What's going on at Church of the Cross?  Check out the following headlines adapted from The Reporter, our monthly newsletter.  For news about our United Methodist Youth Fellowship, see this month's Youth activities page.

• Mother-Daughter Banquet

The Mother-Daughter Banquet will be held on Friday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Social Room. The entertainment will be “Memories of a Rag Doll” presented by those lovable clowns “Zilcho and Lulla Belle,” with balloon sculpting. Tickets are $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 12 years old. Tickets will be available after both services on Sunday, April 29, and Sunday, May 6. The reservation deadline is Tuesday, May 8. Please call the church office at 293-5217 or Carolyn Petry for reservations.

• Tour the Holy Land in 2008

The bishops of the West and East Ohio Conferences are leading a Holy Land Trip. If enough interested people would like to go, Pastor John Whitaker would serve as your tour host.

The cost of the tour includes roundtrip airfare from New York, deluxe motor coaches, guided sightseeing, entrance fees to sites visited, buffet breakfast and dinner daily, Bible study guide, first class hotels, and lecture series. Nazareth, Cana, the Sea of Galilee, Jericho, Qumran, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem will be visited. Such holy places as the Mount of Beatitudes, Shepherd’s Field, the Mount of Olives, the Upper Room, Pool of Bethesda, Via Dolorosa, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre will be visited. The comprehensive cost is $2200 which includes tips, taxes, and an administrative fee. The only charges above this cost would be airfare to New York ($298 from Dayton) and your lunch each day.

If you are interested, speak with Pastor John or pick up a brochure at Church. This trip is a way to build your faith and enhance your ability to visualize the Bible.

• Miracle Offering to be received on Mother's Day

A special Mother’s Day offering will be received on May 13th for the West Ohio Annual Conference Miracle Offering. During the last General Conference, the United Methodist Church set a goal of $1 for each of our professing members to fund an initiative to the Global AIDS Fund. Our West Ohio Conference goal is $230,000. The goal for Church of the Cross is $368. A portion of the offering will also be used by our own conference AIDS Task Force to minister to victims of HIV/AIDS at home and abroad.

• Spring clean-up day

The Trustees invite you to on May 12 from 8:00 a.m. to noon to help beautify our church.  Tasks range from yard work to painting to patching a concrete ramp to changing light bulbs in the parking lot.  If you'd rather help on a different day, just let the one of the Trustees know what you're going to work on and when.

• Vacation Bible School coming soon

VBS this year will be held from Monday, June 18, to Friday, June 22, starting at 6:15 p.m. and ending at 8:45. Our theme, Avalanche Ranch, will provide fun, memorable Bible-learning activities for kids of all ages. Each day kids will sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, nibble Chuck Wagon Chow, take on a Daily Challenge to let God’s love grow into their homes, experience electrifying Bible Adventures, and create Bible Point Crafts they’ll take home to remind them of God’s word.

Registration will begin on Sunday, June 10, between worship services (10:30 – 11:00). To get a copy of the registration form as a PDF file, click here.  Pre-registration will begin on April 29 and end on June 9. Anyone who pre-registers will receive a free Sing & Play Stampede CD for your family. The forms can be handed to Jeri Evenden on Sunday mornings or mailed to the church office.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR CREW LEADERS, CRAFTS, GAMES, SNACKS, AND DECORATIONS. If you are interested in assisting in any of these areas, please contact Jeri Evenden, our VBS Director.

• Local mission project accomplished

We helped a young family fix up their kitchen. The kitchen needed broken and missing cabinets replaced plus new cabinets installed, countertops installed and laminated flooring to cover damaged vinyl tile. A fresh coat of paint was also applied to the kitchen.  Thanks to these volunteers:  Pam & Bud Dean, Dan Strauss, Karen Gratz, Jason Addis, Kelly Lybrook, Courtney Lybrook, Amanda Crouch, Chauncie Holtz, Michael Whitaker, Jill & Mark Freytag, Tim Grinstead, John McCormick, Judy & Dave Washburn, Steve Dean, Greg Orbash, and Anita & Joe Gerstle.

To see a year's worth of archives of this page, visit our Old news page.