  _______________________June 25, 2026_______________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Intercessory Prayer Members of the Daughters of the King are available for Intercessory Prayer in the Mary Chapel each Sunday after worship. All prayer requests are kept confidential. ______________________________________________________________________________ Scam Alert We have received reports about emails that purportedly come from Father Bob Manesek stating that he wants to contact them regarding an important matter. These emails are not legitimate! Please do not click on the return email address to respond. _______________________________________________________________________________ Those who serve, Sunday, June 28, 9am Musician Nancy Meier Media Team Stephanie Schingle Ushers Richard Gable, Kathy Shambaugh Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Madi Collins, Ella Iron Shell Worship Leader Rev. Chris Plantz Lector/Intercessor Jim Petitt Eucharist Minister Monica Shambaugh Altar Guild Nancy Kepler, Monica and Kathy Shambaugh Coffee Hosts Judi Widmaier, Sarah Schaaf Flowers: Clark & Amy Wisniewski In thanksgiving for their daughter, Catherine Alan & Jan Johnson For the anniversary of their marriage Upcoming Events at St. Francis: Tuesday 6/30 Centering Prayer 11a Wednesday 7/1 Lectionary Bible Study resumes after Summer Thursday 7/2 Discipleship Group resumes after Summer Friday 7/3 Men’s Bible Study 8a Library Sunday 7/5 Sunday Worship 9a St Francis Rev. Chris Plantz will be here on the following dates: July 19, 8/16, and 9/20 for Eucharist Worship Services. _______________________________________________________________________________ From the Office—Ann’s Announcements  Birthdays:
Kathy Graham June 28 Lisa Ledbetter June 28 Dan Witko June 30 Keith Viola July 1 Ayden Reed July 2 Joyce Walsh July 2 Sandy Van Engel July 4 Anniversaries: Artie & Jan Johnson July 1 Matt & Jeane Anderson July 2 Emergency Pastoral Care Pastor Kathy Montira, ELCA Sr. Pastor, Calvary Lutheran Church (308) 632-8023, 8:30a-2:30p Monday-Friday (308) 874-6021 after hours 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. The Forward Day by Day’s for August-October 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.   _______________________June 18, 2026_______________________ A Message from Mary One of my great joys of being a member of St Francis is interacting with the variety of people who love this church and happily give of their time and talents. This week, I want to recognize a few of these “saints”. Christie Shaver coordinated the Centering Prayer workshop with Brother James Dowd on June 13. This experience was a supplement to the Centering Prayer sessions that Christie leads on Tuesday each week in the Rae Whitney Library. Christie has also taken on the unofficial role of Librarian in the Ray Whitney Library. When new items are donated to the Library, Christie catalogs them and makes sure they are properly placed in the shelves. If you are curious about the practice of Centering Prayer or about the Rae Whitney Library, I urge you to contact Christie. Also on June 13, the ladies from the ECW hosted their Annual Ladies Salad luncheon. What a blessing to gather with women from St Francis (and their friends) to share a meal! Local vocal artist Stephanie Coley sang before and after the meal. In addition to the annual luncheon, the ECW provides food at Coffee Hour after Sunday worship each week. They also provide food at funeral receptions and other meetings/events at St Francis. The ECW sends greeting cards to shut-ins, they provide grants to various organizations in our community and give money to local families in need at Christmas. And, don’t forget the bi-annual Christmas in July “garage sale”! If you are interested in finding out how you can participate in one or more ECW activities, contact Barb Manasek. On May 31, Charlie Kennedy and Janet Craven represented St Francis at the annual Pride in the Park event. They set up a table and distributed refrigerator magnets, brochures and candy to passers-by. I understand the candy was a big draw! Of course, Charlie and Janet were the perfect representatives to talk with people about St Francis and our warm, welcoming church. Your Vestry has set aside a small amount from the budget to pay for “table fees” for other such events. This is one of our strategies for sharing the Good News. If you learn of other such opportunities, let me know. Have you noticed the beautiful flower pots in the courtyard and the additions to the perennial beds? Bill Mann is the guy with the green thumb! Bill worked tirelessly cleaning out the beds and pots, laying out more mulch, purchasing and planting the lovely flowers and bushes. In addition to this huge undertaking, Bill is often working at the church taking care of those behind-the-scenes tasks (like changing light bulbs!). Next time you see Bill, please let him know how much you appreciate his gifts of time and talents. Speaking of behind-the-scenes workers – I have to let you know about the work your Junior Warden, Kathy Shambaugh, and her able assistant Monica, have done in the sacristies. A bit ago, some of the ladies from the Altar Guild were talking about difficulties they were having with managing the Altar linens. Kathy talked with them and came up with a solution to their problem. She and Monica did some magic to create additional space for Altar linens and take care of some flooring issues. This is just an example of the kind of things Kathy (often with the help of her able assistant, Monica) is doing behind-the-scenes every week. I could go on and on with praises for the “saints” who give happily of their time and talents. As a matter of fact, I think will continue to do that. I encourage you to do the same! For His Sake, Mary ______________________________________________________________________________ Intercessory Prayer Members of the Daughters of the King are available for Intercessory Prayer in the Mary Chapel each Sunday after worship. All prayer requests are kept confidential. ______________________________________________________________________________ Scam Alert We have received reports about emails that purportedly come from Father Bob Manesek stating that he wants to contact them regarding an important matter. These emails are not legitimate! Please do not click on the return email address to respond. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Those who serve, Sunday, June 21, 9am Musician Barb Becker Media Team Jack Schaaf Ushers Monica Shambaugh, Sarah Schaaf Worship Leader Monica Shambaugh Lector/Intercessor Santana Tamarak Altar Guild Nancy Kepler, Monica and Kathy Shambaugh Coffee Hosts Barb Manasek, Sandi Van Engel “Donuts for Dad” Flowers: Jane Wisniewski In memory of their grandparents, & Sarah Williams Frank & Bessie Brown and Ed & Mabel Williams Beth McKibbin In memory of her father, Lyle Stingley, husband Jerry, and father-in-law, Mac McKibbin Upcoming Events at St. Francis: Sunday 6/21 Game Night 6p Parish Hall Tuesday 6/23 Centering Prayer 11a Wednesday 6/24 Lectionary Bible Study resumes after Summer Thursday 6/25 Discipleship Group resumes after Summer Friday 6/26 Men’s Bible Study 8a Library Sunday 6/28 Sunday Worship 9a St Francis Rev. Chris Plantz will be here on the following dates: 6/28, 7/19, 8/16, and 9/20 for Eucharist Worship Services. 7/19 Family BBQ & Game Night _______________________________________________________________________________________________ From the Office—Ann’s Announcements  Happy Father's Day! We’re celebrating Dad’s with donuts this Sunday following Worship! Birthdays:
Jane Sayre June 23 Rick Anderson June 26 Anniversaries: Justin & Jacklyn Cawiezel June 21 Al & Barb Williams June 21 Robert & Lisa Brenner June 25 Cory & Gretchen Foster June 26 Emergency Pastoral Care Pastor Kathy Montira, ELCA Sr. Pastor, Calvary Lutheran Church (308) 632-8023, 8:30a-2:30p Monday-Friday (308) 874-6021 after hours 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. 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.   _______________________June 11, 2026_______________________  A Message from Mary “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 This verse is particularly meaningful as we step into our journey to call a new Rector. We know this may be a long journey potentially filled with anxiety and frustration, but also with moments of joy and gratitude. It is up to us to approach this time with a positive outlook and to give one another some grace when things don’t go smoothly. Throughout this journey, I commit to open and honest communication with you. For anyone who wishes to speak with me in person, I will be in the church office each Tuesday morning, 9 am – 10 am. I can also be reached via email at [email protected] or phone/text at 303-514-2820. For those who may need emergency Pastoral care, we have an arrangement with Pastor Kathy Montira, ELCA who is the senior pastor a Calvary Lutheran Church. She can be reached at (308) 632-8023, 8:30a-2:30p, Monday-Friday and (308) 874-6021 after hours. I am in regular communication with Canon Liz and Bishop Barker. They are currently exploring the possibility of assigning an Interim Rector to St Francis. I will know more about this in coming weeks. In the meantime, Monica Shambaugh is working with a group of parishioners to create meaningful worship experiences for us. This group will be engaged in a Worship Workshop with Bishop Scott and Canon Liz on July 11. They will also be working on lining up ordained clergy to visit and serve Holy Eucharist periodically. If you have any suggestions related to our worship experience or have gifts of speaking or music that you wish to share, please contact Monica. I know that many of you have the “search process” top of mind. We are reviewing the work that was done by the previous search committee with an eye toward using much of their work product. I will keep you informed about our plans for the search. If you feel called to participate directly in the search process, please let me know. As we walk this journey together, your prayers and support are very much appreciated. For His Sake, Mary ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scam Alert We have received reports about emails that purportedly come from Father Bob Manesek stating that he wants to contact them regarding an important matter. These emails are not legitimate! Please do not click on the return email address to respond. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Centering Prayer: A Life Practice with Brother James Dowd, OSB Monk-in-residence, Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, Prior of Incarnation Monastery and the Benedictine Way. Saturday, June 13, 2026 9:00 AM – 12:00PM Saint Francis Episcopal Church 14 E. 20th Street, Scottsbluff, NE Do you struggle with how to be still or how to gain some inner silence? Have you wondered what Centering Prayer is? Want to know more about it? Looking for a new and meaningful prayer practice? On Saturday, June 13th, Br. James Dowd will present a workshop on Centering Prayer. Br. James has practiced for many years as a Benedictine monk, and he will share his wealth of knowledge and experience with us. This is open to everyone. ALL are invited to this special event. We will meet in the Church Sanctuary. If you plan to attend or have any questions, please call/text Christie Shaver at 308-641-6281. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Those who serve, Sunday, June 14, 9am Musician Barb Becker Media Team Steve Trickler Ushers Kathy Shambaugh, Diane Morrison Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Walker Anderson, Monica Shambaugh Worship Leader Br. James Dowd, OSB Lector/Intercessor Ann Peterson Eucharistic Minister Clark Wisniewski Altar Guild Nancy Kepler, Monica and Kathy Shambaugh Coffee Hosts Karen Larson, Ann Peterson Flowers: Don & Nancy Kepler In general thanksgiving Upcoming Events at St. Francis: Friday 6/12 Men’s Bible Study 8a Library Saturday 6/13 Ladies Salad Luncheon 11:30a Parish Hall Centering Prayer Workshop with Brother James 9a-12p Sunday 6/14 Sunday Worship 9a St Francis Joyful Noise Offering will be today Tuesday 6/16 Centering Prayer 11a Wednesday 6/17 Lectionary Bible Study resumes after Summer Thursday 6/18 Discipleship Group resumes after Summer Friday 6/19 Men’s Bible Study 8a Library Sunday 6/21 Sunday Worship 9a St Francis ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ From the Office—Ann’s Announcements Birthdays: Jenny Bohl June 14 Kevin Lehr June 15 Jake Collins June 15 Dana Samson June 17 Joyful Noise Offering will be Sunday, June 14th Emergency Pastoral Care Pastor Kathy Montira, ELCA Sr. Pastor, Calvary Lutheran Church (308) 632-8023, 8:30a-2:30P Monday-Friday (308) 874-6021 after hours 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. 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.  Since we are not having Godly Play classes during the summer, we will be mailing out a Junior church bulletin to your child who has attended our Sunday School classes each week. We will have other Junior bulletins available to be picked up at church each week. We will mail those that are not picked up, if your child would like to receive them. Thank you from the teachers for sharing your children with us. Have a great summer.   _______________________June 4, 2026_______________________ A Message from Mary Greetings Friends! As I write this, God is blessing us with some rain! It makes me mindful of all the blessings we regularly receive at St Francis. Particularly, blessings of people willing to give of their time and talents. My message to you this week is full of recognition and gratitude for several of these people. First, I want to recognize and thank Sarah Schaaf and the multitude of volunteers who worked so diligently on our 2nd Annual Blessed Creations Fair. The new “Blind Date with a Book” feature was well received, the bake sale sold out and the addition of the pizza truck was genius! The Fair raised over $3,000 for the parish. Steve Trickler is a new member of the Vestry and has jumped in with both feet! He actively participated in the Vestry workshop that we had with Bishop Barker and Canon Liz in February. At the workshop, we had really good discussions about our parish community and how to enhance connections among our parish members. Steve had an idea about hosting a “Game Night” and has made that happen. “Game Night” happens on the 3rd Sunday at 6pm. From all accounts, it is a load of fun and joy. Many thanks to Steve for taking an idea and making it a reality. As I have been thinking about our parish life during our search for a new Rector, I have asked Monica Shambaugh to head up a Worship Committee. Monica and her team will be responsible for all things related to our Sunday morning worship. She will coordinate with the Diocese to bring in supply priests or other worship leaders and may be asking various parish members to lead Morning Prayer or participate in other ways. Assignment of Acolytes, Lay Eucharist Ministers, Lector/Intercessors and Ushers will continue to be done through the MPS app. Mike Schingle has agreed to work with Ann Salomon in approving all the bills and making sure that part of our fiscal responsibilities is handled correctly. There are a couple of housekeeping items during this transition for your consideration:
Last Fall, St Francis was selected to be the host for this year’s Annual Council. It will be held on Oct 22 – 24 and we expect around 200 people from parishes across the state. Karen Larson has agreed to head our Task force for the host church responsibilities. I urge you to be receptive if Karen asks you to participate in some way. Finally, I want to express my thanks and good wishes to Rev Erin. Among other contributions, she made sure that St Francis was a vital partner in Cooperative Ministries and forged a strong partnership with the First Presbyterian Church in growing our Youth program. We will be hosting a Good-bye Reception for Rev Erin after worship on Sunday, 5/31. Please plan to come by and wish her well as she moves to the next stop on her life’s journey. I close this missive with a grateful heart for all the people who give to St Francis so willingly of their time and talents. Blessings, Mary ___________________________________________________  Centering Prayer: A Life Practice with Brother James Dowd, OSB Monk-in-residence, Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, Prior of Incarnation Monastery and the Benedictine Way. Saturday, June 13, 2026 9:00 AM – 12:00PM Saint Francis Episcopal Church 14 E. 27th Street, Scottsbluff, NE Do you struggle with how to be still or how to gain some inner silence? Have you wondered what Centering Prayer is? Want to know more about it? Looking for a new and meaningful prayer practice? On Saturday, June 13th, Br. James Dowd will present a workshop on Centering Prayer. Br. James has practiced for many years as a Benedictine monk, and he will share his wealth of knowledge and experience with us. This is open to everyone. ALL are invited to this special event. We will meet in the Church Sanctuary. If you plan to attend or have any questions, please call/text Christie Shaver at 308-641-6281. ___________________________________________________  Retired United Methodist pastor Teri Lucas has graciously invited Saint Francis members to join in a summer study on the series The Chosen. The first session will be on Friday, June 5, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the parlor at The Vine United Methodist, 2002 4th Avenue, Scottsbluff. (For the security of their daycare, only the door on 4th Avenue off their parking lot is open during the week.) While the sessions are connected you'll still get something out of them if you aren't able to attend every week. (Pastor Teri says, "It will be a joy to have you join in no matter how many times you are with us.") All are welcome!  From the Office—Ann’s Announcements
Birthdays: Mary Bowman June 7 Elliot Selzer June 11 Anniversaries: Don & Nancy Kepler June 10 Brett & Demuri Parrish June 11 Since we are not having Godly Play classes during the summer, we will be mailing out a Junior church bulletin to your child who has attended our Sunday School classes each week. There is a note to parents on the inside, and activities for the kids about Trinity Sunday (which is this Sunday). We will have other Junior bulletins available to be picked up at church each week. We will mail those that are not picked up, if your child would like to receive them. Thank you from the teachers for sharing your children with us. Have a great summer. UTO box offerings total $516.22! Thank you for your generosity! Jenny Bohl and Ann Peterson Emergency Pastoral Care Pastor Kathy Montira, ELCA Sr. Pastor, Calvary Lutheran Church (308) 632-8023, 8:30a-2:30P Monday-Friday (308) 874-6021 after hours 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. 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. |
Rev. Erin Rath
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