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FROM YOUR SENIOR WARDEN

July/August, 2010

Report to the Congregation

from the Senior Warden

In the last Franciscan Staff, I concentrated on all the

"administrative happenings" within Saint Francis. This month

I'd like to look at how Saint Francis is doing in the SPIRITUAL

ARENA.

WORSHIP: How about those fantastic sermons by Fr. Edward

Mullins, our alternating Rite 1 and Rite 2 services, our quality

music, and getting back to THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. I hope

you are enjoying the services at Saint Francis as much as I am.

I find them organized, educational, and spiritually uplifting.

Fr. Edward Mullins will continue to work at fine tuning the

presentation of the WORD, the LITURGY, and the MUSIC support.

It has been proven that WORSHIP is a key attractor of new

members.

TAIZÉ SERVICE: We offer a Taizé service in the Chapel on the

third Tuesday of the month at 5 pm. This is a soft and restful

candlelight service by Deacon Marge Perry with music support

by Mary Wright on piano, vocals by Roger Hinterthuer, and

Native American flute music by Carl Perry. We will resume

this spiritual opportunity in October.

ALPHA PROGRAM: Fr. Mullins and Barbara and Gary LaBarre

will lead the Alpha Program this fall. The foundation of Alpha

is a set of excellent video presentations followed by a facilitated

group discussion. This is an excellent format to share, explore,

and learn how to express your personal spirituality. Watch

for the announcement of meeting dates and give it a try. The

videos are absolutely excellent and I guarantee that you will

find them captivating and stimulating.

BIBLE STUDY: Fr. Mullins is working with the Christian

Formation Committee to continue Bible Study opportunities

this fall. As the leaders and format become finalized, we will

share this information.

CONFIRMATION CLASSES: Fr. Edward Mullins led a five-week

Lenten series on Sunday afternoons in the Chapel which were

well-received and well-attended.

LENTEN PROGRAM: The Christian Formation Committee did a

fine job of putting together five speakers for our Wednesday

evening soup and spiritual menu during Lent. Many of our

Saint Francis membership look forward to our annual Lenten

Program.

EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY (EfM): My personal experience with

our EfM Program was the most fulfilling thing I have ever

done to explore my personal theology. My EfM training has

become the foundation for my personal spiritual journey. We

are blessed to have two outstanding mentors in Joan Archibald

and Anne Charter. The program provides excellent textbooks

July Preaching Schedule

4 The Rev. Edward Mullins

11 The Rev. Tom Leonard

18 The Rev. Tom Leonard

25 The Rev. Tom Leonard

August Preaching

Schedule

1 The Rev. Tom Leonard

8 The Rev. Edward Mullins

15 The Rev. Edward Mullins

22 The Rev. Edward Mullins

29 The Rev. Edward Mullins

and a structure for learning that I found very helpful. Look into EfM, which will restart in September, and you will be glad you did.

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING: This chapter's key focus is all about "prayer"; the forms of prayer, the timing of prayer, the spirit of prayer, and the power of prayer. Members are stationed in the Chapel during Sunday services during Communion to pray with those seeking assistance. The Prayer Quilt Ministry is also coordinated by DOK. The meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month will resume in October under the leadership of

President, Darlene Gregory.

WALKING THE LABYRINTH: Saint Francis is blessed to have a beautiful Labyrinth and Pet Ossuary on the Southeast corner of our property. A non-member of our Parish, Judith Bailey, cares for this area daily because her beloved dog Ferguson is interred there. Judith keeps the area pristine by sweeping, cleaning, raking, watering, and

providing new plantings all at her own expense. Enjoy this beautiful restful area for your personal prayers and the unpredictable spiritual experience of walking the labyrinth.

LECTIO DIVINA: This is one of the oldest forms of Christian meditation and offers a time to be still and receive insight from the Holy Spirit. A short reading, often a psalm or Bible passage, is read multiple times; first you concentrate on a key word or phrase that is meaningful to you; then you concentrate on how this word or phrase

affects the meaning of what you sense, see, and feel; and then you concentrate on how this word or phrase is impacting on your life. Opportunities are provided for those who wish to share with the

group. This group meets from October-June and is led by Deacon Vern Woodlief.

THE PRAYER CHAIN: Deacon Marge Perry and Joan Archibald are the to reduce our annual telephone costs.

LET US PRAY: Lord, help us to continue to grow as a congregation driven by a common vision. Thank you for helping us in the healing of our wounds of the past. Continue to strengthen the understanding of your will for Saint Francis and give us the strength and courage to make it happen. We thank you for our many gifts and blessings. Help us to recognize our gifts and to put them to work as your hands in this troubled world.

We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen

Carl Perry,

Senior Warden

4Telephone System Matching Funds Offered - The St. Francis Vestry has voted to update our ailing phone system. Soon you will no longer have to call in and ask the receptionist not to answer the phone so you can leave a message for a clergy or staff member. It will cost $8,000 for the new equipment purchase and installation. Once the equipment is paid for we will begin seeing a $2,000 a year savings in our annual phone bill. Doing the simple math, that means at the end of approximately 4 years we will begin seeing an overall savings in our phone costs and we will have had the benefit of a state of the art phone system all that time.

St. Francis has received an anonymous matching funds gift of $4,000 to purchase the equipment outright to help make this change occur immediately. By paying for the equipment up front, or in the first year of service, we can realize a savings of nearly $3,000 in financing costs. If you think saving money while enjoying the benefits of a state-of-the-art phone service is a good idea, then the Vestry would ask you to help take advantage of the matching funds gift. You can write a check and designate it for "phone system matching funds" or use a pew envelope and on the outside designate it as "phone system matching funds."