Parish News

Welcome & Worship Information

Welcome! 

Holy Cross is an Episcopal Church and Member of the Diocese of
Western North Carolina
(828) 963-4609

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COVID-19 Precautions Update
Masks are no longer required on our premises. Nevertheless, for the continuing health and protection of others, please consider wearing a mask, especially if you are unvaccinated. Thank you.

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Sunday Morning Worship Services:  
THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS
Autumn & Winter Schedule

Sunday of Labor Day weekend through Sunday of Memorial Day weekend

  • 8:30 a.m. - Holy Eucharist, Rite II at Holy Cross - this is a quiet service with no music 
  • 9:30 a.m. - Fellowship time in Skiles Hall
  • 11:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist, Rite II, at Holy Cross with music and hymnody - This service is Live-Streamed via our YouTube Channel commencing at approximately 10:50 am on Sunday Mornings.)
  • 12:00 p.m. - Fellowship time in Skiles Hall

The 11:00 a.m. service from Holy Cross is Live-Streamed via our YouTube Channel commencing at 10:50 am.
Click here  to view our Live Streamed and previously recorded services.
Click here to view & download this week's worship leaflet.

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Healing & Eucharist Services take place at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings at Holy Cross.

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Weekday Worship Services offered via "Zoom":

Compline at 8:00 p.m. every Monday & Thursday - click  here  to join the Zoom meeting

The "Virtual Waiting Room" opens 15 minutes before each service begins.
(Meeting ID: 894 5800 3478)

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Online giving is now available - click here or click "Give Online" in the Navigation Bar at the top of the website.
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The Sacrament of Reconciliation: 
This Sacrament is offered at any time by appointment. Please contact the Rector directly at (828) 963-4609 ext. 22
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Further Information & Links:

To read recent sermons, visit the Sermons page.
The current Prayer List  is  here.
The Latest Sunday Worship Leaflet is here. 
The Current Holy Cross Newsletter is here.

 

 

This Sunday

Sunday, March 19 - 

The Fourth Sunday in Lent
With Guest Preacher and Celebrant Rev. Anna Shine
  • 8:30 a.m. - The Lenten Exhortation, The Great Litany (Part Four) and Holy Eucharist, Rite I  - this is a quiet service with no music
  • 9:30 a.m. - Fellowship time in Skiles Hall
  • 9:45 a.m. - Lenten Christian Education Series (Upper Skiles Hall)
  • 11:00 a.m. - The Lenten Exhortation, The Great Litany (Part Four) and Holy Eucharist, Rite I with music and hymnody - This service is Live-Streamed via our YouTube Channel 
  • 12:30 p.m. - Fellowship time in Skiles Hall
Next Sunday, March 26 - 

The Fifth Sunday in Lent
  • 8:30 a.m. - The Lenten Exhortation, The Great Litany (Part Five) and Holy Eucharist, Rite I  - this is a quiet service with no music
  • 9:30 a.m. - Fellowship time in Skiles Hall
  • 9:45 a.m. - Lenten Christian Education Series (Upper Skiles Hall)
  • 11:00 a.m. - The Lenten Exhortation, The Great Litany (Part Five) and Holy Eucharist, Rite I with music and hymnody - This service is Live-Streamed via our YouTube Channel 
  • 12:30 p.m. - Fellowship time in Skiles Hall

 

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News & Happenings

Questions & Theories of Atonement: A Proper Study for Lent

Join Katerina Whitley on Saturday, March 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a study of common religious clichés and misunderstood concepts on the Cross.
 
Almost everyone has heard professing Christians use expressions that make no sense to those outside the church. What do people mean when they say: “I was saved on  . . . ” and proceed to give a specific date? What do they mean when they say, “Jesus died for me?” What meaning do references to “the Blood of the Lamb” have in our times?
 
We will examine such questions and look carefully at theories of Atonement the Church has taught through the centuries. Lent is the proper time to examine religious clichés and misunderstood concepts on the Cross. After lunch we will walk the Stations of the Cross in Holy Cross Parish to experience the drama of the Via Dolorosa. 
 
The course is $52 and includes lunch, materials, and a wonderful teacher! Optional lodging is available in the Annex; the program will take place in Johnson Hall. Click here to register for this special Lenten retreat day.

 

Lenten Christian Education Classes

“Living Well Through Lent: Practicing Compassion with All your Heart, Soul, Strength and Mind”

Using materials from Living Compass Wellness Initiative, join with others on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. for daily readings by well-known church leaders and gather Sunday mornings to focus on aspects of our own wellness. Booklets are available in the Church office.

 

Turkey & Syria Earthquake Support

A devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake recently struck southeast Turkey and northern Syria. The reported death toll is over 46,000 and climbing after thousands of buildings crumbled, burying civilians beneath the rubble. Read more about the earthquake and its impact by clicking here.  Please help us work with our local partners to provide relief and support. Make an urgent tax-deductible donation to Episcopal Relief & Development via their website at: https://www.episcopalrelief.org/ and follow the prompts, or Click Here to go directly to the donation page. Thank you.

"March for Diapers"

ECW will be collecting all sizes of children’s diapers to donate to the Children’s Council. Last year, we collected over 2,000 diapers! Help us surpass that number this year by placing unopened packages of diapers in the collection box in Skiles Hall. We’ll be collecting the entire month of March.

"Coffee's On"

"Coffee’s On" by Zoom takes place on various Saturdays at 10 a.m as announced. Click to here  to join Coffee's On.

Meeting ID: 878 3876 2772

 

Coffee Hour Hosts Needed

Coffee Hour is an important time of not only fellowship, but also a time to get to know our visitors and newcomers. This time after each worship is most successful when we have a little more than just coffee to serve. People tend to stay longer and interact more when there is food.

Hosting Coffee Hour means providing light refreshments and a non-coffee beverage. Teams of two volunteers work best. The sign-up sheet can be found on the kitchen serving window ledge in Skiles Hall. Please consider hosting after the upcoming services !

 

Men's Night Out

The first Men's Night Out gathering of 2023 will be a quasi dinner theatre event beginning with a Dutch treat meal in the upstairs dining area at Lost Province Brewing Company, 130 North Depot Street in Boone, at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21. We'll then walk around the corner to the Appalachian Theatre at 559 West King Street for the 7:00 p.m. screening of the classic sports movie "The Natural" starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, and Robert Duvall. Dinner, then theatre... get it?


Men’s Night Out is an opportunity for men from within the parish and in our community to enjoy having an evening of fellowship together. We're very flexible, so join us for dinner, the movie, or both, and feel free to bring a friend... or two!


On-street parking is FREE after 5 pm every day, as are all public parking lots, and admission at the App Theatre is only $6 per person. Please RSVP by noon on Tuesday, March 21 by text or phone to (704) 608-2755 or via email to keithtmartin@gmail.com so that we can reserve the appropriate number of seats at the restaurant. Please join us!

 

A Simple Gesture Continues

Food/Grocery Drive for the Hunger & Health Coalition

One in four children in the High Country are hungry. Along with other churches in the area, we have a simple way to meet this immediate need. Green recyclable grocery bags are available in Skiles Hall. Simply fill them with the items listed on the bag and return it to the Welcome Center area in Skiles Hall on the date listed on the bag.  Thank you!

 

Hospitality House Dinners

Holy Cross parishioners supply Hospitality House with dinners several times a month. This involves teams preparing a dinner for about 100 people.  Each team prepares 1 meal per year for the Hospitality House. Since Covid, some teams have been having the meals catered.  The Valle Crucis Conference Center will cater meals as will F.A.R.M. Cafe and area restaurants. At this time there is a need for more team members for this important mission.  There are funds available, if needed, to help sponsor this service.  If you would like to help, please call Suzie Long at 828-264-0685

 

Daughters of the King

Daughters of the King (DOK) meets weekly on Wednesday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. in Skiles Hall. The group invites any women of the church interested in finding out more about DOK to join them. Click here to learn more about DOK!

 

2022 Valle Country Fair

The 2022 Valle Country Fair took place on Saturday, October 15. The Mission & Outreach Commission at Holy Cross Episcopal Church determines, with the Vestry's approval, the outlay of the proceeds from the Valle Country Fair. Abou two-thirds of Fair proceeds are used for emergency calls to the church for such things as rent, utilities, car repairs, medical expenses, etc. The remaining funds go to local non-profit organizations who apply for our grants.

 

The 2022 grant amount, based upon proceeds from the Fair, was $25,000 and was awarded to the following recipients: 

 

Children's Council of Watauga County - Builds strong foundations for children's learning and development by strengthening familieis, the early childhood system, and the wider community.

Girls on the Run - Inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experienced-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

High Country Caregivers - Multi-pronged programs include community education, financial support for health-conscious youth activities and counselling support. They serve grandparents raising their grandchildren in Avery and Watauga Counties. 

LIFE House - Strives to meet the ongoing residential needs of adults with autism and related challenges, as well as serving as a community resource for people of different abilities and their families. They provide diverse social and recreational programming, including summer programs, life skills and vocational training, adaptive sports, support groups, and workshops. 

Mediation and Restorative Justice Center - Strives to reduce the physical, emotional, and financial harm caused by unresolved conflict, litigation, and incarceration by providing meditation, alternative sentencing and other restorative processes that increase the respect, peace, productivity, and safety in the communities served.

Mountain Alliance - Provides transformative experiences and support so that all High Country Teens have the opportunity to lead an empowered, adventurous and service-oriented life, regardless of means or background.

Reaching Avery Ministry - An ecumenical ministry devoted to helping low-income people in Avery County to improve their lives. They provide assistance with food, clothing, prescriptions, fuel, household necessities, emergency shelter and other needs as they relate to a person's ability to meet their basic needs, to be gainfully employed, or care for their family. 

Spirit Ride - Provides children with a wide array of diagnoses the opportunity to learn, grow, and strive to become their ideal selves through equine-related therapeutic and educational activities.

The Jason Project - Strives to provide healthy and rigorous outdoor excursions and challenges where at-risk youth can be encouraged and inspired to rise above their adversities and ecell mentally, spiritually, and in life.

Watauga Co. Schools Extended Learning Centers - Strives to promote the academic mission of Watauga County Schools while providing the working parents of our community a sanctuary of safety as well as intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being for their children.