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Relational Ministry:
Some of our groups are continuing to meet virtually while others are moving back to meeting in-person and/or have options to participate virtually. Please see below for details pertaining to each group.
Select a link below for more details:
- Saturday Men's Group
- Grounded in Grace: Friday Night Women's Group
​​- Book Club
​- Women's Discussion Group
​- Men's Breakfast Group
- MP3: Men of Purpose, Principle & Prayer
- Feed My Starving Children: Monthly Pack
- Women's Ministry: Living in Faith Together

Saturday Men's Group
Dates: Saturdays, December 9 & 23
Time: 7 - 8:30 am
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In person (Room 208) or via Zoom
Join the Zoom group here: zoom.us/j/301891517
This group is for men of faith to come together throughout the year to share their faith and thoughts about challenging topics.
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In November, we will begin discussion of ‘A’ is for Alabaster: A Preacher’s Alphabet, by Anna Carter Florence, the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and holds degrees from Yale University and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div. and Ph.D.). This new book brings winsome insight to an array of characters and stories in the Bible—some celebrated and some overlooked. Copies are available on the welcome center in the Fellowship Area. Please join us.
Questions? Contact Pastor Chris at pastorchris@holycrosschurch.org

Grounded in Grace: Friday Night Women's Group
Date: Friday, December 15
Time: 6:30 - 9:30 pm
Location: Perfect Brewing Supply, 619 Park Ave, Libertyville
Grounded in Grace is a social opportunity for women of faith to connect together in fellowship.
Grounded in Grace will meet at Terry Berger’s house for a no stress holiday get together. No need to dress up—come as you are! Bring a snack to share—or don’t! It’s an evening to laugh with friends—everything else is optional.
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Contact Terry Berger at terryberger.08@gmail.com or (224) 775-1479 with questions, or to be added to the Grounded in Grace Messenger group for the most current scheduling information.

Book Club
Date: No meeting in December. Next meeting on Thursday, January 25
Time: 7 pm
via Zoom
The Holy Cross Book Club, open to anyone who is interested in reading and discussing books, routinely meets on the fourth Thursday of every month.
2024 Book Club Selections
January - The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
February - The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell
March - Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
April - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
May - The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
June - What's Gotten Into You by Dan Levitt
July - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
August - The Little Paris Book Shop by Nina George
September - Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
October - Meet to select 2025 books
November - The Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
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If you have any questions, please email Felicia Brandt at felicia.s.brandt@gmail.com

Women's Discussion Group
Date: Tuesday, December 12 (No second meeting in December.)
Time: 9:30 am
Location: Room 208 (Zoom option by request)
This group typically meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. All women are welcome to join.
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The discussion topics will be taken from two books by Anna Carter Florence, Rehearsing Scripture: Discovering God’s Word in Community, and her current book project, ‘A’ is for Alabaster: A Preacher’s Alphabet. Copies of the books are available on the welcome center in the Fellowship Area.
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Questions? Contact Pastor Chris at pastorchris@holycrosschurch.org

Men's Breakfast Group
Dates: Tuesdays, December 5, 12, 19 & 26
Time: 7 - 8 am
Location: The Liberty Restaurant
419 S Milwaukee Ave, Libertyville
This is a wonderful way to begin the day with coffee, breakfast, fellowship, and thought-provoking and stimulating conversation. All men are welcome to join us.
Questions? Contact Pastor Chris at pastorchris@holycrosschurch.org

MP3: Men of Purpose, Principle, & Prayer
2024 dates TBD
Time: 6 - 8:30 pm
Location: Fellowship Area
Cost: Free
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Men of Purpose, Principle & Prayer is one of our men’s ministries at Holy Cross. We meet on select Tuesday evenings for fellowship, food and conversation. The evenings begin with fellowship at 6 pm and conclude by 8:30 pm.
The theme for our next MP3 season will be “sacred moments”. In Celtic spirituality there is the concept of ‘thin places’ where the everyday/ordinary moments intersect with the sacred/holy. We will explore this notion and how it actually presents itself in our life and faith journeys. This will be a six-part series. The first three were held in 2023 with 2024 dates to be announced.
Our plan is to deconstruct the idea of ‘sacred’ into six components. In 2023 we will focus on three of the components: S for sanctuary/refuge/safe place; A for ancient philosophies/lessons passed on from previous mentors; and, C for ceremony/milestone moments/rites/traditions. In 2024 we will finish with R for relational, E for emptiness and D for deeper.
Men (21+) please plan to join in the journey.
Questions? Contact Pastor Chris at pastorchris@holycrosschurch.org

Feed My Starving Children: Monthly Pack
Date: Monday, December 18
Time: 7 - 8:45 pm
Location: 742 East Park Ave, Libertyville
RSVP: emily.young@allstate.com
Less than a mile away from Holy Cross is the Libertyville location of Feed My Starving Children. Not only has Feed My Starving Children provided millions of meals to children in 111 countries around the world since the organization’s formation in 1987, but it is one of the best volunteer experiences out there. Volunteers aged 5 and over and any ability levels can make a difference, as standing, heavy lifting, and seated jobs are all needed to pack and ship meals.
Holy Cross’s partnership with Feed My Starving Children goes back many years, and the congregation was instrumental in helping the organization establish a permanent packing site in Libertyville, creating an enduring impact that continues to feed countless children worldwide. This partnership continues in 2023 with the establishment of a monthly pack for members of the Holy Cross community. Please join me on one or more days ahead to serve together!
· Wednesday, January 17 from 4:30 - 6:15 pm
· Saturday, February 3 from 11:30 am - 1:15 pm
To sign up for one or more group packing sessions, please contact me at emily.young@allstate.com
New to Feed My Starving Children? Learn more about their mission at fmsc.org