St. Francis Episcopal Church
Garden of Gethsemane

We seek to be instruments of God's peace, bearing witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ for all people.

Lenten Meditations written by and for the people of St. Francis and friends can be found here.

Little Portion

Week of April 7, 2014

Holy Week and Easter...

The Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday ~ April 12/13

5:00 p.m. on Saturday

8:00 and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday

Maundy Thursday ~ April 17

Please note: there will not be a Noon time service this year

7:00 p.m. ~ Holy Eucharist, Foot Washing, Stripping of the Altar

9:00 p.m. ~ Gethsemane Watch begins - Sign up in the Narthex

The Maundy Thursday offering has been designated for Dismas Farm

Good Friday ~ April 18

8:00 a.m. ~ Stations of the Cross

12:00 p.m. ~ Ecumenical Service begins at the Senior Center Gazebo

12:15 p.m. First Congregational Church

1:15 p.m. First Baptist Church

2:15 p.m. St. Francis Episcopal Church

7:00 p.m. ~ Good Friday Liturgy, with Communion from Reserved Sacrament

The Good Friday Offering ~ Since 1922 Episcopalians have supported the ministries of

the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East. The Diocese of Jerusalem is

comprised of churches in Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.

Holy Saturday, April 19

9:00 a.m. ~ Holy Saturday Liturgy

9:30 a.m. ~ Vigil rehearsal

The Great Vigil of Easter~ Saturday, April 19

8:00 p.m. ~ Holy Eucharist and Lighting the Paschal Candle

The Resurrection of Our Lord ~ Easter Sunday, April 20

8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. ~ Festival Eucharist with Choir and Handbells

The Easter offering has been designated to support the mission and ministry of

Tom and Dianne Wilson in El Maizal, El Salvador.

Easter Memorials...

During Easter services this year, you may wish to have a loved one remembered, or to express special thanks to God for His blessings in your life. The money for these memorials is used for flowers and music, given to God's glory as we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord.

Forms are available on the table in the narthex, or click here to download the form. Flower forms are due in the office by Sunday, April 13th.

Lenten Book Study Blog Post 5...

Join Karen, the associate rector, as she blogs once a week through Lent offering reflections on the book Who's Got Time? Spirituality for a Busy Generation. The book explores different spiritual practices we can use in our busy lives to connect with God.

Don't have time to read the book? No problem. Feel free to simply read the post (it's short, only about 500 words) and comment if you feel so moved or have something to share. Check out this week's post on how social media and technology can be used for prayer and connecting us to God and one another here.

Copies of the book can be obtained from the church office for $15.00 or ordered online through Amazon or Barnes and Noble for Kindle or Nook.

An Update from the Search Committee...

Pamela Mott, our Canon to the Ordinary will be meeting with the Search Committee on Wednesday, April 16 to present and review candidates interested in becoming our next rector. The committee welcomes your comments, thoughts and suggestions as we begin this process of review and discernment. Please feel free to contact any member of the committee or to leave a note in the basket in the narthex with any input you have. Also, please do keep the committee and the process in your prayers!

Our Care of Creation... "God so Loved the World"

On Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Diocesan Missioner for Care of Creation, the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, will preach and present an Adult Forum following our 10:00 a.m. worship service.

The Forum will begin at 11:30 a.m. Part of the presentation will be a 20 minute PowerPoint she and her husband produced. It is called, GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD. I encourage you to go to her website, www.holyhunger.org, and see her professional bio and click on multimedia, click on PowerPoint, "God So Loved the World."

I was a colleague of Margaret's for one year when I served as Interim Rector at Grace Episcopal Church, in Amherst, MA. She is a bright, loving person, who has experienced her own share of pain and recovery. She is an excellent teacher, preacher, and presenter.

I believe our time with Margaret will bless us all and open us up to new possibilities as we care for God's creation.

If you have any questions please contact me at 413-687-5568 or rkwilburn@comcast.net.

Rev. Dr. Randy Wilburn

Interim Rector, St. Francis Episcopal Church

Housekeeping at the church...

Just a reminder to all church groups and individuals that use the building.....Please leave the space a little nicer than it was. We have staff that are here all week as well as outside groups that use the space.

Wash and put away any dishes, silverware, pots, etc. and be sure the counters and sink areas have been cleaned as well. Don't leave it for someone else to do.
Any food left in the refrigerator or freezer that is not labeled and dated will be thrown away on Monday mornings.
If you brought goodies on plates or trays from home, check out the shelves in the room beside the kitchen to see if any of them belong to you.
Put books, magazines, etc. neatly back on the coffee tables or bookshelves and chairs back where they were in the narthex and library.
Leave the office space the way you found it.
Before leaving the building, check to see that all the lights have been turned off throughout the building and that the door is locked.

Thanks for your help!

Mustard Seed this week...

Mustard Seed is this coming Wednesday. Many bakers are needed to provide dessert for our dinner. Please have baked goods to the church by p.m. Many thanks for all of your support!

Festival Choir...

Final Festival Choir rehearsals this week.

Tuesday (April 8) at 7:00 p.m. with Jeff and the bells at the beginning of the rehearsal.

Thursday (April 10) at 7:00 p.m. Choir only.

El Salvador Update...

Our missionaries, Tom and Dianne Wilson, holding a copy of the hymnal that our contributions made possible. This hymnal contains lyrics to over 150 hymns!