Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church (LCMS)

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WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT ALL OUR WORSHIP SERVICES

 AT HOLY CROSS HAVE BEEN RESUMED 

The lay leadership of Holy Cross and I believe that it is time for in-person worship at Holy Cross to resume. All of our sister congregations have successfully reopened, more churches of other denominations are beginning to reopen, and COVID-19 cases continue to decline in our community. We resumed holding in-person worship services at Holy Cross beginning the weekend of June 20–21.

As you decide whether to rejoin us for in-person worship or not, please consider the following:

• If you are ill, please stay home!
• If you are in the categories most vulnerable to COVID-19, please consider staying home for the time being and arranging for me to see you at home.
• If you are personally fearful of contracting and/or spreading COVID-19, please stay home. There will be absolutely no judgment toward those who are not yet ready to rejoin us for in-person worship.
• Prerecorded services will continue to be made available for the benefit of those who are not able to join us for in-person worship.

For those who have decided to rejoin us, these are the measures we will be taking:

• Our service times will be like normal: 5 PM Saturday, 9 AM Sunday. There will be no Bible Class after the Sunday morning service. For the time being, we will not have Holy Communion at the Sunday Services but we have started celebrating Holy Communion at the Saturday Services as of July 4th. If you are unable to attend worship services in person and your household would like to receive Holy Communion, please contact me and we can set a time for me to give you Communion at church during the week or bring you Communion at home.
• We will not be asking volunteers to assist with the services. There will be no greeters or ushers.
• Those who wish to join us for worship are asked to wear masks while in our facility. The doors to the education wing (i.e., the north door by the parking lot and the south door by the church office) will be unlocked an hour before the service begins. I encourage those who wish to join us to arrive early enough that we will all have time to get settled in the sanctuary without congregating in the hallways. Unfortunately, I will have to lock the doors right before the service begins, so we will not be able to accommodate those who arrive after service time.
• Guests will be asked to wash hands before entering the sanctuary. Masks will be available at the base of the ramp for those who do not have masks of their own. Printed bulletins will also be available. The bulletins will include all the music used during the service. We will not use hymnals.
• An offering will not be gathered during the service. If you bring an offering, you may deposit it in the offering plate at the entrance to the sanctuary.
• When you enter the sanctuary, you will see that two pews are taped off for every one pew left open. Each household may occupy one pew. This will ensure that necessary social distancing is maintained.
• We will not gather Care Cards. I will take attendance at the beginning of the service, noting the approximate location of each household in case contact tracing needs to be done later.
• It is up to you whether or not to sing during the service, as long as you do not sing without a mask. Singing without a mask on may pose a significant risk of transmitting the coronavirus, but some styles of mask can make it difficult to sing without getting short of breath. I myself find that a paper surgical mask allows me to sing without getting short of breath.
• After the service, please keep interaction with other parishioners to a minimum until you are outside the building.

I know that this is a lot to keep track of, and the measures we’ll be taking certainly temper our joy at being able to gather once more. But these measures are necessary for the time being to make sure that by gathering we do not contribute to the spread of the coronavirus in our community. If you have questions about these measures, please give me a call at (563) 505-2033.

I give thanks to God that our community has not been harder hit by the coronavirus so far. Let us pray that He continue this mercy toward us as we cautiously resume in-person worship together.

Yours in the Lord Christ Jesus,

Pastor Neuendorf

WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR WEEKLY SERVICES AVAILABLE ONLINE.

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Saturday Worship Service:  5:00 PM

Sunday Worship Service:  9:00 AM 

Sunday School for Youth:  10:15 AM Sep-May SUSPENDED

Sunday Adult Bible Study:  10:15 AM SUSPENDED

Our Vision: 

Seeking God's will in sharing Christ with the local community and the world.

If you are considering a new place of worship or a relocation to our area, we would love to have you be our guest.

When you visit our church, you will find:

• A caring congregation that will gladly welcome you
• Preaching/teaching that is centered on the Word of God
• Ministries to meet the spiritual needs of every age

View Pastor Neuendorf's sermons by clicking on the YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook icon in the upper right of this page.