St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church

Weekly E-Blast

March 9, 2023

Forward Day by Day - John 4:9 

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)

The time is coming, Jesus tells the woman at the well, when worship will be by spirit and truth and not by location.

I used to sit on a local interfaith organization’s board of directors. Each year, the organization held an interfaith prayer breakfast. One year, three different practitioners— one Christian, one Muslim, and one Buddhist—led the group in prayers according to the tradition of each. Guess what? God showed up, even in the Buddhist silence not intentionally directed toward God. God above me, God beneath me, God beside me.

So many people of faith imagine God to be theirs and theirs alone, but here Jesus is, correcting his own people by welcoming the outsider Samaritans. God values those who worship with heart, in spirit, and in truth.

MOVING FORWARD: What might the world look like if we chose not to parse God?

This Week at St. Francis

Thursday, March 9

10:00 am - Book Group

1:00 pm - Threads of Love

5:30 pm - Guys and Gals Nite Out at McMenamins in Wilsonville

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Friday, March 10 - OFFICE CLOSED

8:30 am - Memorial Garden Pruning

10:00 am - Al Anon

Saturday, March 11

9:00 am - Auction Committee Meeting

Sunday, March 12

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

10:30 am - Sunday School

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

12:30 pm - Misa

Monday, March 13

7:30 pm - AA

Tuesday, March 14

7:00 pm - RA

Wednesday, March 15

12:00 pm - Noon Eucharist

1:00 pm - Staff Meeting

7:00 pm - Choir Rehearsal

7:30 pm - AA

Thursday, March 16

7:00 pm - Vestry

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Friday, March 17 - OFFICE CLOSED

10:00 am - Al Anon

Saturday, March 18

1:00 pm - Kevin Scott's Celebration of Life

Sunday, March 19

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

10:30 am - Sunday School

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

12:30 pm - Misa

Office Closed

The office will be closed on Friday, March 10, while new carpet is installed.

Memorial Gardens Update

Calling all garden lovers with pruning tools! On March 10, our teacher of fine pruning, Masa Mijuno, will be at St. Francis to work with us. He is a gifted gardener and master fine pruner. We’ll be working in the memorial gardens from 8:30 am until about 2:30 pm (depending on how awful the weather is) and we’ll take about an hour for hot soup and bread at about 11:30 (bring some if you can!). You are welcome to come for all or any part of the day. The gardens will be beautiful (we’ll likely be drenched) and we will learn great techniques from Masa. Bring your best pruning tools and dress for the weather! Questions? Contact Terri Hoffmann.

Guys and Gals Nite Out

GALS NITE OUT - inviting all St. Francis Women.

GUYS NITE OUT - inviting all St. Francis Men.

Same date, time and place, but separate tables.

Thursday, March 9 at 5:30 pm

March location: McMenamins, Wilsonville 

Across Parking Lot from Fred Meyer

Agenda: Get to know one another better. Go home happy having had a good time.

Facilitators: Doug Horton, Gary Thompson. Co-Sponsors: Don Nash, John Wisecaver

Request for Additional Intercessors

For years before the pandemic, our intercessors would pray for the presiding priest prior to Communion and would also be available near the Joy Window to pray for individual requests during Sunday services as congregants left the altar rail after receiving Communion. 

Father Brendan would like to reinstate these vital parts of the Intercessor Ministry, and is asking for volunteers to offer these prayers separately from the other intercessor responsibilities.

If you feel called to share your gift of prayer with the presiding priest and also individual members of our church family at our Sunday services,  please contact Peggy Danford.

St. Francis Lenten Resources

Lent is a season of introspection and penitence. If you’d like to add a discipline for the season, there are Lenten devotional books and Lenten daily calendars on the welcome table. You are welcome to take one you would like to try. If you’d like to add a discipline in community, join us on Sundays at 9:00 am for Adult Formation. We will have conversations about our star words and see where they lead us.

Morning Prayer for Lent at 7:00 am

Join us in the Parish Hall library for Morning Prayer during Lent! We follow the scripture stories and pray the lovely liturgy of Morning Prayer Monday-Friday, beginning February 23rd. We pray for concerns and thanksgivings as we watch the sun rise. It is a meaningful discipline for Lent and you are cordially invited.

Terri Hoffmann, 503-982-4825 or [email protected]

Mite Boxes

Many thanks to the young people of all ages who are supporting Episcopal Relief and Development with donations to their Mite Boxes as a daily Lenten practice. The Sunday School youth would like to purchase goats with their donations again this year. The goats are a valuable and useful part of small farms in many parts of the world - providing milk, cheese, fertilizer, and weed control. The initial gift of goats expands its benefit over time as the herd grows and the assets of small farmers grow. They are then able to share with others. A lovely program in Ghana called “Passing on the Gift” becomes a lifeline to many widowed women.

Easter Flowers

On Easter Sunday, the veil of Lent has been lifted, and flowers and joy come out in abundance. St. Francis looks breathtakingly beautiful on Easter Sunday, and our hearts feel this happiness. Many hands make this possible, so on Easter Saturday, April 8th, we gather and create beauty with lovely flowers. We gather at 9 am for a few hours, and have a really sweet, fun time of creating and sharing friendships - old and new. All flowers are provided. Previous flower arranging experience is not necessary. A sign up sheet is in the Information Center for those who would to help on this glorious day.

Thank you.

Apryl Garmon and Jane Domagalski ([email protected])

Flower Guild

The Flower Guild at St. Francis has the fun of offering bouquets of flowers to parishioners after the 10:30 service on Sundays. Each team works once a month (no work in Advent or Lent!). If you would like to share in the fun, please contact Terri Hoffmann to volunteer! If you would like to take flowers to a home-bound parishioner, please let us know! If you would like to contribute money toward flowers in memory or honor or just because, use any flower envelope in the drawers of the communications center, filling in dates and people on the envelope, leaving it in the office! One more: if you would like to donate flowers for our glorious Easter celebrations, yay! The same envelopes work for that, too. And thank you!

Easter Flower Donations

Easter Flowers transform our worship space for the celebration of the resurrection. Please consider donating to support the transformation. You can use the flower donation envelopes being handed out by Altar Guild members (also available in the Communications Center) or send a check to the office to donate. Let us know the names of people you’d like named for remembrance, and come celebrate with us on Easter! Contact Apryl Garmon or Kay Sharp if you have questions or suggestions. 

Small Dinner Groups Forming Again

If you are new to St. Francis and would like to get to know some other members of the congregation - or if you have been attending St. Francis for a while and would like to welcome and get to know more about newer members - consider signing up for a Small Dinner Group.

The groups of six to eight people can be singles or couples and set their own schedule and format. Often they will commit to meeting anywhere from monthly to quarterly for the rest of the year to share a potluck meal and to tell their stories. Groups can meet virtually. It’s a very fun way to get to know the good people at St. Francis.

If you are interested in joining a group, please register on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex or let Jodi in the office know by March 26th. Phone: 503-678-5422; Email: [email protected]. We will form the groups in April and you will have the rest of the year to enjoy meeting together. If you have questions, feel free to call Susy Mekarski at 708-415-1685.

Stations of the Cross

The liturgy of the Stations of the Cross is a way for us to walk with Jesus as he went from Pilate’s palace to his place of crucifixion. The practice started in Jerusalem where the faithful would mark that last walk of Christ by stopping and praying at significant points of that walk. The liturgy consists of walking 14 “stations,” which are marked and correspond to those stops made in Jerusalem.  

At 2:00 pm on March 16th and April 5th, we will leave the church and go to Mt. Angel Abbey and walk the Stations of the Cross there. The liturgy will be also offered at St. Francis on Good Friday (April 7) after the noon service. 

Please let Deacon Ken know (503-887-5587 or [email protected]) if you would like to join us for either (or both!) of the days at Mt. Angel or have any questions.

Palm Crosses

If you still have your palm crosses from last year, please save them and bring them to the church for the Easter Vigil. Please bring them by Palm Sunday (April 2nd). There is a basket in the Information Center where you can place them. We will be using these palm crosses as kindling for our fire at the Vigil. Also, save your crosses from this year for next year’s Vigil.

Memorial Gardens Update

Calling all garden lovers with pruning tools! On March 10, our teacher of fine pruning, Masa Mijuno, will be at St. Francis to work with us. He is a gifted gardener and master fine pruner. We’ll be working in the memorial gardens from 8:30 am until about 2:30 pm (depending on how awful the weather is) and we’ll take about an hour for hot soup and bread at about 11:30 (bring some if you can!). You are welcome to come for all or any part of the day. The gardens will be beautiful (we’ll likely be drenched) and we will learn great techniques from Masa. Bring your best pruning tools and dress for the weather! Questions? Contact Terri Hoffmann.

Did You Know? – Memorial Cabinet and Book

The Memorial Cabinet was given by Barbara and       Richard Montfort, in loving memory of their parents, Agnes and William Borden and Emma and Archibald Montfort.

The Memorial Book is enclosed in the cabinet and lists all of the memorial gifts to St. Francis. It is located on the wall in the Narthex. The calligraphy was done by Bert Brown. 

Treasurer’s Report

Pledge income for February 2023 alone was $2,180 over budget.  

Pledge income for the year was $4,798 over budget.   

February 1 – February 28 Income from all sources:

Budgeted: $28,952

Actual: $34,047

Difference: over budget $5,095

February 1 – February 28 Expenses:

Budgeted: $29,104

Actual: $31,748

Difference: over budget $2,644

The bottom line: Through February our Income from all sources was over our Expenses in the amount of $5,829.

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.