Meal Train for Marilyn Welch
As I have been visiting our parish member, Marilyn Welch, with weekly communion, she has experienced a decline in her health. Last week she had a stay in the hospital and is now home with around the clock Hospice Care.  While her mind is engaged and hopeful, her body is not cooperating! I offered to start a Mealtrain at Holy Cross to help with meal preparation, and after discussing with her caretakers and family, she agreed to allow me to ask for help on Sunday and Thursday. Other friends and family will cover other days. The Hospice worker has agreed to heat anything that needs it and will share the meal with Marilyn. But please use disposable, reusable containers. I will pick them up as they accumulate and they will be available for you to pick up and reuse in the kitchen in Skiles Hall. If you are able to help, please click this link and sign up to deliver some love and support to Marilyn. Marilyn has been a member of Holy Cross for over 50 years! She lives in the red house, in the curve, just down the road from the church on Highway 194 and they use the back door. She loves visitors and seeing her church friends. If you cannot provide an occasional meal or visit, please consider sending cards of encouragement. If you have ever gotten a birthday card from Holy Cross, it came from Marilyn. That has been her ministry to all of us for years.  The link is below and the sign up is easy. Mary Pietan will be coordinating the list from her winter home in Florida until she returns to us this Spring. Many thanks, for the gift of your time, Mary! Thanks to all of you for your love and support of Marilyn.
Peace, Kim Gauss

It’s Time for ECW’s “MARCH” for Diapers!
We will be collecting all sizes of new, unopened packages of diapers (both adult and child!) through the entire month of March. Please leave your donations in the labeled boxes in Skiles Hall.
With an early Easter, and our Annual "March for Diapers," the ECW is sad to announce that our annual St. Patrick's Day party will NOT be held. Since this is a large money making event, please send donations to Holy Cross and put ECW in the memo line. Andrea is working on a small recipe booklet to encourage donations. Any contribution large or small is greatly appreciated.

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Holy Cross ECW Invites You to Easter Brunch!

Join us Easter morning between services and bring your favorite breakfast/brunch item to share. ECW will provide ham, biscuits, and beverages. (Be on the lookout for a sign-up poster in Skiles soon.)

We'll also need volunteers to help set up Saturday, April 5th at 10:00 am, and help with clean up after brunch.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2026
Evergreen: The Spirituality of Aging with Rebecca Husband Maynard

Valle Crucis Conference Center

You’re invited to a contemplative retreat exploring the sacred dimensions of growing older. Through guided reflection, spiritual practices, and small groups, participants discover how aging can be a time of deepening wisdom, renewed purpose, and spiritual flourishing. Like the evergreen that remains vital through all seasons, we explore how to cultivate resilience, find meaning in life's transitions, and embrace the gifts that come with accumulated years. This gathering offers space to honor both the challenges and possibilities of aging, drawing on contemplative traditions and the lived wisdom of the group to illuminate the spiritual journey of our later chapters.

Please contact the Valle Crucis Conference Center to register for this workshop, or follow this link to sign up: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/evergreen-the-spirituality-of-aging.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2026
Easter Egg Hunt at VC Community Park

The Valle Crucis Community Council is hosting an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 4 at the park. Join us for a morning filled with fun and laughter! Arrive as early as 9:00 am, because the Egg Hunts will begin promptly at 9:30. The eggs go fast, so be sure to get there early to find your age group area. There are separate hunts for under-3s, 3-5s, and Big Kids. Be sure to stay after the hunt to participate in a community art project!

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Will you help with this year’s Valle Country Fair?

The VCF team has a few vacancies this year. We are searching for a Volunteer Coordinator, an Outside Vendor Coordinator, and a Road Sign team. Can you help? These roles do not take much time, most are physically low impact AND are critically important to the success of the fair.

• Volunteer Coordinator: The main task is to match volunteers with our Holy Cross booths that needs extra hands. You will work directly with the Fair Chairs and Booth Leadership to help them fill volunteers for the day of the Fair. Most of the work can be done by email and phone calls. The volunteer coordinator is present on Fair Day in the volunteer tent to help direct volunteers. Find a friend to assist and lighten the load!

• Road Signs: This person finds a friend or two and puts up banners and signs along roadways 3-4 weeks before the fair then takes them down the Sunday after the fair. This job takes 3-4 hours at the most and goes faster with more people. This work is somewhat physical but requires no heavy lifting. Bob Gates has all the information on exactly where the signs go, and the Gates will train you. Easy peasy.

• Outside Vendors: This person will shadow our current outside vendor coordinator (Trish Lanier) this year and will take over this leadership role in 2027.This coordinator works directly with non-Holy Cross food vendors (examples include the kettle corn vendor, funnel cake vendor, etc) to schedule their attendance, share information with the layout chairperson and answer questions as needed. This work is physically low impact.

Please contact Tracey Heiss or Julie Gates by emailing them at vcf.chairs@gmail.com or by calling directly. Thank you for your consideration!