What's Happening at St. Francis this Week

​Thursday Announcements
 November 11, 2021

A Note on Veteran’s Day:
 
On Veteran’s Day 2020 the Right Reverend Carl Walter Wright, Episcopal Church Bishop for the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, gave an address at the National Cathedral. Following are several excerpts from that excellent address:
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“I am here to remind you that The Lord is our shepherd!”
“Now, on this day we recall that 100-plus years ago, when WWI had ended on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson made the call for a day to honor America’s veterans, saying it should be ‘a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace.’”
“On this day in 1938, on the Eve of WWII, Congress approved an Act making Veterans Day. On this day, in 1954, President Dwight David Eisenhower made Veterans Day a national holiday.” And, I would add that on this day we honor ALL veterans, the deceased and the living, the active and retired, all who provide for the defense of this great nation, who at great cost and sacrifice, guarantee our freedoms and keep us safe.”
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I so appreciate these words on this Veteran’s Day 2021 and add my own thanksgiving and blessing to all who have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe during perilous times.
 
This is the Prayer for those in the Armed Forces of our Country found on page 823 in the BCP:
 
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grand them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
 
OK – now on with my announcements for Thursday, November 11, 2021

1. We are two weeks from Advent and six from Christmas! The church year is turning the page from what is to what is to come, and it is always a little jarring even as it is bursting with excitement and possibility! This year we are returning to our usual church routines for the holidays – including decorating the church Sunday, December 5th following the second service, and two in-person services on Christmas Eve, a family service at 5:00 P.M. and a traditional service at 10:30 P.M. Don’t look now, but things are starting to get back to normal around here J

 

1. We will be finalizing our 2021-22 Pledge Campaign next week and announcing and celebrating our commitments next Sunday November 21 at Coffee Hour Fellowship following both services. If you plan to make a pledge commitment this year, please drop off your completed Pledge Card in the narthex this week, or email Ann with your giving intentions at [email protected]. The Vestry and I sincerely thank every member for your continued faithful and generous support of our church! The future is bright here at St. Francis!

 

1. We’re cleaning up the office and getting rid of some really old paper (deposit slips and payables from a decade ago -- the kind of stuff that accumulates until it finally gets tossed) and have a container from Docu-Shred in the hallway by the chapel. We won’t fill it up with just our stuff, so if you have documents or papers you want to throw out but don’t want to put in the trash, feel free to bring them in and dispose of them. In a couple of weeks or when it’s full we’ll call and have it picked up. 

ANN'S ADDITIONS

In honor of our military men and women, Thank you for your service and
Happy Veteran’s Day!!
 

Happy Birthday!!
 
Nina Betz                                                     November 15
Margaret Chase                                           November 15
Kathy Shambaugh                                       November 15
Linda Mitchell                                               November 18
Ralph Moreno                                              November 18
 
Anniversaries
 
Peter & Jennifer Schilke                              November 19
Jon & Amy Meyer                                        November 20

The women of ECW wanted to let you know what we did with the proceeds from the “Christmas in July” Bazaar, that you all donated to so generously.  We first purchased a new coffee maker for the church kitchen. Our Outreach donations Included the Buckboard Academy, Cooperative Ministries for Backpacks, Gracies’ Promise, Team Ashton, Episcopal Relief and Development, Eight Days of Hope, Women to Women, Orphan Grain Train, Wheel Chair Ministries, Firefighters Ministry, and the  St. Francis Sack Lunch Ministry. 
Thank you for all your help!
 
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

Forward Day by Day Booklets
We have the Forward Day by Day’s for November-December in regular and large print. If you would like any of these mailed to you, please email or call the church.