Parish News

Worship Information

Sunday, October 21 - One Service only at 9:30 a.m.

Holy Cross Welcomes You!

We are an Episcopal Church and Member of the Diocese of Western North Carolina.

Sunday Services are at Holy Cross in Valle Crucis every Sunday at 8:30 and 11 a.m.
Please check below for any possible changes to our regular worship schedule.

Holy Eucharist and Healing Service are
Wednesdays, 5:30 pm.

Directions to Holy Cross and St. John's are here.

Everyone Is Always Welcome!

Occasionally service times change, especially for the weekend of the Valle Country Fair,
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Holy Week so please check below
for possible schedule changes:

Read the October Newsletter.

News from the Diocese is here.

Latest sermons are here.

Prayer Lists -- We have a separate page for our prayer lists here.
Or you can locate it by clicking on "Prayer Lists" under
Parish News in the navigation bar at the top of each page.

Coming Up:

Spiritual Seekers has been cancelled due to bad road conditions. Next meeting is November 1 to discuss the book Waking Up White.

Valle Country Fair Posters and Flyers are Still Available!

VERY IMPORTANT: Help get out the word about the upcoming Annual Valle Country Fair. Posters and flyers have been prepared for your neighborhood business community.
Please pick up a package of fair posters for your neighborhood or local business areas at the Valle Country Fair table in Skiles Hall. We need to get these posters out to businesses to promote and communicate the fair dates, times and location to the general public.
Susan Howard has volunteered to help with this promotion by arranging packets by key areas as has been done in the past. Please help get the word out. No heavy lifting involved, just visit your local area businesses and ask them to put the flyers/posters in their windows or a prominent location. Thank you for your help!

Hurricane Florence Relief Efforts

The Vestry has approved a $10,000 donation on behalf of Holy Cross payable to Episcopal Relief and Development’s (ERD) Hurricane Relief Fund. ERD supports the work of first responders and numerous relief agencies, and provides direct hands-on assistance throughout the region.
If you would like to offset this donation, please make your check payable to Holy Cross and note “ERD Hurricane Florence” on the memo line. You are also welcome to make additional donations to ERD on-line via their website: www.episcopalrelief.org

Sunday, Oct. 14, 3 pm: Tenor Jacob Smith to Sing Final Performance of the Season

Tenor Jacob Smith will present the last concert in the Sunday afternoon concert series at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church. Smith is a Vocal Performance / Sacred Music major at Appalachian State University, where he studies voice. Smith will present a wide-ranging program, including selections from Handel's Messiah, works by Ralph Vaughn Williams, and favorite songs from Broadway musicals. St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church is on Main Street in Blowing Rock. For more information, please contact St. Mary's at 828.295.7323, or follow us on Facebook @ MusicfromStMaryoftheHills.

This Sunday

Sunday, October 14, 2018
The 21st Sunday After Pentecost

8:30 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II

9:45 am Adult Christian Education Series: “Acts to Action!” In Upper Skiles.

11:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II.

12:30 pm Fellowship in Skiles Hall.

We thank those who will serve this Sunday:

	8:30 am Service	11 am Service
Greeters/ Oblationers:	Scott McDonough	Denise Bentley, Sibyl Pressly
Ushers:	Scott McDonough	Steve Bentley, Francis Pressly
Lector:	Jane Blackburn	Susan Poorman
Prayers of the People:	Judy Bondi	Claire McDonough
Chalicers:	Sis Kinney	John Goodrich, Nina-Jo Moore
Acolytes:	Sis Kinney	Randy McDonough

Next Week

Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Daughters of the King Meeting, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm in Skiles Hall
All women of the Church are welcome to gather with The Daughters of the King (DOK) for a time of study and prayer. The parish Eucharist follows at 5:30 pm.

Thursday, October 18, 2018
Spiritual Seekers! 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm in Skiles Hall

Our study group continues the conversation on dismantling racism and finding ways to continuing raising awareness of unconscious racism. All are welcome.

Saturday, October 20, 2018
The 40^thAnnual Valle Country Fair!

Next Sunday, October 21, 2018
The 22^ndSunday After Pentecost and

“The Day After the Valle Country Fair”

9:30 am: All Parish Worship Service - Holy Eucharist, Rite II

10:30: Fellowship Gathering on the Fair Grounds
Come to church in comfortable work clothes (bring gloves, too)and join with visitors, friends, and fellow parishioners in this united service of worship, prayer, thanksgiving, and Holy Eucharist. We will gather after the worship service down at the fair grounds for snacks and refreshments, and a walk through our fair grounds gathering up our layout markers and fair materials. NO HEAVY LIFTING to be done as we should have enough strong bodies on hand for what little may be required. Estimated time for the grounds clean-up is under 2 hours. Even if you stay for just a ½ hour or so, your help will make light work.

Announcements

Aprons at the Valle Country Fair

Gentlemen! The Valle Country Fair Apron team is seeking donations of used men’s shirts that meet the following criteria:
1. Clean (i.e., no Stains)
2. Long sleeved
3. Button down collar
4. Sizes L and XL.

If you can spare a shirt or two or three, please place in a bag labeled “Apron Project”and leave it in the Welcome Center in Skiles Hall.
Thank you!

Valle Country Fair Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers! WE NEED YOU!

Please sign up here to be a volunteer at the 2018 Valle Country Fair!
When the page opens, scroll down to see the list of volunteer needs. No need to "log in," but do click the "Submit and Sign Up" bar that appears at the bottom of the page. We need volunteers to help make the year's fair a success!

Also, there are Sign-Up Sheets for various volunteer opportunities located in Skiles Hall. Many of you have already graciously signed up to help. If you have not had an opportunity to sign-up yet, you can do so in Skiles Hall or click here.

Please consider helping us make this year's Fair another great success! The Church of the Holy Cross in cooperation with The Valle Crucis Conference Center sponsor The Valle Country Fair, and all net proceeds provide grants to local non-profit organizations, and relief to local families with emergency needs.
If you have any questions please contact Tracey Heiss at heisstj@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Holy Cross Kitchens at the Valle Country Fair

It’s that time to begin baking, freezing and taste-testing items for the Holy Cross Kitchen Baked Goods tent at the Fair. Please see the October Newsletter for a detailed article on suggestions, but know that cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, sweet breads, brownies and kids’ items are the most favorite. Cheese straws and wafers, novelty items, and gluten free or sugar free are quickly snatched up. Freezer spaceis available in the freezer off the youth room downstairs in Skiles. Please markany food you place there for the FAIR.

Two Reminders: Please bring all baked goods to Skiles Hall by 9 am on Friday, Oct. 12. We can package them for you if needed. Please mark if they have nuts or are specialty items. (ex. Gluten free or sugar free). Last year we sold over 1000 items. What amounts will you help bring for this year to help celebrate our 40^th? Also, extra plastic or paper sacks are always needed. Please drop them off at the Welcome Center and we will use them to send a VCF visitor home with our great baked goods or jams and jellies.
Any questions, call Pan McCaslin at:(828) 963-5198.

Valle Country Fair Celebrates 40th Anniversary!

In Celebration Of
The 40^thAnniversary
Of The Valle Country Fair,
and In Honor Of All of You
Who Have Contributed So Much
in Time, Talent and Labor For The Past 40 Years,

You Are Cordially Invited to Attend
A Celebratory Dinner in Your Honor at The Apple Barn

Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 5:00 PM.

By Reservation Only. RSVP To Marilyn Welch
At 828-963-5715, or welchm@skybest.com
No Later Than October 1, 2018.
Limited Seating For 150 (due to space limitations).

This Is A Gift Given By Anonymous Benefactors.

No Fair Monies Will Be Used.

St. Mary's Concert

Tenor to Sing Final Performance of the Season: Tenor Jacob Smith will present the last concert in the Sunday afternoon concert series at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church on Sunday, October 14th, at 3 pm. Smith is a Vocal Performance / Sacred Music major at Appalachian State University, where he studies voice with Dr. Gennard Lombardozzi and double bass with Dr. Adam Booker. Smith will present a wide-ranging program, including selections from Handel's Messiah, works by Ralph Vaughn Williams, and favorite songs from Broadway musicals. St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church is on Main Street in Blowing Rock and presents a series of Sunday afternoon concerts featuring students and faculty from Appalachian State, as well as other regional musicians, throughout the season. For more information, please contact St. Mary's at 828.295.7323, or follow us on Facebook @ MusicfromStMaryoftheHills.

Casting Bread Ministries

Faith Bridge Church’s Casting Bread Ministries is a recipient of a Valle Fair grant this year. In their words: “Casting Bread Ministries has been in operation since July of 2006. Our goal is to show the love of Jesus Christ in a tangible way. God cares about people and so do we, which is why we work hard to serve the community through feeding people physically as well as spiritually. We also endeavor to be a referral service for those services we cannot provide. They also provide a soup kitchen on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 till 1:00.”

Holy Cross would like to support this ministry by having a toiletries donation drive to help the people they serve with needed hygiene products. Please bring items listed below, as well as anything else you can think of, and leave them in the basket in the Skiles Hall Welcome Center. Soap, Shampoo, Deodorant, Tooth brushes, Toothpaste, Toilet paper, Laundry detergent, Children’s products.