Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore

The congregations of Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore thanks all who donated at the “God’s Work, Our Hands” food drive on Sept. 7.

On Sunday, Sept. 14, the congregations will celebrate Holy Cross Sunday. Rev. Murray D. Finck, will preside over the Holy Communion service gathering at 13564 St. Andrews Drive at 10:30 a.m. All residents are welcome to join.

All singers are welcome to join the choir each Sunday for choir practice at 9:15 a.m.

Fellowship will continue after service in the Fellowship Hall with coffee, tea, cookies and snacks.

The congregations will welcome new members on Sept. 21. Those who are interested in formally joining the congregation should see Rev. Finck or fill out the paperwork on the tables in the back of the Sanctuary.

The midweek Bible study on the women of the Bible continues on Wednesday, Sept. 17, in the Fellowship Hall at noon. The group has moved on to the women in the New Testament Bible, beginning with Elizabeth and Mary, the mothers of John the Baptist and Jesus. All are always welcome to join. A study guide will be distributed.

All residents are welcome to join the study and bring a lunch and a Bible. There are drinks available and usually some baked goods for a small dessert. Rev. Finck leads the discussion every week. This is a great way to meet members and friends and to share an understanding of faith and the Holy Scriptures.

The Gospel lesson for this week is from John 3:13-17.

Holy Cross Sunday falls on Sept. 14 this year. Believers will observe the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which honors the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

The feast commemorates St. Helena’s discovery of the True Cross in Jerusalem in 326, its initial exaltation for public veneration in 335, and its recovery from the Persians in 628.

Holy Cross Sunday was first observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century.

Christians continue to celebrate the triumph of the cross of Jesus, for he has conquered death and has given believers the salvation of life everlasting.

The sign of the cross often serves as a reminder of a believer’s own baptism into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.