Ministries

There’s a lot going on at Holy Cross, and many ways to participate.

Music Ministries

• The Adult Choir leads congregational singing at the 10:00 a.m. service.

• The Bell Choir and Children’s Bell Choir play on special occasions.

Pastoral Care and Prayer Ministries

• Trained and licensed lay Eucharistic visitors take the sacrament to those who are home- or hospital-bound.

• Funeral reception coordinators work with families to arrange receptions following burial or memorial services.

• The Prayer Chain responds to specific prayer requests.

• Share-a-Meal prepares and distributes meals to parishioners as needed in family emergencies.

Pastoral Counselor Eric Stroo

• Holy Cross welcomes Pastoral Counselor Eric Stroo of the Low-Fee Clinic of Samaritan Center of Puget Sound.

• Eric received his MA in Pastoral Counseling at Seattle University and is a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Bellevue.

• Eric sees individuals, couples and families on Mondays at the Office/Ministry Center.

• To schedule with Eric please contact Samaritan Center 206-527-2273 extension 387.

Worship-Related Ministries

• Twenty-five people serve as liturgical lay ministers for the Sunday services—eleven licensed lay readers, four licensed chalice bearers, and ten lectors. Training is offered at various times of the year at Holy Cross or the Diocesan School of Theology.

• A large team of acolytes serve at the Sunday services. They also spend time together during their annual hiking weekend.

• The Altar Guild is a strong group of women who see this work as a way of centering their own worship. From time to time, Youth Group members participate in the preparations for the monthly family service.

• The Flower Guild prepares floral arrangements for the sanctuary and maintains plantings in containers outside the church.

• Ushers welcome people at the services, seat latecomers, hand out bulletins, carry the offering and elements of the Eucharist forward and prepare the altar rail for communion. Some families use this ministry as a way to serve and worship as a family.

Education for Spiritual Growth Ministries

• There are two baptismal catechists (both of whom are licensed lay readers) and one person who leads baptismal preparation and confirmation instruction for adults.

• A Women’s Bible Study group meets on Wednesday mornings.

• We regularly sponsor candidates for Cursillo weekends and members of Holy Cross often serve on the organizing teams and sponsor monthly Ultreya gatherings. Some of our 40 Cursillistas also participate in Kairos, the Cursillo movement’s prison ministry.

• We have offered Sunday morning education programs, a Lenten evening series, and other workshops or seminars as requested or needed. Topics have included Bible study, spiritual formation, and prayer leadership training.

Newcomer Ministries

• Greeters make all who come to Holy Cross feel welcome. They also help visitors find their way to the church school and introduce them to others during the coffee hour.

• Callers make initial calls to inquirers and visitors who give us their contact information.

• A few times a year we host informal breakfasts where newcomers can meet the rector, ask questions, and learn more about Holy Cross. Occasional luncheons at a member’s home provide an opportunity for newcomer women to meet other women in the parish.

Hospitality and Fellowship Ministries

• The Special Events committee organizes events such as the annual picnic, progressive dinner, and the Seder dinner.

• A Book Club gathers at a member’s home for book discussions, fellowship, and dessert.

• Coffee Hosts/Hostesses provide hospitality, coffee and tea following the Sunday services. Our tradition at Holy Cross to spend five minutes after the service to greet someone we do not know or would like to know better. We also use the coffee hour to celebrate a special event or person.

• The Seniors Group meets monthly for fellowship and discussion with the rector.

• We offer a monthly Men’s Breakfast for fellowship. An outside speaker is sometimes invited.

• We hold an annual Dinner Dance on Shrove Tuesday as a Mardi Gras party. This is a fun-filled evening for the whole family.

• Each year we reserve camping sites at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island for a camping weekend for the whole family.

• Friends of the Garden work with perennials and landscaping to beautify the church grounds.

Outreach Ministries

• We deliver food collected on Sundays to the Redmond Food Bank.

• We participate in the United Thank Offering program and in the Heifer Project.

• We provide Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, a Christmas tree decorating party, and other special events to Avondale House, a group home for mentally ill adults.

• Congregations for the Homeless is a community-wide program that provides housing and meals for homeless men. In the summer, the men are housed by St. Thomas, an Episcopal parish about eight miles from Holy Cross, and we provide meals for two weeks.

• Members of the lay reader corps lead a worship service for the residents of the retirement community at Cascade Plaza. The Junior High youth group has also made this one of their outreach activities.

• We support the Chapel at St. Martha and Mary of Bethany in the Pike Place Market. Clergy and volunteers at St. Martha and Mary provide pastoral care for many, including migrant workers, fishermen, and seamen.

• At Christmas we make and fill ditty bags for the Seattle Seaman’s Center, and we support a giving tree.

• Holy Cross provides furniture, back-to-school supplies, and special-occasion gifts for a family living in transitional housing at the YWCA village.

• Holy Cross is the charter organization of Boy Scout Troop 557. The boys help with projects both in our parish and in the surrounding community. One of ten boys reaches the rank of Eagle Scout in this troop as compared with the national average of one in fifty.

Ministries of Leadership

• The Vestry oversees the parish

• The treasurer prepares monthly reports, helps plan budgets, advises financial policy, and makes recommendations to the vestry.

• The Personnel committee consults with the Vestry on matters relating to the paid and volunteer staff.

• The Memorial committee maintains a list of items that the church needs, accepts monetary contributions toward their purchase, acknowledges each gift, and maintains a permanent record of donations.

• Delegates elected at the annual meeting represent Holy Cross at Diocesan Convention and regional meetings.

Ministries of Administration and Communication

• Our monthly newsletter, The Cross, is mailed to everyone in the parish and all are welcome to submit articles.

• Volunteers in the church office answer phones, enter data, and copy church bulletins and publications.

• A Wedding Coordinator serves as a liaison to the church administrator, Altar Guild, and Flower Guild to work out details of the ceremony. A Wedding Hostess is present at the rehearsal and wedding to assist with preparations.