Journal February 2018 SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE DINNER FEBRUARY 13TH FROM 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (COME & GO) PANCAKES W/ SYRUP & BUTTER SAUSAGE BACON MILK COFFEE JUICE SPONSORED & PREPARED BY YOUR VESTRY MEMBERS 1
Peace and Grace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Lord! Lent is that time of year when we as Christians enter into a deep time of reflection and dedication. It is a time when we have come to terms with the fulfillment of an age. An age that even though it might feel like the grip of sin and death have us, they actually no longer hold us captive. For the kingdom of God is near and is here! Take time to reflect and repent on those things that are of that past age, and believe and have faith in those things promised in this new age. Repent, turn back, from those things like greed, and selfishness, and a whole list of other things that take our attention away from the kingdom. Reflect on those things promised, like relationship with God and neighbor and even self that turn out attention to the kingdom. I believe it is a good practice to give up some kind of vice, or even give up something like dining out or a favorite candy to help in focusing on the kingdom. You can also try something new. In the course of reflecting on the past try to see where God was in your life. We are not always aware until we reflect. One way to do this would be to draw a time-line of your current life span and mark the times of your highs and lows. As you reflect think about how God might have guided you during those times. Who or what did God send to help you? How did you get through it? If you are still suffering, how can your community, the Body of Christ, help you? Another way to reflect is to ask more questions: How can we as a church in the local community help? Think in specific terms about how can we help our very local community? How can we discover the needs and wants of the families in the homes around us? Do we know people that are suffering? Do we know people that are longing for community yet are not ready to join a church, or even feel welcome there? Do we know people in our own church community that are suffering and how can we help? For any of these is the answer to visit, feed, or some other type of help? This Lent as you reflect keep your ears open and listen. With God s Help, listen for the mission. Lent for the mission. Peace, Mitch+ 2
The 169th Diocesan Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas will take place February 15th - 17th in Waco, Texas. Diocesan Council is the annual business meeting of the diocese held every year. The Rector and Delegates from each parish attend the Council and vote in numerous elections. Those attending from Saint Francis are: Fr. Mitch Tollett Gay Barron Sandra Dugan Bob Gray Rob Jerger In addition to those from each parish, the Diocesan staff selects one youth member from each of the 10 convocations that make up the Diocese. The Youth Delegate for the Northeast Convocation (the one we are in) is Saint Francis own Becca Gray! Please keep these folks and all those attending Council in your prayers. 3
On Sundays, Feb 4 th & Feb 11 th (2 chances to participate) the youth group will be standing in the narthex after both services holding soup pots for you to drop in your monetary donations. All proceeds will go towards the Church Under a Bridge ministry. Also, we will be having a canned soup drive throughout the month of February, with those items being donated to PATH. 4
Calling All Volunteers for General Convention The General Convention of The Episcopal Church is coming to the Diocese of Texas. This triennial convention is responsible for conducting the business of The Episcopal Church. And, they need your help! Sign up to volunteer for General Convention being held in Austin. Volunteer shifts are available from June 29 to July 13. You can sign up online. For more information, see Linda Gray, St. Francis Liaison to General Convention or you can e-mail them directly at generalconvention2018@gmail.com. 5
The Bible thru the lens of Our Easter preparation program is here again. Members of our family have again agreed to give us a perspective of their views, thus their look at the Bible thru their lens. Here is our lineup for the 2018 season. The evening will start with a soup and salad (and the necessary dessert) supper at 5:30 pm in fellowship hall. The program will be in the sanctuary from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Here is this year s list of speakers: 2/21/18 - Lisa Kraus, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Biology 2/28/18 - John Glenn, PhD, Associate Professor of Philosophy (Ret) 3/07/18 - Paul Streufert, PhD, Associate Professor of English 3/14/18 Edward Tabri, PhD, Associate Professor of History 3/21/18 Gerald Bieritz, DMA, Associate Professor of Music This distinguished group are folks that sit, kneel, and worship with us every Sunday at St. Francis. I m sure there are those who will be astounded at the educational level and business of each. These fellow Christians are willing to share with us. So, come one and all, bringing friends, family and neighbors to this opportunity to hear another's meaning of our Holy Bible. 6
LIVING WELL Join Fr. Mitch this Lent during the first through fifth Sundays of Lent (beginning February 18 th and ending March 18 th ) for a time of prayerful reflection from 9:45-10:30am. Our guide will be the Living Well Through Lent 2018 booklet provided by Living Compass. (www.livingcompass.org) Here is a blurb from The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner, Director of the Living Compass Faith and Wellness Ministry: Lent is a time for introspection and self-reflection, a time to reflect on the core of what it means to live a Christian life. And there is nothing more central to that life than loving loving with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. For people of faith, love is not an abstract or feel-good concept, but an urgent call to radically incarnate love in how we relate to God, our neighbor, and ourselves. We are delighted that you have chosen to use our 2018 Lenten guide as a tool to assist you on your own journey. And we are honored to have seven featured writers to help us reflect on this year s theme of Loving with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. Their diverse and rich voices encourage us to understand that in order to prepare for the new life of Easter, we need to be intentional about discerning what it truly means to both give and receive love with our whole being. As important as the daily readings are in this guide, even more significant will be the reflections and insights that emerge in response to the readings. We encourage you to record them, either in the space provided in this guide, or in a separate journal. By doing this, you will be deepening the process and doing the work of loving with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. We also encourage you to find others with whom you can share the reflections and insights that this guide sparks in you. It is an honor to walk with you on the journey through Lent toward Easter. The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner Director, Living Compass Faith & Wellness Ministry 7
NEW YEAR. NEW MINISTRY? We are always looking for new folks to take part in our Worship Services. If you are interested in being an Usher, Chalice Bearer, Reader, Acolyte, or Greeter then now is a perfect time to get involved. Just speak with Fr. Mitch or Bob Gray and we will get you trained and on the schedule! 8
Friday, February 9th @ 6:00 PM Please join us on at the home of Buz & Norma Gagliano for an evening of food, fun, friends and fellowship. The main course will be Chicken with a Poblano cream sauce. Please bring either an appetizer, side dish or dessert. (beverages will be provided). A sign-up sheet is posted in the hallway along with the address to the Gagliano s home. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know each other better. 9
Other News and Happenings Since the Last Journal: Other News and Happenings Since the Last Journal: Big thanks to all those who supported Operation Christmas Child! Especially Chris Miller for organizing it. You made a difference in the lives of so many children! Your vestry met and discussed the finances, grounds, and future of St. Francis. Thank you for your service vestry members, and clerk! Published our most recent version of the Journal! (Before this one of course.) Thanks to the hard work to get this out every month! The DOK (Daughters of the King) met. They are a group that does so many things around the church along with the many prayers they say. A great group committed to serving Christ. Wednesdays: (All are invited) 12:00pm Bible Study An open discussion around the Bible as we walk through the Bible together. Everyone is welcome to come. 6:00pm Healing Service A contemplative yet participatory service where we have laying on of hands and anointing of oil to foster and pray for the physical and spiritual health for each other and our community. 7:10pm Choir Practice Lift your voices and sing songs of praise! If you like to sing, join the choir. Hand Bell Practice! Everybody is invited. It is a great group of folks that come together and make the bells sing! We made it through a very busy Advent 4 / Christmas Eve! The was one busy Sunday! Thanks to everyone who volunteered to be on worship ministries, and stand in shepherds and wise peeps. A BIG thank you to the Altar guild for all of their hard work and dedication on that day! The office was closed for Christmas. Letting the church rest after such a busy time. The OTLB, Out To Lunch Bunch, were not able to meet due to the holidays this month. Looking forward to next month. The Anglican Rosary happens on the first Wednesday of the Month. Everyone meets and if you have not prayed with an Anglican Rosary before you are brought up to speed. It is a very powerful way to pray. There was a Men s breakfast. A TON of people. Be sure to sign up so we don t run out of gravy! All are invited to go and if you are lucky you get to be there for biscuits and sausage gravy! SOOOOOO filling! Thank you men s group for expanding your ministry last month. Church Under a Bridge Prep Here all are invited to help make 125 sandwiches and bags in preparation for taking them to the Church Under a Bridge on the following Sunday. The Church Under a Bridge is a community that holds worship for the homeless under the Gentry bridge. We provide lunch for that community once a month. Church Under a Bridge Delivery On the first Sunday of the month there is a faithful few that deliver the meals prepared the day before to the Church Under a Bridge. Some have been known to stay and worship with our homeless neighbors. Which from personal experience is quite powerful. 10
We had to move the vestry meeting and close the church for TWO days due to an ice storm. Unbelievable. Fr. Bob DeWolfe s Bible classes! A classroom type environment where there is deep diving into the Biblical text. We did not have the Invite Welcome Connect team meeting with Bob Gray. Come next time for great discussion and ideas on how to invite people to church, welcome them in, and connect them to what is happening here. Everyone is welcome to come and join in the discussion. Adult Ed continues with the Discovery series and Kerygma Bible study. We are having a great time reviewing our fundamental beliefs and learning new things about the Bible. We started a new 9:00 a.m. Adult Ed session. It was a good Advent practice. Keep your eye open for future series at that time. The Annual Meeting went very well! Much good news from last year and good predictions for 2018! Looking forward to everything. The gardens look so nice! (Thanks gardening angels! If you are reading this, you can be one too!) Thanks goes out to the Altar guild for having everything ready each and every Sunday! Thanks also to the office volunteers folding and answering the phones. Plus much, much more! Thanks go out to the many, volunteers and donors that make these things happen! Think about volunteering at the church, nothing will make you feel more connected than participation within your community. FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS Janice Teasdale 02/03 Donald Earls 02/06 Kiley Munger 02/06 Bill Cornett 02/07 J B Smith 02/10/ Elaine Willis 02/12 Dwain West 02/15 Georgia West 02/15 Pat Sarubbi 02/21/ Mason Miller 02/25 Robin Seely 02/27 Vicki Smith 02/27 11
St. Francis Episcopal Church 3232 Jan Avenue Tyler, TX 75701 Telephone: 903-593-8459 Fax: 903-526-7756 Email: office@stfrancistyler.org Web site: www.stfrancistyler.org www.facebook.com/stfrancistyler 12