Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Wilmington, North Carolina

Sacred Ground is dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.

Sacred Ground is a resource coming out of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people, while being open to all racial/ethnic groups. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.

Youth and Family Ministries at Holy Cross is a program designed to build community not only among our 6th – 12th grade youth but also our families and children. We seek to further our relationship with each other and with God. Currently this is done in two parts. First, youth are a vital part of this church and whereas it used to be said, “youth are the future”, we say, “youth are the church right now!” We will have events each month that will help us live the faith we learn in church not to forget the wonderful programming from our diocese, which reflects the same on a regional scale.

Second, our families and children's program. On a monthly basis we plan events to engage entire families. Help us to grow this program by inviting your friends with families to join us at each event. We look forward to serving your family by living the faith we have found at Holy Cross.

Our Mission:

To provide a supportive foundation for our youth and families as they grow within our program to develop strength of character, compassionate hearts, and a richer faith as parishioners of our church community.

Our Vision:

We envision Holy Cross being a creative environment in which all youth and families can explore the many aspects of Christianity and learn to walk in the light and love of Christ.

What we seek to accomplish:

1. Augment the Christian education programs with meaningful events and creative activities.
2. To be based upon the values of relational ministries.
3. To value and cherish the contributions of our youth.
4. To encourage youth and families to participate in local, regional and national church events.
5. To guide youth to identify talents and abilities that can be contributions to their community.
6. To prepare youth for a lifelong walk with Christ.
7. To support weekly programming for youth.

Godly Play is the school-year curriculum for children from Kindergarten through 2nd grade that engage the whole child in creativity and community fellowship. It is a time of playful worship that invites relationship with God.

At the heart of a Godly Play session is the telling of the story, experienced in the contexts of scripture and the church calendar. The storyteller uses simple, beautiful materials to illustrate the story and to engage imagination. Both the structure of Godly Play and the classrooms themselves offer children a safe space to explore, wonder, and worship. Children have the opportunity to relate Biblical stories to their own experience and to respond personally and creatively to God. 

Visit https://www.hcew.org/formation/childrens-education/ for more information.

St. Francis Way (SFW) 

We are embarking on a new ministry at Holy Cross -- St. Francis Way. We are utilizing the beautiful acreage on our property in hopes to serve of serving our community. The SFW Committee envisions the creation of a nature trail/prayer path and nature play space in our woods. Much of this work has already begun with clearing and embellishing the natural flow of this space. There will soon be two pergolas that will be erected by our youth which mark the start and end of the path. Our children have been gathering amid nature along the path during Summer Sunday School, and VBS children have utilized this space as well.  This fall we have built a sandbox, tree house and slack line. 

Beginning with our young people! 

We know that children are spending less and less time interacting with nature which is having a negative impact on their development. Research shows that nature play can help children develop the ability to focus more deeply and can foster the development of relationships. For children and adults alike, spending time in nature can also deepen our connection to God, the Creator. 

Extending to our adults and our community 

We envision this space being used in a variety of ways. For children: outdoor worship, neighborhood family play dates, outreach to local schools, school field trips, and more. This is a great way to make connections with our neighbors and provide children with critical experiences in nature. For adults, we see the use of this space for worship, reflection, and prayer. 

In the first year, we plan to have the following ready for use: 

Nature path Outdoor worship space Play area including a mud kitchen/café, building area - small logs and branches, sand pit, low tree house, and art area Our long range plans include adding a labyrinth. 

How you can get involved...our needs 

Direct any questions, ideas, concerns to Rene Gouverneur. 

Thank you for your support of this emerging ministry! 

In the Episcopal Church, we believe in an idea described as "the priesthood of all believers".  It is a belief that all people who believe in Jesus Christ are called to minister, not only to each other, but to all the people we meet and live with.  And by ministering we don't mean preaching but caring for and nurturing others, showing God's love not just through words, but also through actions.  The Episcopal Church also believes in education.  About thirty years ago, people at the Episcopal Seminary which is part of the University of the South in Sewanee Tennessee decided to develop a curriculum which would provide a basic theological education to lay Christians.  Thus Education for Ministry was born.  It is a distance learning course in which the members of a group meet each week to discuss reading materials which provide a basic education in the the Bible, the history of Christianity and contemporary theological issues.  It is a four-year program, but students commit to only one year at a time.  Each year cost $360, however scholarships are available. The first year is devoted to reading and understanding the Old Testament.  Second, the New Testament, Third: the history of the Christian Church. Fourth, contemporary theological issues.  The discussions are led by mentors who act as facilitators who keep the discussions on topic rather than as teachers.  The groups make decisions about how the groups will be run within a broad set of guidelines.  At Holy Cross, we meet on Monday nights at 6:15 pm until 8:30. Seminar begin in September and finish in May. By agreement, the groups begin and end each meeting with worship.  Each member of the group leads worship several times each year.   So in summary, when you are a member of an EFM group, you gather together with other courageous souls to Snack, Pray and Learn.