St. Francis Weekly

May 6 - 12, 2026

Embodying God's love by building community through worship, inclusivity, and outreach.

Hello, Friends of St Francis!

Rector’s Reflection: Making Room for Wonder

This week, I’ve been sitting with a quietly subversive invitation from poet, philosopher and healer Parker Palmer: “When the going gets rough, turn to wonder.” It’s a reminder that in disorienting times — when so much in this world tells us to brace, to harden, to scroll the headlines until our hearts break or, worse, go numb — making room for wonder is a simple but profoundly important spiritual practice. Not by accident, I also dropped the needle on singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant’s 1995 song “Wonder,” which urges us to, in the words of Psalm 46, “be still and know.” Wonder is all around us, starting with us. Merchant sings, “They say I must be one of the wonders, God’s own creation.” Yes, we are part of God’s wonder. With that in mind, here's where I'm finding wonder. Read More.

St. Francis News ...

Landscaping Day, Saturday, May 9, 9:30 a.m.

This month, St. Francis continues the tradition of holding a Landscaping Day on the second Saturday of each month to do the work of making sure our church properties are beautiful throughout the summer and autumn. The first Landscaping Day of 2026 is May 9 at 9:30 a.m. Meet at the New Church at 2810 Long Ridge Road.

Share Your Story for the St. Francis 80th Anniversary Videos after both services

St. Francis is creating videos to celebrate our 80th birthday as a faith community. Everyone is invited to participate after this Sunday's 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services. Stick around after the services to record a quick video testimonial about how you came to St. Francis and why you love it. The comments will be featured during a video montage played during our June 7 celebration service and annual picnic. Come prepared to answer three questions: Who are you and how long have you been at St. Francis? What brought you here? What keeps bringing you back?

Spring Clothing Drive for Person-to-Person

Our spring clothing drive for Person-to-Person begins this week. Please bring new or gently used spring and summer clothing to the Church on Sundays, or leave bagged items in the bin outside the Church on weekdays. If possible, organize donations by size and gender. The drive runs from May 6 - May 17. Thank you for your support!

New Button for ALL Sign-ups, Requests & Giving

Looking to host a Sunday coffee hour? Want to share a prayer request? Hoping to support our ministries with a donation? We’ve made it simple.

All of our ministry sign-ups, prayer requests, and giving opportunities now live in one convenient place. No more searching through multiple links —just one easy button / landing page for everything. You will find it every week in the Sunday Notes / Weekly Offerings emails. Click below to get started:

Thank you for the many ways you help St. Francis embody God’s love through hospitality, prayer, and generosity.

Movie Club: Sunday, May 10, 4 p.m.

The St. Francis Movie Club will gather on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the meeting room. This month, we're going back to the 1950s to explore the themes of love, resilience and compassion in the classic drama "Imitation of Life."

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed

Coffee Hour runs on, well, coffee – and on our community sharing the work. If you would be willing to help set up or clean up Coffee Hour in May – or even pick up our weekly tray of bagels and muffins at LaRocca’s on your way to church – I hope you’ll use the sign-up link below.

Volunteer for Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour is important. It is an extension of our 10 a.m. Sunday communal worship. What begins at the altar in the breaking of the Bread continues at Coffee Hour. The unity we share in Christ does not end with the dismissal. It spills into conversation, into laughter, into the gentle grace and joy of welcoming new faces. It is often at Coffee Hour that a visitor becomes a friend, and a friend becomes part of our church family.

Please review the Parish Directory and report any changes!

We are in the process of updating the Parish Directory. Please take a moment to review the current directory for any outdated information. If you would like to add or change a photo, you can do that as well. If you are new to St. Francis, we would be delighted to include your information in the directory. If you would like a copy of the latest (DRAFT) directory, please email Cathy Ostuw.

Although we do not print them in the directory, we keep track of birthdays and anniversaries so they can be included in the Weekly Bulletin. So, if we don't have all of your family's special dates, please send them in. All updates should be emailed to Cathy Ostuw.

Thank you for your help. The directory is an important tool for keeping us connected as a community.

This Week's Multimedia

Watch Michele's Godly Play sermon on the Good Shepherd.

Please note: Friday is Rev. Joe's sabbath day.

What a great Sunday at St. Francis! Michele B. offered a Godly Play homily on the Good Shepherd and several parishioners gathered at the Meeting Room to be interviewed for a video remembering the great cloud of witnesses at rest in the Historic Church Columbarium.