A Publication of St. Francis Episcopal Church Proclaiming the Good News in word and deed

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1 FRANCISCAN - MARCH 2018 Dear Saint Francis Family and Friends, 2018 A Publication of St. Francis Episcopal Church Proclaiming the Good News in word and deed The word march is unique. The word march can be an adjective, a verb or a noun. For example, the best damn band in the land is The Ohio State University marching band. Mom, my commander-in-chief, would shout, Young man march yourself right in here this minute! Also, March is a month, an in between period when winter begins to draw to an end; daylight saving begins; and spring draws near. Crocus, daffodils and snowdrops begin to pop up. The bulbs swell and Life wins again. The natural world reminds us again of the wonderful promise of life. Throughout the seasons life is challenged but eventually life wins again and again. When I was in fifth grade, for some unknown reason my teacher, Mrs. Levy, would read a book to us when we were deep into a class project or taking a break. On one occasion she read, Death Be Not Proud. The title of the book has been cemented into my brain ever since. In fifth grade, I was baffled by the meaning of death be not proud and I keep mulling it over time and again, throughout adolescence and adulthood, even today. I will be always curious, why Mrs. Levy was reading that book? Was she searching for the meaning as well? The book, Death Be Not Proud, published in 1949, is a memoir by American author John Gunther, taking the title from Holy Sonnet X by John Donne ( ). John Donne was an English poet and a cleric in the Church of England. He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets. The main theme of the book reflects upon how illness and death affected the Gunthers. The family embraced courage and their commitment to live fully in the face of daily discouragement, frequent setbacks and the transformation of the life of their 17 year old son, Johnny, who was struck down by a brain tumor. Through many upheavals for eight months, the Gunther family continued to be grateful that their son was still alive and they continued to celebrate his life. After Johnny s death, the parents were grateful their son had continued to live as vibrantly and as intelligently as possible. I have learned from a commentary that Donne s sonnet, Death Be Not Proud, ends with the verse, And death shall be no more, death, thou shalt die. (The death of Death.) Death had nothing to be proud of in Johnny's case. His (and his parents') wise, brave choices in living a brief life fully overcame any final destruction of the spirit that a fear of oncoming death might have otherwise wrought. The month of March too leads us to the understanding of the promise of life everlasting. Holy Scripture tells us that the Light will overcome the Darkness, Life crucified will become new Life resurrected and Eternal Life is the final victory over Death. Donne s sixteenth century sonnet and the Gunthers resolve both respected and snubbed death. Life is worth living and celebrating to the fullest as one is able to the end. During the month ahead, by metaphor and scripture, the congregation will celebrate a difficult and unique journey with Jesus until He breathes his last. During our march together in faith, embrace the Christian truth: Because of the merits and the gift revealed through Jesus Christ, death shall be no more, death will die. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Death is a slave to our mortality, nothing more. The faithful community offers praise and thanksgiving every Sunday for the gift of life, for the lives of people who have been changed by Jesus Christ and by their service to everyone in His Name. In the coming days, +May the winter of discontent, vainglory and loneliness without God come to an end. +May new life push its way through all the dirt, be free and blossom into the very being God has created you to be. +May the Love of God warm your souls in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Cultivate life, grow and blossom at Saint Francis Episcopal Church. Return to the Garden where Life begins over and over again. Faithfully, Fr. Frank +

2 MARCH CALENDAR SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WED. THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Choir Rehearsal Sunday School Holy Eucharist, Rite II Boy Scouts 6:00 pm & Choir Rehearsal Sunday School Holy Eucharist, Rite II Boy Scouts 6:00 pm & Vestry Meeting St. Patrick's Day Game Night 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal Sunday School Holy Eucharist, Rite II Boy Scouts 6:00 pm & Choir Rehearsal Sunday School Palm Sunday Holy Eucharist, Rite II Boy Scouts 6:00 pm & 2 Good Friday: Veneration of the Cross

3 Easter Season MARCH BIRTHDAYS Kathy Chandler 3/1 Elizabeth Hoobler 3/7 Spencer Marshall 3/13 Hal Haugen 3/14 Kimberly Sprowles 3/17 Teena Baldrige 3/23 Diana Graham 3/30 The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday March 25 at The Liturgy of the Palms will begin outdoors, with a process to the Foyer and celebration of Holy Eucharist, Rite II. MARCH ANNIVERSARY Jim and Dee Taylor 3/ If your name does not appear on our birthday or anniversary list, please contact the church office. The Passion Of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Palm Sunday St. Francis is in need of Readers for The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ on Palm Sunday. If you are interested, please see the sign up sheet on the table in the Foyer to choose who you want to be. Thank you! Good Friday March 30 at Traditional Good Friday Liturgy The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day April 1 at Easter Day Festival, Holy Eucharist Rite, II Please come and join us for these holy and festive days! 3

4 Easter Flowers If you would like to memorialize a loved one or friend, or express thanksgiving for God s many blessings through your donation of Easter Flowers, please fill in the needed information and place this form with your check in the offering plate. Please make your check payable to Saint Francis and mark the memo notate Easter Flowers. Thank you. Your name (as you wish it listed in the bulletin) Please list name(s) as you wish it (them) printed in the bulletin and circle the appropriate designation. Easter Flowers If you would like to memorialize a loved one, or express thanksgiving for God s many blessings through your donation of Easter flowers, please fill out the needed information on the form found in the Narthex on the table and in this Franciscan Newsletter. Make your checks payable to St. Francis and mark the memo Easter Flowers. In Honor In Memory In Thanksgiving In Honor In Memory In Thanksgiving In Honor In Memory In Thanksgiving Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 11. Don t forget to set your clocks forward. 4

5 GAME NIGHT Keep your calendars open! St. Francis will have a fun filled Game Night held on Saturday, March 17 at 6:30 pm. Come and enjoy food and fellowship with the parishioners of St. Francis. Please bring a finger food to share and any games or cards that you would like to play. Contact Barb Roy (937) for any questions. Fun...Fellowship...Food...you do not want to miss it! Outreach Ministry Jars Please look for jars around the church to throw your loose change in. They will be located on the table in the foyer, near the coffee pots in the kitchen, and on the table during coffee hour. These will benefit Kiwanis for the month of March. Kiwanis International brings the world together one community at a time. Today, we stand with more than 600,000 members in more than 80 countries from Kiwanis to Key Club to Circle K and beyond. Each community has different needs, and Kiwanis empowers members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children through local service projects and fundraising. Kiwanis hosts nearly 150,000 service projects each year. Every 2 months there will be a new charity that money will be collected for; please look forward to new charities in the future. This is great way for the Outreach Ministry to serve the community. 5

6 CHOIR REHEARSAL NEW SCHEDULE The Choir will rehearse weekly on Wednesdays from to 8:00 pm in the choir room. There will also continue to be a rehearsal on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am. New choir members are always welcome and needed! No experience or music reading necessary!! Please speak to Donna Sprowles, Director of Music at dsprowles@cinci.rr.com or if you have any questions. PRAYERS OF FORGIVENESS Forgiveness is a very important component to our faith journey. If we are unwilling to forgive, our unforgiveness can become a red stumbling block to our prayer life and to our continuing spiritual growth. A common response to forgiveness is: But I don t feel forgiving. This can be a really honest dilemma. But forgiveness can be a process. We can begin by being WILLING to forgive. And we are willing to forgive because we know that Jesus wants that for us. As we become willing, Jesus will begin working the feeding of forgiveness into our hearts. Other common statements include: But he/she hurt me really badly ; But it wasn t my fault. Our Lord understands this, but no where in Scripture does it say that we are justified in not forgiving. As we forgive we release ourselves from whatever burden we have been carrying. Christ restores us to His peace and joy. The lifting of that burden is a beautiful experience. In the Lord s Prayer we ask:...forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us Think about what that really means to you. Mary Martin, Parish Health Ministry 6

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8 Saint Francis Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church in Springboro 225 N. Main Street Springboro, OH (937) The annual Easter Egg Hunt at St. Francis will take place immediately following the service on Easter Sunday, April 1. All children are invited! While the adults enjoy an Easter coffee hour, the children will be searching for candy filled eggs. Donations of plastic eggs and/or candy would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, please see Jenny Catalan (513) or Lisa Spangler (513) Come and join us for fun and fellowship! The Franciscan a monthly publication of Saint Francis Episcopal Church 225 North Main Street, Springboro, OH (937) SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP Holy Eucharist, Rite II Sunday School..... WEDNESDAY CLASSES 8