Thursday Announcements for January 14, 2021

FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
1) The funeral service for our dear Ruth Masid will be this Saturday at 10:00
A.M. Seating in the church is limited to immediate family, but you can join us
online using the usual link on our website. Ruth was a longtime faithful member
of this parish, and although she hasn’t been able to attend in person for several
years, she will be deeply missed and never forgotten. I will always remember her
smiling face in the front pews.
 
2) Don’t forget to get those Annual Meeting reports in this week! We will put
them together with minutes and agenda and send the Annual Meeting packet
out by the 27th, along with a link to the Zoom meeting. If you need help figuring
out how to use Zoom to join a meeting, here is a link to a short YouTube video
The Annual Meeting is Sunday, January 31st at 11:30 A.M. If you don’t have
access to a computer to join that way, we have limited seating in the parish hall,
call Gina to sign up.

3) We have wrapped up our 2021 Pledge Campaign, and since this year was
so different we have a slightly different approach. If you sent in or emailed or
called with a 2021 pledge amount, we will use that number for our records. If
you haven’t contacted us but have been a giver in the past, we have used your
2020 pledge/giving amount as your 2021 pledge. This is really just so that we
can plan and make reasonable budget assumptions for this year. Please
remember that a pledge is not a contract and everybody’s life changes so
estimates of giving are just that – not set in stone – so feel free to adjust as the
year goes on. I will say more in a letter that is coming soon, but I do hope you
know how much I appreciate everything that you do and give and share that
​ keeps this ministry alive and growing. You really are amazing.

GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
                                         Happy Birthday!!
       Lynn Okicki             January 17           Ben Shaver    January 17
       Saydee Peterson   January 17            Ben Sauer       January 20

Gina’s Schedule --  Starting Tuesday, January 19th, I will back to my
regular “In 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.

2020 Giving Statements – The Giving Statements for 2020 were emailed
out today and those who do not have an email address, I have printed the
statements and they have been mailed out 1/14/2021. If you have any
questions or concerns, please feel free to call me during my office hours
or send an email to stfrancis@allophone.com.
 
***Daily Devotion for Thursday January 14, 2020***
CALLED AND KNOWN
The 5 Steps – Pause * Listen * Think * Pray * Go
Pause
Take, o take me as I am.
Summon out what I shall be.
Set your seal upon my heart,
And live in me.
from "Take, O Take Me As I Am" by John L. Bell (1995)
Listen
Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down
and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You
study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my
ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know
completely. You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me.
That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I
can’t reach it.
Psalm 139:1-6
Think
Have you ever had a really special friend? This person might have been
able to complete every last word of your sentence. Sometimes our friends
may even know us better than we know ourselves, and they’re able to
speak into parts of us we didn’t even know existed. How does it feel to be
known and loved like that?
Regardless of how strong an earthly friendship might be, moments of
conflict may arise. As imperfect people, we may make an ill-timed joke,
feel snubbed in the school hallway or all together lonely and left out. The
best friendships leave room for apology and reconnection despite difficult
moments.
If all that could be true about a relationship with another imperfect person,
consider how much deeper that bond might be with the one who created
you. God knows you better than your best friend – good moments and bad
– and still loves you immensely. There’s no conflict there; simply an
invitation to accept God’s love and grace and an invitation to share those
with others.
Daniel Potter
Pray
Thank you, God, for being the perfect friend – one who knows me so
intimately, who understands me so well, who celebrates joys, and who
mourns my sorrows. Remind me today that there is no conflict in our
relationship, but simply an invitation. Give me the peace that comes from
being known by you and the strength to follow wherever you may lead.
Amen.
Go
The Creator of the Cosmos, the one who formed all that was or is or will
be, is the same God who breathed breath into you, the one who knit you
together, the one who knows you best, and the one who calls you.
Know this gift more deeply today, and share it as freely as you received it:
You are called and known.
 
***These daily devotionals are available at www.d365.org  
 
 
Gina’s Office Hours
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office)
Wednesday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office)
Thursday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office)