At 1500 Hooper Avenue in Toms River, New Jersey, Holy Cross Lutheran Church is known for an hour of worship that combines traditional sacred music, gospel and contemporary praise with Scripture, liturgy and proclamation of the Gospel. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation also connects education and care: children and adults learn together, Communion is open, and the church works through the HOPE Center and neighborhood partners to address hunger, homelessness, addiction and the needs of older adults and caregivers. Visitors are invited to share the Ministry, Message and Mission of the congregation.
An Hour of Music, Scripture and Reflection
Worship at Holy Cross is an hour of celebration and reflection in the midst of a hectic week. Music and words, including Scripture and liturgy, shape the service. Sermons seek to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and apply timeless messages from Scripture to twenty-first-century life.
The sanctuary choir sings at the Sunday service, and anthems come from traditions ranging from traditional sacred music to gospel and contemporary music. The bell choir, youth choir and children's choir can enhance worship on special occasions. In months with a fifth Sunday, that service is more contemporary, with praise music and song leaders. This gives the congregation both liturgical worship and a recurring praise-oriented fifth-Sunday service.
Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m.
Saturday worship is at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday worship is at 10:00 a.m. Both are held at 1500 Hooper Avenue in Toms River and are shared through Facebook Live as well as in person. Members and visitors are equally welcome, and worship follows a one-hour format. The church office can be reached at 732-255-4455.
Word, Water, Wine and Bread
Holy Cross understands its unity as being in Jesus Christ and gathers people around word and water, wine and bread. Baptism is a significant part of the faith journey: it begins in the baptismal waters and leads into life as children of God. The congregation understands baptism not as a single moment but as a lifelong path of growth in discipleship.
That path connects a person with God, with the faith community and with the wider world. Living the baptismal covenant means living among God's faithful people, hearing the word of God and sharing in the Lord's Supper, proclaiming the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serving all people following the example of Jesus, and striving for justice and peace throughout the earth.
The same welcome extends to the table. At Holy Cross, Communion is celebrated at an open table, and all baptized Christians are invited to participate. The church welcomes any baptized Christian who believes in salvation by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Communion is received for the strengthening of faith and the assurance of forgiveness of sin, life and salvation.
Anyone seeking baptism, or asking to have an infant or child baptized, meets with the pastor before the baptism. Pastor Susan Jones provides those meetings, and appointments are arranged through the church office.
Children Learn Inside the Sunday Service
Sunday education begins with the whole family in the 10:00 a.m. worship service. After the children's message, children ages three through sixth grade are dismissed for Sunday School, where stories, activities and crafts fill the class time. This pattern keeps the family together at the start of worship while giving younger children a lesson shaped for their age.
Adults have two regular opportunities for study. Adult Study and Discussion meets at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays. A Bible study group also meets for one hour on Tuesday mornings from September through June in the Parish Center. Other groups are led by lay people and meet at the church or in members' homes as topics of interest arise. Anyone may attend, and participants are invited to bring a Bible. A Bible is available if someone has forgotten one, while using different translations adds insight to shared reading.
The Bible study guidance is grounded in Romans 15:4: everything written in Scripture teaches, so patience and encouragement from Scripture lead to hope. A daily prayer can be as simple as asking God to meet the reader while seeking him in the Word.
The church's practical approach to daily reading begins with focused prayer, followed by reading the selected passage slowly. Readers note intriguing words and phrases, reread the passage, reflect on what it communicates and respond by looking for ways to live it out.
Luther's Rookies and Summer Bible School
Confirmation education is called Luther's Rookies. It is open to eligible seventh and eighth graders who have entered confirmation education and follows a two-year rotation through serving the church, the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, sacraments, the Ten Commandments, Lutheran worship, the Reformation and faith in life. Family events tied to learning sessions give parents tools to reinforce the work at home.
The program combines classroom discussion, service, fellowship and journaling with the Here We Stand curriculum. That curriculum encourages small-group learning and follows a pattern modeled on a Lutheran worship service. For younger children, the annual summer Vacation Bible School welcomes ages three through grade five who are potty-trained.
Nursery School and Day Care
Holy Cross also operates a nursery school and day care, with Cindy Kane serving as director. The program can be reached at 732-255-3112. The connection between early learning and congregational life continues through Sunday School, children's choir, youth choir and confirmation. Brian Morgan directs the children's choir, and the children's and youth ensembles can join bell choir appearances on special worship occasions.
The HOPE Center and a Network of Care
The HOPE Center provides support, resources, referrals, food and limited financial assistance to clients with demonstrated need. Assistance takes the form of food bags and supplemental funds for shelter and utility bills. The center also helps people navigate systems of care. Its hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Because food and funding availability can change, it advises people to call ahead at 732-341-4447.
Caring Ministries places the HOPE Center alongside several organizations serving distinct needs in Toms River and Ocean County. These partnerships recognize that housing loss can follow job loss, injury, fire or natural disaster, high medical costs, inaccessible transportation and a shortage of affordable housing.
- Interfaith Hospitality Network of Ocean County, an affiliate of Family Promise, brings the faith community together to help families regain housing, independence and dignity.
- Hope Sheds Light raises awareness and educates people about the impact of addiction. It encourages the sharing of personal experiences, strength, wisdom and hope, offers resources connected to long-term recovery and works to remove fear and stigma through a safe, trusting and hopeful environment.
- Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey provides free supportive services for frail elders and homebound people, helping them remain independent and live with dignity in their own homes.
- Toms River Housing and Homeless Coalition provides temporary housing and supportive services for homeless individuals.
- Your Grandmother's Cupboard brings clothing, shoes, blankets and personal care items to people who may not be able to reach conventional thrift shops or pantries.
A Church Online Prayer Team is also part of Caring Ministries. It is a group of congregants who believe prayer matters and are committed to praying for others.
A Lectionary Rooted in Lutheran Worship
Holy Cross's worship resources include the Revised Common Lectionary, a three-year plan for Sunday readings that begins with Advent, four weeks before Christmas. Each Sunday's set includes the First Reading, Psalm, Second Reading, Gospel and color. The lectionary covers Sundays and principal festivals and is approved by the ELCA Church Council for use in ELCA congregations. Some Old Testament readings may differ from those used by other denominations following the same lectionary. The congregation's Lutheran connections also include the New Jersey Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Staff, Mission and Shared Service
Holy Cross's discipleship rhythm includes praying and reading Scripture every day, worship every week, serving inside and outside the congregation, encouraging one another in faith, inviting friends and neighbors into ministry and giving generously. Giving is also available online.
Rev. Susan S. Jones is pastor. Cindy Kane directs the Holy Cross Lutheran Church Nursery School. Carol Capor is organist and bell choir director, Jean Heidorn directs the sanctuary choir, and Brian Morgan directs the children's choir. Each gives a music or education ministry a named leader within the wider staff.
A congregational council supports the work through committees for community outreach, discipleship, family faith formation, fellowship, worship and music, as well as a rebuilding team. This structure places education, music, service and congregational life alongside one another.
Holy Cross's mission is to help people experience God and live the Gospel message of life and hope. The church is an active faith community growing together, sharing God's blessings and witnessing to God's love for the world. It receives visitors as a gift from God and welcomes them into the shared ministry, message and mission of the congregation.
Together, these commitments define the church in Toms River: worship shaped by Scripture, liturgy and varied music; education that welcomes people from early childhood through adulthood; an open sacramental life; and service extending into food, housing, recovery, caregiving and prayer beyond the congregation.