St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church

Weekly E-Blast

September 22, 2022

Forward Day by Day – Psalm 69:6 

“O God, you know my foolishness, and my faults are not hidden from you.”

When I think about some of the things I’ve done, I feel foolish. I’ve sometimes worried for days or weeks about the logistics for an upcoming trip or event. Then the moment arrives, and none of my fears come to pass. The plane takes off on time, we arrive early, and I easily find the location. People are kind to me, and I enjoy myself.

Or there are the times when I buy something on a whim—a dress that doesn’t flatter me, a book I will never read, a snack with too much sugar. I berate myself: I foolishly bought something I didn’t really need or even want. What was I thinking? 

If you want to know some of your faults, ask a teenager. You’ll get an unvarnished answer and may wind up feeling foolish. That’s why I find this passage comforting. God knows my foolishness. Our creator knows that I sometimes make bad choices or worry instead of trusting. God has seen it all. God knows my faults and my weaknesses. He created me. And guess what? He loves me anyway.

Moving Forward: Does this verse bring you comfort? How can you offer your moments of foolishness to God?

This Week at St. Francis

Thursday, Septempber 22

10:00 am - Book Group

7:00 pm - Vestry

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Friday, September 23

10:00 am - Al Anon

Sunday, September 25

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, September 26

2:00 pm - Women on Their Own meet-up at Linda Ocheltree's

7:30 pm - AA

Tuesday, September 27

4:00 pm - Caring Ministry Meeting

7:00 pm - RA

Wednesday, September 28

12:00 pm - Eucharist

1:00 pm - Staff Meeting

7:00 pm - Choir Rehearsal

7:30 pm - AA

Thursday, Septempber 29

4:00 pm - Worship Communications Meeting

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Friday, September 30

10:00 am - Al Anon

Saturday, October 1 - Oktoberfest

Sunday, October 2

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

Our 2023 Stewardship Campaign

You can submit your pledge with the estimate of giving card sent to you in the mail by mailing it back to our PO Box, by placing it in the offering, or picking one up at the Information Center, or going online to the Give page on our website, www.stfranciswilsonville.org.

As part of our stewardship campaign, we will be creating a beautiful piece of art. Pledges can be in the form of time, talent, or treasure. You simply need to return a pledge card, and you will be included in our artwork. This piece will be a beautiful physical manifestation of our spiritual and social unity. 

Confirmation

Confirmation at St. Francis will take place when Bishop Diana Akiyama visits us in December. Preparation for kids’ Confirmation begins October 2 at 11:45 am in the Parish Hall. All kids participating should bring their sponsors for lunch and conversation each Sunday in October.

Adults who would like to prepare in community for Confirmation or reception when the Bishop visits in December will meet three Sundays in November. Contact Terri Hoffmann or Father Brendan for more information or to enroll.

St. Francis Day

On October 2, St. Francis will be celebrating the feast day of our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis saw in all creation - animals, plants, stars, people - the evidence of God's handiwork. We are honored to share in the name of this beloved saint, and we continually strive to be worthy of his name. On this day, people are invited to bring their animals to church for a personal blessing. Children without pets are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffy. Our pets will be welcomed and blessed at both the 8 am and the 10:30 am services. We will also offer a drive-thru blessing at 11:30. It is a sweet moment, and a moving experience, to have our little dog, cat, turtle, canary, etc. blessed and honored.

We are pleased to welcome Mai Otsuki, from the Project Pooch Program at Maclaren School in Woodburn, to the 10:30 service on St. Francis Day, October 2nd. Project Pooch exemplifies the power of healing when humans and animals connect. We invite you all to come to hear her message that touches on loss and love.

Pictures will be taken, and after a time on the bulletin board, they will be yours to keep. Animals will find they also receive treats during the coffee hour. Enjoy this day with all its spirit and joy. We hope to see you, and your 4-legged and 2-legged friends!

Contemplative Prayer Group

A contemplative prayer group meets twice per month on Monday at 2 pm in the Parish Hall library. We do Lectio Divina and sit for Centering Prayer, among other devotions. Our next meeting will be on September 26th at 2 pm. If you are interested in Silent Prayer or Contemplation and want to join the prayer group or ask for more information, please contact Lucia Jorge-Nebert (call or text: 971-341-2068, email: [email protected]) or Marcia Burdon (text only: 503-380-7820, email: [email protected]).

Ladies Lunch

Let’s do lunch! We hope you can join us on Tuesday, October 4th at 11:30am. We will meet at McMenamins in Wilsonville. A head count is helpful so there is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex.

Questions? Contact Peggy Danford or Sandi Thompson.

Calling All Knitters

The weather is turning cooler, and a ball of yarn will feel good in your hands! It is time to begin knitting baby hats for Salud Medical Clinic in Woodburn. These will be paired with little blankets made by Threads of Love Ministry and collected on our celebration on Epiphany in January. We will need a lot of little hats to keep up with the busy people in this ministry, so we welcome all knitters. Any pattern and any color would be wonderful! Some yarn and patterns are available in the Information Center.

Jane Domagalski

Treasurer’s Report

Pledge income for August 2022 alone was $12,308 under budget.

Pledge income for the first seven months through July was $22,866

under budget.

January 1 – August 31 Income from all sources:

Budgeted: $251,090

Actual: $222,478

Difference: under budget $28,612

January 1 – August 31 Expenses:

Budgeted: $241,597

Actual: $224,257

Difference: under budget $17,341

The bottom line: Through August our Income from all sources was

under our Expenses in the amount of $1,779.

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.

LAST CHANCE to Bring Your Donations for St. Timothy’s Church in Brookings!!

We have extended the deadline by one week for you to bring any of the following items to the church to support the homeless mission at St. Timothy’s Church in Brookings:

* Warm winter clothing

* Sleeping bags

* Tarps

* Blue jeans, sizes 28-40 inches.

Donations will be accepted until Sunday, September 25th, after which we will pack up everything and take it down to Brookings.

Please leave your donations in the hallway just beyond Father Brendan’s office.

If you have already cleared out all your clothing and other items, we are also happy to receive monetary donations for this project, which we will use to shop for whatever is in short supply.

Questions? Feel free to contact Ann Frazier at 503-657-0739 or [email protected].