Holy Cross has been serving the greater Peoria area for over 55 years.  Holy Cross exists for one purpose: To be faithful to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to make disciples of all people by baptizing and teaching everything our Lord commanded (see Mt. 28:18-20).  In 2008, Holy Cross' desire to remain faithful to our Lord's teaching led Holy Cross' pastor, Rev. Douglas Handrich, to seek fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (ELDONA) which was granted on May 22, 2008.

As noted in the ELDONA information pamphlet:

[The Pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America] believe that it is far past time for the Evangelical Lutheran Church to stand steadfast on the foundation of God’s Word, and to boldly confess that faithful exposition of Holy Scripture which is found in

the Book of Concord (1580).

On June 29, 2023, Holy Cross called Rev. Benjamin Henson to serve as pastor of Holy Cross.  Rev. Henson was ordained on July 2, 2023 and installed as Holy Cross' pastor on July 29, 2023.  

Rev. Douglas Handrich officially retired on July 29, 2023, having served as Holy Cross' pastor for over 30 years.

Pastor  Henson graduated from St. Ignasius Lutheran Theological Seminary in Malone, TX with his Master of Divinity and Master of Arts degrees in June 2023 and was accepted into membership by the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America after examination by its members.

Pastor Henson and his wife Christina have been blessed by God with two daughters.

In addition to serving as Pastor of Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pastor Henson serves as orchestra teacher at Concordia Lutheran School in Peoria, IL. He also works as a piano technician and teaches private violin, viola, and cello lessons. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Luther College in Decorah, IA and has previously taught middle and high school orchestra in Iowa and Texas.