Dear Cross of Glory Family and Friends! Happy New Year! Let us make 2025, with God’s help, the best of new years, personally and congregationally! Are you making resolutions? Is deeper commitment to Christ and His Church one of them? Here is the forever link for both 10 AM Sunday worship attendance and 6:30 PM Tuesday night Bible study:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3037560735
Meeting ID: 303 756 0735
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Meeting ID: 303 756 0735
Congratulations to Lisa Schmidt who is challenging us prior to February’s Super Bowl to bring 10,000 soup cans to Cross of Glory for Denver’s hungry and needy. With your weekly contributions and the aid of our Gambler Anonymous groups meeting at Cross of Glory who ran with Lisa’s challenge, we have delivered so far over 3000 soup cans to MetroCaring! Not bad for a small, non-Augustana, non-Bethany, non-Joy, Lutheran church!!!
For the first time in my 19 years as pastor at COG, I anticipate we will enter a brand new year with a financial deficit (This year, approximately $18,000 I suspect), between church-related expenses and income. Your Budget Committee is working hard at presenting to you soon a responsible 2025 Budget that reflects both the reality of our situation and yet optimism for remaining true to God’s challenge to us personally and congregationally in what most likely will be a pretty bare-bones 2025 proposal. Please consider how you might help be an answer to our ongoing opportunities.
WE THANK YOU for continuing to sacrifice your time, talent and money in support of our ministry at Cross of Glory. We are grateful to you, our members, who prioritize Christ and His church, in making big differences. We are SO thankful in addition to our many non-members who believe enough in what we are doing to close the gap between our expenses and income.
Oh, how we pray that like in past years, we may come into a new year with our hopes high in BEING THE CHURCH, FAITHFUL AND PERTINENT. Thank you giving ones! And be sure to remember Edie Carlson, our Treasurer in thanksgiving and prayer who so often juggles what financially we have available with ongoing expenses in responsibly paying our bills. Thanks Edie! And keep praying for Edie given her recent fall and head stitches.
We were hoping to install new council people in worship tomorrow, but it sounds like some will not be able to be in attendance. Consequently, let’s push the installation back one week to Sunday, January 12th.
Karen Matlock continues to be at University Hospital recovering from her fall of last week. She broke her hip. Jim Dean will help us musically tomorrow in Karen’ absence. Thank you Jim… and as always… Gina Diekmeier and Pam Lugo as The Kingston Trio back-ups!!!
Joy upon Joy! Eleven pipers piping!
Pastor Mike Lemke
PS: Angel Torres was able to leave the hospital on January 1st as he is stabilizing from liquid retention. Angel has been living with Barb and me in our home these last months as he recovers. He will need to be going to the hospital weekly to be “drained” and then most likely released after each treatment. Pray for his healing and his spirits being uplifted.
PPS: And Craig Pizinski asks this of us:”Good evening,
Quick prayer request. My sister Barbara in Orlando was taken to the hospital. She’s been sick with flu-like symptoms for over a week. I was told she was dehydrated and doing better this evening, but a quick prayer can never hurt.
Thank you,
Craig”
CROSS OF GLORY MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES
JANUARY 5, 2025
EVERY SUNDAY AT CROSS OF GLORY
Worship Service/Holy Communion at 10:00 AM and With Zoom Technology.
Prior to our 10:00 AM Worship Service, plan to be with us for our Adult Bible Study at COG at 9:00 AM! It’s an amazing way to begin your Sunday!
POWER HOUR PRAYER MINISTRY
We are encouraged to pray. God knows our needs, our joys even before we approach heaven’s throne of grace. God wants us to pray because WE WILL BE THE BETTER FOR IT!
After worship each Sunday, beginning at 11:30 AM, we invite you to return to our sanctuary for 30 minutes of concentrated prayer. Joining other friends from church, we pray for ourselves, for others, for all. Be better! Enhance your friendship with God… and with one another!
CHURCH COUNCIL REMINDERS
We have special congregational events and a Congregational Meeting during January. Our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 26 following our 10:00 AM Worship Service. Our 2025 Budget will be introduced and voted upon. Reminder – The deadline is now… Council Chairpersons, if you have not submitted your annual reports to Mary Lemke, please do so soon.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7
ZOOM 6:30 PM BIBLE STUDY
Our Tuesday 6:30 PM Zoom Bible Study will resume on January 7. We are enjoying our time studying, viewing and discussing episodes of “The Chosen.” Steve Wilson and Pastor Mike are continuing to watch the episodes and taking notes. We invite you to do the same. In preparation for our watching and discussing “The Chosen,” it can be found on the website, https://www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen (PC), or via Netflix and Amazon Prime (TV). We discuss the episode for an hour. This series is too good to pass up.Therefore, share your enthusiasm and Zoom link and do invite your friends to join us on Tuesday, January 7, at 6:30 PM after beginning to watch Season 4, Episode 6… Dedication.
Here is the link! (The same link we have used for years to get into Bible Study, Worship and Council Meetings!) Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3037560735
Meeting ID: 303 756 0735
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2025
BAPTISM OF OUR LORD SUNDAY
The Second Sunday in 2025 aka The Baptism of our Lord Sunday is January 12 ! We have a special Congregational Meeting following our 10:00 AM Worship Service. We will install our newly elected Church Council Chairpersons, Clancy Ellebracht, Lynn Reid, Julie Prange, Jan Reich, Lisa Schmidt and Mary Lemke, who were elected on Sunday, December 15. Make plans to be with us for our 10:00 AM Worship Service and the Congregational Meeting.
JANUARY NEWSLETTERS DELAYED
Because of Christmas Eve/Christmas Day activities and preparation for the many things scheduled for January 2025, unfortunately, I’m sorry our January newsletters will be not available until next week. PLEASE NOTE – IF you would like to receive your newsletter via email rather than wait until your mail delivery or next Sunday, January 12, PLEASE CONTACT MARY LEMKE AT lemkemj@comcast.net. She will email you that “early” news!! THANK YOU!
