St. Francis E-Blast, August 14, 2025

St. Francis subscribes to a weekly service called Working Preacher, which provides some brief commentary on the bible readings for the upcoming weeks. It can be found on the Sermons & Services page on the St. Francis website (https://tinyurl.com/sermonspage). I encourage all of you to consider looking at it prior to Sunday, particularly if you are a lector for the week.

Participants in this Week's Services

Serving at 8 am

LEM: Linda Nash

Intercessor: Marilyn Morgan

Lector: Jim Kirk

Lector: Mary Kirk

Ushers/Greeters: Jim and Mary Kirk

Altar Guild: Ron and Sue Coleman

Serving at 10:30 am

LEMs: John Wiscaver and Doug Horton

Intercessor: Mary Ann Schroeder

Lector: Tom Bridgeford

Lector: Oliver Meskell

Ushers: Ed Burnside and Bruce Hamlin

Usher/Videographer: Jim Warram

Welcome Table: John and Debbi Kapp

Altar Guild: Manya Frazier and Kathy Miller

Flower Guild: Debbi Kapp and Susan Huffman

Coffee Hour Hosts:

Click here for the Full Church Calendar

This Week at St. Francis

Thursday, August 14

12:00 pm - Threads of Love

5:00 pm - Guys and Gals Nite Out at Langdon Farms

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Friday, August 15

11:00 am - Steve Stevens' Funeral

Saturday, August 16

1:00 pm - Jeff Gilchrist's Funeral

3:00 pm - Parish Picnic at the Horton's

Sunday, August 17

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

10:30 am - Eucharist, Live Eucharist on YouTube/Facebook

12:30 pm - Misa

Monday, August 18

10:00 am - Staff Meeting

7:30 pm - AA

Wednesday, August 20

7:30 pm - AA

Thursday, August 21

7:00 pm - Vestry

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Sunday, August 24

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

10:30 am - Eucharist, Live Eucharist on YouTube/Facebook

12:30 pm - Misa

Parish Activities

If you would like your announcements to be included in this newsletter, or in the Sunday bulletin, please email them to the office at saintfranciswilsonville@gmail.com by Tuesday evening (7:30 pm). Please include a contact person within the announcement in case there are questions. Announcements will run for two weeks or until the event takes place.

Dinner Church

Our next gathering for Dinner Church will be Sunday, August 31st, at 5 pm in the Parish Hall. Father Brendan will make the main dish and we will have a potluck for sides, salads, and desserts. There is a sign-up sheet in the Information Center. We will have dinner, break bread, and celebrate the Eucharist.

Steve Stevens' Memorial Service

We will gather to celebrate the life of Steve Stevens tomorrow, August 15, at 11 am. Turnout is expected to be large, so we are encouraging everybody who can to please carpool.

Thank you.

Pete's Path

Pete's 1/3 mile Trail is fully open. It starts by the storage shed and goes down the original Mediation Trail to the picnic area. Your can then proceed along the edge of the beaver pond. Along the way, there are benches if you want to rest for a minute or just enjoy the area. There are two short side trails to viewing stations where you can see the ducks and if you are lucky, a beaver. At the North end of the church property, you climb back up and can exit the trail onto the lawn near the front driveway or you can continue along the trail until you are back at the beginning. Please enjoy this wonderful addition to our church grounds.

Creek Path

The Creek Path Handrail project is underway! Oliver Meskell and Scout Troop 124 will install a 200ft handrail from the top of the meditation path down to the creekside landing to increase accessibility and safety. If you are interested in donating or assisting with funds, tools, or time, Oliver would be glad to accept. Contact him at omeskell@gmail.com, or see him at church the next two Sundays. If you'd like to contribute via check, please make it out to St. Francis and put "Caring Committee: Eagle Project" in the memo.

Gals and Guys Nite Out

On Thursday August 14th, we will meet at Langdon Farms Golf Course Restaurant at 5pm. Please join this group from St. Francis for fellowship, food, drink, and a good time. You are always welcome to bring a friend.

See you there,

Doug and Rich

Prayer Chain

At St. Francis, we have a wonderful group of people who pray for others, whether they are in need or are celebrating. If you, or anyone you know, would like to have a concern or thanksgiving put on the prayer list, please let Deacon Ken know. He can be reached at kenrus60@gmail.com.

Contemplative Prayer Group

Our next Contemplative Prayer meeting is on Thursday, August 21st, in the Parish Hall library, at 2 pm. We do Contemplative Prayer, Lectio Divina, and other devotions. If you would like more information, please contact Lucia Jorge-Nebert (call or text 971-341-2068, email lnebert@yahoo.com) or Marcia Burdon (text only: 503-380-7820, email mlburdon@hotmail.com).

Join the Choir or Bell Choir

As September approaches, the St. Francis Choir and St. Francis Ringers are gearing up for their respective seasons. Both groups are non-auditioned and open to any interested persons. New members are always welcome. The ability to read music is helpful, but not a prerequisite. The choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 – 9:00 pm and sings at the 10:30 service through the first Sunday of June. The Ringers (bell choir) rehearse weekly for one hour, at a time convenient for all members of the group, and play at occasional services throughout the year. If you are interested in joining one or both of these groups, please speak to Jon Holland or Wendy Shrumm.

Bell Choir Rehearsals

The Handbell Choir will begin rehearsals on Monday, August 25th, at 10:00 am, and I invite anyone with a willingness to be part of a fun, musical group to think about joining! We are not looking for experienced ringers - you can start with one bell and grow with the rest of us. Several members have less than two years of experience and have surprised themselves with how well they do and how much fun they have.

If you would like to be part of this fun musical group, please let me know. We can meet for a “try-out” session so you can see what it is all about before committing. I look forward to hearing from you. Wendy Shrumm

Taizé Prayer at St. Francis

For a time of prayer, reflection, and peace, please join us for Taizé prayers at the Cross of San Daminano. Come to the church at 5:00 pm for the service or 4:30 pm if you would like to sing through the chants prior to the service.

Our next Taizé Prayer service will be Sunday, September 7th.

Treasurer’s Report

Pledge income for July 2025 was $608 under budget.

July 1 – July 31 Income from all sources:

Budgeted: $33,892

Actual: $32,448

Difference: under budget $1,444

July 1 – July 31 Expenses:

Budgeted: $33,795

Actual: $26,210

Difference: under budget $7,585

The bottom line: For July, our income from all sources was over our expenses in the amount of $6,238.

The monthly financial report is posted on the Bulletin Board at the church.

We thank you for your gracious contributions that help us to care well for ourselves and the communities we serve.

Parish Outreach

Head's up - Clothing for St. Timothy's, Brookings

Once again, in September, we will be collecting clothing for the homeless folks that are ministered to by the good people of St Timothy, Brookings. They are in need of warm winter coats, waterproof tops and bottoms, and blue jeans. New or gently used second hand items are gratefully received. After Labor Day, please bring your donations to the boxes marked St Timothy in the hallway outside Dr. Jon Holland’s office. If you have questions, contact Ann Frazier at annfrazier41@comcast.net.

William Temple House

Please continue to drop off your items in the boxes in the hallway; people receive help from William Temple House year round. From the webpage: “100% of the proceeds from the Thrift Store support the community services offered at William Temple House [including the provision of] food, counseling, clothing, and household items to Portland-area neighbors to strengthen our community.”

Susan Huffman

Wilsonville Food Bank

St. Francis participates in supporting the local Wilsonville Community Sharing Food Bank. I have had the privilege of being able to volunteer for the past year at the food bank helping clients to select food items. The service has given me an inside view of this valuable resource within our community. Each Tuesday, I assist clients to select food based on the number of persons within their household. Each client is screened upon their first contact with the food bank. No one in need is turned away. Sometimes they are redirected to another service for food that is closer to the community in which they live but for the first encounter, they do obtain assistance. Hunger affects all persons of all ages. The food bank is an emergency service and also assists individuals and families to obtain temporary aid from other social resources to help ensure an alleviation of food insecurity and support retention of adequate shelter (including utilities assistance). At this time, all food banks in our nation are facing shortages and proposed cuts to food aid programs at the national level will further strain food banks to obtain and deliver food to people of all ages who are facing food insecurity. Our local foodbank is very grateful to the various community groups that collect food on its behalf, and that includes St. Francis. If you are interested in the statistics of who is served by the food bank, here is a link to the February 2025 report from the Board Chair: https://wilsonvillecommunitysharing.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/BOARD-CHAIRMAN2024.docx.pdf

When you shop, please think about our local food bank whenever you come across a sale, buy one-get one, clearance items, etc. and take advantage of coupons to help St. Francis collect a supply of food each week. If you are a backyard grower of vegetables and fruit and have excess, please consider the food bank. You may contact the food bank office (503-682-6939 or email Office@wilsonvillecommunitysharing.org to see if your bounty can be used that week. Sometimes we have multiple deliveries of fresh fruit or vegetables, but storage is limited for any leftover items, so the food bank can advise if there is room for the fresh produce. Canned and boxed food along with personal care hygiene items are always welcome. If you are cleaning out the pantry, please consider donation of UNEXPIRED items in good shelf condition. Personal hygiene items include new, unopened containers of body wash, soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, razors, shaving creme, anti-perspirants, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, body wipes, etc. Baby and toddler diapers, toddler pull-ups, nighttime diaper wear of all sizes are frequently requested items. Similarly, adult disposable underwear and diapers are often requested by the clients, especially if they are caring for another individual at home. Cat and dog foods, wet or dry, for all ages of pets, are also welcomed. Other non-food items such as toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, dish detergent, etc. are accepted.

Another item you may have at home are unused greeting cards and envelopes, especially those with birthday or holiday messages. While the priority is food, if space permits, we may be able to accept them. Contact the food bank to obtain clarification and advisement.

The basket (shopping cart) in the entrance to the church is where you can place donated items. If possible, please consider donating your items in a paper bag with handles, or a plastic bag with handles. The bags are reused to load selected food items. Sometimes our clients have to take the bus or walk with groceries and having a sturdy bag to carry food is a necessity. We also accept medium to large tote bags that can be reused. Fresh produce should be taken to the food bank directly for donation as food in the shopping cart is delivered only once a week, each Tuesday morning. With recent shortages of all food types, we do need cereal, peanut butter, rice, pasta products again and thus, don't hesitate to purchase these items and more for the food bank. If you want to donate to the food bank directly, the food bank is located at the old Art Tech School 29796 SW Town Center Loop East. There is a driveway at the south end of the building and you can drive directly to the doorway entrance and someone in the office will meet you to unload the food items from your vehicle. Donation hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Another way to help the food bank is to make a financial donation. Donations can be mailed to: PO Box 205, Wilsonville, OR 97070. If you are a regular donor and will be gone for a period of time, consider a financial donation in lieu of food while you are away to help continue to support the availability of food to our neighbors in need.

St. Francis has been a generous community, and the food donations are much appreciated - always. Supporting our neighbors has been commanded unto us and our church's donations are a visible expression of our commitment to love one another.

Marilyn K. Morgan