July 19, 2018
ST. FRANCIS WEEKLY WORD NEWSLETTER
My Word – General Convention

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which met in Austin at the beginning of the month has ended. Before Convention, I insisted that there would be no winners and no losers . I have been absolutely shocked with results of this Convention, and I want to admit that I was been wrong. There is a clear winner in this year’s General Convention:

It is our church, St. Francis.  

Thankfully, it is for all the right reasons. There were not moments when we needed to be greatly concerned about what the results of the Convention were going to be. (I usually conceive of Convention a lot like Congress. Usually, if there are not moments of great joy and terrible shame, then we are not paying very close attention. Which, come to think about it, might be the best strategy of all.)

Rather, I am exceedingly pleased by what has happened. Clearly and Laity alike from all over world, representing The Episcopal Church got together and tried to find not only common ground, but a common response to the calling of God in our Lord Jesus Christ. We prayed. We celebrated. We listened to one another. We discussed ways that we could help each other in our common mission. In short, anyone looking for big, splashy stories, drama or gossip, would be incredibly disappointed. Anyone looking for solid, thoughtful work on behalf of the Kingdom of God, would be incredibly encouraged.

On the potentially contentious issues, we reached remarkable consensus. There were still moments when we disagreed and reached an impasse. As a result, we decided that it was not yet the correct time to begin the process of liturgical revision. In fact, we adopted a statement that said the 1979 version of the Book of Common Prayer states our faith not just well, but—for now—pretty definitively. On Same Sex Marriages, even those who are hesitant about them, agreed to move forward in allowing others to Bless and Celebrate.

But the single biggest reason I say that St. Francis won, is simply this: the priorities for this General Convention line up almost exactly with the priorities for St. Francis. What’s important for us, is what turned out to be important for the whole of the Episcopal Church: Diversity, Evangelism, sharing the Gospel, living the Gospel...all of the things that we strive to be and do.

Now, Convention in never perfect. There were moments of political life that…well, let’s just say Convention was not perfect. However, an awareness that we need to change some of our processes was clear. An understanding that it is imperative for us to walk together in a communion, a journey of faithfulness, was strong; and a desire to live as the people of God was paramount .

There was a moment at Convention that really struck me, and in another setting I will have a lot more to say about that. It is a good thing, and one to which we will need to really pay close attention in the days to come. But….

General Convention has ended for three years. It will meet again in 2021 in Baltimore , but for now, we are all winners .
-Fr David Krause
PRAYER DURING THIS TIME OF TRANSITION
As we continue to let the work of listening to God to discover His desires for St. Francis, let us pray:
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Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, Page 816 )
PRAYER REQUESTS
Open to All
You are invited to submit to your prayer requests here, which will be received by office staff and included in the Parish prayer list. If received after 4:00pm on Wednesdays, or your indicate that you would prefer to keep your prayer confidential, a member of the clergy will address your prayer privately.
SUNDAY PRAYERS

There has been some confusion about people to be prayed for listed in the Sunday bulletin. THIS LIST IS SEPARATE FROM THE PRAYER WARRIORS' GROUP, although some of the names may appear on both. 

The Sunday Bulletin list was set up on a month-to-month basis. At the beginning of each month the previous list is cleared. New names may be added throughout the month, but are cleared at the end of each month. This method helps us pray for people who are currently in need.

If you want someone on the Sunday List for an indefinite period of time, you will need to add them again at the beginning of each month. You can also call the Prayer Warriors to let them know if you want someone prayed for an indefinite period of time, but their name will not automatically appear on the list in the bulletin). 

To request a prayer to be listed in the bulletin, please call Frances at
(254) 773-4255 or email her at stfrancis@stfrancistempletx.org
 
For the Prayer Warriors, please contact Roiann Ludlow at (254) 913-3555 or (254) 780-1527 or by email  roipat@sbcglobal.net .
SUNDAY SERVICE TIME
All are Welcome
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9:30am: Holy Eucharist Rite II

9:30am: Children's Chapel

10:30am: Hospitality
(Coffee and Conversation
WHAT'S GOING ON AT ST.FRANCIS?
Bishops gather before the start of the public witness against gun violence July 8 in Austin. The event was organized by Bishops United Against Gun Violence. Photo: Lori Korleski Richardson/Episcopal News Service
A Note from Deacon Tamara: Outreach
A small article in the Temple Daily Telegram caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. The headline read: Worship service set at The Gin .

I thought, "how cool is that?!" A church, in this case Crossroads Church, is holding a worship service at a local Belton restaurant. The service was going to take place at the pavilion near The Gin and was open to everyone. It brought back fond memories of our own recent outdoor service at Lion’s Park with Christ Church.
The administrative assistant at Crossroad Church was interviewed for the article. In talking about the worship service, she said “Jesus Christ is the best thing that’s ever happened to us, and we want others to know him the way we do…so this is a way to just take Jesus out of the building.” She also talked about building relationships with the community. People desire acceptance and inclusion as well as a bit of fun.
We have recently read in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs to visit towns and villages. They took Jesus to the people living in their local communities. They did not bring the people to Jesus though many followed as a result. Sure, Jesus had a following just on his own, but still he sent the disciples out to build relationships.
I can’t help but wonder how do we take Jesus to the community? How do we take Jesus outside the four walls of St. Francis? How do we build community relationships? Feed My Sheep Sundays and Backpack Buddies come immediately to mind. But where and when do we see the faces of those living in community we share?

We have an opportunity with the Sound the Alarm event on July 28 th , but I am sure there are many others.

I would love to hear about them.
SUNDAY FLOWER
PRICES ARE RISING

Recently we ordered flowers, nothing fancy, but with tax and delivery charge, ended up paying $75.00! Flower prices have gone up !

As a result the cost of our Sunday flowers has increased. We had been paying $40 for the two arrangements. The cost is now $30 for each arrangement, so $60 for two. If that is not in your budge, consider two individuals or families giving together. Another possibility would be a ministry or group contributing together for an occasion.
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2018 Backpack Buddies
We Have Been Asked This Year to Provide for 50 Elementary Students
Thank you for sponsoring a Backpack Buddies

Please bring your backpack(s) to St. Francis by Sunday, July 29th and put in the church.

God Bless,

Backpack Buddies Chairs
Karen Fredenburg & Heidi Couchman
KNITTING NEEDLES
AND CROCHET HOOKS

It is hot out! So you know what that means? Cold weather is just around the corner!! Time to bring out the knitting needles and crochet hooks! If you would like to make hats and/or scarves for the homeless and needy, put the items in the box labeled Knitting Ministry on the bench outside the women’s restroom in the Narthex. I will collect them as the box fills. There are many free patterns on Pinterest to choose from.

If you have any questions, contact Roiann Ludlow at 254-780-1527 or roipat@sbcglobal.net .
Property Committee Update
The next workday will be lead by Richard Macchi and involves insulating and adding plywood around the walls of the storage room in the metal building. Date will be announced in the future

Richard and Sheri Macchi added the insulation needed in the new storage building and will have MDF up in a few days. Thanks Macchis! You are amazing!

The box has been mounted. Now the AED needs to put in the box!

Thanks to everyone who showed up to the mini work day on Saturday. We got the vesting room ceiling sheetrocked, the fluorescent bulbs recycled, the new shelves assembled, and one shelf redeemed from the old shed...all in two and a half hours! Way to go, guys! Folks who were helping out were Len and Ruth Henry, Ty Comny, MIckey Kerr, Peggiann Jones, Richard Spillman, Jerry and Cindy Allen.  
NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

THE COLLECT:
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

( Book of Common Pray e  r Page 231 )

Lectionary for this Sunday

ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Sunday, July 22
  • 9:30am: Holy Eucharist Rite II

Tuesday, July 24
  • There will be no Tuesday Solace for the month of July

Thursday, June 26
  • 8:00am: Garden Day

Saturday, July 28
  • Sound the Alarm, 10:00am,
  • 1215 N Wall Street, Belton, TX
  • Bring your friends and family. All tools, training and refreshments provided. Help the Red Cross in their mission to save lives!
The Search Progress
While some folks may think that this process is taking longer than it ought to, and others may wonder why we just can’t simply keep the priest that we currently have, the search process is steadily and surely moving forward. In June the Vestry received the results of the Holy Cow Survey, which resulted in a multitude of data sets, which the Vestry is currently analyzing and discussing. The wealth of data is extremely helpful in not merely creating a profile of who we are as a congregation, but is also exceptionally beneficial in diagnosing and researching long-term trends and behaviors. Please feel free to strike up a conversation, or ask a question of any member of the Vestry. Since Summer is upon us, the work is advancing mostly behind the scenes at the moment, but next month the Vestry aims to have completely evaluated this material and begun the work on naming a Search Committee.

We are working meticulously and deliberately on this step, which does take a considerable amount of time. This was one of the primary recommendations of the Holy Cow! Consultants. Taking the time to search carefully should yield a significantly more successful result. In the meantime, Father David will be with us. Regular reports from the Vestry and from the Search Committee (when named) will be forthcoming. For now, enjoy the Texas heat, and know that all is proceeding according to plan.
WE WANT YOU TO JOIN US IN THE CHOIR!

We still need more choir members. Our group is small enough that when a couple of members have to be absent, we are left really short. With more people we would be able to do more & different kinds of music. You do not have to have a big or beautiful voice because as in math, the whole (choir) is greater than any of its parts (members).

We are a fun & companionable group and will welcome YOU! Come try singing with us & then decide if you want to join us! 
Do You Have a Favorite Hymn?
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Do you have a favorite hymn that you really enjoying singing? Something that we don’t do often enough? Or even something that is not in the Episcopal Church Hymnal of 1982? 

On the 5th of August, during Sunday worship, St. Francis will host a good old fashioned, Hymn Singing Eucharist. We will play with the liturgy just a tad bit, and I’m hoping that you might suggest favorite hymns to sing.

Wouldn’t it be fun if we sang 10, 15, or even 20 hymns? OK, maybe not all of the verses of each one. But I really enjoyed some old chestnuts that we sang the other week, and I’m sure that you have a favorite as well. Suggestions are welcomed in the office, sent along as an email , or even written on a piece of paper and handed to us. Let’s have some musical fun! Suggestions are due by the 29th of July
THE VESTRY WISH LIST

A new set of green vestments and hangings (chasuble and stole along with a veil, burse and pulpit/lectern fall) for the priest and church.

See Kyla Sherrard for information
Meditation Garden
Today's beautiful featured garden plant is the White Lantana (can you spot the butterfly?). Remember, a fountain and benches provide a pleasant environment for meditating on God's love and care—and listening for his voice.

13  "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared.  14  "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire
DO YOU HAVE A THUMB YOU ARE WILLING TO SHARE?
Green thumb? Brown thumb?
Any thumb at all?

Wildscape Guild is looking, for new members who can help on Thursday mornings, but also for folks who are willing to splash some water on sunbaked plants, between our Thursday waterings. Feel free, if you notice pots that look sad, to grab a hose or douse them from the sink. It takes a village, when it’s so hot this early in the summer.

See Ruth Henry , Karen Fredenburg or Cindy Allen for questions about joining us...or just show up on Thursday morning with work gloves and your favorite tools between 8:00 and 9:00am
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“One is nearer God’s heart in a garden, than anywhere else on earth.” Dorothy Frances Gurney
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UPCOMING EVENTS
July Events
122,259 Alarms Installed
$15,423,225 Raised
31,300 Volunteers Needed
SATURDAY, JULY 28:

The Heart of Texas Red Cross has teamed up with the Belton Fire Department to install 800 fire alarms in Belton homes who need them. Why? Every day 7 people die in home fires. The installation of smoke alarms can help prevent these deaths.

120 volunteers are needed to register, install, and educate. You will be trained and no experience is required. All equipment will be provided as well as refreshments.

Volunteers are needed to:
  • Install the alarms. All equipment is provided. You will need to be able to climb a ladder.
  • Educate the family about home fire safety while the alarm is being installed. No ladder climbing required.
  • Registration of volunteers.
  • Logistics, the checking in and out of equipment.

Saturday, July 28, 10:00am–4:00pm
Meet at Immanuel Lutheran Ministries, 1215 S Wall St, Belton

There will be a signup sheet available this Sunday or you can email me at revtamara@stfrancistempletx.org . I need to be able to give the Red Cross a count of the volunteers, so please let me know as soon as possible. Remember to invite your friends and family to help with this community event! Many volunteers are needed. This is a great way to show the community our St. Francis spirit!

( Ancillary pre-canvassing event: On Friday, July 20 , starting at 10:00am , volunteers are needed to walk the neighborhood where the alarms are to be installed and place hangtags announcing the event on the doors. Just walking and hanging tags. No ringing doorbells! You will get your steps in! See me if you are interested in helping out. )

August Events
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2018:
Dinner in the Country & Silent Auction Benefiting Feed My Sheep

1:00–4:00pm but feel free to come and go as you please.

$12.00 per plate requested donation.

There will also be a silent auction for which they are soliciting donations. If you or your business have something you'd be willing to donate, please call Staci at 512-775-7999.

More information at 
GREATEST JOURNEY
ORNAMENT PROGRAM:

After receiving shoebox gifts from Samaritan’s Purse and the Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection, many children are invited back to participate in the Operation Christmas Child discipleship program, The Greatest Journey.

This month, we invite you to take part in keeping the journey going through our Greatest Journey Ornament program. Simply purchase an ornament for $6—found in stores only—and you’ll send the 12-lesson course, The Greatest Journey, and a New Testament to a child in need.
VIEW A FULL LIST OF EVENTS ON THE DIOCESAN CALENDAR
ONGOING MINISTRIES
FEED MY SHEEP SACK MEALS (FMS)
On the 2nd Sunday of each month, all are invited to gather in the Parish after the 9:30 service to prepare 100 sack lunches for our neighbors who have limited access to food.

CHURCHES TOUCHING LIVES FOR CHRIST (CTLC)
The collection item for July 2018 will be Macaroni and Cheese . Items may be brought to the narthex on Sunday or to the Church Office during weekdays.

THE WILDSCAPE GUILD
The Wildscape Guild's purpose is to provide a beautiful and welcoming outdoor environment at St. Francis' church for all God's creatures—including humans. We seek an awareness of God's presence in fellowship, in silent meditation, and in all the sensual joys of planting and harvesting in the care of creation. We are filling the grounds with native and adapted plants that will support birds, butterflies, and other wildlife as well as saving water and preventing erosion. We hope to make the gardens a living classroom to encourage the love of the outdoors in children at the school. We meet every Thursday at 8:00am . Please feel free to come by with your gloves and favorite tools. We would love to have you!.

ST. FRANCIS GIFT SHOP
As most of you know, the gift shop must have two workers at all times. We are in desperate need of volunteers. This is a great time to ask your best friend to sit with you and a great time to socialize and catch up. Please consider, just 3 1/2 hours a month and we will put you on the schedule.

ST. FRANCIS CHOIR
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!” Notice the passage does NOT say we have to have a beautiful voice to praise God! We are looking for new choir members. We practice at 8:30am before we sing at the 9:30am service. So come join us!
MINISTERS IN THE LORD'S SERVICE
Altar Guild:
Ethelene Rodriguez,
Kim Carpenter &
Chris Sedonic                         
     
Readers :
Cindy Allen &
Peggiann Jones

Acolytes:
Collin & Ian Wilson
Ushers :
Jana Deakins


Hospitality :Kyla Sherrard
                  
 


Children's Chapel:

Vestry Greeter:  
 Mickey Kerr


Organist:
Debra Johnson

JULY BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
JULY 25 BIRTHDAY
Peggy Flores
JULY 28 BIRTHDAY
Peggy Flores
JULY 29 BIRTHDAY
Heidi Couchman
JULY 31 BIRTHDAY
Shirley Strasburger
Take time to walk around the gardens Thank you to the Wildscape Guild for working so hard to maintain such a beautiful, natural, meditative space for us.