunday. You may also make a financial donation, via:

For over 10 years Holy Cross has helped hundreds of refugee families with generous donations of over 16,000 pounds of rice and 800 gallons of cooking oil to RefugeeNet. The various countries in Asia and Africa from which the refugees come, all depend on rice and cooking oil for a major portion of their daily food.

If you have questions, please contact ministry leader Mike Collier. Thank you for your generous support of this important outreach ministry.

We use a screen to project the service bulletin. If you prefer your own worship booklet please download the booklet using the button below on your phone or tablet, or print a copy at home, and bring it with you. We are doing this for health precautions and to be better stewards of God's creation (reduce paper waste) - thanks for your understanding.

Please Note: As during our worship service, masks are not required for those who have been vaccinated. However, unvaccinated people, including children under age 12, are expected to wear masks except for when they are drinking their beverage. At this time, we will not be providing food as all food must be individually wrapped or served by a server who is the only one to touch the serving implements. Thank you for your understanding.

Miss last Sunday's service? Watch it below.

Video on Demand (VOD): All past service video's are available on our YouTube channel here.

This Sunday, July 25th: No Session: Rev. Richard is away on vacation

As you all know, the Bishop’s Committee is preparing for a visioning ministry/process to help the congregation determine our calling as a community and how that will relate to any future location. While the Bishop’s Committee and Bishop Susan have the final say on any such matters in terms of decision making, we emphatically want this to be a congregationally informed discussion. The result of this process will be the visioning ministers’ recommendations to the Bishop and the Bishop’s Committee.

Our first step will be to clearly identify our values, who we are, who we want to serve, who we want to become as we grow into our next milestone. continue reading here

All Saints Cemetery Clean-up

This is a great way to be outdoors helping to do basic yard work and some beautification projects at historic All Saints Cemetery (Episcopal) in Oceanside. Katie Ho coordinates this ministry. The next gardening date is: TBD. Contact Katie via call or text at 619.990.2298 or via email at [email protected] for more information or to let her know you're joining in.

Wounded Warriors

Parishioners willing to help make up the difference in expenses are welcome to make a contribution to Holy Cross in any amount with a note designating Wounded Warrior ministry. We are committed to this ministry twice per month. You may also make a financial donation, via:

If you have questions regarding this ministry or would like to help please reach out to ministry leader Tom Mauro at [email protected].

NEW MAILING ADDRESS: 2647 Gateway Rd Suite 105 #290, Carlsbad, Ca. 92009

Thank you to all who so faithfully continue to support Holy Cross. Your Second Quarter giving statements are available. Please pick your copy up at church on Sunday. You may also contact Muriel, our bookkeeper, at [email protected], and she will be happy to email you a copy of your statement. Help us be a little more environmentally friendly!

If you would like pledge giving envelopes please let Muriel know as well.

If you have not yet pledged, pledges are welcome at any time and you may do so by clicking the button below and completing the online pledge form or click here for a PDF to email to Mike at [email protected] or mail to the church office at 2647 Gateway Rd Suite 105 #290, Carlsbad, Ca. 92009. If you haven't already pledged this year please prayerfully consider supporting this blessed community of faith with a pledge.

Bishop's Committee (BC) meetings are the third Thursday of the month from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm. The next regularly scheduled BC meeting is Thursday, July 19th via Zoom. If there is something for which you wish to bring to the BC's attention, you may reach out to our Wardens, Karen Sanchez and Katie Ho, or any BC member. Their contact information is in the church roster or you may reach them at the church office: [email protected]. Meetings are open and anyone may attend. Please reach out to Rev Richard for the Zoom link if you wish to attend.

You may read the approved June Minutes here; Treasures report here ; P&L here; Balance Sheet here; and the revised May P&L here; revised May Balance Sheet here

Whenever you have a concern or problem you would like to discuss confidentially, when a loved one is ill or has died, or whenever a visit with someone from Holy Cross may be of help to you, please contact Rev. Richard at 715.492.0297. Our clergy and members of our lay Pastoral Care team are commissioned to bring God’s grace and offer a time of listening, companionship, and prayer with those who are unable to attend worship or otherwise are in need of receiving such care. Short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and referral to other social service providers are also available.

If you would like to be added, or suggest someone to be added (please get their permission first) to Notes of Care please contact the church office at: [email protected] or 760.930.1270

Note: If you have lost a member of your family and would like us to include you and your family in "Notes of Care" please provide the name and relationship of your loved one, the date they entered into glory, and the address of where you would like notes of care sent.

TryTank Experimental Lab, a joint project of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA, and the General Theological Seminary in New York, and York St. John University are measuring the lasting impact of the Covid pandemic on the Episcopal church.

“There is no doubt that we have all been affected by COVID-19 and this includes the church,” said the Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, director of the TryTank. “The question then becomes: how deep and where is the impact most felt. And are there opportunities there as well?”

York St. John University already carried out a similar survey in the midst of the pandemic in England and is now gathering and analyzing to measure the lasting impact there. The U.S. results will also allow for a comparison of the two sides of the Atlantic.

The survey will continue until the fall. The results are expected to be released later in the year.

​Please, help us out. Will you take the survey?

On December 3 - 4, 2021, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego will welcome Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to Southern California for a celebration of good news. With interactive outreach projects, workshops, live discussion panels, youth offerings, and an evening of celebration at the beautiful Town and Country Resort, this is the perfect time to get away and enjoy some good news.

Who's your "One?" Inviting friends, family, and neighbors to the Good News Festival is an important part of making this event a true celebration of good news. Join us in committing to invite your "One," one person you know who needs to hear the good news of Jesus. You can find materials to help invite "your one" to the Good News Festival on the website. The flyers are available for download, but printed materials will also be provided to churches for broad distribution.

https://www.cpg.org/global/onlineresources/cartoons/calendars/2019/

Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook ***

Vicar: The Rev. Richard Hogue - [email protected] **

Assisting Priest: The Rev. Walter Edelman

** office hours: Sunday - Thursday 9 am - 5pm. Fridays and Saturdays are his Sabbath days. Rev. Richard will always be available for pastoral emergencies regardless of the day, but asks that you understand he will not be responding to general emails, text messages or phone calls on his Sabbath days as he is trying to get the rest that God requires of all of us.

Bookkeeper: Muriel Wahl

AV Tech Guru: Jack Cater

AV Tech Asst: Miles Fesler

Sr. Warden: Karen Sanchez - [email protected]

Jr. Warden: Katie Ho

Members at large: Mike Collier, Marci Stafford

Treasurer: Larry Sebastian

Clerk: Robyn Hill

Church office: 760.930.1270

Church email: [email protected]

Mailing address: 2647 Gateway Rd Suite 105 #290, Carlsbad, CA. 92009

*** To contact the Bishop's office or another member of the diocesan staff ("EDSD"):

EDSD phone: 619-291-5947

EDSD staff directory: https://edsd.org/staff/

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