ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
  • Home
    • FAQ
  • Who We Are
    • Leadership
    • Rector's Letters
  • What We Do
    • Worship
    • Service
    • Sermons
    • Children and Families
    • Discipleship
    • Music & the Arts
    • Pastoral Care
    • Weddings
    • Baptism
    • Funerals
  • Experience For Yourself
    • Sundays
    • Programs
    • Membership
    • New To St. Francis?
    • Participate in Worship
  • Calendar
  • Give
  • Contact Us
  • Parish News

Thursday Announcements for February 25, 2021

2/25/2021

 
FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
1) So far so good on our local COVID-19 cases! The three counties we serve
have a 7-day total average of 11, and so in-person worship continues! Last
week we had 45 in attendance and were able to keep everyone safely
distanced. This is about the right number for one service, so we will continue to
track it and when enough folks are interested in attending in-person — and
enough folks are willing to volunteer to usher, read, lead prayers, and acolyte
​ — we will add back our 8:00 service. Won’t that be something??

 
2) Speaking of volunteers — we are looking for some folks to work on a project
we’re calling “Planning for our Post-Pandemic Parish” — a fancy title for a
simple idea; “What should we be doing to get our feet back under us as things
start to open back up?" What programs do we need to restart or create? What
groups do we need to form or re-form? What events do we want to hold? How
do we want to get back out into the community? How can we promote the
church? How can we invite and engage new people? All these questions and
more. This small group could meet anytime/anywhere/online or in-person, as
many or as few times as needed, but it's definitely time to start this work. You
can help
. Volunteer to be a part of this group by calling or emailing the office
and Fr. Mark will contact you
 to set up the first meeting.

 
3) UTO Boxes are here! “What’s a UTO box” you might ask? Well, they’re
those little blue boxes that you put your change into during Lent and we then
collect and send to the national Episcopal Church Women’s office to distribute
in mission and ministry grants. If you are attending in-person this week, you
can pick you box up in the narthex.
 “What’s a narthex" you might ask?
Hahahah! It’s Episcopal for front entryway. Doesn’t “narthex” sound more
churchy though? :) If you prefer, you can stop by and pick yours up in the office
next week, or Gina can even mail one (or more) to you. 

Picture
GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
                                      Happy Birthday!!
Tyne Jackson      February 26           Jack Schaaf        March 2
Aunna Taylor       February 26           Mark Selvey        March 2
                                                          Erin Cawiezel      March 3

     
Prayer Requests ** Please make sure your request is received by
Wednesday of each week. You may call (308)632-4626 (leave a
message), email [email protected] or mail to:
St. Francis Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 1201
Scottsbluff, NE 69361

 
UNITED THANK OFFERING – OUR LEGACY
Julia Chester Emery founded the United Thank Offering in 1889 and the
legacy continues to this day.
Julia was born September 24, 1852, the daughter of Captain Charles
Emery, sea captain and devout Episcopalian. He and his wife, Susan, had
11 children, the majority of whom distinguished themselves in religious
service. Julia died on January 9, 1922. She was canonized in 1997 and
her Feast Day is celebrated on January 9.
During the four decades as National Secretary of the Women’s Auxiliary,
(now Episcopal Church Women), Julia visited every diocese in the United
States coordinating and encouraging work in support of missions. She
began the United Thank Offering to show the connection between giving
thanks and giving money, united sharing and praying. Every woman was
given a Blue Box in which to place coins with every thankful prayer. Julia
was a visionary who dreamed what the Auxiliary could do in the foreign
and domestic mission field by gathering these coins and presenting them
to national headquarters to be used for mission work throughout the world.
Today the Blue Box gives the opportunity for all members of the family to
give thanks for their blessings each day. It is important to teach our
children the discipline of saying a prayer of thanksgiving and making an
offering.
Did you know that some of that money was used for Beecher Hall in
Mitchell?
Your coins and mine are joined with those from all over the world - each
coin important, each prayer remembered. The integrity of the United
​ Thank Offering has not changed.
The legacy continues.









​

​

​
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)


Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday 2021

2/17/2021

 
Picture
1. Today is Shrove Tuesday – the day the church has set aside to
prepare for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. For
reasons that are not entirely clear to 21st century American
Christians, much of the Church has centered its remembrance
this day around pancakes :) If you're interested, here's a
 link to a good article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday Like
lots of other stuff, COVID keeps us from sharing pancakes
together in the church this year, but nothing says you can't whip
up a big old stack smothered in butter and syrup for yourself and
go to town on those cakes, or whatever you feel is so decadent
that it might not be appropriate for the season of Lent. Once a
year the church encourages you to just go ahead and get it all out
of your system (I'm thinking Perkins here, though, not Mardi Gras)! 


2. Tomorrow Lent begins with Ash Wednesday services. We will
hold two in-person services, at 12:00 & 6:00 P.M., both with
 Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion, done as safely as
we can imagine. Masks and distancing will be required. The
 12:00 P.M. service will be livestreamed for those who prefer to
attend that way, with drive-through ashes and communion
immediately following
 in the back parking lot. 


3. As promised, I will include in the Thursday announcements our
recent COVID-19 case numbers, and in looks very much like we
will be able to reopen for Sunday worship. Watch for the
Thursday email for final word on that. 


4. As we begin to regather in the church, our volunteer schedules
will need to be restarted. Cory and Gina will be creating the
February assignments by hand, but soon you will again receive
notifications from our scheduling program (MSP) program and be
asked to submit your availability as before. More to come on that.

Thursday Announcements for February 11, 2021

2/11/2021

 
FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
1) Ash Wednesday Services will be held in-person in the church, at 12:00 and
6:00 P.M.
, with Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion, both done as safely
as we can imagine. Masks and distancing will be required, but it is a great blessing
to be able once again to gather with you in person and celebrate the great liturgy
and sacrament of the church. 
 
2) This Sunday tune in to our Facebook page or our website at 10:00 A.M. as usual,
and you will be treated to a diocesan-wide Holy Eucharist with the Bishop presiding
and preaching! This is a rare chance to be with Episcopalians across the diocese in
worship, prayer, and celebration. There will not be drive-through communion,
however, as the service will not be occurring here at the parish.
  
3) HOWEVER! The good news of the local COVID-19 trends is that as of yesterday
we are two weeks under 20cases/100k population, which means if things hold we
will be able to resume in-person worship on Sunday, Feb 21st
. That is still a
hope until we see next week’s results, but I am very optimistic. Here is a copy of the
​ weekly trend graph we compile and use.
Picture
GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Happy Birthday!!                             Happy Anniversary
Devon Parrish      February 12         Charlie & Gloria Kennedy     February 11
Gina Swanson      February 12
Larry Jackson       February 13
Sarah Schaaf       February 15
Stacy Bach           February 17


Prayer Requests ** Please make sure your request is received by Wednesday
of each week. You may call (308)632-4626 (leave a message), email
 [email protected] or mail to: St. Francis Episcopal Church
                                                               P.O. Box 1201
                                                               Scottsbluff, NE 69361


*** I thought that I would continue the encouraging quotes this week. As it
gets closer to the time that all will be able to able to come together, I find
that it makes us anxious because we want it now. We don’t want to be
patient, we want to see familiar faces and hear familiar voices, and we
also want to make sure everyone we see and hear are safe and healthy.
Such a confusing time emotionally. I believe all will be well and will
happen in God’s time. So we must be patient and we must believe that
God has a plan. ***

 
Picture
Picture

Thursday's Announcements February 4, 2021

2/4/2021

 
FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
1) Last night our re-opening task force (Mo. Karen, Fr. Bob, Colleen Kelly, Cory Foster, and myself) met and developed a plan for handling the “open/closed” decisions as our COVID-19 cases fluctuate during the coming weeks and months. Not being able to gather together has been difficult and frustrating for all of us, but we know that our primary task for now is keeping everyone safe and our goal is to regather as soon as we possibly can do so safely. So here's our current plan:
  • Continue to track the “7-Day Moving Average Cases per 100k Population” every Wednesday from the HealthyNebraska.org website for our three counties Scotts Bluff, Morrill, and Banner, as required by the Diocese. The threshold for re-opening for public worship on Sundays continues to be 20 cases/100k population.  
  • When this number is below 20 for two consecutive weeks, we will announce on Thursday and reopen the following Sunday for public worship, and remain open unless and until that number goes above 20 for two consecutive weeks. 
  • One exception — if we have a week where the 7-day Wednesday number goes above 30, we will suspend in-person worship immediately until it goes back below 20.
  • When re-opened, we will continue to require masks and safe distancing in pews, with overflow in the parish hall if needed.
  • Assuming we stay on our current trends, we will plan to hold in-person Ash Wednesday services at 12 & 6 PM on Feb 17th, with (safe) distribution of ashes and communion. 
  • Then, if the 2-week threshold is met, we will re-open for Sunday in-person worship on the following Sunday, Feb 21st. NOTE — this is a tentative date at this time, dependent on the case numbers for the next three weeks. If we aren’t below 20 for the 2 weeks prior, we will just follow this plan and open as soon as we are able.
  • So watch these Thursday Announcements for the final word on our open/closed status as we go forward.

2) I will be out of the office for the Annual Clergy Retreat (virtual) next week, but available by text, email, or phone if needed. 
​

GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
                        Happy Birthday!!
      Lily Croft                 February 4            Karen Mecklem       February 6
      Tiffany Mackrill       February 4            Bob Manasek          February 9
      Will Schaaf             February 4            Hadlee Peterson     February 9
      Jack Webb             February 4            Diane Eskam           February 10
      Jane Kelley            February 5            Barb Williams          February 10

     
Prayer Requests ** Please make sure your request is received by Wednesday of each week. You may call (308)632-4626 (leave a message), email [email protected] or mail to:
St. Francis Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 1201
Scottsbluff, NE 69361

_______________________________________________________________
**Feel like you need something to lift your spirits? Whatever you’re struggling with, these encouraging quotes remind us that we all take knocks in life, but the best things in life come through persistence.
Whether you’ve just had another setback chasing your dreams, been rejected by someone you care about, faced tragedy, or you’re just feeling drained from the ups and downs of this journey we call life, remember that things can turn around in an instant.
All you have to do is keep moving forward, even when it feels like it would be easier to just lay down and give up.
No matter what you’re going through in life, here are some encouraging quotes that will hopefully give you a boost when you need it. Many of these encouragement quotes come from individuals who have achieved incredible success in life, and just like you, they had low points where everything felt hopeless. So lift your spirits and turn things around today!


“Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.” – Anne Frank
Picture
​“When you get to your wits end, you will find, God lives there.” – Unknown

“When written in Chinese the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters – one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” – John F. Kennedy
Picture
​“God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them.”
– John Aughey
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
– Corrie Boom
Picture
Last, but not least, I thought I would share a photo of my grandma, Grace, 96 yrs old, meeting my granddaughter and her great, great granddaughter, Lydia, 3 weeks old, for the first time.
Picture
When I look at this picture it reminds me of what is important in this life. I would have loved to have my “whole” family there but during these times only a select few could be there to witness this moment. These are the precious moments we need to hold on to because they only happen once in a lifetime no matter what is happening in this world. You must find the Joy that God is showing you. God provided unspeakable joy and love even when I never thought this moment was possible.
 
Gina’s 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. 

    Rev. Erin Rath

    Check in here for weekly announcements.

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017

Contact Us

St. Francis Episcopal Church
14 E 20th Street
​P.O. Box 1201
Scottsbluff, NE 69363
​(308) 632-4626

To contact the front office, please click here. 
To contact a member of the clergy, please click here.

Service Times

Sundays at 9 a.m.
Every Sunday service is livestreamed

Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
In-Person Eucharist
1st and 3rd Wednesdays
Evening Prayer on Zoom
2nd and 4th Wednesdays
Contact the office for access codes

Quick Links

Children and Families
Sundays
Clergy & Staff
Programs
Give
  • Home
    • FAQ
  • Who We Are
    • Leadership
    • Rector's Letters
  • What We Do
    • Worship
    • Service
    • Sermons
    • Children and Families
    • Discipleship
    • Music & the Arts
    • Pastoral Care
    • Weddings
    • Baptism
    • Funerals
  • Experience For Yourself
    • Sundays
    • Programs
    • Membership
    • New To St. Francis?
    • Participate in Worship
  • Calendar
  • Give
  • Contact Us
  • Parish News