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TRANSCRIPT
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Holy Cross Lutheran Church
“Sharing the
Ointment
for Jesus’ Feet,
Giving God
our Very Best” Cf. John 12:3
Our mission statement:
Celebrating God’s love
by worshipping God,
caring for each other,
and serving in community.
Vol. 20
No. 12
December
2014
BERGY’S BABBLE:
I WAS AFRAID AND HID YOUR TALENT
Much economic misunderstanding happens when we understand the
world as a place with a limited amount of goodies in it; like it is one big pie
and everyone has a little slice of it. So then a reasonable assumption is that
if I figure out a way to make my slice a little bigger, then everyone else’s
slice will reduce in size. Therefore to be ‘honorable’, I must not try to get
more and if I do I will be considered a ‘thief’.
This is a primitive viewpoint that lately seems to be coming back
into vogue. This is why in many societies, the merchant class is unjustly
seen as a lower class. In actuality, the merchant classes are some of the best
contributors to employment, innovation and overall prosperity. History has
shown that equalization of all resources, like the ideal of communism, simp-
ly does not work and is not even possible.
The way that rich noblemen got around this erroneous idea but so-
cial problem nonetheless, was to have their slaves handle their financial af-
fairs. Slaves had no honor anyway so they had nothing to lose. This little
tidbit by itself will help to give context to a bunch of the parables of Jesus
that spoke to financial and economic issues.
Some rabbinic literature even suggests that burying your master’s
money was like insuring it with the F.D.I.C. If it were to up and disappear
that would not reflect badly on the steward of the funds and would instead
be seen as an unfortunate “act of God”. Once again, Jesus’ parable of the
talents flips the ‘bad’ guys and the ‘good’ guys.
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It is the responsibility of the slave to anticipate what the Master
wants and needs the most. So it stands to reason that the closer you are to
the Master, the better you will be able to do that. Fearing the Master and
viewing him in an adversarial position is not helpful. The discipleship/
stewardship lesson here seems to be ‘use what you are given and don’t fear
failure.’
We protest: “But we may lose it!”
Oh well. If you don’t use it you will lose it anyway. That’s for sure.
And besides, they’re not your talents anyway. They are the Master’s. The
Master is not going to throw away his investments in either talents or slaves.
I once expressed my fear and incompetence to an old ex-missionary,
country preacher. He reassured me that “your people won’t care what you
know, as long as they know you care.”
Just for kicks we ought to take out the word, ‘talent’ and insert ‘love’
or ‘grace’. It might contribute a helpful nuance to our understanding. Then
we wouldn’t be tied down by counting stuff and we could jump for joy cele-
brating God’s amazing and magnanimous gifts.
You bury love or grace and it atrophies and dies, a cold, dead, dark,
and bitter husk. You show love or grace and it doubles. And the whole
world just gets better if you take little bits of unused love and grace and give
it to the folks who really crank out lots of wonderful love and grace, because
then everything gets better in the whole universe, and everyone benefits,
even the fearful, do-nothing grumps.
The alternative is the only universe that the one talent servant could
dare to recognize. You know, the one that is infinitely expanding and eter-
nally cooling and forever darker and darker…..
“I was afraid and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:10
“I was afraid and I hid your talent.” Matthew 25:25.
See you in worship ……………………….. BERGY
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02 The Vaccaro Family
09 Jim & Candy Berggren
16 HCLC —Glory to God
23 WELCA-Thankoffering Sunday
30 HCLC —Glory to God
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
DECEMBER 7, 2014
Immediately after the 9:30 a.m. service for the purpose of
approving the 2015 Budget. Please make plans to attend.
A Christmas potluck will follow after the
Congregational meeting in the FLC.
Church Council
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COUNCIL MINUTES — NOVEMBER 16, 2014
Attending the meeting were Pastor Jim Berggren, AIM Karen Davidson, Wendy
Lambeth, Wayne Schaper, Warren Schick, Mike Appling, Nancy Beamesderfer,
Rosie Haas, Ann Larson, Fredda Yurk.
Absent: Pastor John Arroyave and Ernesto Lopez.
Minutes from the October meeting and the October treasurer's report were
approved.
Pastor Berggren reports Early Learning Center is thriving under Cathy Bank-
head's leadership; ELC exploring possibility of adding an additional class for
3-year olds. New electronic church sign at corner of Wirt & Westview is in-
stalled. Pastor Jim served as a judge for speech contest at Spring Woods
High School.
AIM Karen needs church members to help take communion to shut-ins; she
will happily train any volunteers. Continues with her full visitation schedule.
WELCA has put up a "giving tree" for gifts to be donated for Westside
Homeless Partnership.
Sanctuary has new carpet; thanks go out to Warren Schick for his hard work
in getting bids and overseeing the installation.
Thankoffering Sunday is set for November 23, 2014.
WELCA General Meeting is December 6, 2014; gifts for shut-ins will be
assembled. Lunch will be served.
A CONGREGATIONAL MEETING IS CALLED FOR DECEMBER 7, 2014
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE 9:30 A.M. SERVICE FOR THE PURPOSE OF
APPROVING THE 2015 BUDGET. THAT IS THE ONLY ORDER OF BUSINESS
FOR THE MEETING - PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND.
Meeting closed with the Lord's Prayer. Next Church Council meeting will be
January 11, 2015 at 11:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Marilyn Flick, Secretary
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JOIN HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH IN THE 2014
Celebration of Special Services
ADVENT SERVICES
Wednesdays
December 03 — 12:00 noon
December 10 — 12:00 noon
December 17 — 12:00 noon
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES
December 24
6:00 pm English
8:00 pm Spanish
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WESTSIDE HOMELESS MINISTRY
GIVING TREE
Please have your wrapped present to the church by Sunday, December 7, as
the gifts are to be delivered to the family on Saturday, December 13 between
3 pm and 5 pm. Please place the gift ornament on the outside of the pack-
age or card so the right gift gets to the right child! Thank you so much for
making this family’s Christmas a very Blessed one.
WELCA Board
THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB
The Friendship Club will be having our Christmas Party Saturday,
December 6. The par ty will be held in the FLC from 5p.m. to 7p.m.
This year the party will be catered so it will be important to get
your reservation and money ($10.00 per plate) to Madelyn Price.
Hope to see you there.
Nancy Beamesderfer
BRUNCH BUNCH
On Saturday, December 6, at 11:45 a.m.
will meet for food and fellowship!
Judy Hungerford
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CANDY ROLLS PROJECT
Thanks to all of you who helped stuff and prepare the candy rolls. We deliv-
ered 1,781 rolls to Shepherds of The Savior. These are sent to Missionaries
in Mexico to be delivered to the children for Christmas.
Thank you again for all your help. We could not do it without you. God’s
blessings and have a wonderful Holiday season.
Barbara Sledge
EARLY LEARNING CENTER NEWS
We have had a good start to our school year as the halls are filled with
laughter and joy filled voices. The tears that often come at the beginning
have all dried up. We are so blessed to have such loving and caring teach-
ers. We are so grateful to our church family of Holy Cross Lutheran who
help make this happen.
We are especially blessed to join with 12 of you in our new Prayer Pal Pro-
ject. Each of our 12 preschool children are matched to a parishioner from
your sweet church family. The adult prayer pals will pray for their child
throughout the year. They will send cards and come by the classroom from
time to time to connect with their child. And when our Preschool gradua-
tion comes around in May the children will be presented with a Bible from
their prayer pal. The children showed faces of happiness when we intro-
duced their pals to them. The parents are thrilled to have their children
prayed over. We are thankful for all of you at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.
Cathy Bankhead, Director
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Once again we enter that precious time of year when we celebrate
the birth of our Savior. It should be a season of joy, with families gathering,
often from distant places, to join in this time of warmth and togetherness
and familiar sharing of our faith – and our good food!!
But it is also a time of sorrow for many among us who are facing the
holidays without the presence of a loved one. Remember your friends who
find themselves in this sad place and offer your prayers and reach out in
love.
And unfortunately many of us get caught up in the hurl y-burly of
Christmas gift giving and receiving, to the exclusion of focusing on the
Greatest Gift of all.
If any of this rings a bell with you and you'd like to “unload,” please
give me a call. All of our Stephen Ministers are at your service.
God bless you, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Marge Carroll
Stephen Ministry Coordinator
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Holy Cross members celebrating birthdays this month:
01 Abraham Samano
02 Melanie Alvarado
06 Arturo Aleman
13 Doris Wahlberg
Joseph Yáñez
16 Ted Flick
17 Adriana Alvarado
18 Alexa Abad
19 Suzan Cook
22 Ingrid Alvarado
23 Noel Giesecke
26 Horacio Gómez
Caylee Díaz
27 Suzanne Doler
28 Natasha Hungerford
29 Anna Gardner
30 Alfredo Martínez
31 Virginia Stuart
César Majano
DECORATE THE CHURCH FOR CHRISTMAS!
Come one and all and help decorate the church for Christmas!
Friday, December 5, is the date and 1:00 p.m. is the time. All you need
to bring is a joyful presence! We should finish in a couple of hours or so
if we have plenty of volunteers! Hope to see you there!!
Carol Prokofieff
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DATE 1st READING
PSALM
2nd READING
GOSPEL
12/07/2014 Isaiah
40:1-11
85:1-2,
8-13
2 Peter
3:8-15a
Mark
1:1-8
12/14/2014 Isaiah
61:1-4, 8-11
Luke
1:46b-55
I Thessalonians
5:16-24
John
1:6-8, 19-28
12/21/2014 2 Samuel
7:1-11, 16
89:1-4,
19-26
Romans
16:25-27
Luke
1:26-38
12/24/2014
12/28/2014
Isaiah
61:10—62:3
148
Galatians
4:4-7
Luke
2:22-40
READINGS, PSALMS & GOSPEL
DECEMBER 2014
RUMMAGE SALE
I would like to thank everyone who helped with the Rummage Sale this
year. We appreciate all of the items that were donated; all of the volun-
teers who took the time to sort and price those items; as well as the peo-
ple who came the day of the sale to help out.
Year after year we raise money for WELCA and their numerous pro-
grams they support. This can only be accomplished because everyone
pitches in to do their part . . it is truly a team effort.
We had a wonderful sale this year. Thank you for your support.
You make it possible!
Amy Schomburg
Nativity of Our Lord — Pre-printed bulletin
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R E M E M B E R I N P R A Y E R
OCTOBER 2014 English Services : 94
Spanish Services : 140
The homebound, disabled,
long-term ill,
and prolonged recovering.
Ed Cooper
Ora Dell Dittmar
Betty Dodson
Doris A. Drosche
Nancy Mendel
Doris Pannell
Doris Polker
Elsie Schulze
Sue Vogt
Roselain Larson
PRAYER CHAIN
If you are not receiving HCLC Prayer
Request emails and would like to,
please contact Renee Allcorn at
or (713) 254-8638 Note that Prayer Request emails are
sent out daily, so if you are on the
email list and did not receive any email,
please contact Renee.
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
If you have any questions call
Wayne Schaper, Sr. at (713) 465-5206.
OCTOBER 2014
Receipts $ 32,411.69
Expenses 36,028.78
Balance < $ 3,617.09 >
Operational receipts
year to date received ……. $ 332,775.75
Expenditures year to date ……. 386,948.64
Balance …… < $ 54,172.89 >
You may sign up for Altar Flowers
in the Narthex.
Suggested donation is $45.00
and $10.00 for a rose.
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Monday—Thursday
8:30 am—4:30 pm
Friday
8:30 am—2:30 pm
HOLY CROSS Lutheran Church
E-MAIL address:
Bill Alexander
Cade Beasley
Ed Cooper
Lee Hadley
Kay Hammond
Judy Holtan
Steve Jolly
Craig Minter
Marty Nebeling
Penny Ramírez
Al Raschke
Walter Ruthstrom
David Stork
mailto:[email protected]
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“Holy Cross Lutheran Church is a community of Christians
gathered by God’s grace and reaching out through God’s love.”
TELEPHONE EXTENSIONS
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101
Church Office Sussy Terry Office Manager & Events Coordinator
103 Rev. Jim Berggren Senior Pastor
104 Rev. Jhon J. Arroyave Hispanic Pastor
105 Karen Davidson Associate In Ministry
107 Financial Office
108 Stephen Ministry Office
109 Family Life Center
110 Nursery
111 Volunteer Office
Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Spring Branch
A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
7901 Westview Dr. Houston, Texas 77055
Tel. (713) 686-8253 Fax (713) 686-9095
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.holycross.us
YOUR CHURCH STAFF
† Rev. Jim Berggren — Senior Pastor Email : [email protected]
† Rev. Jhon Jairo Arroyave — Hispanic Pastor Email : [email protected]
† Karen Davidson — Associate In Ministry Email : [email protected]
† Sussy Terry — Office Manager Email : [email protected]
WORSHIP MUSICIANS
Cathy Elijah Music Director / Organist
Jo Ann Meeker Pianist
Ann Crick Pianist
EARLY LEARNING CENTER
ELC (713) 461-5535
OFFICERS OF THE CONGREGATION
Wendy Lambeth President
Warren Schick Vice President
Marilyn Flick Secretary
Wayne Schaper, Sr. Treasurer
SATURDAY INFORMAL SERVICE
6:00 p.m. — Atrium
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES
English Service : 9:30 a.m.
Sunday School : 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Spanish Service: 11:00 a.m.
Estudio Bíblico y Escuela Dominical
12:00 noon