  Thursday Announcements-May 1, 2025 ______________________________________________________________________________________ Those who serve, Sunday, May 4, 9am Musician Nancy Meier Media Team Steve Trickler Ushers Karen Mecklem, Judi Widmaier Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Allie Cawiezel, Erin Cawiezel Lector/Intercessor Jane Sayre Eucharistic Minister Nancy Kepler Altar Guild Nancy Kepler, Monica & Kathy Shambaugh Coffee Hosts Diane Morrison, Patty Clown Horse Upcoming Events at St. Francis: Saturday 05/03 Craft Fair & Bake Sale 10am-2pm Tuesday 05/06 Lectionary Study & Compline 2pm Library Wednesday 05/07 No Midweek Service Thursday 05/08 Men's Bible Study 8am Library Discipleship Group 12pm Library Sunday 05/11 Eucharist St Francis 9am Guest Preacher: the Rev. Chris Plantz ______________________________________________________________________________________  From the Office—Ann’s Announcements Birthdays: Josie Weiss May 4 Fernando Moreno May 6 Anniversaries: Rick & Vicky Gable May 5 Please let us know if you have a child graduating from High School or College, or graduate school this Spring. We would like to celebrate their achievement with them in May. Please call the office and let us know the good news! As the Lenten season comes to a close, please consider giving through the United Thank Offering. The ingathering and blessing of funds will be this Sunday, May 4th. This year's theme is 142 Years of Gratitude in Action. UTO encourages people to develop a practice of gratitude and to make thank offerings for all the blessings they experience. 100% of these offerings support innovative mission and ministry projects around the globe. Since 1883, UTO has awarded almost 5,500 grants worth over $102,000,000. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. The Daughters of the King annual collection for the Capstone Child Advocacy Center and the United Thank Offerings will be blessed this Sunday, May 4th. Attentive readers will remember that we're currently in the midst of our stewardship drive. Many and heartfelt thanks to those who've already pledged! We've yet to hear from about half of our members. If you'd like to participate but haven't had the opportunity, paper copies of this year's pledge form are available in the narthex. It can also be completed online at bit.ly/sfsbgive2025. The Daughters of the King have suspended collection of pill bottles for now. Please do not bring bottles to church at this time. We are in the process of cleaning, removing labels and sorting by size and cannot handle any more right now. We will make an announcement when we are ready to begin collection again. Thank you for your overwhelming response to this ministry. Prayer Requests Prayer requests need to be received by Tuesday, if you’d like them to be printed in the bulletin. You may call (308) 632-4626 (leave a message) or email [email protected]. The Forward Day by Day’s for May-July are available in regular and large print. If you’d like either of these mailed to you, please email us or call the church office.   Thursday Announcements-April 24, 2025 ERIN’S EPISTLETTES Those who serve, Sunday, April 27, 9am Musician Nancy Meier Media Team Stephanie Schingle Ushers Kristi Weiss, Jim Petitt Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Josie Weiss, Walker Anderson Lector/Intercessor Jane Sayre Eucharistic Minister Nancy Kepler Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Coffee Hosts Diane Morrison, Patty Clown Horse Flowers: Shirley Brewer In memory of husband, Stan Upcoming Events at St. Francis: Tuesday 04/29 Lectionary Study & Compline 2pm Library Wednesday 04/30 No Midweek Service; 5th Wednesday Thursday 05/01 Church Offices Closed Men's Bible Study 8am Library Discipleship Group 12pm Library Saturday 05/03 Craft Fair & Bake Sale 10am-3pm Sunday 05/04 Eucharists Saint Francis 9am Good Shepherd, Harrisburg 11:30am From the Office—Ann’s Announcements  Birthdays:
Connie Schingle April 28 Christie Shaver April 28 Val Coop May 1 Nate Kelley May 1 Anniversaries: Diane & Mike Morrison April 17 Please let us know if you have a child graduating from High School or College, or graduate school this Spring. We would like to celebrate their achievement with them in May. Please call the office and let us know the good news! As the Lenten season comes to a close, please consider giving through the United Thank Offering. The ingathering and blessing of funds will be Sunday, May 4th. There are still boxes and envelopes available. If you prefer to donate online, you may do so at: https://unitedthankoffering.com/ingatheringgive/142 Years of Gratitude in Action. The United Thank Offering (UTO) was founded in 1883 to raise funds to support mission and ministry sites that were without funding. The women of the church began by asking the assembled group to make a thank offering for all the blessings of their past year. From this first thank offering grew our modern-day experience of UTO. UTO encourages people to develop a practice of gratitude and from that practice to make thank offerings for all the blessings they experience. 100% of these offerings are then given away the following year to support innovative mission and ministry projects around the globe. Since 1883, UTO has awarded almost 5,500 grants at just over 102 million dollars. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. The Daughters of the King are doing our annual collection for Capstone Child Advocacy Center during the month of April. We are collecting: blankets (throws size--NEW only), journals, backpacks (NEW) and McDonald’s Gift Cards. Cash is also welcome. We will be presenting the collected items to Capstone on Sunday, April 27. There is a box in the Narthex, for your donated items. The Daughters of the King have suspended collection of pill bottles for now. Please do not bring bottles to church at this time. We are in the process of cleaning, removing labels and sorting by size and cannot handle any more right now. We will make an announcement when we are ready to begin collection again. Thank you for your overwhelming response to this ministry. Prayer Requests Prayer requests need to be received by Tuesday, if you’d like them to be printed in the bulletin. You may call (308) 632-4626 (leave a message) or email [email protected]. The Forward Day by Day’s for May-July are available in regular and large print. If you’d like either of these mailed to you, please email us or call the church office.  Thursday Announcements-April 17, 2025 ERIN’S EPISTLETTES ____________________________________________________________  Friday Offering in Support of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East During our Good Friday services on April 18, donations collected will go towards the Good Friday Offering. For more information on this century-old Episcopal tradition supporting the ministries of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, visit their website. Thank you in advance for your prayers and generosity. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Message From Mary Greeting Friends: At the March Vestry meeting we had a robust discussion about our Church finances. As many of you will recall, the 2025 Budget that was presented and approved at the Annual Meeting in January showed a significant deficit for the year. Understandably, this is of great concern to you and your Vestry members. One of the difficulties we encountered when preparing the 2025 Budget was that we did not have firm numbers relative to expected giving from you, our Parishioners. This is because we did not undertake a Pledge Campaign which has traditionally occurred during the Fall and provides critical input for the Budget. Following the Annual Meeting, we formed a Stewardship & Engagement Ministry group with an eye toward planning and executing a Fall 2025 Pledge Campaign in preparation for the 2026 Budget. But what about now? Your Vestry has asked the Stewardship & Engagement Ministry group to undertake a short Pledge Campaign immediately so that we can get a better understanding of how our finances will play out during this year. To help us with this important task, you will be contacted by a member of the Stewardship & Engagement Ministry to confirm your planned giving for the rest of 2025. This Spring Giving Campaign will occur during the month of April. I ask that you prayerfully consider your planned giving to enable us to continue sharing God’s love in our community through all of our Worship, Connection and Outreach programs. Thank you, Mary ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 🎶🎵🎶 Liturgical Notes 🎶🎵🎶 Why Holy Week? (Part 2) by the Rev Erin Rath, April 2025 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 have the opportunity to venerate the cross. The Eucharistic prayer is not said on this day. Instead, communion is distributed from consecrated sacrament reserved the night before. Good Friday is the second liturgy of the Triduum. At Saint Francis, this year's Good Friday liturgy will be offered at noon and 6 p.m. on April 18. Our evening Good Friday service will be livestreamed. *Why a different Gospel translation on Good Friday? We use the Common English Bible translation of the Passion story rather than the New Revised Standard Version. Though the NRSV is the most commonly used translation in Episcopal worship, our canons allow for the use of a variety of translations. The CEB was chosen for Good Friday because it uses the terms "Jewish leaders" and "Jewish leadership" rather than the more general label "the Jews." Articulating this difference is important not only because it more accurately describes the realities of the Passion story, but also because of the generations of antisemitism inspired by the more general label – a label which blames an entire faith tradition for the actions of a very small group of its members at a specific point in history. Why Hold a Morning Service on Holy Saturday? The Holy Saturday day service is held on the Saturday morning between Good Friday and the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. It's a time to honor the space between Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection on Easter, and the experience of the disciples in those first moments and hours after Jesus' death: the grieving, the not-knowing, the waiting, the feeling of being abandoned by God. In honoring the disciples' experience on that first grief-stricken Holy Saturday, we honor our own experiences of and struggles with grief, with not-knowing, with waiting, and with feeling abandoned by God. This year, Saint Francis will gather in the Mary Chapel at 10 a.m. on April 19. Because this service is held in chapel, there will be no live stream. What is 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 and thus a part of the Triduum. 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 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 19 at 7:45 p.m. Easter Sunday The events of the first Easter morning are a cornerstone of our faith. Our celebration remembering those events is the culmination of Holy Week and the final installment of the Triduum. Though we feel like we’ve reached the mountain top, both figuratively and literally, it’s important to remember how we got there and the struggles we experienced along the way. The services of Holy Week give us opportunities to give thanks for the gift of Jesus’ incarnation through worship, to honor the pain and the struggles of Jesus on the Cross and the grief of His beloved disciples, and to remember and honor the struggles and griefs, as well as the joys and triumphs, in our own lives and the lives of those we love. I hope you had the opportunity to read the entries I wrote about the other six services of Holy Week. To those who read from the beginning, I thank you for your attention. I hope even more that you will partake of these offerings, that your own faith journey can be deepened and enriched. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Those who serve, Maundy Thursday, April 17, 6pm Musician Barb Becker Media Team Stephanie Schingle Usher Kathy Shambaugh Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Allie Cawiezel, Erin Cawiezel Lector/Intercessor Cory Foster Eucharistic Minister Santana Tamarak Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Those who serve, Good Friday, NOON, April 18 Musician Nancy Meier Usher Kathy Shambaugh Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolyte Monica Shambaugh Lector/Intercessor Cory Foster, Connie Schingle, Mike Schingle, Monica Shambaugh Eucharistic Minister Jayne Sayre Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Those who serve, Good Friday, April 18, 6pm Musician Barb Becker Media Team Jack Schaaf Usher Sarah Schaaf Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Emma Schaaf, Will Schaaf Lector/Intercessor Charlie Kennedy, Barb Manasek, Jack Webb, Clark Wisniewski Eucharistic Minister Nancy Kepler Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Those who serve, Holy Saturday, April 19,10am Lector/Intercessor Beth McKibbin Those who serve, Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 19, 7:45pm Musician Barb Becker Media Team Jack Schaaf Usher Sarah Schaaf Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Madi Collins, Emma Schaaf, Will Schaaf Lector/Intercessor Barb Manasek, Monica Shambaugh, Jack Webb Eucharistic Minister Monica Shambaugh Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Those who serve, Easter Sunday, April 20, 9am Musician Nancy Meier Media Team Charlie Kennedy Ushers Alena Kennedy, Jim Petitt Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Allie Cawiezel, Erin Cawiezel Lector/Intercessor Clark Wisniewski Eucharistic Minister Jayne Sayre Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Coffee Hosts Barb Manasek, Karen Larson (between services) Those who serve, Easter Sunday, April 20, 10:30am Musician Barb Becker Ushers Richard Gable, Jane Wisniewski Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Laney Bohl, Danika Bohl Lector/Intercessor Bill Mann Eucharistic Minister Beth McKibbin Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Upcoming Events at St. Francis: Maundy Thursday, April 17 /@ 7pm Good Friday, April 18, @ Noon and 6pm Holy Saturday, April 19 @ 10am in the Chapel Easter Vigil, April 19 @ 7:45pm Easter Sunday, April 20 @ 9am and 10:30am Cooperative Ministries, Monday @ the Vine UMC, Scottsbluff @ 12pm Church offices closed Tuesday, April 22, no enews April 24 Lectionary Study and Compline, Tuesday 2pm, Library Evening Prayer on Zoom, Wednesday at 6pm MT/7pm CT Men’s Bible Study Thursday @ 8am, Library Discipleship Group, Thursday @ 12pm, Library Sunday Eucharist, April 27: Saint Francis, Scottsbluff, Sunday @ 9am Those who serve, Easter Sunday, April 20, 9am Musician Nancy Meier Media Team Charlie Kennedy Ushers Alena Kennedy, Jim Petitt Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Allie Cawiezel, Erin Cawiezel Lector/Intercessor Clark Wisniewski Eucharistic Minister Jayne Sayre Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Coffee Hosts Barb Manasek, Karen Larson (between services) Those who serve, Easter Sunday, April 20, 10:30am Musician Barb Becker Ushers Richard Gable, Jane Wisniewski Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Laney Bohl, Danika Bohl Lector/Intercessor Bill Mann Eucharistic Minister Beth McKibbin Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson From the Office—Ann’s Announcements  Birthdays
Erik Peterson April 24 Please let us know if you have a child graduating from High School or College, or graduate school this Spring. We would like to celebrate their achievement with them in May. Please call the office and let us know the good news! The Daughters of the King are doing our annual collection for Capstone Child Advocacy Center during the month of April. We are collecting: blankets (throws size--NEW only), journals, backpacks (NEW) and McDonald’s Gift Cards. Cash is also welcome. We will be presenting the collected items to Capstone on Sunday, April 27. There is a box in the Narthex, for your donated items. Also, we are suspending the collection of pill bottles for awhile. We’ll announce when we are collecting them again. Thank you for your excellent response to this project. Prayer Requests Prayer requests need to be received by Tuesday, if you’d like them to be printed in the bulletin. You may call (308) 632-4626 (leave a message) or email [email protected]. The Forward Day by Day’s for May-July are available in regular and large print. If you’d like either of these mailed to you, please email us or call the church office.   Thursday Announcements-April 10, 2025 ERIN’S EPISTLETTES ____________________________________________________________  Friday Offering in Support of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East During our Good Friday services on April 18, donations collected will go towards the Good Friday Offering. For more information on this century-old Episcopal tradition supporting the ministries of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, visit their website. Thank you in advance for your prayers and generosity. _________________________________________ Message From Mary Greeting Friends: At the March Vestry meeting we had a robust discussion about our Church finances. As many of you will recall, the 2025 Budget that was presented and approved at the Annual Meeting in January showed a significant deficit for the year. Understandably, this is of great concern to you and your Vestry members. One of the difficulties we encountered when preparing the 2025 Budget was that we did not have firm numbers relative to expected giving from you, our Parishioners. This is because we did not undertake a Pledge Campaign which has traditionally occurred during the Fall and provides critical input for the Budget. Following the Annual Meeting, we formed a Stewardship & Engagement Ministry group with an eye toward planning and executing a Fall 2025 Pledge Campaign in preparation for the 2026 Budget. But what about now? Your Vestry has asked the Stewardship & Engagement Ministry group to undertake a short Pledge Campaign immediately so that we can get a better understanding of how our finances will play out during this year. To help us with this important task, you will be contacted by a member of the Stewardship & Engagement Ministry to confirm your planned giving for the rest of 2025. This Spring Giving Campaign will occur during the month of April. I ask that you prayerfully consider your planned giving to enable us to continue sharing God’s love in our community through all of our Worship, Connection and Outreach programs. Thank you, Mary _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 🎶🎵🎶 Liturgical Notes 🎶🎵🎶 Why Holy Week? (Part 2) by the Rev Erin Rath, April 2025 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 have the opportunity to venerate the cross. The Eucharistic prayer is not said on this day. Instead, communion is distributed from consecrated sacrament reserved the night before. Good Friday is the second liturgy of the Triduum. At Saint Francis, this year's Good Friday liturgy will be offered at noon and 6 p.m. on April 18. Our evening Good Friday service will be livestreamed. *Why a different Gospel translation on Good Friday? We use the Common English Bible translation of the Passion story rather than the New Revised Standard Version. Though the NRSV is the most commonly used translation in Episcopal worship, our canons allow for the use of a variety of translations. The CEB was chosen for Good Friday because it uses the terms "Jewish leaders" and "Jewish leadership" rather than the more general label "the Jews." Articulating this difference is important not only because it more accurately describes the realities of the Passion story, but also because of the generations of antisemitism inspired by the more general label – a label which blames an entire faith tradition for the actions of a very small group of its members at a specific point in history. Why Hold a Morning Service on Holy Saturday? The Holy Saturday day service is held on the Saturday morning between Good Friday and the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. It's a time to honor the space between Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection on Easter, and the experience of the disciples in those first moments and hours after Jesus' death: the grieving, the not-knowing, the waiting, the feeling of being abandoned by God. In honoring the disciples' experience on that first grief-stricken Holy Saturday, we honor our own experiences of and struggles with grief, with not-knowing, with waiting, and with feeling abandoned by God. This year, Saint Francis will gather in the Mary Chapel at 10 a.m. on April 19. Because this service is held in chapel, there will be no live stream. What is 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 and thus a part of the Triduum. 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 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 19 at 7:45 p.m. Easter Sunday The events of the first Easter morning are a cornerstone of our faith. Our celebration remembering those events is the culmination of Holy Week and the final installment of the Triduum. Though we feel like we’ve reached the mountain top, both figuratively and literally, it’s important to remember how we got there and the struggles we experienced along the way. The services of Holy Week give us opportunities to give thanks for the gift of Jesus’ incarnation through worship, to honor the pain and the struggles of Jesus on the Cross and the grief of His beloved disciples, and to remember and honor the struggles and griefs, as well as the joys and triumphs, in our own lives and the lives of those we love. I hope you had the opportunity to read the entries I wrote about the other six services of Holy Week. To those who read from the beginning, I thank you for your attention. I hope even more that you will partake of these offerings, that your own faith journey can be deepened and enriched. Church offices will be closed April 22. There will be no enews published April 24. ____________________________________________________________ Those who serve, Palm Sunday, April 13, 9am Musician Nancy Meier Media Team Stephanie Schingle Ushers Alena Kennedy, Jamie and John Selzer Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Walker Anderson, Madi Collins, Will Schaaf Lector/Intercessor Bill Mann, Charlie Kennedy, Beth McKibbin Ann Peterson, Connie Schingle, Monica Shambaugh Eucharistic Minister Santana Tamarak Altar Guild Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson Coffee Hosts Judi Widmaier, Karen Mecklem Holy Week at Saint Francis Palm Sunday, April 13, 9 a.m.* at Saint Francis, 11 a.m. @ Good Shepherd, Harrisburg Tenebrae, Wednesday, April 16 @ 7:30 p.m.* Maundy Thursday, April 17 @ 6 p.m.* Good Friday, April 18 @ Noon & 6 p.m.* Holy Saturday Day, April 19 @ 10 a.m. (in the chapel) Easter Vigil, April 19 @ 7:45 p.m.* Easter Sunday, April 20 @ 9 a.m.* & 10:30 a.m. *Services marked with an asterisk will be livestreamed. Service Rehearsals for all acolytes & readers: Those serving at Palm Sunday, Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday and/or Good Friday will gather Saturday, April 12 @ 10 a.m. Those serving at Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday will gather Saturday, April 19 @ 11 a.m. Palm Cross Workshop, Friday, April 11 at 7:00pm, Parish Hall Lectionary Study and Compline, Tuesday @ 2pm, Library Men’s Bible Study Thursday @ 8am, Library Discipleship Group, Thursday @ 12pm, Library Church offices closed Tuesday, April 22; no enews April 24  From the Office—Ann’s Announcements
Birthdays Barb Manasek April 14 Laney Bohl April 18 Gretchen Deter April 18 The signup sheet for Easter Altar Flowers is in the Narthex or you’re welcome to call the office to add your name. The Daughters of the King are doing our annual collection for Capstone Child Advocacy Center during the month of April. We are collecting: blankets (throws size--NEW only), journals, backpacks (NEW) and McDonald’s Gift Cards. Cash is also welcome. We will be presenting the collected items to Capstone on Sunday, April 27. There is a box in the Narthex, for your donated items. Also, we are suspending the collection of pill bottles for awhile. We’ll announce when we are collecting them again. Thank you for your excellent response to this project A Prayer for A Grateful Lent - Inspired by Mechtilde of Hackeborn and written by Kristen Wheeler Ministry of the Saints In the morning, let my first act be to greet God’s Heart and offer God my own. For whoever breathes a sigh towards God, draws God to themselves. In the evening, let my last act be to greet my own heart with forgiveness and compassion, and ask God for humility. For whoever breathes a sigh towards God, draws God to themselves. Use some reflective time each morning to share all you are thankful for, as you share your gratitude with others and add to your blue UTO box. The Daughters of the King will be offering a prayer station in the Mary Chapel during Lent for private prayer and contemplation. You can surrender the burdens you may be carrying to God by the act of physically moving stones from one basket to another with guidance offered in the handout provided at the prayer station. We hope you will take this opportunity, as you are moved by the Holy Spirit, to participate in thoughtful and contemplative prayer during the Lenten season. Prayer Requests Prayer requests need to be received by Tuesday, if you’d like them to be printed in the bulletin. You may call (308) 632-4626 (leave a message) or email [email protected]. The Forward Day by Day’s for February-April are available in regular and large print. If you’d like either of these mailed to you, please email us or call the church office. |
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