Thursday Announcements for May 28th, 2020

FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

1) This Sunday Fr. Bob will be celebrating and Monica Shambaugh will be preaching, so be sure to tune in to our facebook live feed using the link on our website (www.saintf.org) where you can also download the program. 

2) For a couple of weeks we did a Zoom Coffee Hour, and while it was great to see the folks who did "zoom in," it wasn't super popular, so unless folks storm the castle in protest, we won't continue doing that for now.

3) This week Bishop Scott shared his latest guidance for reopening our parishes. The short version is that July 5th remains the earliest date any Episcopal church in the diocese may reopen for public worship, however no parish may do so without submitting a written plan to the diocese which demonstrates that the number of COVID-19 cases is in decline in their community, that ample testing is available, and that the parish has put proper distancing and sanitizing procedures in place to assure the safest possible environment. We have a small working group putting our plan together, and will present it to the vestry at its June meeting for amendment, approval, and submission when the time is right. So, for June and maybe longer, online live-streamed services will be our best and only option.

4) When we are able to gather again for worship, we will still continue to livestream our 10:00 A.M. Sunday service and, through a combination of a generous grant from the Diocesan Clarkson Foundation and parish non-restricted memorial funds, are now in the process of upgrading our A/V equipment to allow us to send out a high-quality stream without disrupting those worshiping in-person. 

5) This week I announced two new online zoom classes:

• "Inwardly Digest -- A Deep Dive into the Prayer Book" -- for those who want to know more about the Book of Common Prayer, how it came to be such an important part of our tradition and how to use it in our daily lives. Warning -- there will be homework :) Link to sign-up here:  https://saintf.breezechms.com/form/158c80
• Beginner's Bible Class -- an invitation to those who are looking for an overview of the Bible and how to study it in community and individually. For more info and to sign-up, use this link: https://saintf.breezechms.com/form/c6ee03

6) Finally, I continue to pray that you are staying safe and finding joy during this time. It seems like forever since we have all been together, and I miss you all terribly and I know you miss each other and the space and the fellowship. All we can do is stay the course and take care of one another as best we can. This will pass. And we will find ourselves in a new and better place when it does. +

GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

1) Prayer Requests: We will start including Prayers for healing in the Sunday Bulletin again, so until we are meeting in person, please email your prayer requests to Gina at [email protected].  If you do not have email, just call the church and leave a message. The requests must received by Tuesday for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If the request is received after Tuesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin. We will follow the same process and keep the names on for two weeks.

2) ALL IN-PERSON SERVICES SUSPENDED FOR NOW SUNDAY’S 10 A.M. SERVICES WILL BE LIVE STREAMED ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE – Saint Francis Episcopal Church  (Saint must be spelled out, do not abbreviate)
If you do not have Facebook, you can go to our website www.saintf.org
 
3) Birthday’s and Anniversaries: I am working on updating our database program with birthday’s and anniversary dates. If you would like your anniversary; you and/or your child’s birthday listed on the Thursday Announcements please email at [email protected] or call the church and leave a message with the date(s). It’s up to you if you want to include the year, I do not list the year. Thanks

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 The Forward Day by Day Meditation for May 28, 2020 
THURSDAY, May 28                           Mechthild of Magdeburg

John 13:14-15 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.
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From the Archives: May 2, 1939
Scene: A missionary hospital
Visitor: It seems to be a busy place. Doctor: Busy? Yes; 400 patients are too many. Which would you select to turn away?
Visitor: How about this man? Doctor: He’s blind—double cataract. We had planned to operate and give him sight. Visitor: Oh, no. Not him then…this old woman looks able to wait. What’s wrong with her? Doctor: She has a beginning cancer. There is still time to operate. Do you choose to have her sent away? No? You do not wish to be responsible for sending anyone away? Well, neither do we.
Ministering to the sick in a mission hospital is not the only response to Jesus’ question, “Do you know what I have done to you?” Christ has a heart for the wronged and destressed everywhere. Your love will go and help wherever his heart is turning.

MOVING FORWARD: Read the prayer “For Today“ in the back of this book. What can you do today to keep from “minding little stings or giving them?”
PRAY for the Dioceses of Limerick & Killaloe (Ireland) and Spokane  
Ps 105:1-22 * 105:23-45 | Zechariah 4:1-14 | Ephesians 4:17-32 | Matthew 9:1-8

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. (work from home)
Thursday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (work from home)