What's Happening at St. Francis this week

Thursday Announcements-April 10, 2025­­­­
 
ERIN’S EPISTLETTES
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Friday Offering in Support of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
During our Good Friday services on April 18, donations collected will go towards the Good Friday Offering. For more information on this century-old Episcopal tradition supporting the ministries of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, visit their website. Thank you in advance for your prayers and generosity.

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 Message From Mary ​

Greeting Friends:
 
At the March Vestry meeting we had a robust discussion about our Church finances.  As many of you will recall, the 2025 Budget that was presented and approved at the Annual Meeting in January showed a significant deficit for the year.  Understandably, this is of great concern to you and your Vestry members. 
 
One of the difficulties we encountered when preparing the 2025 Budget was that we did not have firm numbers relative to expected giving from you, our Parishioners.  This is because we did not undertake a Pledge Campaign which has traditionally occurred during the Fall and provides critical input for the Budget. 
 
Following the Annual Meeting, we formed a Stewardship & Engagement Ministry group with an eye toward planning and executing a Fall 2025 Pledge Campaign in preparation for the 2026 Budget. 
 
But what about now? 
 
Your Vestry has asked the Stewardship & Engagement Ministry group to undertake a short Pledge Campaign immediately so that we can get a better understanding of how our finances will play out during this year.  To help us with this important task, you will be contacted by a member of the Stewardship & Engagement Ministry to confirm your planned giving for the rest of 2025.
 
This Spring Giving Campaign will occur during the month of April.  I ask that you prayerfully consider your planned giving to enable us to continue sharing God’s love in our community through all of our Worship, Connection and Outreach programs.
 
Thank you, Mary
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🎶🎵🎶 Liturgical Notes 🎶🎵🎶 Why Holy Week? (Part 2) by the Rev Erin Rath, April 2025
What Happens on Good Friday?

Good Friday is the solemn liturgy in remembrance of Jesus' passion and death. On this day we hear eighty-two verses from the gospel of John* which recount the events of the first passion. As Good Friday is a continuation of the Maundy Thursday liturgy, it begins as the prior service ended: in silence. The altar, which was stripped following Thursday evening's service, remains bare. This is the only service in the liturgical year at which we have the opportunity to venerate the cross. The Eucharistic prayer is not said on this day. Instead, communion is distributed from consecrated sacrament reserved the night before. Good Friday is the second liturgy of the Triduum. At Saint Francis, this year's Good Friday liturgy will be offered at noon and 6 p.m. on April 18. Our evening Good Friday service will be livestreamed.
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*Why a different Gospel translation on Good Friday?
We use the Common English Bible translation of the Passion story rather than the New Revised Standard Version. Though the NRSV is the most commonly used translation in Episcopal worship, our canons allow for the use of a variety of translations. The CEB was chosen for Good Friday because it uses the terms "Jewish leaders" and "Jewish leadership" rather than the more general label "the Jews." Articulating this difference is important not only because it more accurately describes the realities of the Passion story, but also because of the generations of antisemitism inspired by the more general label – a label which blames an entire faith tradition for the actions of a very small group of its members at a specific point in history.
 
Why Hold a Morning Service on Holy Saturday?
The Holy Saturday day service is held on the Saturday morning between Good Friday and the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. It's a time to honor the space between Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection on Easter, and the experience of the disciples in those first moments and hours after Jesus' death: the grieving, the not-knowing, the waiting, the feeling of being abandoned by God. In honoring the disciples' experience on that first grief-stricken Holy Saturday, we honor our own experiences of and struggles with grief, with not-knowing, with waiting, and with feeling abandoned by God. This year, Saint Francis will gather in the Mary Chapel at 10 a.m. on April 19. Because this service is held in chapel, there will be no live stream. 

What is Easter Vigil?
The Great Vigil of Easter is the culmination of Holy Week. Though it takes place on Saturday evening, the church considers it the first service of Easter Sunday and thus a part of the Triduum. There are four parts to this liturgy: a service of light, a service of lessons (or readings), renewal of our baptismal vows, and Holy Eucharist. Through these components, the story of redemption is retold and re-lived by participants. We re-experience the movement from darkness to light, celebrate our belonging in the new creation by remembering our baptism, and look forward to the glory we will share with the Risen Christ. This year, Saint Francis will celebrate this richly symbolic service on Saturday, April 19 at 7:45 p.m.

Easter Sunday
The events of the first Easter morning are a cornerstone of our faith. Our celebration remembering those events is the culmination of Holy Week and the final installment of the Triduum. Though we feel like we’ve reached the mountain top, both figuratively and literally, it’s important to remember how we got there and the struggles we experienced along the way. The services of Holy Week give us opportunities to give thanks for the gift of Jesus’ incarnation through worship, to honor the pain and the struggles of Jesus on the Cross and the grief of His beloved disciples, and to remember and honor the struggles and griefs, as well as the joys and triumphs, in our own lives and the lives of those we love.
I hope you had the opportunity to read the entries I wrote about the other six services of Holy Week. To those who read from the beginning, I thank you for your attention. I hope even more that you will partake of these offerings, that your own faith journey can be deepened and enriched. 

Church offices will be closed April 22. There will be no enews published April 24. 
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Those who serve,  Palm Sunday,  April 13, 9am
Musician                     Nancy Meier
Media Team                Stephanie Schingle
Ushers                        Alena Kennedy, Jamie and John Selzer
Acolyte Master           Clark Wisniewski
Acolytes                      Walker Anderson, Madi Collins, Will Schaaf
Lector/Intercessor      Bill Mann, Charlie Kennedy, Beth McKibbin
                                      Ann Peterson, Connie Schingle, Monica Shambaugh
Eucharistic Minister   Santana Tamarak 
Altar Guild             Barb Manasek, Cindy Dickinson, Christy Anderson
Coffee Hosts         Judi Widmaier, Karen Mecklem

Holy Week at Saint Francis
Palm Sunday, April 13, 9 a.m.* at Saint Francis, 11 a.m. @ Good Shepherd, Harrisburg
Tenebrae, Wednesday, April 16 @ 7:30 p.m.*
Maundy Thursday, April 17 @ 6 p.m.*
Good Friday, April 18 @ Noon & 6 p.m.*
Holy Saturday Day, April 19 @ 10 a.m. (in the chapel)
Easter Vigil, April 19 @ 7:45 p.m.*
Easter Sunday, April 20 @ 9 a.m.* & 10:30 a.m.
*Services marked with an asterisk will be livestreamed. 

Service Rehearsals for all acolytes & readers:
Those serving at Palm Sunday, Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday and/or Good Friday will gather Saturday, April 12 @ 10 a.m.
Those serving at Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday will gather Saturday, April 19 @ 11 a.m. 
Palm Cross Workshop, Friday, April 11 at 7:00pm, Parish Hall
Lectionary Study and Compline, Tuesday @ 2pm, Library
Men’s Bible Study Thursday @ 8am, Library
Discipleship Group, Thursday @ 12pm, Library

Church offices closed Tuesday, April 22; no enews April 24

From the Office—Ann’s Announcements
 
Birthdays
Barb Manasek             April 14
Laney Bohl                  April 18
Gretchen Deter           April 18

The signup sheet for Easter Altar Flowers is in the Narthex or you’re welcome to call the office to add your name.
 
The Daughters of the King are doing our annual collection for Capstone Child Advocacy Center during the month of April.  We are collecting: blankets (throws size--NEW only), journals, backpacks (NEW) and McDonald’s Gift Cards.  Cash is also welcome.  We will be presenting the collected items to Capstone on Sunday, April 27.  There is a box in the Narthex, for your donated items. 
Also, we are suspending the collection of pill bottles for awhile.  We’ll announce when we are collecting them again.  Thank you for your excellent response to this project

A Prayer for A Grateful Lent - Inspired by Mechtilde of Hackeborn and written by Kristen Wheeler 
Ministry of the Saints In the morning, let my first act be to greet God’s Heart and offer God my own. For whoever breathes a sigh towards God, draws God to themselves. In the evening, let my last act be to greet my own heart with forgiveness and compassion, and ask God for humility. For whoever breathes a sigh towards God, draws God to themselves.  
Use some reflective time each morning to share all you are thankful for, as you share your gratitude with others and add to your blue UTO box.
 
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.

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