Crossings CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS � EPISCOPAL

875 COTTON STREET, SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA AUGUST 26, 2015

Holy Eucharist Sunday: 9:30 and 11:00 AM

Saturday: 5:00 PM Wednesday: 12:15 and 6:00 PM

Nursery Sunday

9:45 AM – 12:30 PM

Choir Practice Sunday: 9:45 AM

The Vestry Ginger Paul, Senior Warden

Gerry Brooks, Jr. Warden

Becky Snodgrass, Secretary Monty Walford, Treasurer

Melissa Fowle Stephanie Hamblin Robert Henley

Christine Hennigan Kendall Raymond

Contact Information Telephone: (318) 222-3325

Fax: (318) 681-9506 Email: holycrossshrv1@bellsouth.net

Please visit our website www.holycrossshreveport.org

Deadline Material for Crossings must be received by 12:00 Wednesday.

Please send to lynn.walford@lsus.edu

“. . . make them known to your children and

your children’s children. . . .”

Tradition gives authorship of the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Pentateuch, or the Torah, to Moses. It’s true that some parts are faith history, and Moses is Israel’s greatest leader and teacher. No doubt it’s true also that some of the teaching can be attributed to Moses. The Torah is full of insight and the product of much prayer and reflection and experience. The Holy Spirit must surely have guided the people of Israel as they came to know Yahweh. But modern scholarship recognizes that much of the teaching came later. And the Scriptures were edited and organized much later.

Moses said: So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you (Deut. 4:1).

Besides the Law itself, which we know as the Ten Commandments, this lesson is the most valuable of teachings. Moses, or the scribe who wrote this lesson, could see how fragile the Law can be in the lives of headstrong human beings, how easily forgotten, how casually discarded in favor of a desire for gratification. And so he adds something to appeal to the vanity of the people:

You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” For what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today? (Deut. 4:6-8)

A wise and discerning people. . . . Yes, we would love to be known as wise and discerning. Better than all the rest. The appeal here is to our vanity. But as we consider how well we follow God’s law we see that through the lens of the Gospel, the teaching is for us to give our lives not for our own gain but for the

good of others. We have to admit that just a little below the surface, appeal to pride melts into water. There has to be something more compelling to hold us to our commitment to God’s ways.

No, it can’t be the reward; the temptations are too great. “There’s always tomorrow,” always time to change, always another chance to live up to the standards of the law. For God’s way to mold our lives, we must follow it because we desire to follow it, to be the people God made us to be. We must desire a relationship with God and with one another that brings us to be more than we could be alone. We have to find that place of gratitude that will sustain us on our journey. We must know in gratitude the great love that Jesus gave his life so we could know, the love that will change our lives.

And at that place we find that the water beneath the surface of our pride and our failings is really the water given by God to wash us clean of our vanities, to forgive us our very human desires and give us one more gift: a new day, a new life. That’s Baptism, the water that holds us and sustains us. That’s what God does for us. And we are placed in community to be baptized so we will be supported, encouraged, taught, formed within the Body of Christ.

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children (Deut. 4:9).

This is our life in Christ. The Rev. Mary B. Richard

Keep walking, though there’s no place to get to.

Don’t try to see through the distances. That’s not for human beings.

Move within, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.

Rumi

Daily Feast: Meditations on the Word, Year B

Louisville: Westminster, John Knox Press, 2012

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 17, August 30 Proper 18, September 6

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 15 Isaiah 35:4-7a; Psalm 146 James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17; Mark 7:24-37

(Mark:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) The contrast between what (James 2:1-17) God, who gives to all generously, raises the goes into the mouth and what comes out leads the lowly. If the poor are rich in faith and love God, God reader to expect that Jesus will emphasize sins of the promises them the kingdom. Christians live out their faith in mouth, such as lying, foul language, slander, and false this God through works of mercy for the poor. Christian promises. In the list of immoral acts in verses 21-22, faith and good works are integrated and not separate. If only deceit and slander are sins of the mouth. Instead, faith is to produce fruit, it cannot remain dead in empty attention shifts from the mouth to the heart, from which words. Faithful Christians supply “bodily needs” of the poor. “evil intentions” or “evil thoughts” come. Jesus here As we strive to follow the royal law, we must ask how the stresses that the thought is father to the deed. We think churches in wealthier places might act justly and mercifully a sin before we do it. toward the churches in economically disadvantaged places Douglas R. A. Hare today. Haruko Nawata Ward

Calendar for August and September

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Wednesdays Holy Eucharist (Enriching Our Worship) 12:15 PM Chapel

Thursdays Holy Eucharist 11:00 AM Hope House Back Yard

Saturdays Holy Eucharist 5:00 PM Chapel

Sundays Informal Eucharist 9:20 AM Rose Garden or Chapel

(depending on weather)

Choir Practice 9:45 AM Church

Holy Eucharist II 11:00 AM Church

Sunday, September 13 Holy Cross Day celebration with 11:00 AM Church

Bishop’s Visitation, Confirmation,

and Continuing Feast 11:00 AM Church and Undercroft

Mid to late September the Wednesday Evening Group will resume with a study of the Gospel of Mark!

Join us for dinner, Communion and study 6:00-8:00 Undercroft

Holy Cross Celebration and Bishop Jake’s Visitation

Sunday, September 13

September 13 is an important day for us: the celebration of Holy Cross Day, and Bishop Jake’s annual visitation. Because we want to make this day special, we have postponed The Continuing Feast, normally celebrated on the first Sunday of the month, to this day so we can feast with the bishop and Confirmands.

Please remember that the kitchen will still be in the process of renovation, and both the stove and the sink will be out of

commission. Please bring cold dishes as you have done for the past two feasts, and take your serving dishes home to wash.

Once again, the Kitchen Crew thanks you all for your patience and cooperation.

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More Kitchen Update

Progress is being made on the kitchen, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised

at the results! We’ll have a space that’s attractive, efficient, and easy to

keep clean, with more refrigerator and freezer space, and a dishwasher!

Please bear with the inconvenience a little longer. It’ll be well worth the

wait.

If you would like to contribute to the expense of the renovation, please

do. Checks should be made payable to Holy Cross and marked for the kitchen.

Thank you for your patience and encouragement! We’ll all enjoy our new kitchen for many years

to come!

Thanks to everyone who made

Yum-Yum, La-La, Doodle a success!

As you all probably know by now, Holy Cross tried a new experiment this summer. For six weeks, each

Thursday children of members, friends and neighbors were invited to participate in a fun day of music,

art, and food. They prepared and ate healthful and delicious lunches, and learned about what foods are

healthful and why. They learned about the music of our church. They created beautiful art projects

based on stories of our faith, and took them home to share with others.

Thank you to all those who helped make this experiment a success:

� Organist and choirmaster Bruce Power, who not only taught the children about church music, but

let them play our beautiful organs, piano and harpsichord.

� Stephanie Hamblin, Robert Henley, Jim Shaw and visiting Chef Michael from the Hilton Hotel,

who planned the meals, shopped for the food and taught the children that healthful food can also

be delicious.

� The Rev. Sally Fox and her daughter Emilie, who taught the lessons and songs and helped the

children with their art projects.

� And of course, our rector, The Rev. Mary Richard, without whose vision and willingness to take

risks Yum-Yum, La-La, Doodle would never have come about.

Here are some of the people, both children and adults, who made

Yum-Yum, La-La, Doodle happen . . .

Stephanie helps kids prepare a healthy lunch Bruce tells them about church music

Aspiring organists At the console

Dayton and his sister, Rev. Sally Ginny at the organ

Khorramshahr and audience Creating “A Book about Me”

Prayer List

Bill Alexander Wanda Allen Margaret Boudreaux Charlie Campbell Jay Colvin Patricia Conly Evelyn Corley Ron Dean Jean Dooley Elizabeth Eglin Shirley Enani Floyd “Buzzy” Farrar

Lady Martha Garner Austin Gleason Kenneth Jordan Elizabeth Joyce George Love Mim McCoy Paige McCranie Betty McDonald Laura Rhoades Sandra Robinson Brady Sessions Lonnie Smith

Jack Theurekauf Gary Thomas Jane Thompson Robert Todd Cliff Townsend Mattie Washington Charlotte Webb Bill Wright Larry Wright Mary Wright

If you would like to request an addition to the Prayer List, please call the church office, 222-3325. Our practice is to keep names on the list for six weeks. If we have an update at that time requesting that we continue to pray for the person, we will leave the name on the list. If not, we will remove it. You can always call if you would like us to add it again.

We pray for those who serve and are served by Providence House; for President Jimmy Carter and his family; for guidance in our cities as we seek to end violence;

for all who are homeless or hungry; for the people of Mexico, the Middle East and Ukraine; for people in all the places where there are war and tension; for all who seek peace;

for the people of our country, that we may find together the way of compassion and peace from our prejudices and racial tensions; for law enforcement officers and the people they serve;

and for our President and Congress, that they may work together to pass legislation to lessen the danger of violence and injustice in our country and provide for the needs of the most vulnerable.

In our Diocesan cycle of prayer we pray for Episcopal Church Women of our parishes; for the Diocesan Altar Guild; and for all chapters of the Daughters of the King.

O Lord, you walk with us even when we are not aware. May we have the courage to continue running the race set before us, even when we cannot see through the distances. Amen.

Lay Ministries The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 30, 2015 September 6, 2015 Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 � Psalm 15 Isaiah 35:4-7a � Psalm 146 James 1:17-27 � Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17 � Mark 7:24-37 Sat. 5:00 PM: Larry Wright, Lector, Eucharistic Minister Sat. 5:00 PM: Larry Wright, Lector, Eucharistic Minister Sun. 11:00 AM: Sun. 11:00 AM Lector: Steve Snodgrass Lector: Ms. Maggie Fowle Prayers of the People: Becky Snodgrass Prayers of the People: Ms. Melissa Fowle Eucharistic Ministers: Kendall Raymond, Herschel Richard Eucharistic Ministers: Nathanial Means, Kendall Raymond Acolytes: Patrick Raymond, Hannah Wallace, Ian Wallace Acolytes: Patrick Raymond, Hannah Wallace Ushers: Lynn Walford, Monty Walford Ushers: Mr. Herschel Richard, Mr. Bill Richard Altar Guild Sat. 5:00: Margaret Heacock, June Kirkland Altar Guild Sat. 5:00: Margaret Heacock, June Kirkland Altar Guild Sun. 11:00: Christine Hennigan, Becky Snodgrass Altar Guild Sun. 11:00: Ms. Ginger Paul, Mrs. June Kirkland

If you wish to donate altar flowers in honor or memory of a loved one, please call Laurie, 222-3325, and tell her. This is a beautiful way to contribute to the beauty of our worship and give to the glory of God!

St. Luke’s Episcopal Mobile Medical Ministry Calendar for September

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There will be no clinic in Minden this month due to the Labor Day holiday.

Thursday, Sept. 3 3:00-5:00 PM Hope Connection, 2350 Levy St. Shreveport

Tuesday, Sept. 8 9:00 AM-noon Susan G. Komen Pop-up Clinic, with Ringgold

Partners in Wellness and MLKHC

Wednesday, Sept. 9 9:00-11:00 AM Hope House, 762 Austen Pl. Shreveport

Thursday, Sept. 10 4:45-6:15 PM Highland Blessing Dinner, Shreveport

Highland Center

Friday, Sept. 11 TBA Susan G. Komen’s Friday in Pink Bossier City

Louisiana Boardwalk

Sunday, Sept. 13 4:00-6:00 PM Christ the King Church Bossier City

Wednesday, Sept. 16 3:30-5:30 PM Hope Connection, 2350 Levy St. Shreveport

Thursday, Sept. 17 4:45-6:30 PM Common Ground Ministries, Cedar Grove Shreveport

Saturday, Sept. 19 7:30-9:30 AM Vivian

10:00-11:30 AM Oil City

Sunday, Sept. 20 10:00 AM-noon Hope House, 762 Austen Pl. Shreveport

Saturday, Sept. 26 TBA Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure Shreveport

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If you would like to volunteer, please call 424-0156 or email Brenda, clinic@stlukesmedicalministry.org

Church of the Holy Cross � Episcopal Non-Profit Organization P. O. Box 1627 U. S. Postage

Shreveport, LA 71165-1627 P A I D SHREVEPORT, LA

Website: www.holycrossshreveport.org Permit No. 1197 E-mail: holycrossshrv1@bellsouth.net Return Service Requested

Mission Statement: The Church of the Holy Cross, Shreveport, Louisiana, strives to be the presence of Jesus Christ in our community and beyond, through worship of Almighty God, open inquiry, sharing fellowship, valued diversity, genuine inclusiveness, and servant leadership—encouraging all to exercise God’s gifts and calling as we share the Gospel of Hope in programs, to serve without regard for religious affiliation, race, or economic status.

Hope House: There is an ongoing need for coffee, sugar, creamer, laundry detergent, disposable razors, and personal size hygiene products (soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc.). Donations can be taken to 762 Austen Place or to the church office. Thank you for your continued support.

Forward Day by Day for August, September, and October, in both standard and large-print editions, is available in the Narthex and the Undercroft.

If you cannot get to church and would like to receive Holy Communion or a visit at your residence or the hospital, please call the church office at 222-3325, and Communion will be brought to you.

Crossings is now also available via email. Simply send or call in your email address to the office.

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The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Ph.D. XXVI Presiding Bishop The Rt. Rev. Dr. Jacob Owensby, Ph.D., D. D. IV Bishop of Western Louisiana The Rev. Mary B. Richard Rector The Rev. Sally M. Fox Assisting Priest The Rev. Kenneth W. Paul Rector Emeritus The Rev. Donald D. Heacock Director, Holy Cross Child Placement Mr. Bruce Power Organist-Choirmaster Mr. Ron Dean Organist-Choirmaster Emeritus Mrs. Laurie Connell Office Administrator Mr. Charles Alford Sexton