What's Happening at St. Francis this week

Thursday Announcements March 2, 2023

ERIN’S EPISTLETTES​

• Children's program participants recently selected the beneficiaries of their "Joyful Noise" collection. Please see the article below for details. You chose wisely, my friends. I'm proud of you! 
• Now that Ash Wednesday is over, I'd like to take a moment to look ahead to Holy Week. Our schedule of services will be as follows:
  • Palm Sunday (April 2): one service @ 9 a.m.
  • Tenebrae (Wednesday, April 5): 6 p.m. (Last Soup and Stations March 29)
  • Maundy Thursday (April 6): 6 p.m. (this will include an agape dinner; details forthcoming)
  • Good Friday (April 7): noon & 6:30 p.m.
  • Holy Saturday Day Service (April 8): 10 a.m. 
  • Easter Vigil (April 8): 7:45 p.m.
  • Easter Sunday (April 9): 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
  • I'll share information about Holy Week services, particularly less familiar ones, in upcoming editions of the enews. 
  • We'll communicate which services will be live streamed once the schedule is finalized. 
• Don't forget: Soup and Stations takes place every Wednesday in March. We'll eat at 5:30 and transition to the sanctuary around 6:15. Volunteers are needed to bring soup, salad and bread. Please see the sign-up sheet on the kitchen bulletin board for a list of needs. 

​Scam Alert!!!  

​We received word another scam artist is contacting church members, this time to ask for eBay gift cards. The messages are coming from a number with a 707 area code. We will never, ever ask you for gift cards, nor will a church staff member ever contact you from a number other than our own. If you receive a text like this please delete it without responding and, if possible, report it as junk to your cell carrier. ​

​
Recent Attendance Trends
November Average: 71
December Average (Including Christmas Eve): 86
December Average (Excluding Christmas Eve): 69
January Average: 62
February Average: 65
..........
Six-Month Average (as of the End of February): 69
Threshold to Add a Second Service Sundays: 90

​From the office—Ann’s Announcements

Birthdays

Jennifer Mills              March 5
Barb Becker               March 6
Kenzy Hernandez      March 6
Charlie Kennedy        March 9
Sammy Masid            March 9
Landon Parrish          March 9
Jennifer Schilke         March 11
    Charlie Selzer            March 11    

Thank you so much for the $786.37 you donated this past year to children’s “Joyful Noise” buckets, the first Sunday of each month.
​
In their study of outreach, the children decided to donate the money to : The Lakota Lutheran Center, Skipper’s Cupboard, The Riverside Discovery Center, and Episcopal Relief and Development.  They paid for 1 goat, 1 pig, fruit trees (especially Banana), wells, and a bicycle for health care workers to cover greater distances and reach more homes.  The wells will provide clean water to villages and prevent disease. Skipper’s Cupboard builds shelters for people whose pets do not have shelter and are outside animals, and food for pets whose owners need extra help. The Lakota Lutheran Center provides meals, clothing and religious services to many in our community. Thank you again for you generosity!                  

United Thank Offering
United Thank Offering is not just for grown-ups!  We can begin teaching gratitude and giving at a very young age.  Here is a fun idea to get kids (and grown-ups) involved.  
ABC's of gratitude:  Write all the letters of the alphabet down on the left side of a piece of paper.  As you think of a blessing or gratitude, write it down next to the corresponding letter of the alphabet.  With each new blessing or gratitude, add a coin to your box.  It might take a while to have a blessing beside each letter.  Try to fill in a gratitude for each letter before beginning a new piece of paper.      Jenny Bohl
 
 Prayer Requests * Please make sure your request is received by Wednesday of each week. You may call (308) 632-4626 (leave a message), email stfrancis@allophone.com 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 February-April are here in regular and large print.  If you’d like one of these mailed to you, please email or call the church.