ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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Thursday Announcements for January 14, 2021

1/14/2021

 
FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
1) The funeral service for our dear Ruth Masid will be this Saturday at 10:00
A.M. Seating in the church is limited to immediate family, but you can join us
online using the usual link on our website. Ruth was a longtime faithful member
of this parish, and although she hasn’t been able to attend in person for several
years, she will be deeply missed and never forgotten. I will always remember her
smiling face in the front pews.
 
2) Don’t forget to get those Annual Meeting reports in this week! We will put
them together with minutes and agenda and send the Annual Meeting packet
out by the 27th, along with a link to the Zoom meeting. If you need help figuring
out how to use Zoom to join a meeting, here is a link to a short YouTube video
The Annual Meeting is Sunday, January 31st at 11:30 A.M. If you don’t have
access to a computer to join that way, we have limited seating in the parish hall,
call Gina to sign up.

3) We have wrapped up our 2021 Pledge Campaign, and since this year was
so different we have a slightly different approach. If you sent in or emailed or
called with a 2021 pledge amount, we will use that number for our records. If
you haven’t contacted us but have been a giver in the past, we have used your
2020 pledge/giving amount as your 2021 pledge. This is really just so that we
can plan and make reasonable budget assumptions for this year. Please
remember that a pledge is not a contract and everybody’s life changes so
estimates of giving are just that – not set in stone – so feel free to adjust as the
year goes on. I will say more in a letter that is coming soon, but I do hope you
know how much I appreciate everything that you do and give and share that
​ keeps this ministry alive and growing. You really are amazing.
GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
                                         Happy Birthday!!
       Lynn Okicki             January 17           Ben Shaver    January 17
       Saydee Peterson   January 17            Ben Sauer       January 20

Gina’s Schedule --  Starting Tuesday, January 19th, I will back to my
regular “In Office” hours - Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
                                         Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
                                         Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.


2020 Giving Statements – The Giving Statements for 2020 were emailed
out today and those who do not have an email address, I have printed the
statements and they have been mailed out 1/14/2021. If you have any
questions or concerns, please feel free to call me during my office hours
or send an email to 
stfrancis@allophone.com.
 
***Daily Devotion for Thursday January 14, 2020***
CALLED AND KNOWN
The 5 Steps – Pause * Listen * Think * Pray * Go
Pause
Take, o take me as I am.
Summon out what I shall be.
Set your seal upon my heart,
And live in me.
from "Take, O Take Me As I Am" by John L. Bell (1995)

Listen
Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down
and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You
study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my
ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know
completely. You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me.
That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I
can’t reach it.
Psalm 139:1-6

Think
Have you ever had a really special friend? This person might have been
able to complete every last word of your sentence. Sometimes our friends
may even know us better than we know ourselves, and they’re able to
speak into parts of us we didn’t even know existed. How does it feel to be
known and loved like that?
Regardless of how strong an earthly friendship might be, moments of
conflict may arise. As imperfect people, we may make an ill-timed joke,
feel snubbed in the school hallway or all together lonely and left out. The
best friendships leave room for apology and reconnection despite difficult
moments.
If all that could be true about a relationship with another imperfect person,
consider how much deeper that bond might be with the one who created
you. God knows you better than your best friend – good moments and bad
– and still loves you immensely. There’s no conflict there; simply an
invitation to accept God’s love and grace and an invitation to share those
with others.
Daniel Potter

Pray
Thank you, God, for being the perfect friend – one who knows me so
intimately, who understands me so well, who celebrates joys, and who
mourns my sorrows. Remind me today that there is no conflict in our
relationship, but simply an invitation. Give me the peace that comes from
being known by you and the strength to follow wherever you may lead.
Amen.

Go
The Creator of the Cosmos, the one who formed all that was or is or will
be, is the same God who breathed breath into you, the one who knit you
together, the one who knows you best, and the one who calls you.
Know this gift more deeply today, and share it as freely as you received it:
You are called and known.
 
***These daily devotionals are available at 
www.d365.org  
 
 
Gina’s Office Hours
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office)
Wednesday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office)
Thursday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office)



Thursday Announcements for January 7, 2021

1/7/2021

 
FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
1) Mark your Calendars for our Zoom Annual Meeting Sunday, January 31st at
11:30 A.M. This being our first (and fingers crossed only) online annual
meeting, there will undoubtedly be hang-ups, glitches, and mistakes, but we
have to do what we can to get our parish business accomplished, even when
large gatherings are not possible, so this is what we have. I promise we will do
our level best to make it work in spite of the difficulties. Here are a couple of
accommodations:
  • Committees or Groups who submit reports will be asked to do so by the 15th so we can get them out to you along with the agenda and log-in information well in advance of the meeting. We will also include a primer on using Zoom. You can download the (FREE) Zoom application for either PC or Mac.
  • Voting on new Vestry Members and Wardens and resolutions will occur through Zoom.
  • If you don’t have access to a computer and want to attend and vote, we will have limited space available in the parish hall for about 30 folks. You can sign-up to reserve a seat by calling the office. However, we are asking that only those who can’t access online use this option.
 
2) The online coffee breaks using Zoom will cut back to one online coffee break
session per week on Tuesdays at 9:15 A.M. We will end about 9:45. There’s no
agenda. It’s just a chance to say “Hi” to parish friends and chat about whatever
comes up.
 
3) Thanks to Steve Trickler for this update on local vaccine availability: “To sign
up for COVID-19 vaccine shots, adults 75 and older should call the message
line 308 262 5764 and leave their name, date of birth, county of residence, and
phone number. They will be contacted several weeks later with the particulars.”

GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
                                     Happy Birthday!!
                         William Schnell                January 7
                         Jane Wisniewski              January 7
                         Quinn Mackrill                 January 11
                         Barbara Martinson          January 11
                         Catherine Wisniewski     January 12

 
Prayer Requests: Due to my working from home two days a week (for
now), please send me your prayer requests by Wednesday each
week to ensure they are in the next Sunday’s Bulletin.

 
***Daily Devotion for Thursday January 7, 2020***
CHRISTMAS LIGHT
The 5 Steps – Pause * Listen * Think * Pray * Go
Pause
Once the decorations come down, where do you notice the Christmas
lights still shining?
Today, take a few moments to notice and remember the people, places,
and experiences where you are continuing to see Christmas light.

Listen
When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in
the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child
was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the
house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they
honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him
with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Because they were warned in a
dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by
another route.
Matthew 2:9-12

Think
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is as relevant today as it was in the
time of Jesus. A valuable item exchanged for goods or services.
Frankincense and myrrh do not hold the same value to us, though. In
ancient times, frankincense helped make temples smell like special
places. Myrrh was an ingredient in oil that priests used to bless people.
They also had other uses, like in medicine.
They were so valuable that they were gifts given to kings and rulers.
Often, they were given out of fear instead of generosity. The ancient world
was full of rivalries and wars between this king and that ruler. That is why
the wise men bringing Jesus these gifts is so interesting. They see the
light of the star in the sky and are filled with joy. The real gift is not the
items themselves but the joy with which they are given. These gifts of joy
announce a new kind of ruler is in the world — a Prince of Peace.
Patrick Kangrga

Pray
God, help me know that the greatest gift you gave was Jesus, the Prince
of Peace. Help me share the gift of joy and peace and love and light
wherever I go. Amen.

Go
Is the Christmas light still shining bright in you?
Take that light out into the world.
Live brightly so that others may take notice and be reminded of God's love
and light.

 
***For those of you that would like to access these devotionals daily, you
can go on this website:
 www.d365.org  
 
Gina’s Office Hours
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Work from Home)
Wednesday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Work from Home)
Thursday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (at the Office)

    Fr. Mark Selvey

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Contact Us

St. Francis Episcopal Church
14 E 20th Street

Scottsbluff, NE 69361
​P.O. Box 1201


stfrancis@allophone.com

​(308) 632-4626

Service Times

Sundays 
8 a.m.
10 a.m.


Tuesdays
9 a.m. in the Chapel


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  • What We Do
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    • Music & the Arts
    • Pastoral Care
    • Weddings
    • Baptism
    • Funerals
  • Experience For Yourself
    • Sundays
    • Programs
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    • New To St. Francis?
    • Participate in Worship
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