St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church

Weekly E-Blast

October 16, 2025

Preparing for Sunday

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.

This Week at St. Francis

Thursday, October 16

2:00 pm - Contemplative Prayer Group

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Saturday, October 18

5:00 pm - Oktoberfest

Sunday, October 19

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

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

12:30 pm - Misa

Monday, October 20

10:00 am - Bell Choir Rehearsal

7:30 pm - AA

Tuesday, October 21

12:00 pm - Ladies Lunch at Outback in Tualatin

7:00 pm - Vestry

Wednesday, October 22

12:00 pm - Noon Eucharist

4:00 - 6:30 pm - Drop in Hours with Mtr. Jaime

7:00 pm - Choir Rehearsal

7:30 pm - AA

Thursday, October 23

10:00 am - Book Group

12:00 pm - Threads of Love

7:00 pm - AA Men’s Group

Sunday, October 26

8:00 am - Spoken Eucharist

9:00 am - Adult Formation

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

12:30 pm - Misa

4:00 pm - Halloween Dinner Church

Continuity & Change at St. Francis

Last Sunday the Rev. Christine Wysock gave a moving sermon in which she talked about the origin of the annual Healing Service here at St. Francis. I was struck by how large a percentage of the congregation came forward for anointing and healing prayer. As Christine said, healing prayer has many meanings. It might be prayer for healing of a relationship; it might be prayer for healing of our anger at an illness that cannot be cured; it might be a prayer for patience with medical procedures. 

For many years, St. Francis has had a midweek service, at noon on Wednesdays. This is a service of Holy Communion, using Rite I of the Book of Common Prayer. (If you aren’t familiar with Rite I, it uses the archaic language of “thee” and “thy” that was carried over into the 1928 Prayer Book from the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England.) 

As an experiment, starting next week, October 22, I am going to integrate prayers for healing into the Wednesday service, and offer anointing and laying on of hands for those who wish it. The service will continue to be Rite I for the Eucharistic Prayer; the Prayers of the People will be a Litany for Healing.  

Jaime+

Stewardship Season is Upon Us!

The Bell Tower model is looking beautiful, but there is still room for your pledge! Bring it on Saturday for Oktoberfest, and it will be included in the blessing of pledges on Sunday!

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is Saturday October 18th, at 5:00pm in the Parish Hall!

St. Francis celebrates Stewardship season each year with an Oktoberfest party. Bratwurst and Sauerkraut, German potato salad, and apple crisp, together with wine, German beer, and other beverages will be served. Live music and dancing (remember the chicken dance?) are all part of this festive event. Something you won’t want to miss!

Everyone is invited to attend, including children. Lederhosen and dirndl skirts are encouraged, but don’t let that hold you back!

Need a ride? Willing to give someone a ride? Please sign up on the sheets at the Information Center.



For more information, contact Lauri Horton at Lhorton5371@gmil.com or Doug Horton at DLDHorton5@aol.com.

Halloween Dinner Church

Our next gathering for Dinner Church will be Sunday, October 26, at 4 pm in the Parish Hall. We will celebrate Halloween. Wear costumes if you wish. Mother Jaime 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 pray, share about scripture, and have dinner.

Ladies Lunch

Our next Ladies Lunch will be on Tuesday, October 21 at 12:00 pm at Outback in Tualatin. There is a sign-up sheet in the Information Center. Questions? Contact Sandi Thompson or Peggy Danford.

Save the Date!

On Thursday, November 20, at 10 am, Cyndy Tessitor will be hosting a class to guide attendees in making a beautiful floral centerpiece for Thanksgiving. The class will take place in the Parish Hall and will cost $50 per person, with 50% of the money going back to Outreach to support our Thanksgiving and Christmas boxes. All products for the arrangements will be provided, but you will need to bring garden clippers.

More information on how to sign up will be available soon!

Cyndy was an event florist for 35 years. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to her at (626) 664-1749.

Flower Guild

Flower Guild needs a new member for the third Sunday of each month. Members take note of parishioners who come up for birthday and anniversary blessings. After the service, the ushers bring the vases of altar flowers to the sacristry and two Flower Guild members let the celebrants know and make bouquets to present to them during coffee hour. It’s an easy ministry and very appreciated! See any Flower Guild member or let Jodi in the office know.

Contemplative Prayer Group

A contemplative prayer group meets twice per month on Thursday at 2 pm in the Parish Hall library. We do Lectio Divina and sit for Centering Prayer, among other devotions. Our next meetings will be today at 2:00 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: lnebert@yahoo.com) or Marcia Burdon (text only: 503-380-7820, email: mlburdon@hotmail.com).

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 newborn baby hats for Salud Medical Clinic in Woodburn. These will be paired with little blankets made by our Threads of Love Ministry and collected during our celebration on Epiphany Sunday, January 4th. 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. If you would like to learn to knit, or if you have any questions, please contact me.

Thank you.

Jane Domagalski

Tickets are available for the Elvis Party on November 8th

If you missed out on buying tickets at the Outreach Auction for the now famous Elvis Party, there are still a few tickets left. The cost is $100 per ticket and the money raised goes to Outreach programs at St. Francis. The ticket includes an Elvis-themed dinner, wine and other beverages, and a fabulous Elvis show by a professional Elvis impersonator. We’d love to have you join the nearly 50 people who have already signed up for this very fun event. 1950’s/1960’s attire is encouraged. To buy tickets, please contact Ann Frazier (annfrazier41@comcast.net ) or Nyla Emory (nylaemory@mac.com).

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, November 2nd.

Annual Meeting Youth Overnight

Please help us spread the word about this year’s Hope & Fire Youth Overnight, taking place during Annual Meeting, October 17–18 at St. Paul’s, Salem. Youth in grades 6–12 are invited to gather Friday evening at 6 p.m. for dinner, fellowship, and activities.

On Saturday, we will send off our Official Youth Representatives to Annual Meeting while the rest of the youth engage in a community service project. All youth will join the wider diocesan gathering for lunch, and then enjoy a group outing before pick-up at 4 p.m., Oct. 18.

Important: This is the start of a new program year, so every youth must have a completed and signed permission form on file.

Please encourage the youth in your congregation to attend, and help ensure families receive the registration details and permission forms.

Treasurer’s Report

Pledge income for September 2025 was $5,092 under budget.  

September 1 – September 31 Income from all sources:

Budgeted: $33,892

Actual: $33,196

Difference: under budget $696

September 1 – September 31 Expenses:

Budgeted: $33,795

Actual: $41,616

Difference: over budget $7,821

The bottom line: For September, our income from all sources was UNDER our expenses in the amount of $8,420.

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.

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