Ladies Aid
In the summer of 1900, seven ladies of Holy Cross met with Rev. Pieper to organize a Frauenverein. They got the idea for such a society by an article in Der Lutheraner which described the benefits on the congregation of such societies.
No record of formal minutes can be found from 1900 to 1908. According to some of the ladies questioned in 1950 by Rev. Rothe, the probable charters members were: Ernestina Guenther, Caroline (Buesking) Althoff, Margaretha (Just) Schmidt, Margaretta (Studt) Hohnbaum, Sophia (Guenther) Wolf, Johanna (Studt) Horn and Wilhelmina (Burgdorf) Buettner.
The first available constitution is dated January 1909. It states that the organization was founded to foster Christian fellowship and practice works of love and charity locally and in the world.
The first formal minutes showed sixteen members present. The first officers of record were:
By December 1911, membership had grown to 25. The original and second (1921) constitutions were written in German. The 1921 constitution was translated into English in 1935. Revisions were made in 1950 and 1964.
Throughout its history, the group has held meetings on every day of the week except Monday and Friday. The first recorded meetings were held monthly on Saturdays. By 1914, meetings were moved to Thursday, then Sundays and then Tuesdays. For a four-decade span, the meetings were held on Wednesday afternoons.
The Ladies' Aid society joined the International Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) in May 1944.
Throughout its history, the group has contributed toward redecorating and remodeling projects for every building on the church grounds. Some items purchased include: carpeting, flooring, furninture, equipment, cutlery, dishes, communion ware, hymnals, library books, flowers and candles. In 1954 and 1985, confirmation gowns were made. The maroon choir robes were made by the ladies in 1954. Acolyte gowns were purchased in July 1984. The white Christmas tree ornaments were made in 1972.
The Ladies' Aid has been sending supplementary income to persons wishing to become pastors or teachers in the Lutheran church.
During World War II, the ladies furnished and made the service flag and honor roll for the sixteen men who served their country.
The Board of Ushers, later known as the Ushers Club, was organized in April 1941. It operated under its own constitution which stated that communicant males at least 18 years of age could serve as ushers. In November 1964, the constitution was amended to drop the age requirement to 16. Meetings were held quarterly and conducted by the chief usher.
The ushers purchased many things necessary for the congregation: German and English hymnals, "reserved" signs for pews, letterhead stationery, envelopes, tracts, postage and postcards and a sign for the church (at the intersection of Route 156 and Maeystown Road).
In January 1969, the chief usher and assistant chief usher were made elective offices.
In 1950, a group of men organized a chapter of the Lutheran Layman's League (LLL). The LLL was mostly remembered for the movies of a Christian nature it presented. The chapter disbanded in 1956, but members are affiliated with LLL through correspondance.
Information about AAL Branch 538 can be found here.