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| Holy Cross ~ A Place For You!
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The Pastoral Staff
Pastor Raggie has been the Pastor at Holy Cross since 1996. Among her primary responsibilities are coordinating the ministry and personnel at Holy Cross and the overall vision for Worship life.
Deacon Chris is Deacon of the homebound ministries. She coordinates and often leads the services at the Lakeshore Assisted Living Facility. She serves at the Avalon facility, and regularly visits our Homebound members and brings the Holy Communion.
Deacon Dee is Deacon of Worship and coordinates the worship assistants, lectors, ushers, and acolytes. She works with the Altar Guild, and also chairs the Property Maintenance committee.
Susie has been a member of the HCLC choir since age 14. Her love for the Lord and His music is a blessing to us all. Youth Choir is open to grades 2 and above. See “This Week at Holy Cross” for meeting times.
Parish
Staff
Charlie and Virginia Ward - Directors of Music for REACH Jennifer Hecker - Bookkeeper Mary Beth Heinicke - CSW, Eldercare Jackie Probst - Church Sexton Ann Biondo - Church Sexton
The History of Holy Cross
Mr. Engert and the Reverend E. C. Kreider of the Mission Committee organized the first Worship Service, which was held on November 9th, 1947 at the Liberty Hall on Ocean Avenue, Lake Ronkonkoma. There were 58 people in attendance. Mr. Engert constructed the first altar and pulpit and Mrs. Engert sewed the altar cloths and a dossal used for that first service. Charles Goetz, a seminary student at Mount Airy Seminary in Philadelphia, was engaged to conduct services. At the Synodical Convention in May of 1948, Holy Cross was received as a member congregation of the United Lutheran Synod of New York and New England.
The Church’s Service of Organization was held on June 20, 1948 and Charles Goetz was installed as the first Pastor of Holy Cross. Also that June, land was purchased at the corner of Hawkins Avenue and Lakewood Avenue, and in October 1948 groundbreaking for the building of the First Unit was done during a special service. A house and property adjacent to Holy Cross was purchased in 1949 enabling us to have a convenient Parsonage. That same year eleven members of our first Confirmation class were confirmed on Palm Sunday. By the end of the year, membership rose to 238 people. The Choir presented a concert in December wearing vestments they sewed themselves.
The Fifties brought a surge in new membership along with increased attendance in the Sunday Church School. Our rapid growth required more room, and a New Building Drive was kicked off with a Seventh Anniversary Dinner Dance held in the Grand Ballroom of the Patchogue Hotel. By this point we had become self-supporting and were graduated from Mission Status. Pastor Goetz accepted another Call, and Pastors Harold Anderson and Chester E. Strohl became our second and third Pastors, respectively. By the end of the decade we are worshipping in the new Church building.
The Seventies began with Pastor Harry Pfunke as our new Assistant Pastor. Many different ministries began to flourish such as the Lutheran Church Women (today known as W.E.L.C.A.), Active Confirmed Teens, the Road Runners (a family camping group), the Free Spirits (a craft workshop that donated items to the Fall Fair), and the Socialites. Holy Cross also became the meeting place for community groups such as AA, T.O.P.S., and Senior Citizens groups as well as renting space to the Lake Ronkonkoma Pre-School. Our expanding membership is evidenced by the Sunday Church School children as they are given seed packets as a symbol of our growth. We are again blessed with an Assistant Pastor, The Reverend Stephen Hirzel.
The Eighties held a
continued dedication to the community with a toy collection for
the children at Ronald McDonald House, W.E.L.C.A. expanding
their Food Bank Program and the Congregation collecting
Campbell’s product labels to assist a Navajo Lutheran Mission
School in Arizona. Pastor Charles J. Glandorf became our sixth
Pastor, and with him, he brought Bible Studies, a Montessori
style Confirmation Program, various youth programs, and a Junior
Choir. It is shortly after Pastor Glandorf comes to us, that we
are blessed with Pastor Robert Rodriguez as our Assistant
Pastor.
We have participated in many outreach ministries such as Heifer Project International, Blanket Sunday (we were able to donate 186 blankets through the generosity of the Family of Holy Cross), Love Loaf, American Cancer Society Walk to find a cure for Breast Cancer, Walk to build homes for Habitat for Humanity, working together to do a blitz build on a Habitat House, Operation Christmas Child (sending gift packages to needy children around the world) and our local food drives to feed the hungry in our community, hat and mitten drives through the Noah's Ark Preschool, and food baskets and financial support to families in need.
Our weekly attendance has doubled in the last few years. Our Sunday School and Youth Ministries have grown dramatically. We currently have 3 active youth groups: Faith Friends, a group for youth preschool through 4th grade; God Squad 567, for 5th, 6th and 7th graders; and Jesus Adventure Group, for 8th grade through college. We also sponsor a teen prayer night known as PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens).
Our Music Ministry has expanded and we now have a group of young people who bless us with a musical program known as Kid's Praise which has brought God's Word in song to our church family, local nursing homes and other churches in our community. We have an active bell choir.
Crosswords and Gifts opened in November of 2005. This Christian store offers a wide selection of gift items, books and Christian CDs. We feature Day Spring cards, Willow Tree and Precious Moments. The store is located on campus. Call 631-981-0525 for store hours or visit our website at Welcome to CrossWords and Gifts.
Our hope for the future includes updating
our campus and worship space, beginning a bereavement ministry
and planning a memorial garden.
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