The people who would become the founding members of Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church met for the first worship service for the new congregation. On Sunday, August 8, 1948, Pastor Daryl Meyer led the congregation in its first worship service in the basement of Sheppard School, just across the street from our present church building. The photo above is of the altar area for that service which was held at 2:30 pm with 220 people in attendance. 

The sermon for that first service was based on Romans 15:29-30, “29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. 30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” 

In his sermon Pastor Meyer reminded the people that if Holy Cross was to be an instrument of God in Kitchener’s East Ward, “each individual member of this congregation is to be an instrument in carrying out this task of building the Kingdom of God.” Pastor and people together share the same mission – proclaiming the Good News of Salvation in Christ alone. 

Pastor Meyer proclaimed that the congregation could trust the blessings of God, “Blessings of life, hope and salvation obtained through the Gospel. Also, the temporal blessings, the certainty, the fulfillment of every bodily need. But above and beyond that the blessings of hope where there was worry; assurance where there was doubt; joy where there was grief: salvation where there was damnation, eternal life where there was, eternal death.” 

The sermon closed with a call to prayer, “we will not be strong because we are many in numbers - we are small, not because of our location and grandeur - we worship in a school hall, not because we are wealthy - we are not, but yet we can and will be strong as long as each of us strive together in prayer for then with God given strength we will build the Kingdom of God effectively here.” 

And God has blessed our congregation! He has led us these 75 years to proclaim His Word in our community, in our nation and around the world! We give thanks for the many blessings he has bestowed upon us.