News

The Vestry Members held Small Group Meetings with members of St. Francis to enable us to move in the best direction for our parish.  Approximately 50 members participated on a volunteer basis to answer 5 questions posed by Fr. Jason Shelby during the 2024 Vestry Retreat.  The questions are as follows:

1. What do we really love to do?
2. How has God gifted us to do those things?
3. If we focused more on doing what we love, so that we do it really well and share it with others, what are the best things that could happen?
4. What might boost our ability to achieve each of those things?
5. Where do we start?

Mary Deley and Mary Ann Cronin then gathered the information provided by the Vestry Members and created this summary.  The responses are listed in order of popularity, particularly under Question 1.  Please let us know if you have any questions or would like an explanation in more detail for any of the responses. 

QUESTION 1 – What do we really love to do?

Parishioners said the following which they enjoy and love: 

1. Fellowship – spend time together
2. Music – listening, playing, singing
3. Puzzles, games cards
4. Attend church on Sunday, enjoy the traditions
5. Exercise/Sports – playing and watching
6. Gardening, campus cleanup
7. Hiking/Being outdoors
8. Reading/Writing
9. Being/Serving in our community (outside of church)
10. Photography/Art
11. Youth programs/Mentoring
12. Adult education/Guest speakers
13. Homeless support
14. Sewing/Knitting/Quilting
15. Healing/Illness support
16. Grief group
17. Travel
18. Guilds
19. Genealogy
20. Helping the homebound
21. Technology
22. Being with our pets

QUESTION 2 – How has God gifted us to do those things?

We have the gifts of:

1. Welcoming community at St. Francis
2. Enjoy working and serving together
3. Beautiful grounds
4. Great staff to enable us to provide fellowship and joy
5. Various Guilds, Ministry Councils, etc.
6. People who see a need and do whatever it takes to fulfill it
7. Vision to make something happen (i.e. Designs for Dining, Rummage Sale, etc.)

QUESTION 3 – If we focused more on doing what we love, so that we do it really well and share it with others, what are the best things that could happen?

We would:

1. Build more connections between current parishioners
2. Bring more people to the church to do God’s work
3. Build connections with our outside community
4. By fellowship events increase opportunities
5. Build a Youth Program
6. Have more empathy towards the homeless
7. Have our passion rub off on others
8. Develop coffee hour further by adding music

QUESTION 4 – What might boost our ability to achieve each of those things?

Ideas shared include:

1. Name tags for Vestry members, Ministry Council Leaders, Sunday School teachers, etc.
2. Funding for Youth Leader
3. Music at coffee hour
4. Visiting other churches to inspire ideas for St. Francis
5. Reinstitute Acolyte Program for children and adults
6. Information page about St. Francis history for people to take in pews at weddings, funerals, etc. 
7. Use St. Francis as venue for community events and advertising them (i.e. Bag Pipe Concert, Music Concerts, Evensong, etc.)
8. Restaurant fundraisers
9. Individual discussions and/or invitations to get involved (i.e. baking for the Antique Show, decorating for holidays, singing in choir for special occasions, etc.)
10. Presentations by different Groups, Guilds, Ministry Council, etc. in church on monthly or bi-monthly basis (i.e., Loaves & Fishes, Caring Cards, Outreach, Sages, etc.)
11. Mentoring others to develop future leaders (i.e., Antique Show, etc.)
12. Sport watching parties, game nights, etc.
13. Participating on peripheral of events wearing St. Francis T-shirts or hats (i.e., passing out water bottles at Village Run, booth at local festival, etc.)

QUESTION 5 – Where do we start?

Answers to this question dovetailed with Question 4 so those replies were not included.  Other responses were:

1. Joint service with Wayfarer’s Chapel
2. Kris Kringle Christmas Show
3. More staff for Rector
4. Engage Youth Leader
5. Visitation of homebound aging population
6. Reinstitute Lay Eucharist Ministers
7. Provide Christian education to support faith and address doubts about faith
8. Humor in bulletin and/or Bellringer

Dear St. Francis Family,

As we enter the flu season, we want to ensure that everyone in our community stays healthy and safe.

If you are feeling ill or are running a fever, we kindly ask that you take care of yourself at home and join us in spirit through our livestream worship on Facebook or YouTube.

For those who are immune compromised or concerned about their health, we encourage you to consider wearing a mask during in-person worship services for added protection.

We appreciate your understanding and care for one another during this time.

Blessings,

Sue Ferme
Safety Chair

Fr. Jason Shelby
Rector

On Wednesday, August 28, the Healing Service will be at 10:00AM in the chapel, and will continue to be held at 10:00AM unless otherwise noted or announced. But why, you may be asking yourself, is it being moved? Because it will accommodate Father Jason’s schedule better if it is at ten instead of twelve. The healing service itself will remain the same, only now it will happen two hours earlier.

May 16, 2024
Office of Public Affairs

In affirmation and celebration of The Episcopal Church’s LGBTQ+ members, the Office of Communication is pleased to unveil a new Pride shield available online for churchwide use.

The design retains the upper-left blue corner of The Episcopal Church’s shield logo and incorporates elements of the traditional Pride flag as well as the Progress Pride flag and Philadelphia Pride flag. In their use of black, brown, pink, and light-blue diagonal lines, the latter two flags represent intersectional progress in acknowledging people who are often overlooked by the mainstream LGBTQ+ movement: communities of color; the transgender community; and the many thousands harmed by anti-LGBTQ+ policy—from those who lost their lives in the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ‘90s, to those still disproportionately impacted today.

“As a longtime ally of LGBTQ+ people, I was so excited to work on this Pride shield for The Episcopal Church,” said Melissa Walker, senior graphic designer. “I hope many more people feel seen and included by this new graphic as we enter Pride month.”

For half a century, Episcopalians have been working toward a greater understanding and radical inclusion of all God’s children. Resolutions from General Convention in 1976 recognized LGBTQ+ people as children of God with an equal claim to the pastoral care of the church and equal protection under the law. In 1994, General Convention amended the church’s canons to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, providing equal access to the rites and worship of the church, including ordination. In 2015, General Convention voted to amend the canons that regulate marriage, permitting any couple the rite of holy matrimony.

In June 2023, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry issued a video message of encouragement to “all of my LGBTQ+ family members,” noting, “I believe deep in my soul that God is always seeking to create a world and a society where all are loved, where justice is done, and where the God-given equality of us all is honored in our relationships, in our social arrangements, and in law.”

Last month, the church announced the hire of its first gender justice staff officer, a new position called for by the 80th General Convention and dedicated to justice, advocacy, and inclusion work focused on women and LGBTQ+ people.

“In the United States, the bodily autonomy of women and trans people is under attack, and fully 50% of LGBTQ+ Americans live in poverty,” said Aaron Scott, gender justice staff officer. “I am grateful for the care and intention that went into designing this new Pride shield as it not only represents the LGBTQ+ community more fully, but also lifts those who, out of sheer necessity of survival and dignity, have fought the hardest and sacrificed the most for the thriving of all of us.”