Ministries

The Altar Guild prepares the sanctuary for worship along with the Worship Committee. They arrange the vestments on the altar, place flowers and other artwork, and prepare Holy Communion elements.

Chair: Joy Judd

In the past year our church has restarted many programs that were placed on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although we started with only a few children, the program has rapidly increased in the number of children as well as new families with children who attend or have become members of our congregation.

The Children’s Ministry is held in Luther Hall, immediately across the narthex from the sanctuary. Following the Pastor’s Children’s Sermon, all interested children between the ages of 3 – 12 join the Children’s Ministry director and one or two adult assistants for a snack, bible verse, games or crafts and a closing prayer. Because there is such a large age range, the model we use often has the older children helping the younger children with crafts and games.

The children have made “stained glass” crosses using a dark construction paper cross on contact paper, filled in with tissue paper confetti. We play bible bingo, church symbol matching games and have planted flowers in containers and made handprint cards for Mother’s Day. We always end with a prayer, attempting to refocus the children prior to returning to the sanctuary just before Holy Communion. This program has been very successful, both for helping the children understand difficult concepts at their level while also allowing parents and other adults quiet time to give their full attention to the bible verses and sermon.

Chair: Ellen Michalowski

The Choir provides music during services for holiday and many regular Sundays. They rehearse with the Music Director on an as needed basis. To join the choir, please visit the Music Director in the loft.

The Church Life & Hospitality Committee is responsible for the ongoing involvement and fellowship of the members and friends of the congregation. They plan, organize, and host activities and events designed to make Holy Cross “home” for all the people of the congregation. They also provide a social coffee hour after each weekly worship service.

Chair: Mary Keating

The Communications & Website Committee creates and posts event and service information on social and print media, maintains the church website and bulletin boards, sets out temporary signage, and distributes weekly bulletins (Holy Cross Happenings) and monthly newsletters (The Crier).

Chair: Vicky Cherry

The Crier is the monthly newsletter for Holy Cross.  It contains all of the exciting news for the church.
If you want to receive The Crier via email, please contact info@kennebunklutheran.org and provide your email address.

Editor: Julie Clapp

The Finance Committee manages and monitors the monetary flow for the church. On the expense side, the Treasurer and Bookkeeper track incoming expenses and pay bills and provide monthly financial statements to Church Council. On the income side, the Financial Secretary and Counters track and record weekly income and make bank deposits. They form and finalize the annual church budget with Church Council and present the budget to the congregation for discussion and approval at the annual meeting. The committee also has several members that have accounting backgrounds, and they assist in reviewing the financial process.

Chair: Jay Davison

The Greeters make visitors and members feel warm and welcome by meeting them at the door to the sanctuary and engaging in conversation. They ask visitors to sign the guest book, invite them to return, and assist the Pastor with follow-up if indicated.

Chair: Michele Janiak

The Memorial & Trust Committee tracks and manages donations that members and non-members make in remembrance of friends and loved ones. These gifts are carefully recorded and are dispensed as directed by the donors. For example, this beautiful Alpha & Omega stained-glass window above our sanctuary was a Memorial gift from two church members.

Chair: Kelley Craver

The Parish Education Committee develops and supervises the educational program of the congregation. They recruit and train teachers who then provide opportunities for study by every member of the congregation. They also research educational materials for our use.

Chair: Pastor Ellen Michalowski

Prayer Partners help congregation members and their family and friends by praying for them in times of need.

Chair: Julie Clapp

The Shepherds develop programs of worship and of visitation to members who cannot receive Holy Communion or participate regularly in the life and worship of the congregation. They especially care for people who are homebound or anyone unable to attend services. The Shepherds also sponsor several annual events, such as the Cookie Walk fundraiser and Christmas Caroling.

Co-Chairs: Michele Janiak, Mary Keating

The Social Concerns committee researches the needs of the local and global community and educates the congregation about those needs. They establish a program for action and make recommendations for the use of benevolence funds in order to meet as many of those needs as possible.

Chair: Lynne Gaudette

The Stewardship Committee plans, organizes and implements an awareness of the “time, talent, and treasury” resources with our congregation. On a yearly basis, they inform congregational members of the goals and resources needed and secure pledge commitments.

Chair: Carl Graves

The Technology Team is responsible for managing the audio and video content of the worship service.  They handle the display of the Power Point slide content during the worship service and also manage the mixing of the slide/camera/music content for the YouTube streaming and recorded worship service.  The team also handles any updates to the church computers and manages the wi-fi mesh network and related equipment.

Chair: Dan Krampetz

The Trustees help to maintain the church property, including the interior and exterior for each of the three buildings: Church Sanctuary, Luther Hall, and Lord Street House. They identify areas of need and either make repairs or make other arrangements with outside contractors.

Chair: Bob Danzilo

The Worship Assistants assist Pastor Amy during the weekly worship service by leading worship prayers and distributing Holy Communion to members.  Lectors assist by reading Bible passages.  The Ushers collect the offering and present the plates at the altar during the Offertory song. Ushers also direct the congregation when to approach the altar during Holy Communion.

Chair: Sharon McGeary (Assistants, Lectors), Chris Cherry (Ushers)

The Worship Committee endeavors to offer the Holy Cross parishioners a variety of worship experiences utilizing a blend of contemporary and traditional liturgical settings and hymns. Special music, dramatic readings, and visual aids are incorporated to highlight festival days.

Co-Chairs: Karen and Jack Kupp