On Hawkins Avenue in Lake Ronkonkoma, Holy Cross Lutheran Church lives out the motto that runs across the top of its welcome page: "Helping people to know and share the love of Christ." The congregation is best known for stretching far beyond its walls - running a weekly food pantry, a volunteer-staffed gift shop, an Alzheimer's caregiver support group, and an outreach program that fills shoeboxes, knits scarves, and adopts families at Christmas, all while gathering for a single Sunday worship service each week.
Sunday Mornings at Ten
Worship at Holy Cross takes place every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The service is offered both in person and through a livestream on the congregation's YouTube channel, so members who are traveling, homebound, or simply unable to leave home can join in. Visitors who want to take part more actively can volunteer to read Scripture or serve at communion; Deacon Suzanne Beckles and Deacon Doris help coordinate those who would like to help lead the service.
A coffee hour follows worship, and congregants are invited to sign up to host it - providing treats, creamer, and small bottles of water for about fifty people - as a way to honor a loved one or mark a special occasion. A flower chart in the hallway lets members dedicate altar bouquets for $25, with the names and occasions printed in the bulletin; unclaimed arrangements are taken by the Visitation Team to those who cannot get out.
Children, Youth, and the Road to Confirmation
Children are woven into the Sunday service. The Sunday School program is open year-round for children ages three through sixth grade and meets at 10:00 a.m. during worship. Children are brought into the sanctuary during the service to receive a blessing, then return to class. The program is paired with hands-on outreach: students make greeting cards for veterans and for residents of a local assisted living facility, fill Easter Love Baskets, collect food for Harvest Home, pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, and host coffee hour. Each year they perform the annual Christmas Pageant.
Confirmation at Holy Cross is a three-year journey. Seventh graders (Level 1) and eighth graders (Level 2) meet the first two Sundays of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. after worship. They study the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, and other foundations of the Christian faith. Ninth graders who complete Levels 1 and 2 are confirmed on Reformation Sunday. The classes are taught by lay leaders and supported by the pastors and deacons of the congregation.
Music That Spans Traditional, Gospel, and Contemporary
The Music Ministry is led by Dr. Joseph Merkel, a professional vocalist, pianist, organist, and keyboardist who has been teaching music since 1990. Dr. Joe's background spans Lutheran, AME Zion, and other Christian traditions, and he is well versed in traditional, gospel, and contemporary genres. He has worked alongside contemporary Christian artists such as Michael W. Smith, C.C. Winans, Hezekiah Walker, and the group Carmen. He and his wife Reeanna, a choir member, are regular presences at the front of the sanctuary.
The congregation is exploring the possibility of a Saturday evening contemporary worship service and is seeking a media volunteer to help support it.
The Red Wagon Food Pantry and Year-Round Outreach
The Red Wagon Food Pantry opens its doors every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and serves families in the Lake Ronkonkoma area and beyond. Shelves are stocked with cereal, canned vegetables, pasta sauce, peanut butter, soup, tuna, mac and cheese, rice, stuffing, potatoes, canned fruit, oatmeal, pancake mix and syrup, and other basics. Ronnie Barrows coordinates the pantry and welcomes volunteers who want to lend a hand.
The pantry is one piece of a broader Outreach Ministry that Ronnie Barrows and Lorraine Stark help lead. Other year-round projects include:
- Hosting yard sales to raise money for the Pastor's Discretionary Fund
- Handing out knitted pink scarves at local Breast Cancer awareness walks
- Knitting and crocheting baby hats for World Vision and hats, mittens, and scarves for other organizations
- Giving away more than seventy-five backpacks filled with school supplies each fall
- Distributing Easter Love Baskets and Valentine's Love Cans filled with goodies to residents of local adult homes and assisted living facilities
- Supporting the Angel Tree at Christmas for ten to fifteen local families
- Packing seventy-five to 125 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes through Samaritan's Purse
- Collecting soup on Souper Bowl Sunday for the food pantry
Grandma's Attic, the congregation's annual garage sale held each September at the Ronkonkoma Street Fair, is a major fundraiser for the pantry and other ministries.
A Place for Hard Conversations
Holy Cross opens its building to two ongoing community support meetings. A monthly Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurological Disorders Caregiver Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The group is led by Barb Kaiser, who served as primary caregiver for her own mother and is trained in Teepa Snow's Positive Approach to Care. On Fridays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., the church hosts a meeting of ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics), a peer support community open to anyone seeking a safe place to share.
WELCA and CrossWords & Gifts
WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) meets at Holy Cross for monthly gatherings that bring women of the congregation together for fellowship and service.
CrossWords & Gifts is a fully volunteer-run gift shop that operates inside the church building at 307 Hawkins Avenue. The store carries greeting cards, jewelry, kitchen items, blankets, garden decor, flags, travel mugs, t-shirts, hats, pins, garden banners, and gifts for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, and graduations. It is open Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and after the 10:00 a.m. Sunday worship service. A Lil Free Library sits outside the shop, inviting visitors to take a book or leave one for someone else. CrossWords & Gifts contributes a portion of its proceeds to support the church each month.
What Lutherans Believe
The congregation's teaching draws on the historic Lutheran principles summarized as the Solas. Sola Fide - faith alone - holds that salvation cannot be earned by good works and comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone - teaches that the Bible, interpreted by individual believers under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the only true authority for Christian faith and life. Sola Gratia - grace alone - affirms that salvation is a gift of God's grace rather than a combination of grace and human effort. Together, these three teachings form the foundation on which all other Lutheran doctrine rests.
Visiting Holy Cross
The church is located at 307 Hawkins Avenue, Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 11779. Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m., with the service livestreamed on YouTube for those joining from home. Sunday School runs concurrently for children ages three through sixth grade. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and can be reached at (631) 588-9509 or hclc@optonline.net. A multi-year Rock Solid Vision Plan fundraising effort is currently underway to fund the replacement of the church's parking lot, with donations accepted online through VANCO or by check designated "RSVP Parking Lot."