pledge campaign – Holy Cross Episcopal Church

When people make their pledge of financial support for the coming year at Holy Cross, they receive a handwritten note of thanks and a raffle ticket. (If they increase their pledge or it’s a new pledge, they get two tickets.) Tickets are drawn at a party held to celebrate the conclusion of the pledge campaign. Prizes are donated goods and services, and there’s always a great selection. The fun is watching what people choose, whose donation matches with what winner — and of course the food and fellowship that go along with any celebration at Holy Cross. Here’s an album of candid shots from the November 20, 2010 party.

Chuck Houghton, Tina Compagna and Monica Houghton share the fun.

Must be serious business! Heidi Clow, Donald Burke, Tom Clow.

Serious business here too, as Jorja Douzanis reads to her brother Joel.

Meanwhile, at the bar: Doug and Shirley James visit with Betty Dishong.

Pillars of the church relax: Susan Ruggle, Fr. John McCausland, Bishop Arthur Walmsley.

Alice St. Hilaire drew the first raffle prize.

Bob Arredondo, John Heckman, Nancy Stehno and Laura Arvin await dinner.

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

Luke 17:11-19

Friday afternoon we had a training session for our two new young acolytes, Alex Goulet and Anna Ishak, and Alex cracked one of the pillar candles at the altar. It was loose on its holder and he tipped it too far and it fell on the floor. Now what does that have to do with the readings for today? Everything.

You see, the readings are linked by the fact that each has to do with leprosy. Leprosy is mentioned again and again in the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. Itâ€™s not to be confused with Hansenâ€™s disease, which is the name for a medical condition, a bacterial infection now readily treated with antibiotics, that causes blotchy skin and disfigurement. In biblical times leprosy covered a wide range of ailments that had in common symtoms that made the skin discolored, scarred or imperfect. Biblical people thought that these imperfections were connected to moral imperfections. So people with â€œleprosyâ€ were unfit to worship God and unfit for human society. They were outcasts.