Blog Archives

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

8/31/2023

Thursday Announcements September 7, 2023

ERIN’S EPISTLETTES

Earlier this week, I learned of a delightful event to which you are all invited. On Friday, September 22 at 3 p.m., Rae Whitney's friends from First Presbyterian Church will gather at the Residency dining hall to sing her hymns. Of course, tea will be served. Saint Francis is warmly invited to join them.
Thank you to all who completed the Adult Spiritual and Learning Opportunity Survey. I appreciate your time and input.
- I'll begin the sessions I facilitate with an introduction to the Bible. That three-part series will take place in the spring. Dates will be announced early next year.
- Some indicated an interest in participating in groups which meet more frequently. While I'm not able to facilitate those groups on an ongoing basis, I'm willing to coordinate their start. I compiled a resource list to help with this. If you're interested in leading or co-leading a group, please let me know.

Recent Attendance Trends
Month-to-Month
May: 65
June: 58
July: 46
August: 59

Six Month Averages
as of the end of June: 66
as of the end of July: 63
as of the end of August: 62

Threshold to add a second service Sundays: 90

From the office—Ann’s Announcements

Birthdays
Christy Anderson September 10
Noah Moreno September 11
Ralph Anderson       September 12
Greg Peterson       September 12
Wanda Mueller      September 13

Anniversaries
Clark & Amy Wisniewski      September 4

Pre/Early Teen Bible Study for Sunday mornings won't be starting on Sept10th.   However, the students (11, 12, 13 year-olds) are still welcome to attend the Godly Play classes until regular pre/early teen
classes begin.
       Because there was such limited interest or commitment shown last year among 11-14 year ages, we are asking if you would like your pre/early teens to attend a S.S. class, please contact Peggy Wymore at
436-1820 or [email protected] to learn more about what is offered and ask any questions you might have.   The class basically teaches the students what the Bible is about, how to find their way through
that Book, lessons from Bible characters and how they can apply them to their own lives.
We will announce a date for starting these classes when Peggy sees there is an interest. (An interest means even one or two who plan to attend regularly -- as possible).
     The classes will be held during church as is "Godly Play". If the students are acolytes on one of those Sundays, there will be a make-up lesson during coffee hour.

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

We have the Forward Day by Day’s for August- October 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

8/17/2023

Thursday Announcements August 31, 2023

ERIN’S EPISTLETTES

Godly Play resumes the Sunday after Labor Day. Co-coordinators Barb Manasek and Peggy Wymore carefully chose a set of new lessons on the saints. I look forward to hearing the children's thoughts and feedback on these new materials. And I thank Barb, Peggy and all our faithful volunteers for their compassionate, loving service!
Thank you to all who joined us for the first few gatherings of Evening Prayer on Zoom! This takes place Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. To register and receive weekly reminders with the meeting ID and access code, please visit this link. Let me know if I can provide technical help.
I was recently asked, "Do you take hymn suggestions?" The answer is yes! I don't plan to set up a formal process for this. If you have a suggestion, please provide it in writing (paper, email, text).

From the office—Ann’s Announcements

Birthdays
Elsi Nielsen September 6
Madi Collins September 8
Ann Salomon September 8

Saint Francis will co-host a Blessing of the Animals with First Presbyterian Church at Centennial Park on Sunday, October 1 at 2 p.m. 🐈🐕‍🦺🦜

Please save the date.*

*Watch on Facebook for any changes due to inclement weather.

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

We have the Forward Day by Day’s for August- October 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

8/10/2023

Thursday Announcements August 24, 2023

ERIN’S EPISTLETTES

Thank you to all who completed the Adult Spiritual and Learning Opportunity Survey. I appreciate your time and input. Some highlights:
- 19 parishioners responded.
- Topics of greatest interest were prayer, Gospel parables, an introduction to the Bible, and applying faith to daily life.
I'll begin the sessions I facilitate with an introduction to the Bible.
- That three-part series will take place in the spring. Dates will be announced early next year.
I'll share information about lay-led study groups as those form.
- If you did not take the survey but are interested in participating in or even leading one, please let me know.

Some have inquired about the best way to offer support for fire relief in Hawaii. The Bishop of Hawaii, Robert Fitzpatrick, is on the ground and providing immediate relief in and through our Episcopal communities and beyond. You can send a check to:

The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i
Attn: Bishop’s Pastoral Fund (Maui Relief)
229 Queen Emma Square
Honolulu, HI 96813-2304

Last Sunday's loose offering for the discretionary fund ($115) was donated to this important cause. Your continued prayers are also welcome.

From the office—Ann’s Announcements

The ECW will be hosting an Ice Cream Social Fund Raiser for Sam Selzer on Sunday, August 27th from
3-5pm, in the Parish Hall.

All donations go to the Selzer Family to help with expenses in the Treatment of Sam’s leukemia.

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

Birthdays
Alan Johnson August 30
Karen Anderson September 1
Kathy Tabor September 2

Anniversaries
Carolyn Pevey & Tom Jones September 2

There will be a Sunday School meeting this Sunday, the 27th . . .
it is a make-up meeting for any teachers, helpers and interested inquiries who couldn't make it last Sunday, regarding our classes for children. Again, it will be right after church . . . pick up your refreshments and come upstairs to the Godly Play room.

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

Saint Francis will co-host a Blessing of the Animals with
First Presbyterian Church at Centennial Park on Sunday,
October 1 at 2 p.m. 🐈🐕‍🦺🦜 Please save the date.*

*Watch on Facebook for any changes due to inclement weather.

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

8/3/2023

Thursday Announcements August 10, 2023

ERIN’S EPISTLETTES

The Blessing of the Backpacks is this upcoming Sunday!
- Students are encouraged to bring their backpacks.
- Teachers and staff are also encouraged to attend.
- We'll have special, school-themed treats at coffee hour!
We'll resume a midweek worship option beginning August 23, a week from Wednesday.
- The format will be Evening Prayer, Rite II.
- This service will be held at 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays.
- Outside of the season of Lent, it will only be available virtually.
- To encourage continued interaction, we'll host using Zoom rather than Facebook livestream.
  - Though Zoom offers the option to record sessions, for pastoral reasons this service will not be.
  - You can access Zoom free of charge and do not need a login to access this gathering.
- To participate, you'll need the meeting ID and passcode. For security reasons, this information won't be published electronically. There are two ways to get it:
  - If you register here, the ID and password will be emailed to you. You'll receive an email containing the meeting day, time and access codes.
  - Business-size cards listing the ID and password will be available in the narthex Sundays.

From the office—Ann’s Announcements

Birthdays
Cory Foster August 16
Donald Graham August 19

Anniversaries
Jim & Donetta Petitt August 18

The ECW will be hosting an Ice Cream Social Fund Raiser for Sam Selzer on Sunday,
August 28th from 3-5pm, in the Parish Hall.
All donations go to the Selzer Family to help with expenses
in the Treatment of Sam’s leukemia.

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

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

DioNeb Youth at EYE 2023
DioNeb youth and chaperones arrived safely on the 4th of July to this year's EYE (Episcopal Youth Event) at the University of Maryland. The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs shared a summary of their first day: Participants heard from Bishop Deon K. Johnson of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. He challenged them from the book of Esther to “get up, dress up, and show up ‘for such a time as this’ … Don’t get tripped up on what has been,” Johnson said. “Look forward to what God is calling you to.”

Our group has shared a collection of selfies, pictured below, that they took with Bishops at EYE (and our own Bishop - virtually!), and some pictures at the National Cathedral. Updates from the DioNeb group will be shared on the DioNeb Facebook page, and if you'd like to keep up with the whole event, you can follow the EYE Facebook page.

Clockwise from top left: Picture with a selfie sent to us by Bishop Barker who couldn’t make it to EYE this year, one with newly consecrated Bishop Anne Jolly of Ohio, one with our first speaker, Bishop Dean of Missouri, and one with Bishop Loya of Minnesota who we all love for his Nebraska roots. - from Dean Katie Hargis

Bread & Prayer: The Future of Church Leadership
in Western Nebraska

Sixteen of DioNeb's fifty parishes are planted west of North Platte. These congregations reflect the diversity of western Nebraska and our Episcopal way – celebrating the beauty of God’s creation through word and sacrament in largely rural and small-town contexts. Critically, our Episcopal churches serve their communities through impactful outreach ministries and provide safe spaces for Christians who seek a spiritual home that is open-minded and accepting.

As church and population demographics change, it is essential that our parishes continue to proclaim the Good News by blooming where they're planted. Join Bishop Barker on Saturday, August 5, from 11 am – 3 pm MT, at St. Francis, Scottsbluff to explore ways that the Diocese of Nebraska can continue to ensure a healthy and bright future for the Episcopal Church in Western Nebraska. RSVP to Lachisha Baskin to attend. Lunch will be provided.

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EfM Zoom Group Seeking New People

Need something challenging that furthers your knowledge of the Bible and the church? You might be a candidate for Education for Ministry (EfM)! EfM is the oldest adult formation program in the Episcopal Church, started in the 1970’s at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. It is designed to prepare lay people for ministry in their parishes and communities, and answer questions along the way. EfM is a 4-year study: Year 1 - Old Testament; Year 2 - New Testament; Year 3 - History of Christianity; and Year 4 - Theology. We encourage you to commit one year at a time.

EfM groups have 6-12 people, and the DioNeb Zoom group is seeking new members for Year One. The group meets at 1:30-3:30 pm CT each Sunday afternoon from Sept. through May with time off for Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter. There is a fee of about $10/week. The group is co-mentored by Dr. Sandra Squires and Tammy Lassen. Contact Sandra to register. See Rev. Erin for scholarship information. For more information, please visit the diocesan EfM page.

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

What's Happening at St. Francis this week

Rev. Erin Rath

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