JOIN US IN CELEBRATING 35 YEARS IN THE ORDAINED MINISTRY — SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH

My wife Cheri and I will be celebrating 35 years in ministry together on Sunday, September 29th, and everyone is invited to share that special day with us. Matins (Morning Prayer) is at 9:15 AM, followed by the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM, with a catered luncheon following the Liturgy. As always, we will be worshipping according to the rite of our incomparable English Liturgy with Gregorian chant and the great hymns of the Church..

Cheri and I have served in ministry together in four states, and I have ministered in positions as diverse as pastor and college teacher, Ecumenical Officer and editor of an official Provincial Church periodical. I have been a church planter, rector, para-church minister, and teacher. Most of these past 35 years have been in full time ministry, but I have also been bi-vocational, serving as a tent making clergyman.

Cheri’s hard work outside of the home has made it possible for me to engage in full time ministry these many years, as remuneration for clergy is often low and benefits  all but nonexistent. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She is indeed my better half.

The life of a clergy family is a life of sacrifice, a life in a fishbowl, and often a life of poverty. One year I was called away on an emergency pastoral call on our daughter Hannah’s birthday. Hannah was just a child then. It was feared a parishioner was dying so I had to go immediately. By the grace of God she pulled through, and Hannah understood why I had to be away on her birthday, but a priest’s family does sacrifice a lot with dad being literally on call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Without a committed and faithful family I would not have been able to be a committed and faithful priest.

I have had the privilege of serving under some of the finest Anglican bishops of the late 20th and 21st centuries, — real men of God. Sadly for us, they have all gone to be with the Lord. 

These bishops include Bishop Donald Davies, onetime Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska, and first Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, who later served in the Anglican Continuum; Bishop Patrick Murphy, a protege of Bishop Donald Davies, and the 1973 winner of the Keble Award from the old American Church Union; Archbishop Robert Sherwood Morse, one of the four original Continuing Anglican bishops and the longest serving, an intellectual and spiritual giant, a man of great vision, and a man who had a profound and lasting impact on my life and ministry; and Bishop Royal Grote, a man who combined real missionary zeal with a pastor’s heart, exhibited sincere humility, and bore much fruit in his service to God and the Church. 

I am as excited about the ministry today as I was on the day I was ordained. The past 35 years have been such a blessing to me, and I look forward to the next 35 years of ministry should the Lord tarry, although I eagerly anticipate the Blessed Hope of our Lord’s coming, and pray,  Maranatha — Come Lord! 

I hope that you will join Cheri and I this Sunday, September 29th, to celebrate our 35th anniversary in Christian ministry. Matins is at 9:15 AM, with the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM, followed by a catered luncheon in our parish hall. If you have any questions or need directions you can visit our parish website at:  www.holycrossparishomaha.com, call the church office at (402) 573-6558, or email me at: venovak@hughes.net.

We hope to see you on Sunday!

Fr. Victor Novak+

Rector

HOLY CROSS PARISH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

BREAKING NEWS — This is HUGE!

Clear the airwaves, clear all the airwaves for the big broadcast — 

HOLY CROSS PARISH IS LAUNCHING A WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON AM AND FM RADIO!

Holy Cross Orthodox Church in the Ralston suburb of Omaha, Nebraska is launching a weekly thirty (30) minute radio show, beginning Saturday, October 5th. The show will air from 9:30 to 10:00 AM, every Saturday morning on two radio stations — KCRO 660 AM in Omaha and 106.7 FM in Lincoln. These two radio stations have the capability of reaching more than 1.3 million people in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. In addition, the program can be heard anywhere in the United States and abroad via the Internet.

The new Holy Cross radio program is called, The Faith Once Delivered. The name is taken from the Holy Scriptures: “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” — Jude 3.

Subdeacon Michael will be joining me in hosting this weekly thirty minute radio program, but the star of the show will be the Holy Bible. We will be teaching the Holy Scriptures within their historical and cultural context, and bringing into the discussions the latest archeological and textual discoveries; applying the Scriptures to the challenges faced by us as individuals, by our nation, and by the world; and observing the signs of the times in light of Bible prophecy as we look forward to the Blessed Hope of the return our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Faith Once Delivered will be a program that will build your faith in God, deepen your understanding of and confidence in the Holy Scriptures, and encourage you in your daily walk with the Lord.  This will be a radio program that you will not want to miss!

KCRO Radio is Nebraska’s premier Christian radio station, and is celebrating 40 years of broadcasting Christian programing. We will be joining a lineup of quality Christian programing that includes such well known shows as, Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, Thru the Bible, Insight for Living, and Adventures in Odyssey. With shows like these, if you are not already listening to KCRO Radio you should be!

So mark your calendar for Saturday, October 5th at 9:30 AM, and tune into The faith Once Delivered on KCRO Radio at 660AM in Omaha or 106.7 FM in Lincoln, — and be sure to encourage your family and friends to tune in as well. Not in eastern Nebraska or western Iowa? Not a problem! You can listen live via the Internet at: http://www.kcro.com/home/

MORE IMPORTANT PARISH NEWS!

NEW PARISH WEBSITE

Holy Cross parish has launched an all new parish website that will be updated regularly with new information and photographs. 

Unfortunately, the software used for our old website became obsolete some time ago, making it very difficult to revise or even update the site. This necessitated the development of an all new website using the latest software. We think you are going to really like the new website. It is filled with up-to-date information about our church and parish life, and is illustrated with many colour photographs. I hope that you will take a little time and explore our brand new parish website!

Please jot down the new website address and be sure to share it with everyone you know. Here is the link:

www.holycrossparishomaha.com

We still own the address to our old website, and we plan to bring it back up using new software. It won’t be long before Holy Cross parish has two informative and complimentary websites! We’ll keep you abreast of developments. 

THE NOVAKS TO CELEBRATE THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN MINISTRY ON SEPTEMBER 29TH

On Sunday, September 29th, I will be celebrating thirty-five years in the ordained ministry, and Cheri and I will be celebrating thirty-five years in Christian ministry together. Thirty-five years of service to God and his people is indeed something to celebrated!

A celebratory Luncheon will be held in the parish hall immediately after the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist on September 29th. There is no cost for the luncheon and the public is warmly invited, so be sure to invite family and friends. Let’s us celebrate together thirty-five years of Christian service, and pray that, should the Lord tarry, the next thirty-five years of ministry will be both joyful and fruitful!

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION RESUMES SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6TH

Adult Christian Education for the 2019—2020 term begins on Sunday, October 6th. Normally Christian Education resumes sometime in Mid-September, but with the busy month already planned for Holy Cross parish in September it was thought better to postpone the beginning of the term until the first Sunday in October.

I will be teaching the adult class. The theme of the class will be First Century Christianity (Jude 3), and the class will likely take up the entire term. The class will run from 8:30 AM to 9:10 AM, followed by Matins at 9:15 AM.

Since 1844, with the discovery of Codex Sinaiticus, there has been a tremendous and rapidly increasing number of archeological and textual discoveries that shed light on and clarify the Apostolic Faith. The discoveries are now coming so fast that it is hard to keep up. Today, scholarship knows far more about Second Temple Judaism and First Century Christianity than at anytime since the second century. 

This class will be looking at the archeological and textual discoveries, reading through important documents such as the Didache, and seeking to understand, apply and live the “faith once delivered unto the saints”(Jude 3) in the first century. This will be an exciting and challenging class as there is much for Christians to learn and some things to unlearn. The public is invited to attend, and there is no cost for the class.

NEW CHURCH RENOVATIONS 

Holy Cross parish will soon be undergoing more renovations as we continue to improve and beautify our church facilities. 

Bathrooms in the church and the parish hall will be renovated, the interior of the church with the exception of the (liturgically) east wall will be painted, and the carpeting in the church will be replaced with wood-look vinyl planking. The new, hard floor will greatly improve the acoustics in the church and the new paint will give the chapel a fresh look.

All renovation work will be done on weekdays and there will be no interruptions of Sunday Services or fellowship. We are excited about the continuing renovations, and I know you will love the new look!

NEW PARISH WEBSITE!

Dear friends in Christ,

I am very happy to announce that we have a new parish website!

We think you are really going to like our new website. It is filled with up-to-date information about our church and parish life, and is illustrated with many colour photographs. We like to say that the Christian life is the Good Life at Holy Cross parish, and our new website will help you to see why. 

I hope that you will take a little time to visit and explore our new parish website. Every page is informative, edifying and encouraging. Here is the link:

holycrossparishomaha.com

Please jot down the new website address and be sure to share it with everyone you know. Holy Cross parish is a church they will not want to miss!

What has become of our old parish website of many years?

 

Unfortunately, the software used for our old website became obsolete some time ago, making it very difficult to revise or even update the site. This necessitated the development of an all new website using the latest software. However, we still own the old website address, and that website — with a whole new look — will eventually return as well, giving us two attractive and informative parish websites. I will be sure to keep you informed as to when it will be back up.

A big thank you goes out to Matushka Cheri who put in many long hours and late nights, as well as vacation time, to make our new website a reality. This year is our 35th anniversary in ministry together. Cheri is a dedicated co-worker in the Lord’s harvest field. She really cares about the Gospel and about you.

Enjoy the new website and share it with others.

Soli Deo gloria!

Blessings,

Father+

Fr. Victor Novak

Rector

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

holycrossparishomaha.com

(402) 573-6558