What's Happening at St. Francis this week

​Thursday Announcements-March 13, 2025­­­­
 
ERIN’S EPISTLETTES
____________________________________________________________________________

​A Message from Mary

Your Vestry met on Tuesday, Feb 18.  We welcomed Kathy Shambaugh as your new Jr Warden and Mike Schingle as your new Vestry Member.  Jill Young joined us as a visitor.  Any member of the Parish is welcome to attend our Vestry meetings.  We meet the third Tuesday of each month at 6 pm in the Parish Hall unless otherwise announced.  Our next meeting will be March 18.
 
Following are significant items we discussed:
 
    Lift Replacements – As you may know, the lifts have become unreliable. It has become difficult to find someone who can perform maintenance and to get replacement parts as needed.   In the last quarter of 2024, after research and a competitive bid process, your Vestry voted to replace the lifts and submit the expense to the Foundation for approval.  The Foundation approved the expenditure from its funds, allowing us to move forward with ordering new lifts.  Work to begin installing the new lifts will begin before Easter and will be completed sometime after Easter.  We will keep you informed of the installation schedule as it is finalized.
 
    Emergency Shelter Agreement – Last Fall, we were approached by Region 22 Emergency Management about entering into an agreement to serve as an Emergency Shelter during natural or man-made disasters and as a shelter during extreme weather.  After discussion with the diocese and our legal counsel, we determined that there are no impediments to entering into this agreement and we authorized Rev Erin to sign the agreement.  Our agreement with Region 22 to make our facility (Parish Hall) available in this way, provides an opportunity to minister to our community during times of crisis.  If you want to know more details about this, feel free to contact me or Rev Erin.
 
My friends, I leave you with this from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians (Chapter 3, verse 12):
 
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience”

​God’s Peace to You,
Mary
___________________________________________________________________________

​___________________________________________________________________________

Recent Worship Engagement
Sunday Worship
Average for February: 49
Three-Month Average (December, January & February): 50
Midweek Worship in February: Best Attended Services
Midday In-Person Eucharist: 4
Evening In-Person Eucharist: 0
Evening Prayer on Zoom: 3

​___________________________________________________________________________

Those who serve,  this week,  March 16,  9am 
Musician                         Nancy Meier
Media Team                    Jack Schaaf
Ushers                            Artie Johnson, Kristi Weiss
Acolyte Master               Clark Wisniewski
Acolytes                         Walker Anderson, Will Schaaf, Josie Weiss
Lector/Intercessor         Jack Webb
Eucharistic Minister      Nancy Kepler
Altar Guild             Judi Widmaier, Connie Schingle, Jeane Anderson
Coffee Hosts          Mary Bowman, Barb Manasek

Upcoming Events at St. Francis:
Sunday Eucharists, March 16: 
Saint Francis, Scottsbluff, Sunday @ 9am
Good Shepherd, Harrisburg, Sunday @ 11:30am
Saint Hilda's, Kimball, Sunday @ 2:30pm
Sunday/Today is/will be the 3rd Sunday of the month; loose offerings go to the Rector's Discretionary Fund
Community Lenten Lunch, Tuesday @ First Presbyterian 12pm
Lectionary Study and Compline, Tuesday 2pm, Library
Vestry, Tuesday 7pm, Parish Hall
Midweek, Midday Eucharist, Wednesday @ 12:15pm
Soup, Stations & Eucharist Wednesday, Supper @ 5:15pm, Stations at 6pm
Men’s Bible Study Thursday @ 8am, Library
Discipleship Group, Thursday @ 12pm, Library
Sunday Eucharist, March 23: Saint Francis, 9am
_____________________________________________________________
 
From the Office—Ann’s Announcements

​United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of the Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church.  Through UTO, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God.  These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings.  Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity.  UTO is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and Provinces in the developing world.
 
Please pick up your blue box or envelope the next time you attend a service.  
 
Thank you!  Jenny Bohl

The Daughters of the King will be offering a prayer station in the Mary Chapel during Lent for private prayer and contemplation.  You can surrender the burdens you may be carrying to God by the act of physically moving stones from one basket to another with guidance offered in the handout provided at the prayer station.  We hope you will take this opportunity, as you are moved by the Holy Spirit, to participate in thoughtful and contemplative prayer during the Lenten season.  
 
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 [email protected].
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.

---