  March 8, 2026  Due to an unforeseen, regularly scheduled conflict, the pattern of our midweek services will change. Moving forward, our midday, midweek Eucharist will take place the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 12:15 p.m. Our Evening Prayer gatherings on Zoom will take place the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 6 p.m. This change will take effect Wednesday, March 11. The ecumenical lectionary study met at Saint Francis following Tuesday's Lenten Lunch. While we may come from different denominational perspectives, all were in agreement on an important point: Saint Francis' soups were delicious and the hospitality was wonderful. Many thanks to the many volunteers who made this possible! ~Rev. Erin+   A Message from Mary Dear Friends – I can hardly believe it is already almost March! So much has already happened this year and there is so much more to come! In January, we held our Annual Meeting and you elected 5 new Vestry members. Steve Trickler, Charlie Kennedy, Dyllan Coop, Jake Collins and Janet Craven joined Mike Schingle as your Vestry. Kathy Shambaugh continues as your Junior Warden and I will continue as Senior Warden. In February, Bishop Barker and Canon Liz visited us and led a terrific Vestry workshop over two days. One unsurprising, yet reaffirming, outcome from the Vestry Retreat was the consistent declaration that St Francis is a warm, inclusive community. It is true that there is a “Spirit of Warmth and Sense of Belonging” here. This is the foundation upon which we will build in 2026 as we focus on Growth and Engagement. As an extension of the Vestry’s focus on this, we will repurpose the Stewardship and Engagement team as our Growth and Engagement team. Currently, Jill Young, Connie Schingle, Judi Widmaier and Jeane Anderson are the members of this team. We will need more hands and hearts to join this team and coordinate our efforts for Growth and Engagement in 2026. If you have a passion for reaching out and inviting others to join our St Francis community and/or engaging our current parish members to be active in our community, I invite you to join the Growth and Engagement team. We meet the first Thursday of each month at 6 pm. Three projects continued from 2025 include an updated Membership Directory, a new bulletin board, and an update of our website. Updated Membership Directories are available from Ann in the office. A new bulletin board that will feature our wonderful ministry volunteers will soon be installed in the Parish Hall. If you have pictures of volunteers, please provide them to Ann. Our website (saintf.org) has been updated! Check it out! If you find anything that needs to be corrected, or if you have suggestions for additions, let me know. I am excited about 2026 and our opportunities to share with our neighbors that Saint Francis is truly a community that shows “A Spirit of Warmth, a Sense of Belonging”. Will you join me? Mary _________________________________________________________________ Those who serve, Sunday, March 8, 9am Musician Barb Becker Media Team Jack Schaaf Ushers Richard Gable, Sarah Schaaf Acolyte Master Clark Wisniewski Acolytes Emma Schaaf, Will Schaaf Lector/Intercessor Bill Mann Eucharistic Minister Beth McKibbin Altar Guild Collette Suhr, Ann Peterson, Jane Sayre Coffee Hosts Mary Bowman, Barb Manasek Upcoming Events at St. Francis: Tuesday 03/10 Centering Prayer 11:15a Library Lenten Lunch 12p Calvary Lutheran Wednesday 03/11 Midweek Eucharist 12:15p Mary Chapel Lectionary Study & Compline 3p Library Soup, Stations & Eucharist; Dinner 5:30p Parish Hall, Stations 6:15p Sanctuary Thursday 03/12 Discipleship Group 12p Library Friday 03/13 Men's Bible Study 8a Library Sunday 03/15 Morning Prayer St. Francis 9a Godly Play Sunday School 9a Conference Room From the Office—Ann’s Announcements  Birthdays: Charlie Kennedy March 9 Sammy Masid March 9 Landon Parrish March 9 Charlie Selzer March 11 To Brighten Your Day: On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League baseball game that was being played in the park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench near the base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was. ‘We’re behind 14 to nothing,’ he answered, with a smile. ‘Really,’ I said. ‘I have to say you don’t look very discouraged.’ ‘Discouraged?’ the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. ‘Why should we be discouraged? We haven’t even been up to bat yet.’ _________________________________________________________________ UTO offerings As we go about our daily lives--busy as they are-- it is easy to forget that there is something to be thankful for each and every day. Let your little blue box stand as your reminder to find something to be thankful for at the end of the day. -Give thanks for the good things that happen daily. For little things like a good parking spot on a busy day, sunshine for your family picnic, or a birthday card from a friend. For big things like recovery from a serious illness, a new job, or forgiveness and reconciliation after a long dispute. One act of prayerful, tangible thanksgiving at a time has a wider impact than you can possibly imagine. _________________________________________________________________ Prayer Requests
Prayer requests need to be received by Tuesday, if you’d like them to be printed in the bulletin. You may call (308) 632-4626 (leave a message) or email. The Forward Day by Day’s for February-April are available in regular and large print. If you’d like either of these mailed to you, please email us or call the church office. Comments are closed.
|
Rev. Erin Rath
|