- 10:30 am – Outdoor Worship Service under the oak tree on the north side of the church
- 10:30 am – Virtual Worship Watch (Online Service) on YouTube
- 11:15 am – Virtual Fellowship via Zoom
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
WORSHIP DETAILS
10:30 am - Outdoor Service
We will have an outdoor service every Sunday through the Summer. The service will be at 10:30 am under the oak tree on the north side of the church.
- Please bring your own chairs (if you need a chair, we will have some available).
- The service will be approximately 30 to 40 minutes and will include Communion.
- Face masks are required, unless you have a medical condition that does not allow for wearing a face mask. Face masks will be available at the service if you do not have one or forget yours.
- Physical distancing will be used. Family units may sit together; other units will be 6 feet apart.
- Register to attend the service via the sign-up genius sent to you by email each week.
- Bathrooms will be available but should be used for an emergency; only one person at a time will be using the bathroom. After each use, the bathroom will be sanitized.
- If the weather is inclement, we will move the service inside. If we have to go to an indoor service, we will be restricted to the number of people who can attend due to the social distancing restrictions.
10:30 am - Virtual Worship Watch (Online Service)
Join together for the Virtual Worship Watch each Sunday at 10:30 am.
- Each week, a greeter will welcome you and invite you to chat alongside the recorded worship. You can share any prayer concerns and joys with each other, or just say, “hello!”
- The recorded service of the Word is posted every Sunday at 10:30 am to the Cross & Crown YouTube channel.
- View Cross & Crown online services on YouTube >
11:15 am – Virtual Fellowship
Connect on Zoom after the Virtual Worship Watch and catch up with one another.
- Invite someone that you miss to join!
- See your email for the Zoom link.
TUESDAYS AT TWO
This coming week’s topic will be “What the Heck is an Interim Minister?”
Have you ever wondered what an interim minister is? Or, what an interim minister does? Or, why do we even want an interim minister? Or, I have no idea what an interim minister is?
If so, then join the Zoom conversation Tuesday, August 4, at 2:00. We will discuss the topic and entertain questions from participants. Here’s something to think about: You can learn a lot about interim ministers by watching a famous Disney movie. Don’t know which one? Join us Tuesday to find out.
Zoom login info can be found in this past Friday's "Connection" email.
FAMILY FAITH FORMATION
Thank you to all of the volunteers and participants in last week's Vacation Bible School at Home experience! We had a great week learning all about Jesus's awesome power! Check out our Facebook page for some photos from our week.
Prayers for Students
Would you consider praying for one of our young members this school year? We are looking for volunteers to intentionally pray for each of our middle and high school students during the upcoming school year. Time commitment will be minimal and no in-person activities will be required. More information and support will be provided throughout the year. Please click here to sign up or to receive more information about this new way to support our youth.
TRANSITION
As we begin to move into this period of transition, the council would like to keep you updated on a few things:
Call Committee Update - Congregational Survey
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who responded to the congregational survey! The Call Committee and Church Council appreciate each of you who took the time to respond. All of your responses will be read and used to help us complete the Ministry Site Profile, which is the next step in the search for our next senior pastor at Cross & Crown. Your thoughtful responses to the open text questions were especially helpful given the current challenges with meeting in person. Again, thanks!
Call Committee Members
The call committee has been finalized and the C&C members who agreed to serve are: Craig Beougher, Brenda Cooper, Eric Jensen, Brent Johnson, Sara Paul, and Jill Speraw. Ashleigh Gelfius will be serving as a nonvoting youth advisor.
Call Process Q&A Wrap-up
Last Sunday Heather Apel, Assistant to the Bishop, led two Zoom Q&A's regarding the call process. If you were unable to attend, you can view the recording of the first meeting here (enter Password: 6N*&M3i% ). The first 35 minutes is a presentation by Heather about how the process works, and the last 30 minutes are questions asked by participants. If you would like to see the PowerPoint slides that Heather showed in her presentation, please email Chris Lantz and she will email it to you.
Heather also shared some documents during her recording, you can view the Call Process Outline here.
Interim Pastor
Deacon Marilyn Smith is serving as our part-time interim pastor and as Pastor of Record for Cross and Crown. (A Pastor of Record is a Pastor or lay person assigned by the Synod Office to handle pastoral care in absence of a called Pastor.) In case of pastoral emergency, please contact Marilyn Smith at 419-792-5564 or via email.
Updates
The council will keep you updated via email and through occasional gatherings of the congregation. If you have any specific questions, please email Julie Slavens or call her at 317-818-9137.
C&C BOOK GROUP
Cross and Crown’s book group will be reading The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
A small number of books are available for loan in the church office. If you have any questions, email Alice Miley.
OFFERING
There will be an offering during our online worship service. Remember our offerings are an important part of our worship even though we are not meeting in person.
- Electronic Giving - If you would like to move to electronic giving, you can find more information and a sign up form here. Complete the form and mail it into the office along with a voided check.
- You can also send an offering check via the US Mail.
NOTES FROM THE OFFICE
Participation in Worship
If you would like to participate in the recording of the online worship service, email Chris Lantz.
Devotionals
For those of you who normally pick up one of the devotionals, Word in Season or Christ in Our Home, and would like the 2nd quarter edition mailed to you, please let Chris Lantz know.
Text Alerts
If you would like to be included on the church text alerts, send Chris Lantz an email with the mobile phone number you would like to receive the messages. This method of communication will not be used for prayer requests.
Family Promise Clothing Drive - CANCELED :(
Good Will is not currently offering clothing for vouchers, so the August clothing drive for Family Promise has been cancelled. Questions? Email Mary Jean Woods.
JOY FUND
If you find your self in financial hardship during the pandemic, Cross and Crown has a designated fund, called the Joy Fund, to help with unexpected nonrecurring expenses. Email Stacy Reid for more information.
Gardening Help Wanted
For years, Lyn Beltz has been maintaining all of the plantings around the church property. We truly appreciate all that she does!
Lyn is hoping there might be some gardeners out there who would like to help her out and lighten the load. At this time it would not be a group project, just come as you can on an individual basis.
If you would like more information, please email Chris Lantz.
Music Corner
Matthew Rhea has created a play list of music appropriate for the readings for the 9th Sunday of Pentecost. This are the versions of the music that you will hear in the recorded and in-person worship service.
View the playlist on Spotify. Spotify is free, but you have to sign in. The free account has advertisements.
View the lyrics for the hymn, "God Himself Is With Us," in the Lutheran Book of Worship, #249 (Green Hymnal).
View the lyrics for “The Church of Christ in Every Age.” U.S. residents may view the copyrighted text freely. The text is in our current hymnal #729.
SHARING PLACE NEEDS You
THE SHARING PLACE still needs your help.
Spaghetti, egg noodles, non-sugar cereal, pork 'n' beans, plastic bags, and toilet paper - or money to Stan
Thank you for your generous contributions of plastic bags. Now, do you suppose we could fill more of those bags with food? Thanks for all of your help. For those of you with access to the church, you can leave your donations right inside the door by the office.
As always, your generosity is appreciated!
SUNDAY MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announcements of upcoming church events delivered at the beginning of our Sunday worship services are part of the life of our community. But we need to be able to respect the time constraints of our members. So, beginning immediately, Church Council has created some simple guidelines regarding announcements:
- Each announcement must last no longer than 30 seconds. The announcement should primarily direct listeners to the bulletin insert and the weekly Connection for more information.
- All announcements must be in the bulletin insert and Connection for that week.
- Deadline for the bulletin insert and Connection is Thursday at noon. Send your announcement by email to Chris Lantz in the office, chris@cclutheran.com.
Thank you for your help!
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN
- Children Celebrating Worship - Please check out the new laminated cards in the sanctuary hymnal racks. You'll find a list of practical suggestions for parents with children newborn to 5 yrs old (blue) and 6 to 9 yrs old (pink). Consider it a survival kit for families before, during and after worship. Some of the ideas may surprise you - others simply reassure that you're on the right track. For the rest of the congregation - those who have survived or are still wondering - remember we're all in this together. Every thriving church family needs a full stock of bold, enthusiastic young voices coming to worship... for of such is the kingdom of heaven!
- Splash: Birth to Three Faith Formation - Parents of babies and toddlers, Cross and Crown offers a faith-based curriculum for families with children under the age of 3. The newsletter is mailed directly to you with ideas to nurture faith development in young children. If you would like to receive the newsletter, contact Lisa Stocks.
SIMPLY GIVING
If you are tired of writing checks for your offerings and would like the convenience of electronic giving, then we invite you to consider the Simply Giving program. Brochures are available at the Welcome Desk.