As the longer days and warmer

weather signals the dawning of

the season of Spring, so too, Ash

Wednesday signals the dawning

of another season – the season

of Lent. This reminds us that as

followers of Jesus and as the

Church our lives are ordered and

guided by different seasons –

seasons that remind us that we

are a people of faith on a jour-

ney. We are a people who are

following Jesus and trusting Him

to lead us into the promised land

of God’s eternal, heavenly

Kingdom.

We have just completed a long

journey through the season of

Epiphany which is meant to be a

time when God opens the eyes

of our hearts to see Jesus for

who He truly is as the Son of God

and Savior and the One who

bears the name that is above all

names. Ash Wednesday brings

us to a new season called Lent.

This new season begins on the

Sunday following Ash Wednes-

day. From there we begin a 40-

day journey which ends at sun-

down on Maundy Thursday.

Why 40 days? In the Bible we

see Moses, Elijah and Jesus

spending 40 days in the desert

wilderness being prepared for

the most significant journeys of

their lives. We witness the peo-

ple of Israel on a 40-year journey

being forged as a nation of faith

and prepared to enter into the

Promised Land. Thus, the num-

ber 40 symbolizes a time when

God prepares His people for

what lies ahead. He instructs

them, tests their faith, reveals

Himself to them, draws them

deeper into His Word, grows

them into the people He desires

them to be and sends them forth

empowered to accomplish His

purpose.

With that in mind, we will begin

our journey of Lent by gathering

weekly for devotion to worship,

the breaking of bread, fellowship

and prayer. As we journey to-

gether we will find ourselves

following Jesus and those who

journeyed with Him. We will

meet up with individuals along

the way who stood at a cross-

roads and had to decide which

way to go. Some chose well,

some did not. But, the stories of

each of these experiences at

various crossroads will help us to

know what to do and what not do

when we encounter similar

crossroads in our own lives.

And, along the way we will see

how Jesus and His cross lead us

to know and follow God’s path

for our lives.

I am praying that everyone will

join the journey knowing that

Jesus desires to prepare us for

what lies ahead. He will instruct

and test us. And, He will reveal

Himself to us, draw us deeper

into His Word, grow us into the

people He desires us to be and

empower us to carry out His

purpose. Whether or not you

join the journey is up to you. I

guess that means that as you

read this you are standing at the

Crossroads. Which way will you

choose?

Praying you will choose to join

the journey of Lent!

Pastor S

A T T H E C R O S S R O A D S

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 F U L L Y A L I V E !

Fully Alive!

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

P E A K C H A L L E N G E

2

M E S S I A H I N T H E P A S S O V E R

2

L I F E T R E E C A F É 3

S P R I N G B A S K E T O R D E R S

4

W O R K C A M P M I S S I O N 1 7

5

L E T T E R F R O M S U R E S H

6

R C L S U P D A T E 7

C O M M U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

V B S 2 0 1 7 — M I G H T Y F O R T R E S S

Page 2 F U L L Y A L I V E !

P E A K C H A L L E N G E — C H A S E T H E L I O N

VBS 2017 is a victory

celebration! In Mighty Fortress

VBS, your children learn that in

Jesus, the victory is won! They’ll

look into the Bible, God’s Holy

Word, and explore five Bible

accounts about God, our Mighty

Fortress, and the victory Jesus

has won for us.

Join us July 17 through July 21,

9:00-12:00 each day as we sing

fun songs, do crazy crafts, eat

yummy snacks, play awesome

games, and more.

Plus, you’ll learn that

in Jesus, the victory is

won! Can’t wait to see

you there!

Online registration will be open

soon, contact Pastor Fran for

more information;

fran@holycross-church.org.

Our Band of Brothers continues

to meet on Monday evenings

6:30-7:45 and our current study,

Your Walk with God Is a Commu-

nity Project, has been somewhat

of a change of pace for our

group as the study has chal-

lenged us to go deeper in our

walk with the Lord and each

other. Please consider joining

us in the lounge at Holy Cross.

The dates for Peak Challenge

have been set, August 3-7 with a

somewhat different format this

year. This year the large group

will be divided and will stay at

three different basecamps. One

of the locations will be tailored

for “runners”, which may appeal

to some. This will allow for ap-

proximately 250 men to attend.

Contact Pastor Fran for more

information fran@holycross-

church.org

On Sunday, April 2, Mr. Chris

Heeb of Chosen People Minis-

tries will be with us to share Mes-

siah in the Passover. Messiah in

the Passover begins with the

traditional Passover Seder table

– complete with all the articles of

this important Jewish celebra-

tion. We will learn the symbolic

meanings of the various items of

the Passover feast and see their

relationship to the Last Supper

that Jesus celebrated with the

disciple. And, we will see how

our celebration of the Lord’s

Supper points us to Jesus as the

Messiah and Lamb of God who

became our Passover by His

sacrifice on the cross and resur-

rection from the dead. MESSIAH

IN THE PASSOVER will also give

us insight into Jewish traditions

so that the Jewish roots of our

faith can be better understood

and help us to see our common

heritage.

Chosen People Ministries is an

over one hundred-year-old mis-

sion that was founded in 1894

by Leopold Cohn, a Hungarian

rabbi who came to believe that

Jesus is the Messiah promised by

the Hebrew Scriptures. From

humble beginnings in Brooklyn,

New York, Chosen People Minis-

tries has grown into a worldwide

ministry to “the Jew first and to

the Gentile.”

For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes: for the Jew first and then for the Gentile. (Paul – Romans 1:16)

M A R K Y O U R C A L E N D A R — M E S S I A H I N T H E P A S S O V E R

Come join the conversation!

Here are the topics for Lifetree Café in the month of March. During the season of Lent we ad-just our schedule for the Wednesday meals and Friday Fish Frys. Come to the Parish Hall for a delicious meal at 6:00, a time of worship at 6:45 and Lifetree Café from 7:00 to 8:00. Invite your friends for great food and fellowship!

L I F E T R E E C A F É I N M A R C H

Page 3 C O M M U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

FRIDAY – MARCH 10

A majority of people believe in God, but what type of God do they believe in? If you met God, what do you think he would say to you? Discuss this and see an exclusive preview of the new movie The Shack during Meeting God Face to Face.

WEDNESDAY – MARCH 15

What did you spend your allowance on when you were a kid? His personal financial fiasco taught him a better, more responsible way to manage money. Now he’s ready to share it with you. Come and learn what he learned! Don’t miss Financial Freedom.

FRIDAY – MARCH 24

Bring your magnifying glass and sleuthing hat; we’ve got a case to solve. Can you help solve the mystery? Give it a try and learn something about living with life’s unanswered questions at An Unsolved Mystery .

WEDNESDAY – MARCH 29

Does your mood impact the type of music you listen to? How is music able to make us dance, cry, relax, or work harder? Does music have the power to heal physically, mentally, and even emotionally? Come and find out during Unlocking the Mystery of Music.

Once again this year the youth

of Holy Cross will be selling bed-

ding plants, baskets, and vege-

table plants from Gerten’s. Pre-

order booklets are now available

at church, or you can do us a big

favor and fill out your order

online at

www.holycrossyouth.org/

GertensSpring.htm. To guaran-

tee your selections, please com-

plete your order by Sunday, April

2. We will continue to take or-

ders after that, but cannot guar-

antee those selections.

Orders can be picked up on

Saturday, May 13, at our

Mission Mania Event, where lots

of additional plants will be

available for purchase.

Mission Mania will also feature

a “used item” treasure sale;

we will be looking for lots of

donations to help make this a

success!

Please help us by telling your

friends and neighbors.

All Proceeds go to Youth Mission

Trips.

S P R I N G B A S K E T S A N D P L A N T S A R E B A C K !

W O R K C A M P M I S S I O N S

Here’s How You Can Help!

Most importantly - Pray for the

participants, the leaders, the

preparations, and for provision.

Make it personal - Get to know

who is going. Encourage others

to join us. See the youth bulletin

board for pictures and names.

Be generous - Help provide the

resources needed to make the

trip successful.

How you can help right now:

Invest yourself—Help with fund-

raisers and more.

Invest in Youth—Cash donation—

Just mark it Youth Missions

Donate or pledge to our Garden

Tractor fund. We have a goal

of $10,000 by April 2018. The

fund is currently at $2400.

Tell neighbors and friends about

our Plant sale, the garden, com-

puter repairs, and other fund-

raising offerings.

Buy KwikTrip Carwash cards

$36 gets you 5 of the $9 wash-

es! See Curt or one of the par-

ticipants.

“God showed me that no matter

what goes on or what struggles

we have he is with us. Being a

Christian (most of the time) is

pretty easy. Being bold isn't.

God encourages us to get out of

our comfort zone. That is some-

thing I will hold onto long after

this trip”.—Quote from 2016

workcamper.

Please place

your preorders

online or with a

booklet by April

2nd.

Page 4 F U L L Y A L I V E !

A breakfast was served on Feb-

ruary 19th, to coincide with the

annual RCLS invitational tourna-

ment. The food was great, and

the fellowship heavenly. The

youth, confirmation students,

their leaders, and the YAM folks

all pitched in. Thrivent funds

were applied

that allowed

us to raise a

total of $450

for our sum-

mer mission

trip!

Some movement and stirring in

the commodities markets has

led us to start taking certain

items again for scrap value:

· Wire and cable · Aluminum · Copper · Computers, hard drives · NO monitors.

Items can be left behind the

church or on the counter by

Curt’s office.

All proceeds go to youth work-

camp missions.

R C L S T O U R N A M E N T B R E A K F A S T

L I M I T E D S C R A P F U N D R A I S I N G R E S T A R T I N G

W O R K C A M P M I S S I O N 1 7 S T A T U S

When : July 27-Aug 6

Where: Thomasville, NC

Who: Carole Cochran, Nate

Onhsee, Christoff Turner, Jon

Lofquist, Julia Stowe, Lars Feh-

ling, Kenzie Below, Megan Wan-

zek, Rebecca Tedrick, Chris Ba-

ny, Sam St Peter, Jace Gerber,

Tanner Peterson, Taryn Bellingar,

Dana Bellingar, Juliana Murray,

Katya Fields, Ian Krom, Casey

Neumann, Christian Jurgensen,

Curtis Boger. There are 2 other

women waiting on other factors

before they can commit.

Right now, all our available spots

are filled. There is usually some

change in the list, so if you have

some interest in coming along

(grade 6 and older), please see

Curt or use the online signup.

We still have some flexibility and

would not want anyone to miss

this life changing opportunity.

You can see that God has moved

in the hearts of some really good

folks to make this journey for

Christ. For each person, we are

grateful!

At this writing, we have about

$10,000 to raise, with our major

fundraisers about to kick in.

Page 5 C O M M U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

To God be the glory!

Great things He has done!!

Greetings to you from India in

the mighty name of our Lord

Jesus Christ, the giver of LIFE!!!

With the bottom of my heart, I

thank you very much Brother for

your kind mail. The Lord is with

us and He HEARD our prayers

and touched the generous

hearts of the Saints at Holy

Cross. We praise God for all your

sacrificial support of $10,600

you sent to meet the needs of

the poor and needy here. We

have many needs and wants and

indeed it is the timely support

from the loving hands of our

Blessed Savior. The Lord is at

work and we are seeing the won-

derful results in the lives of the

people. It is always great JOY for

us to share the glorious Gospel

of Christ Jesus with the people.

I was in the villages for six days

along with four elders. We visited

8 villages and 3 hamlets. The

Lord blessed our meetings and

we all had a great time with the

believers.

Our home children are fine and

they are doing well. They just

finished their revision tests at

the school. They are all getting

ready to write the annual exami-

nations. We are so thankful to

the Lord for helping us every day

to help these children to grow in

the Lord and to walk in His light!

Thank you Brother Roger for your

kind words and they filled my

heart with the joy of the Lord.

Please greet all our beloved

saints at Holy Cross. You are all

in our "daily" prayers at the

throne of grace. All our believ-

ers, children, widows and all our

family members are sending

their love and greetings to all of

you. Blessed be the name of the

Lord!

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

In the Service of our coming

King,

Brother Suresh

T H A N K Y O U L E T T E R F R O M B R O T H E R S U R E S H

Page 6 F U L L Y A L I V E !

Dear all,

Join us for the fifth annual RCLS

BLUE & WHITE NIGHT on Friday,

April 28, 6:00 pm at the Roches-

ter Golf and Country Club. Past

and current parents, staff, alum-

ni and friends are invited to gath-

er together for an adults only

night of fellowship and fun that

includes: dinner, music, dancing

and both a silent and live auc-

tion. Old favorites such as the

“Dessert Dash” and the

“Teacher with a Twist” and new

opportunities like “The Progres-

sive Dinner” will be part of the

evening. Tickets are available in

the school office or you may

order online at www.rcls.net.

The Blue and White Night is com-

mitted to raising funds to sup-

port RCLS. Please consider invit-

ing your friends and neighbors.

All are welcome. Come and cele-

brate with the RCLS community!

Registration for the 2017-18

school year is in process. If you

or someone you know is interest-

ed in learning more about one of

the greatest gifts you can give a

child, a quality Christian educa-

tion, please contact the school

at 507-289-3267 to schedule a

personal tour. We want to share

the blessing of RCLS with as

many families as possible. We

are prayerfully cognizant of bal-

ancing the funding of our needs

and remaining affordable to

families. Parents often share

that they are seeking a strong

education for their child in an

environment that focuses on

God’s Word each and every day

at school. Many of these fami-

lies request tuition assistance.

If you would like to make a gift to

the RCLS Scholarship Fund

please contact the school office.

No gift is too small or too large.

Please join us for some of these

highlights during the months of

March and April:

The Spring Musical: Mada-

gascar Jr., March 24

and 25, 7 pm and

March 26, 2 pm

Grade 4 States Fair, April

20 from 12:30 – 2:15

pm

Come and celebrate the

fifth annual Blue and

White Night on Friday,

April 28th, 6:00 pm at

the Rochester Golf and

Country Club.

Lent offers the opportunity to

review our convictions. May we

find a new appreciation of the

presence of God. May you meet

Christ daily as we move closer to

the promise of Easter.

In Christ,

Suzanne Lagerwaard

Principal

R C L S U P D A T E

Page 7 C O M M U N I C A T I N G A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E M I S S I O N A N D M I N I S T R I E S O F H O L Y C R O S S

Sunday School, Every Sunday

10:45-11:45 in Parish Hall at

Holy Cross

Destination KidZ Alive! Most

likely you’ve heard of Destina-

tion Medical Center, A Gobal

Destination for Health and Well-

ness.

Destination KidZ Alive! is a

weekly destination for a differ-

ent kind of Health and Wellness

as we strive to know, love, and

follow Jesus. The one who

makes us Fully Alive!! Open to

Age 3 through Grade 4.

Our dedicated team is ready

each week to share the love of

Jesus with your children; hope

to see you soon.

Contact Pastor Fran Green for

more information:

fran@holycross-

church.org.

K I D Z A L I V E !

2703 9th Avenue NW

Rochester MN 55901

Phone: 507.289.1354

Fax: 507.289.4815

Email: info@holycross-church.org

Website: www.holycross-church.org

H O L Y C R O S S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 264

Rochester MN 55901

Come join us for fellowship and Lifetree Café Once again during Lent we will

gather for fellowship and Lifetree

Café! Here is the schedule:

ASH WEDNESDAY – March 1

Chili Meal – 6:00 to 6:40 in the

Parish Hall

Worship with Holy Communion

6:45 – 7:30 in the Sanctuary

FRIDAY FISH FRY – March 10 –

PARISH HALL

Meal – 6:00 to 6:40

Prayer & Praise – 6:40 to 6:55

Lifetree Café – 7:00 to 8:00

WEDNESDAY – March 15 –

PARISH HALL

Meal -- 6:00 to 6:40

Prayer & Praise – 6:40 to 6:55

Lifetree Café – 7:00 to 8:00

FRIDAY FISH FRY – March 24–

PARISH HALL

Meal – 6:00 to 6:40

Prayer & Praise – 6:40 to 6:55

Lifetree Café – 7:00 to 8:00

WEDNESDAY – March 29 –

PARISH HALL

Meal – 6:00 to 6:40

Prayer & Praise – 6:40 to 6:55

Lifetree Café – 7:00 to 8:00

FRIDAY FISH FRY – April 7 –

PARISH HALL

Meal – 6:00 to 6:40

Prayer & Praise – 6:40 to 6:55

Lifetree Café – 7:00 to 8:00

*See page 3 for the March

Lifetree Café topics