Sunday Worship Services are live streamed on Sundays on our Instagram page

Dear Beloved Church of the Cross,

As we enter Holy Week, I find myself wondering how long it’s been since we’ve had as many people in worship on Maundy Thursday as we do on Palm Sunday or Easter Sunday (if ever). I understand the joy of both Sundays and the desire to skip the Maundy Thursday service. I understand work schedules and the like. Yet, I find myself connecting this pondering along with my own ability to shut off the news to avoid the difficulty of facing the chaos and tragedies happening in our country. I have the privilege to ‘turn it off,’ but in truth far too many people cannot ‘turn it off’ because they are living the chaos and tragedy every.single.day.

Our Lord could not ‘turn off’ what was to come. His disciples didn’t really know what to expect despite Jesus’ warning them. Even so, Jesus loved them and sought to strengthen them for the chaos and tragedy to come. But we know. We know what he will face. It’s easy for those of us who have privilege to ‘turn off’ the horror, only to ‘turn it back on again’ when it gets to the good stuff of Resurrection. Except this is not life for many people on a daily basis. And… one day we all will face death before we enjoy the glory of Resurrection, hopefully, with people who love us sitting, praying, and waiting with us.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises us, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26a). Additionally, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8). Each is essentially saying, ‘in life and in death, we belong to God.’ As followers of Jesus, we hold this truth dear to our hearts for it is our ‘comfort and stay’—meaning we experience a sense of comfort and security knowing whatever we face, God is with us. 

Facing the tragedy of our Lord’s crucifixion is difficult, and it should be, death is hard. Maundy Thursday takes us to the place we’d prefer not to go. We also know without our Lord’s death there would be no resurrection, no eternal life for any of us.

Our Maundy Thursday service this year will emphasis “the space in between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.” Despite being far removed from our Lord’s reality, we will share in our Lord’s Supper, sing Taizé music, read Luke’s narrative, hear ‘first person’ stories, have time to meditate as music is played. We will sit with our Lord. We will pray with him. We will wait with him

Jesus lived it, for us. May we at least find it in our hearts to be present, for him.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Julie

We have a request from the COTC Office and Sunday Donation Counters to please fill out all the information requested on the Giving envelopes.

We have 2 envelopes available:

1. Pew Giving envelope available in the pews
2. Monthly/Weekly Giving envelopes available on request from the Office.

We need the giver # or name of donor; account and amount - see items marked with red on the picture. Filling out the envelope will eliminate donations from being entered to wrong donors and/or accounts. Thank you!

Grief touches every corner of our lives — not just in moments of death but in quiet farewells, conflict, and lost health. 



Grieving Change and Loss invites you to embrace the wilderness of loss and rediscover the horizon of hope offered by Christ’s resurrection.

Rooted in the wisdom of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler’s six stages of grief outlined in their seminal work On Grief and Grieving, this daily 2025 Lenten devotional offers a pathway through the heartache of life’s goodbyes, guiding you toward the promise of resurrection.

Our Annual Spring WORK DAY is on Saturday, May 17th, 9am - 2 pm. Save the date!

Support One Great Hour of Sharing!

Ending hunger, repairing after disasters, and promising the self-development of all people all around the world. Donations will be accepted from today until April 20th.

April 13th is the last Sunday that we will be collecting donations!

Aldi’s Gift Cards will be purchased for families who have students enrolled at Lakeview Elementary School. Please add a note with your donation for “Easter Gift Cards”.

On the first Sunday of each month we collect items for the Schaumburg Food Pantry. The most commonly needed food pantry items are:

• Canned meats
• Canned pasta
• Soup

• Juice
• Snacks and crackers
• Baking items

• Tomato products
• Paper goods
• Hygiene products

Meetings are once a month on Wednesdays at 7 pm. 



• April 16 - When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman
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• May 14 - By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
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• June 18 - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
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• July 30 - The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George

Contact Julie Truelsen for more details.

This is a relaxed time to gather over coffee to share conversation and enjoy each other’s company. These gatherings will be held at COTC about twice a month on Thursdays at 10 am. Next meeting: May 8

The group meets on Sundays at 11:45 am. Everyone is invited to join the study in the Gathering Place.

Join us via Zoom every Wednesday at 12 noon for lunch and bible study.  We discuss scripture passages for our upcoming worship service. Contact Pastor Julie for the Zoom access information to join.

The group meets Wednesdays at 7 pm. Contact Ken Groenewold or Stu Rutter for more details.

Join us via Zoom on Tuesdays at 11 am for prayers and conversations. Contact Pastor Julie for the Zoom access information to join.