Thursday Announcements May 7th, 2020

FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Good morning to all! This glorious weather we've had -- including one of the nicest rainstorms I can remember -- has me thinking of summer and travel and golf and picnics and all kinds of stuff that I know may not be possible, at least in the same way and to the same extent as past summers. That makes me sad and, if I'm honest, a little hacked off. I don't know who or what to be mad at, but there it is. The only thing I can imagine to do to get unstuck from these unhelpful feelings is to do my best to live in the moment, be grateful for what I do have and what I can do, and try to be of service to others. This is, I think, God's way and frankly I am not always as good at it as I pretend to be. But today I begin again...

Here are my announcements for May 7:

1) Homemade masks are beginning to come in for Steve Trickler's Native American Mask Project. As I said last week, our Native American communities are being hit particularly hard by this pandemic, and many are in desperate need of protective equipment. If this is something you would like to help with you can make or buy masks and drop them off at the church this week and next and Steve will gather and send them. If you would like to have them picked up, just leave a message on the church phone and I'll make arrangements with you. Thanks to those who have already contributed and thanks in advance to those who will contribute soon, and especially thanks to Steve for coordinating this important ministry!

2) Our Communications Team has been hard at work updating our church "Do You Belong" booklet, which contains all kinds of useful information about the parish ministries and ways to contact folks and get involved here at St. Francis. The latest version is now available (another update is in the works for when we are able to re-gather for worship) and I will send it out this afternoon as a PDF file that you can print at home. Take a look. See where you fit here. See what goes on and who to reach when you need information. Join a Ministry Team. There is a place for you here! In fact, there are lots of places where your specific gifts and talents can make a difference in this church and in this community. Watch for the piece to arrive in your in-box.

And while we're at it, there are two more documents we will be sending this week.

3) The first is the most recent Parish Directory, again sent as a downloadable PDF. When you get it, if you see that your information is not up to date, or if you want a picture added (or changed), just call Gina and she'll make it happen. 

4) The second document you'll receive soon is your Quarterly Giving Report for Jan-Mar 2020. While this is an extraordinary time in our country and in our church and we know financial positions are changing, it is our hope that many in our congregation are able to keep up a regular support of the church. We will likely be deferring or cutting expenditures in anticipation of some level of reduction in gifts. We don’t have a lot of fat to give up, some of it may be felt. At the same time, we are excited about the Diocese charge to continue a video service and maybe more even after we are able to gather again. More about that soon! 

GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
***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]. The requests must emailed by Tuesday for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If receive after Tuesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin.

***This Week’s Schedule     May 10th – May 16th
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
 
The Forward Day by Day Meditation for April 30th, 2020
Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
From the Archives: April 1, 1946
“Serve” is one of Christ’s own words. And where shall his servants serve? Right where he is, at home, those nearest him, his neighbor.
Today we look upon a most woeful world. It seems burst like a fragmentation bomb. Is there any earthly hope of these warring factions coming together? Not much. But there is a heavenly chance.
Let us stand by statesmen, arbitrators, and conciliators, as they seek to bring warring factions together. They work like frantic seamen pumping out a leaky ship who trust the ship will hold together.
What can save us is God’s mercy and the Divine impulse that knits millions of little families together in the service of mutual love—and that other family, the Church.
MOVING FORWARD: Reach out to someone from whom you’ve been estranged.
PRAY for the Dioceses of Kitigi and Kwara (both in Nigeria)
Ps 50 * [59,60] or 114, 115 | Exodus 34:1-17 | 1 Thessalonians 2:12-20 | Matthew 5:21-26
 
Congratulations and God’s Blessing to those celebrating Birthdays or Wedding Anniversaries this month!!
May Birthdays
May 1         Nate Kelley                    
May 2         John Simmons
May 4         Josie Meyer
May 6         Fernando Moreno
May 8         William Croft
May 12       Lisa Brenner, Cindy Dickinson
May 13       Sydney Petitt
May 14       Tylor Petitt, Cheri Witko, Karen Larson
May 15       Sharon Santero, Janet Craven
May 19       Sadie Davis, Lola Parrish, Cooper Feltes
May 21       Donetta Petitt, Rae Whitney
May 24       Lia Selvey
May 25       Travis Ironshell
May 26       Nancy Kepler, Jill Young, Conlan Cron
May 27       Kira Bowhay
May 29       Stan Eskam
May 30       Clark Wisniewski, Jon Meyer, Brian Croft
May 31       Julie Fancher
 
May Wedding Anniversaries
May 4          Rick & Christy Anderson
May 5          Rick &Vicky Gable
May 20        Greg & Ann Peterson
May 22        Erik & Lori Peterson
May 24        Dan & Cindy Dickinson
May 26        John & Ann Selzer
May 28        Brad & Jana Bode
May 29        Kevin & Nikole Leonard
Gina’s Office Hours
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (work from home)
Wednesday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (work from home)
Thursday  9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (work from home)