ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
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What's Happening at St. Francis this week

3/30/2023

 
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Thursday Announcements April 6, 2023
 
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ERIN’S EPISTLETTES 
Holy Week Schedule
  • Maundy Thursday (April 6): 6 p.m.*
  • Good Friday (April 7): 12 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.*
  • Holy Saturday Day Service (April 8): 10 a.m. 
  • Easter Vigil (April 8): 7:45 p.m.
  • Easter Sunday (April 9): 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.*
*Services marked with an asterisk will be live streamed. The live stream on Maundy Thursday (April 6) will begin after the agape dinner. 
​
From the office—Ann’s Announcements
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 Happy Easter!! 
Birthdays
Owen Viola                       April 6
Hadlee McKeehan            April 10
Barb Manasek                  April 14
Jared Mackrill                   April 15
 
Godly Play will be at 9AM Easter Sunday, Pre/Early Teens will gather with them. 
Peggy Wymore

The Daughters of the King extend a huge “thank you” to everyone who donated to Capstone Sunday.  Through your contributions, we collected 33 blankets, 51 journals and $210 in Runza gift cards. Your generosity and support is amazing!
 
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


Forward Day by Day Booklets
We have the Forward Day by Day’s for May-July are here in regular and large print.  If you’d like one of these mailed to you, please email or call the church.
 

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

3/23/2023

 
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Thursday Announcements March 30, 2023
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​ERIN’S EPISTLETTES
  • Our last "Soup and Stations" was yesterday (Wednesday). Thank you to all who joined us! Your participation enriched my Lenten observance. A special thanks as well to all cooks and bakers for your hard (and tasty) work! 
  • We'll offer nine services over the eight days between Palm Sunday and Easter. I hope you can worship with us -- more than once! 

What is the Easter Vigil? 

The Great Vigil of Easter is the culmination of Holy Week. Though it takes place on Saturday evening, the church considers it the first service of Easter Sunday. There are four parts to this liturgy: a service of light, a service of lessons (or readings), renewal of our baptismal vows, and Holy Eucharist. Through these components, the story of redemption is retold and re-lived by the all participants. We re-experience the movement from darkness to light, celebrate our belonging in the new creation by remembering our baptism, and look forward to the glory we will share with the Risen Christ. This year, Saint Francis will celebrate this richly symbolic service on Saturday, April 8 at 7:45 p.m.
 
Holy Week Schedule
  • Palm Sunday (April 2): one service @ 9 a.m.*
  • Tenebrae (Wednesday, April 5): 6 p.m.*
  • Maundy Thursday (April 6): 6 p.m.*
  • Good Friday (April 7): 12 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.*
  • Holy Saturday Day Service (April 8): 10 a.m. 
  • Easter Vigil (April 8): 7:45 p.m.
  • Easter Sunday (April 9): 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.*
*Services marked with an asterisk will be live streamed. The live stream on Maundy Thursday (April 6) will begin after the agape dinner. 
​
From the office—Ann’s Announcements
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Birthdays
Rev. Erin Rath                    March 31
Dan Dickinson                    April 1
Jamie Iron Horse                April 2
Dante Anderson-Saenz      April 3
Scott Harvey                       April 4
Owen Viola                         April 8
Justin Cawiezel                   April 8
Brett Parrish                        April 8
Ann Peterson                      April 8
 
Altar Guild Members:  Palm Cross workshop will be Friday, March 31 at 7:00 PM in the parish hall.  Please bring a cutting board, knife, and scissors.  Thanks.

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


Forward Day by Day Booklets
We have the Forward Day by Day’s for May-July are here in regular and large print.  If you’d like one of these mailed to you, please email or call the church. 

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

3/15/2023

 
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Thursday Announcements March 23, 2023
 
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ERIN’S EPISTLETTES
  • Thank you to the many faithful volunteers who fill worship leadership roles! I know your time is limited and valuable and I appreciate you sharing it with us. Moving forward, I ask that all service participants (acolytes, lectors, Eucharistic ministers and media team) are in the building at least fifteen minutes before the service starts. Timely arrival will be particularly critical as we move into the busyness of Holy Week. If you aren't in the building ten minutes before the service starts, we'll assume you aren't coming and find a substitute. 
  • We're in the process of scheduling worship leadership for Holy Week services. A number of needs remain. Please take a look at your calendar and check MSP for openings. 
  • The last interdenominational Lenten Lunch is next Tuesday, March 28. 
  • Our last "Soup and Stations" is next Wednesday, March 29. 
    • Our midweek Eucharists resume the week after Easter (April 12). These will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesdays unless announced otherwise. 
Holy Week at Saint Francis
What Happens on Good Friday? 
Good Friday is the solemn liturgy in remembrance of Jesus' passion and death. On this day we hear eighty-two verses from the gospel of John which recount the events of the first passion. As Good Friday is a continuation of the Maundy Thursday liturgy, it begins as the prior service ended: in silence. The altar, which was stripped following Thursday evening's service, remains bare. This is the only service in the liturgical year at which we are offered the opportunity to venerate the cross. The Eucharistic prayer is not said on this day. Instead, communion is distributed from reserve. At Saint Francis, this year's Good Friday liturgy will be offered at noon and 6:30 p.m on April 7. 
 
Holy Week Schedule
  • Palm Sunday (April 2): one service @ 9 a.m.
  • Tenebrae (Wednesday, April 5): 6 p.m. 
  • Maundy Thursday (April 6): 6 p.m.
  • Good Friday (April 7): 12 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
  • Holy Saturday Day Service (April 8): 10 a.m. 
  • Easter Vigil (April 8): 7:45 p.m.
  • Easter Sunday (April 9): 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.​

From the office—Ann’s Announcements
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Birthdays
Eain Peterson                  March 26
Melissa Moreno               March 28
Gretchen Traw                 March 30 
Rev. Erin Rath                 March 31

The Daughters of the King will be sponsoring a special collection on the fourth Sunday, March 26.   In place of collecting personal hygiene items, we will be collecting items for Capstone, the child advocacy agency in Gering that serves children in 11 counties in western Nebraska.   They are in need of journals which can be found in many stores in Scottsbluff; blankets, new only please, especially warm fuzzy ones; and McDonalds or Runza gift cards.   The cards are used to purchase meals for the children by DHHS workers who escort the children to Capstone.    Please help us fulfill this wish list for this vital child advocacy organization. 
    
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


Forward Day by Day Booklets
We have the Forward Day by Day’s for February-April are here in regular and large print.  If you’d like one of these mailed to you, please email or call the church. 

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

3/8/2023

 
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Thursday Announcements March 16, 2023

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ERIN’S EPISTLETTES
  • Thank you to the many faithful volunteers who fill worship leadership roles! I know your time is limited and valuable and I appreciate you sharing it with us. Moving forward, I ask that all service participants (acolytes, lectors, Eucharistic ministers and media team) are in the building at least fifteen minutes before the service starts. Timely arrival will be particularly critical as we move into the busyness of Holy Week. If you aren't in the building ten minutes before the service starts, we'll assume you aren't coming and find a substitute. 
  • Our interdenominational Lenten Lunches continue Tuesdays at noon. The location changes every week. I'll present next Tuesday, March 21 at First United Methodist, Scottsbluff. 
  • Saint Francis' Soup and Stations takes place every Wednesday through March 29. We'll eat at five-thirty and transition to the sanctuary around six-fifteen (rather than six as originally announced). Volunteers are needed to bring soup, salad and bread. Please see the sign-up sheet on the kitchen bulletin board for a list of needs. As of this writing, all slots for March 22 are open. 
 
Holy Week at Saint Francis
 
What is Maundy Thursday?  
The word maundy comes from the Latin phrase mandatum novum, which means "new commandment." The phrase refers to the example of service Jesus sets by washing the disciples' feet at the last meal he shared with them before his arrest. This meal became the first Eucharist. Descriptions of elaborate ceremonies commemorating these events date to the fourth century. Following Jesus' example of service, worshippers at Saint Francis will also have an opportunity to share a simple meal and wash each other's feet.  At the close of the service, we will strip the altar in preparation for Good Friday. Maundy Thursday is a part of the Triduum, the three days leading up to the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter. Saint Francis will celebrate Maundy Thursday at 6 p.m. on April 6. 
 
Holy Week Schedule
  • Palm Sunday (April 2): one service @ 9 a.m.
  • Tenebrae (Wednesday, April 5): 6 p.m. 
  • Maundy Thursday (April 6): 6 p.m.
  • Good Friday (April 7): 12 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
  • Holy Saturday Day Service (April 8): 10 a.m. 
  • Easter Vigil (April 8): 7:45 p.m.
  • Easter Sunday (April 9): 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
From the office—Ann’s Announcements
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Yeah Spring!!!
Birthdays
Colleen Kelly               March 23
Patty Clown Horse      March 25

The Daughters of the King will be sponsoring a special collection on the fourth Sunday, March 26.    In place of collecting personal hygiene items, we will be collecting items for Capstone, the child advocacy agency in Gering that serves children in 11 counties in western Nebraska.    They are in need of journals which can be found in many stores in Scottsbluff; blankets, new only please, especially warm fuzzy ones; and McDonalds or Runza gift cards.    The cards are used to purchase meals for the children by DHHS workers who escort the children to Capstone.    Please help us fulfill this wish list for this vital child advocacy organization. 

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


Forward Day by Day Booklets
We have the Forward Day by Day’s for February-April are here in regular and large print.  If you’d like one of these mailed to you, please email or call the church. 
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What's Happening at St. Francis this week

3/1/2023

 
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Thursday Announcements March 9, 2023
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ERIN’S EPISTLETTES
  • Soup and Stations takes place every Wednesday through March 29. We'll eat at five-thirty and transition to the sanctuary around six-fifteen (rather than six as originally announced). Volunteers are needed to bring soup, salad and bread. Please see the sign-up sheet on the kitchen bulletin board for a list of needs.                                                                                                      
Holy Week at Saint Francis
​

What is Tenebrae? 
Tenebrae is a Latin word meaning darkness or shadows. In the monastic tradition, Tenebrae was a series of night and early morning services held during Holy Week. Our contemporary Episcopal service draws the materials of these several services into a single liturgy. In addition to incorporating a seasonally appropriate Hebrew acrostic from the Book of Lamentations, a series of candles are extinguished to symbolize the impending darkness of the Passion week events. Incorporation of the writings of Saint Augustine dates to the eight century. Saint Francis will host this moving service at 6 p.m. Wednesday of Holy Week, April 5. 
  
Holy Week Schedule
  • Palm Sunday (April 2): one service @ 9 a.m.
  • Tenebrae (Wednesday, April 5): 6 p.m. 
  • Maundy Thursday (April 6): 6 p.m.
  • Good Friday (April 7): 12 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
  • Holy Saturday Day Service (April 8): 10 a.m. 
  • Easter Vigil (April 8): 7:45 p.m.
  • Easter Sunday (April 9): 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.​
From the office—Ann’s Announcements

​​Remember the Time Change Saturday Night
"Spring Ahead"
​Birthdays
Cricket Simmons         March 13
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​​Thank you so much for the $786.37 you donated this past year to children’s
“Joyful Noise” buckets, the first Sunday of each month.  
​
In their study of outreach, the children decided to donate the money to : The Lakota Lutheran Center, Skipper’s Cupboard, The Riverside Discovery Center, and Episcopal Relief and Development.  They paid for 1 goat, 1 pig, fruit trees (especially Banana), wells, and a bicycle for health care workers to cover greater distances and reach more homes.  The wells will provide clean water to villages and prevent disease. Skipper’s Cupboard builds shelters for people whose pets do not have shelter and are outside animals, and food for pets whose owners need extra help. The Lakota Lutheran Center provides meals, clothing and religious services to many in our community. Thank you again for you generosity!
 
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


Forward Day by Day Booklets
We have the Forward Day by Day’s for February-April are here in regular and large print.  If you’d like one of these mailed to you, please email or call the church. 

​
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    Rev. Erin Rath

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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

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