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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.  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)  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. 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.  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. ***   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:
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  “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  “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  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.  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 RathCheck in here for weekly announcements. 
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