St. Francis Weekly                      
May 20 - May 27, 2018
Quote of the Week. . .

Many say that growing older causes
the mind to wander,
the body to stiffen,
and the heart to harden.

This is not the case for us.
As we become sages
our minds begin to see the oneness of all things,
our bodies become more flexible and supple, 
and our hearts soften in love.
                                                             --Author unknown (via Jane Lazgin)


Food for Thought. . .
Julia Wade set up the following video during our prayer service prior to our monthly vestry meeting.  Her words and the video are well worth your attention.

What About Jesus?
A Washington lawmaker asked Jim Wallis a question over breakfast that has stayed with him. The legislator is a Christian, but was having a hard time understanding the message and motivation of the evangelical "advisers" to President Donald Trump. He posed the query, "What about Jesus?"

As Jim Wallis wrote:
"What do these evangelicals do with that question as they listen and talk with and for Donald Trump? Would Jesus talk this way about immigrants, act this way toward women, use such divisive language of racial fear and resentment, show such a blatant disregard for truth, prefer strong-man to servant leadership, and really say that one country should be "first?" What do we do with Jesus? That is always the right question, including when it comes to politics, and especially if we say we are followers of Jesus Christ."

 For those who may not be familiar with Jim Wallis Jr., he is a Christian writer and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners magazine https://sojo.net/ and the founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian community of the same name. Wallis is the author of many books, including the NY Times 2006 bestseller, God's Politics: "Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It". He is well known for his advocacy on issues of peace and social justice, and an outspoken critic of voters who identify as white and evangelical in their support of Trump (to the tune of 81%).
 
In this short video several Christian elders from across many traditions and racial lines ask that vital question "What About Jesus?" in their message of  Reclaiming Jesus in a Time of Crisis.


Link of the Week. . .
May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  The following video is a description of the photographs and stories that MIT Professor Daniel Jackson made and collected to become Portraits of Resilience.  Important.


For Further Reflection. . .  
A TED Tallk from the The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Thomas Insel.  Toward a New Understanding of Mental Illness. . . 

                   
Weekly Schedule

Saturday, May 19
9:00 AM       Landscaping Morning (Church)
9:00 AM       Prison Ministry
9:00 AM       Albanian Education Program (Parish Hall)
5:00 PM        St. Francis Saturday Night Worship (Historic Church)
7:00 PM        St. Francis Sounds Good Concert:  From 42nd Street to Broadway

Sunday, May 20--Feast of Pentecost--WEAR RED!!
8:00 AM        Worship Service with Eucharist (Historic Church)
                      Celebrant: Mark Lingle
                      Preacher:  Debra Slade

10:00 AM     Worship Service with Eucharist (Church)
                       Celebrant: Mark Lingle
                      Preacher:  Debra Slade

11:00 AM      Reception for Brandon Ashcraft (Church)

4:00 PM        Service for Pets and Their People (Church)


This Week at a Glance

Thursday (24)
Interfaith Council Meeting

Saturday (26)
5:00 PM   St. Francis Saturday Night Service (Historic Church)

Sunday (27)  Trinity Sunday
8:00 AM Worship Service with Eucharist  (Historic Church)
10:00 AM  Worship Service with Eucharist (Church)
11:00 AM  Book Club: Building a Strong Church Community
Save the Date

Monday, May 28
Memorial Day

Thursday, May 31 @ 7:30 AM
Building One Community Breakfast Benefit

Saturday, June 2 @ 5:00 PM (Historic Church)
LAST SATURDAY SERVICE FOR SUMMER-- 
We begin again in September

Sunday, June 3 @ 8AM and 10AM 
Load-A-Truck Sunday

Sunday, June 3 @ 11:00 AM (Church)
Parish Meeting

Sunday, June 3 @ 11:30 AM (Church)
Parish Picnic

Sunday, June 3 @ 11:30 AM (Church)
Music Committee Meeting

Tuesday, June 5 @ 7:00 PM
Stamford Interfaith Refugee Settlement Committee Meeting

Saturday, June 9 @ 9:00 AM (Church)
Prison Ministry

Saturday, June 9 @ 10:00 AM (Church)
Betsy Rich Memorial Service

Saturday, June 9 @ 7:30 PM (Union Baptist Church)
Interfaith Iftar

Wednesday, June 13 @ 6:00 PM (Margery Irish's Home)
Prayer Shawl Ministry

Saturday, June 16 @ 9:00 AM (Church)
Landscaping Morning

Saturday, June 16 @ Noon (Church)
Satya Sai Baba Prsentation

Sunday, June 17 @ 4:00 PM (Church)
Service for Pets and Their People

Wednesday, June 20 @ Noon
Stamford Clergy Meeting

Wednesday, June 20 @ 7:00 PM (Meeting Room)
Vestry Meeting

Saturday, June 23 @ 8:00 AM (Church)
Breathing Space Meditation

Thursday, June 28 @ 11:00 AM 
Edgehill Eucharist

Saturday, July 7 @ 9:00 AM (Church)
Landscaping Morning

Sunday, July 15 @ 4:00 PM (Church)
Service for Pets and Their People

Sunday, September 23 @ 9:00 AM (Church)
Miles for a Mission Road Race
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