 1) Oh my gosh! What an amazing Holy Week and Easter! Thank you so, so much for all that you did to prepare, all that you did to participate, and all that you did to just be present, which is the best thing about being in a church community. When we are together, when we pray, when we sing, when we celebrate — God in Christ is really and fully present, and that, friends, is church. And this is a great one. 2) Many among us have purchased or already own a set of Anglican Prayer beads. Now we should get together and talk about the best ways to use them. I will meet with anyone interested in the Parish Hall following both services this weekend. We’ll grab some coffee and pick a table and talk for 20-30 min. Informal and questions are encouraged.  1.) Join us for Communion with Nature! Saturday at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Contact Fr. Bob to RSVP by calling (308) 436-7767. Unless you already have a Nebraska State Park Permit, a $6 day pass will need to be purchased for each car, which can be obtained at the Nature Center. If this is a concern, some can gather at the Church and carpool to avoid unnecessary permit fees. Otherwise, meet at the Nature Center at 10 a.m. The group will carpool to the trailhead, go on a short trail hike, then carpool back to the Nature Center, holy communion will be offered. Bring your own sack lunch to enjoy. Fr. Bob wants to remind everyone that wearing sturdy shoes and long pants is recommended, as are sunscreen and a water bottle. Come out and enjoy the spirit of nature! 2.) Since two mid-week blizzards cancelled two of Rae Whitney’s programs on “Loving Hymns,” her final program has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 1st. There will be a soup supper at 5:30 p.m., with Rae’s program at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., Fr. Mark will lead the short evening service of Compline. Rae will tell how hymns influenced her early life in England, and then how, in 1960, en route to Rome, a hymn-loving priest from Scottsbluff swept her off her feet! We’ll also sing some of her hymns. Please sign up if you plan to come, so there will be enough soup for everyone! 3.) The ECW’s Mother's Day Brunch will be on Saturday, May 4th, at 10 a.m., in the Parish Hall. The Fortis Boys choir, under the direction of Scott and Alyssa Harvey, will entertain. Please RSVP to Barb Manasek at (308) 436-7767 or Nancy Kepler at (308) 635-0734, by Monday, April 29th. 4.) St. Francis will host a Graduation Reception following the 10 a.m. service, on Sunday, May 12th for our graduates: Evelyn Anderson-Saenz, Sydney Pettit, Lia Selvey, and Catherine Wisniewski. If you know of others graduating this year, please call the church at (308) 632-4626.  1) Today is Maundy Thursday — and as I said Sunday, it begins a single service over three days — Thursday-Friday-Saturday (or Sunday) — that we call the Triduum, where we live into the three-day Passion of Christ. Tonight we remember his institution of what we know now as Holy Communion; tomorrow his scourging, torture, crucifixion, death, and burial; and Saturday evening (or Sunday morning) his rising from the grave! It begins tonight. See you at 6 p.m.! 2) One more thanks to Sara Moreno, the 10 folks who worked so hard on Saturday, and all of you who sold and delivered Enchiladas! This fundraiser was successful beyond our expectations! I don’t have all the final numbers in yet, but it looks like we will end up clearing something like $3,000, which will go a long way to covering our 2019 budget deficit. Between this fundraiser, the “53rd Week” appeal, and moving some capital expenses to our Foundation, we will have made the deficit much less worrisome. To be clear, though, I believe it is best not to have to depend on fundraising for operations, and will be making that case during our fall stewardship drive. 3) After taking Monday off, next week will be a typical week and all of our meetings, worship, bible studies, and youth catechism class will meet as regularly scheduled. 4) The Narthex addition is nearly complete. Take a look around when you get here tonight and notice how beautifully it turned out. We will do some modest decorating for Easter, and then the vestry will make some choices about furniture/wall hangings/pictures/etc. It should all take shape pretty quickly now.  Lisa's Announcements Next week, everything returns to regular scheduling, including my office hours. Look who's arrived!  Happy Easter!Enjoy the photos of the preparation for Holy Week Services. Lisa’s Office Hours:
Mondays 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tuesdays 10:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Thursdays 10:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Friday 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.  1) Our Enchilada Sale ends this Saturday, so please turn in your sales sheets and proceeds this Sunday. We will be producing the enchiladas next Saturday, April 13th, and you can pick up your packaged dozens for delivery that day or any day following. Our refrigerator/freezer space is a little tight, so the sooner you pick them up the better :) Thanks to Sara and all who are making this a fun and successful fundraiser! I am excited to see how much we are able to raise!
2) WESTERN DEANERY will meet this Saturday, April 6th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Good Shepherd of the Plains Episcopal Church in Harrisburg, Neb. The keynote speaker will be Deacon Teresa Houser from Omaha. Members of the Shepherd of the Plains church will provide a luncheon; suggested donation $5. We are starting to develop a long-term relationship with the good people of Good Shepherd, and so this would be a great opportunity to support and get to know them. If you need a ride, call or email me and let me know. It really is a fun event. 3) Remember to fill and return your UTO boxes this week or next. Lisa's Announcements Youth Group will meet this Sunday at 9 a.m downstairs, and there will be a Skating Party from 1-3 p.m. The Palm Cross Workshop will be held on Friday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Please bring scissors, a small cutting board and a paring knife. Gratitude takes three forms: a feeling in the heart, an expression in words, and giving in return. The United Thank Offering will be collected on Palm Sunday. Thank you for participating in this worthwhile ingathering of funds to be combined with those of thousands of other Episcopalians to become blessings for needy people throughout the world. The Riversong Chancel Singers will perform their annual spring concert today at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Scottsbluff. Admission is free, and a good will offering will be collected. Did you know? Lectors can go to the homepage of our church website to see the readings for Sunday. To the left of Fr. Mark’s video of his sermon, you will see a little icon that says “preparing for Sunday.” Click on it and it will take you to the readings. The church pays $1 a week for this service, so be sure to take advantage of it. http://www.saintf.org You can create auto payments online for your pledge? Visit www.saintf.org and choose "give" at the top right. Follow the prompts to enroll. The EWC has a book sharing shelf on the top landing outside the Sunday School Classroom. If you’d like to read any of the books, take it and keep as long as you like, and return when finished. There is still some space for other books, perhaps take one and leave one for others. Holy Week Schedule of Services Sunday of the Passion - Palm Sunday, April 14, at 8 a.m. Sunday of the Passion - Palm Sunday, April 14, at 10 a.m. Maundy Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m. Good Friday, April 19, at noon Good Friday, April 19, at 6 p.m. The Great Vigil, April 20, at 8 p.m. Easter Sunday, April 21, at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt, April 21, at 9:30 a.m. Lisa’s Office Schedule next week Monday 8 am - 1:15 pm Tuesday 11:45 a.m. -1:30 p.m., 3-5 pm Thursday 10 am -1:15 pm (Friday, April 12, and Monday, April 15, I will be on Vacation) |
Rev. Erin RathCheck in here for weekly announcements. 
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