St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church

Weekly E-Blast

January 9, 2025

This Week at St. Francis

Thursday, January 9

10:00 am - Book Group

5:30 pm - Guys and Gals Nite Out at Langdon Farms

7:00 pm - AA Men's Group

Sunday, January 12

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

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

10:30 am - Sunday School

12:30 pm - Misa

Monday, January 13

9:30 am - Bell Choir Rehearsal

7:30 pm - AA

Tuesday, January 14

3:35 pm - A Complete Unknown at Canby Cinema

Wednesday, January 15

12:00 pm - Noon Eucharist

1:00 pm - Staff Meeting

7:00 pm - Choir Rehearsal

7:30 pm - AA

Thursday, January 16

7:00 pm - Vestry

7:00 pm - AA Men's Group

Sunday, January 19

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

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

10:30 am - Sunday School

12:30 pm - Misa

Movie Tuesday 

We will see A Complete Unknown, the biopic about Bob Dylan, on Tuesday, January 14, at 3:35 at the Canby Cinema. We will have dinner in the Parish Hall following the movie. A sign-up sheet is in the Information Center.

Adult Formation

Please join us for conversations about hope and courage, based on Ladder to the Light, by Steven Charleston. Bishop Charleston is a member of the Choctaw Nation and shares daily meditations on social media, based on indigenous wisdom and spirituality. He was bishop of Alaska and Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Harvard, lives with his wife in Oklahoma. You don’t need to have his book, but you might love it. We hope to see you at the conference room table in January!

SAVE THE DATE! Outreach Auction 2025

Here’s a date to put on your calendar — June 14, 2025! Your Outreach Ministry will be holding an auction to raise funds for the many outreach programs supported by St Francis. The auction will be a very fun event where we come together to show our love for folks both locally and internationally.

Based on our experience in 2023, we have decided to focus on a live auction (plus a number of other fun events), so of course we need to be thinking about items that can be auctioned. We are particularly interested in experiences — dinners, vacation homes, fishing trips, airline miles, restaurant gift cards combined with theater or movie tickets, cases of wine or wine tastings, spa visits — these are just a few thoughts. No doubt you will have lots of other creative ideas. 

Please contact Carole Biskar (cbiskar@gmail.com) or Ann Frazier (annfrazier41@comcast.net) if you have questions or suggestions.

Thank You

Thank you, generous parishioners, for the awesome contribution of baby clothes, diapers, baby blankets and baby hats for Salud Medical Clinic in Woodburn on Epiphany Sunday. Threads of Love made 150 baby quilts, which were matched into a charming bundle with a hand-knitted hat. Thank you all---you who sewed, you who knitted, you who shopped. This annual ministry and gift to Salud is truly sweet and touching and many hands and hearts took part. We appreciate the loving spirit of our church which makes this all possible. Thank you all.

Epiphany Stars

On Epiphany Sunday, many in the Parish selected a Star Word, meant to be a spiritual guide in the months ahead. My Star Word is taped onto a kitchen cabinet, where I ponder it every day, and ask myself how I can grow into my word. I even see a connection among the three words I have received in the three years we have done this. If this is a new practice for you, you might ask yourself these questions:

How do I feel about my Star Word?

How does it connect to my life?

How can I live into my Star Word?

What phrase, scripture, or song can help you focus on your Star Word?

Here is a blessing for those who receive Star Words:

As the stars have guided wise ones for centuries,

May your word guide you in the year ahead.

By the radiance of your star and the power of the Holy Spirit,

May you live with greater intention and greater attention;

May you find the holy in delightfully unexpected places;

May you worship with joy,

Give with gratitude, and follow the new way home that God provides.

Many thanks to Fr. Brendan for his support; to Douglas Little, Peter Wallmark, and  Sandi Thompson for their help with this ministry.

Dinner Church

Our next gathering for Dinner Church will be January 26 at 4 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.

Lenten Booklets

St. Francis will produce a Lenten booklet again this year. Please send your submissions to Jodi at saintfranciswilsonville@gmail.com. 

“This is Us” … A Narthex Gallery Show

Last Sunday was the last day for our Christmas show.  Our new ministry has now celebrated the talents of 14 parishioners.  We posted their pictures and a little bio information as part of our goal to help all of us get to know each other a little better.

We now ask parishioners to give us their feedback.  Please share with our ministry (see names below) any or all of the following:

1.     If you would like these shows to continue.

2.     If you would like to be a participant in a future show.

3.     If these shows have helped you to get to know someone a little better.

Our Ministry members are: Ann Frazier, Apryl Garmon, Betsy Yacob, Nancy Stephenson, Maxine Lehl, and Gary Thompson (GSJayhawk@Frontier.Com).  Thank you.

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 February 2.

Did You Know? - Benches

There are two benches in the Tower Garden. One was given “in loving memory of John and Kitty Clum and Peter and Katharine.” The other bench was given in memory of Leloa C. Lorenzen...My beloved friend.”

Ministry Prayers – Worship Communications Ministry

Each week, in our Prayers of the People, we pray for a ministry here at St. Francis. This week, we pray for our Worship Communications Ministry. The Worship Communications Ministry at St. Francis is made up of representatives of each ministry connected with worship: Acolytes, Adult Formation, Altar Guild, Choir/Bells, Festival Committee, Greeters, Hospitality, Lectors, LEM/Intercessory Prayer, Newcomers, Special Ministries, Stewardship, Ushers, Video Ministry, Vestry, Welcome Team, Young People, and Clergy. As you can see there are a lot!

Worship at St. Francis involves all of these ministries directly or indirectly, though the ministries work independently of each other. We have many worship events throughout the year.

The purpose of the Worship Communications Ministry is to help us share, inform, learn, inspire, assist, and support each other - "for the right hands to know what the left hands are doing." It is so helpful when each ministry is present at our meetings three or four times a year. Each time, we review the past season’s events for improvements, and we look ahead to the coming season’s events for coordinated planning. If you have a suggestion or concern, you are welcome to contact the Worship Communications Ministry chairs (Gay Kuykendall or Apryl Garmon) or attend a meeting.