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1) Prayer Gathering this Saturday at 12:00 P.M. in Centennial Park. Saturday at noon there there will be a short prayer service for racial justice and unity. Folks will be there from lots of churches (Presbyterians, Methodists, Espicopalians, etc.) and anyone who wishes to can bring and say a prayer. Masks and social distancing required. This is an apolitical event hosted by local faith communities. I'll be there. Come and join us! 2) Last Sunday we had about 35-40 in the sanctuary, and it was so great to see so many of you in person! It felt like a crowd! We even had one in the overflow seating in the parish hall, who reported that the picture and sound were really clear. I know cases are rising in the northern panhandle, but we are still within our guidelines here and continuing to worship in-person. If you are not in a high-risk group, and are missing the space and the people, come and worship together. I do recommend coming a little early not just to make sure you get your favorite side (har!) but also just to enjoy some quiet in the space. I know folks are missing that as much as anything. We're a ways from being back to normal, but we are moving in the right direction. 3) This afternoon local artist Doug Hovett will be installing the cross we commissioned above our north entrance doors. Halleluia! This has been a long time in the works and I am so excited to see the result! Thank you to our Foundation and other generous donors who covered the cost of this project. 4) Speaking of generosity, I want to personally thank each and every one of you for your continued and faithful financial support of this parish during this crazy time. I know you haven't been able to come to church for many months, and I know that most folks just drop their gifts in the plate on Sundays. But even though that pattern has not been available, so many of you have mailed your pledge or donated online that we're a little behind, but not dramatically or dangerously so. We'll be fine and we will get through this together. Honestly, thank you for sticking with us and helping us figure this out. You are pretty incredible. GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Happy Birthday!! Happy Anniversary!! Alan Johnson August 30 Thomas Jones & Carolyn Pevey September 2 Karen Anderson September 1 Kathy Tabor September 2 Prayer Requests: The prayer request sheet is still just outside the office in the church and is updated weekly. Anyone may still email your prayer requests to me at stfrancis@allophone.com. If you do not have email, just call the church and leave a message. Since, I am back in the office, the requests must be received on by Wednesday at the latest, for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If the request is received after Wednesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin. We will follow the same process and keep the names on for two weeks. Once the prayer request is received, it is added to the prayer list and then I email the names to have them added to the Prayer Chain and to the Daughters of the King. Daily Devotion for Thursday August 27, 2020 The 5 Steps – Pause * Listen * Think * Pray * Go Pause Consider. God is offering you rest and joy. What’s keeping you from grasping hold of these gifts? Listen “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I am gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Think I’ve struggled with this text. After many years of being told all of the things I need to do to be a good Christian, how can I accept that following Jesus is easy or light? Where is the rest if I am supposed to be “taking up my cross” every day? That sounds hard, painful even. And, it is… especially if my heart is torn between all sorts of different motivations. I want to impress my friends, be popular at school, look good, make the best grades, and be happy all the time. I can hear Jesus saying, “Wow, you have a lot of bosses in your life. How can you please them all?” Maybe the secret is in simplicity. Maybe the calling is to set aside all of these conflicting motives. Perhaps the rest that is being offered comes when we set aside everything else but one thing, pleasing God. When God is all that matters, discipleship becomes joy, the joy of simply being who God created us to be. What are your true motives? Are they confused and conflicting? Maybe it’s time you found rest in God. Wade Griffith Pray God, why do I make everything so confusing and messy? Come into my life with your big eraser, and erase all that is not of you. Erase those things that muddle my thinking and keep me chasing after false happiness. Help me find my rest in you. Amen. Go Don’t think, “Yes, in the future, I ought to…” Instead, do it. Do it now. 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. FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS 1) Last week’s initial re-gathering for worship was super meaningful for me, and I hope for the 35 or so present. It was so wonderful to see the faces of those I love and to worship, pray, and receive communion together. We will continue to worship in-person as long as our local cases remain low, which is true as of this writing. If you are able and low-risk, come back and worship in the sanctuary. If you are high-risk or unsure, online will always be an option, and one we hope to continually improve. Either way, your presence is important and your prayer and support are critical to our mission and ministry, and more so during this time of disruption. Hang in there! We are finding our way through, and God has never left our side. One last note — if you have been longing to sit in the sanctuary and just rest in the peace of the sacred space, think about arriving early. Things really start to buzz about 10 min ’til and if you just want to take a minute in quiet, 9:40 is the sweet spot! 2) We have about 8 folks signed up for our Wednesday Sack Lunch ministry. If you would like to get involved, just shoot me an email or text and I’ll send you a sign-up schedule, There are three jobs — shopping for the food, packing the lunches, and distributing them in front of the church. No single job takes more than an hour. The two weeks we have offered this, we gave away 35 lunches each time. The first week we ran out in 15 minutes, the second week we had 12 lunches left after an hour and I took them to the Capri where the office hands them out to the needy folks who are staying there. I do believe this ministry, which we are doing in partnership with the Methodist Church, is needed, and as the one who handed out the lunches both weeks, I can testify that it is both easy and fun. 3) Speaking of ministry, last Sunday we again offered Laundry Love, a shared ministry with our friends at First Presbyterian, this time at East Overland. This is growing into a much anticipated and much appreciated gift to the community, which people are now calling and inquiring about. I am so thankful for the idea generated by our Thursday Discipleship Group, and especially to the many dedicated volunteers who joyfully commit their time to make this work! GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Happy Birthday!! Happy Anniversary!! Ann Selzer August 20 Greg & Collette Suhr August 21 Kamden Leonard August 21 Jean Hilyard August 23 Mandi Sauer August 24 Robin Biltjinitis August 26 Sean McKeehan August 26 John Wymore August 26 (Update) Prayer Requests: The prayer request sheet is still just outside the office in the church and is updated weekly. Anyone may still email your prayer requests to me at stfrancis@allophone.com. If you do not have email, just call the church and leave a message. Since, I am back in the office, the requests must be received on by Wednesday at the latest, for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If the request is received after Wednesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin. We will follow the same process and keep the names on for two weeks. Once the prayer request is received, it is added to the prayer list and then I email the names to have them added to the Prayer Chain and to the Daughters of the King. Daily Devotion for Thursday August 20, 2020 The 5 Steps – Pause * Listen * Think * Pray * Go Pause God, give me courage to take on this day. Jesus, give me words when I don’t know what to say. Spirit, give me breath so I can work and play. Listen Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 Think How are we supposed to “put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” when the world seems to be falling apart around us? Especially when the adults around us can’t seem to treat one another with dignity and respect? Sometimes society needs the young people to remind us of our collective values. At school, whether online or in person, we are expected to be kind, be patient, treat other with respect, and take responsibility for our own actions. Today God is reminding us how to be decent humans to one another. And if we are made in God’s image, then we can do this! Even when it’s hard to be humble, we can demonstrate humility. We can choose to be kind rather than cranky. In the attempt, we will feel better about ourselves, and others are likely to respond in kind. Can you help set an example today? Pray Holy One, bless me with the patience to be a gentle human today. Help me to hold back criticism and offer encouragement to my friends. Thank you for reminding me what it means to be made in your image with the capacity for kindness and creativity. Amen. Go Let me be a friend to those who have few friends, Let me find a friend when I feel lonely, Let me walk away from danger to safety, Help me to walk in the light and love of Jesus. 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. FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS So…we are doing it!! After what seems like forever, we are re-opening for worship this Sunday, August 16th at 10:00 A.M.! The data chart below shows that our local cases are below 4/day, which is the benchmark we have set for safely gathering in-person. If that number should go back up, we may need to close again, but for now, we are cleared to go by the Bishop! Here are a few things to remember as we come together again in this new way:
Here is a link to a youtube video showing how communion will work: https://youtu.be/Oq5EZ8F394g This is the next safest step in our return to some kind of new normal. It won’t always be this way, I promise. There will be some challenges and we may find ourselves back to online only if the number of local cases rises for any period of time. BUT – your safety is the number one concern. We have found a way to keep the traditions going and hold our little community together even as we isolate. Someday soon there will be a medical solution that allows us more flexibility. Until then, just know your Bishop, your clergy, your vestry, and all your parish leadership love you and pray for you regularly. Fr. Mark+  GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Happy Birthday!! Happy Anniversary!! Joe Leach August 14 Jack & Chris Webb August 14 Cory Foster August 16 Jim & Donetta Petitt August 18 Tracy Jackson August 19 (Update) Prayer Requests: The prayer request sheet is still just outside the office in the church and is updated weekly. Anyone may still email your prayer requests to me at stfrancis@allophone.com. If you do not have email, just call the church and leave a message. Since, I am back in the office, the requests must be received on by Wednesday at the latest, for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If the request is received after Wednesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin. We will follow the same process and keep the names on for two weeks. Once the prayer request is received, it is added to the prayer list and then I email the names to have them added to the Prayer Chain and to the Daughters of the King. Gina’s Office Hours Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (at the church) Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (at the church) Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (at the church)  RE-OPENING SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT HALLELUAH! This week we received the go-ahead from the Bishop to resume in-person worship on August 16th at 10:00 A.M., using masks, social distancing, safe communion practices, and cleaning before and after services. Our local new cases have been steady around 3/day (see graph) and we committed to continue to watch the numbers, closing again if the trendline rises above 4/day and then re-opening again when it declines. This will undoubtedly be a time of peaks and valleys in terms of new cases, and our goal is to have worship in person in the church when it is safe, but be ready to pull back when it is not. That seems the likely pattern until this thing is under control.  So -- now that you can come to church, the question is; "Should you?"
The answer is entirely dependent on two things:
Q: Will there be two services at this time? A: No, we are only planning a 10:00 A.M. service for now, but are open to changing if there is a need. Q: Will communion be available every week? A: Yes. Last week we sent an outline of safe procedures for receiving communion, and a video is coming out today or tomorrow demonstrating what that looks like. Q: Do I need to wear a mask the whole service? A: Yes, masks will be required during the entire service, except when you are actually consuming the host. Q: What if someone doesn't have a mask? A: No one will be allowed to worship in-person at this time without a mask. If you forget or don't have one, we have them available in the narthex and an usher will happily provide one for you. Q: Is hand sanitizer available? (An aside -- Lia calls this "hanitizer," which I think is actually a better name for it) A: Yes, there are three hands-free sanitizers in the church, one at the back door, one on the way into the sanctuary, and one at the steps to the parish hall. Q: How will we know where to sit and how to go to communion? A: Ushers will be on-hand to direct you to open seating and indicate when to come forward. Q: How many can worship in the sanctuary and what if too many people show up? A: We anticipate we can safely seat around 40 in the sanctuary, keeping six-foot distances between individuals and family groups sitting together. If more than 40 arrive, we have set up the parish hall with the livestream feed and can seat another 40 or so there. Honestly, if more than 80 people show up for service, we will have to cancel anyway because I will have died of shock :) Other churches in the area report small numbers in attendance, on the order of 20-30. If we exceed that, we will make a plan, I promise you. Q: Can I sit with my friends and/or family? A: Family groups can share a pew. Couples can sit together, and perhaps an individual can sit at the other end, space permitting. Individuals can share a pew, one on either end. Q: Will we use bulletins or prayerbooks? A: Bulletins as usual, placed in the pews where seating is allowed, to be left there for collection following the service. Q: Will there be music? A: Barb will play the piano, and on most Sundays Alyssa will sing the hymns as a soloist from a safe distance or behind the sneeze guard on the lectern. There will be no congregational singing at this time. Q: What if I forget what to do? A: Don't worry, there will be plenty of us present who have been working on this for months and we will assist you every step of the way. Q: Why are we going to all this trouble and when will we get "back to normal?" A: We are making all these (hopefully temporary) changes in order to have worship together and receive communion during this time of uncertainty. My commitment, and that of our Bishop and our Vestry, is that you will be safe in church. These steps represent the best guidance available to us at this time to lower or mitigate risk to your health and the health of those you love. So -- this is the plan. I am so looking forward to worshipping with folks in-person again, and I know many of you are feeling the same. Please be safe, stay home if it is safer for you or others, and keep the faith. This is progress! Love, Fr. Mark+ FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS 1) Watch your inbox for a "Back to Church Special" announcement coming later today. It was too long to include here, so I am sending it as an "Extra." 2) The Bishop has announced that the 2020 Annual Diocesan Council will be held virtually this year on a single day, Saturday October 17th. Our parish is allowed to have 3 voting members plus clergy. If you would like to participate, which would mean giving up most of the day on Oct 17th to sit and watch and vote online, please let me know. I think we have one voting spot spoken for, leaving two available. 3) Don't forget to contact The Rev. Judi Yeates at this email address motherjudi@earthlink.net this week if you are interested in joining the EFM group now forming across the state. For more information on EFM see this link. https://efm.sewanee.edu 4) Yesterday we prepared and gave away 30 sack lunches at noon in front of the church. We ran out in 15 minutes, which indicates there is some interest in the ministry. The United Methodist Church started this a few weeks ago and they have experienced the same kind of demand. We committed to try tow weeks and see if this is something we want to do regularly, thinking perhaps every other Wednesday. However, before I commit us, we will need more than the 5 volunteers we currently have. The tasks are: shopping on Monday for enough food for 30 sack lunches, preparing the lunches Wednesday morning, and sitting at a table and distributing them Wednesday 12-1. If we get 10 volunteers, that is 5 more than we currently have, I will give Pastor Collins the go-ahead that we are in. If not, it was worth a try. Volunteer by emailing or calling the office. Blessings, and watch your inbox for news about re-opening! Fr. Mark+ GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Happy Birthday!! Happy Anniversary!! Leticia Schnell August 8 Justin & Jenny Bohl August 10 Collette Suhr August 9 Ryan Hergenreder August 10 Jersey Joplin August 10 Shirley Mead August 10 *** If all goes as planned, I will be back in the church office again on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00am to 1:00pm starting on August 11th. Prayer Requests: Please email your prayer requests to Gina at stfrancis@allophone.com. If you do not have email, just call the church and leave a message. The requests must be received on Tuesday’s before 12:00pm for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If the request is received after 12:00pm on Tuesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin. We will follow the same process and keep the names on for two weeks. Once the request is received it is added to the prayer list and then I email the names to have them added to the Prayer Chain and to the Daughters of the King. The Forward Day by Day Meditation for August 6, 2020THURSDAY August 6 Feast of the TransfigurationJohn 21:4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. From the Archives: April 27, 1950 Life will come and with it will come our Lord. We shall likely not recognize him. But he finds us at our work and, not obstinate but ready to take a hint, he will give us success. We Christians are out to catch people. Lately we have not caught many. We work hard at it, desperately hard, but the net comes back empty. Don’t give up. Night is passing. Dawn is breaking. Who is that on the shore? He is the expert. He knows the ways of men. He is calling out directions—“the right side of the ship.” Let us start afresh in his way. There will be a heavy catch. What if the net breaks? We’ll mend it—a truer, more captivating Church! MOVING FORWARD: Do a little research on the history of veils. How does this help you understand them as a metaphor? PRAY for the Dioceses of Mbaise and Warri (both in Nigeria) Ps 99 or 99:5-9 | Exodus 34:29-35 | 2 Peter 1:13-21 | Luke 9:28-36 Gina’s Office Hours Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (at the church) Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (at the church) Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (at the church) |
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