St. Francis Episcopal Church

Little Portion

Week of July 28, 2014

We seek to be instruments of God's peace,

bearing witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ

for all people.

Prayer of Thanksgiving for St. Francis

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it".

The Holy Spirit has accomplished the work of ministry for the sake of St. Francis. We celebrate the coming of our new Rector, Rev. Patrick R. Perkins, his wife, Carol, their two children, Ryan and Meagan, and their two loveable dogs. We are especially thankful for the faithful work of our Search Committee and their openness to the leading of the Spirit. God has blessed Patrick and he comes to serve our congregation and community with an open heart. May the years ahead prove to be the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams for St. Francis. Prayers Ascending as we transition into this new beginning.

Summer at St. Francis

Summer Worship through the weekend of August 30/31 (Labor Day weekend)

Saturdays at 5:00 p.m. and Sundays at 9:00 a.m.

S'more Wednesday Worship During July and August we will gather by the labyrinth behind St. Clare House at 7:00 p.m. for Night Prayer (compline) from A New Zealand Prayer Book followed by s'mores and fellowship around the fire bowl. Be sure to bring your lawn chair and your appetite!

Summer Office Hours through Labor Day. Monday-Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursday 8:00 a.m. to Noon.

Summer Vacation The office will be closed from August 1st through August 10th.

It's Lemonade Time! Please consider signing up to host one of the "Lemonade" hours following the 9:00 a.m. service. It's easy (all supplies are in the kitchen, instructions posted on the refrigerator) and fun! The sign-up sheet is on the table in the narthex. Questions? Contact Dawn Rooke at 508-829-7124 or dtrooke@gmail.com.

If you find yourself at church and are able to serve lemonade and no one is signed up, please feel free to do so!

Church Softball League Sundays through August 24th at Davis Hill School-5:00 p.m.

As they did last year, the teams will be East Side vs. West Side pick-up teams. No need to sign-up to play, however players should be 16 years of age or older.

Transition Committee

Good-bye and Thank You Randy and Karin Wilburn!

Please join the Transition Committee in saying "good-bye" and "thank you" to Randy and Karin for their service to St. Francis this past year. This interim time has passed quickly and successfully with many thanks going to Randy and "all of the ministers of St. Francis Church." Receptions will be held after the Saturday and Sunday services on the weekend of August 23-24, 2014.

Weed really appreciate your help!

Please join the Transition Committee in preparing the rectory grounds and gardens for the arrival of the Perkins family. There are two ways you can help: Join us on our next scheduled spruce-up day; Wednesday, August 27th at 10:00 a.m., or, drop in at your convenience to do any light weeding, pruning, or clean up that you notice needs doing. Please bring your own gardening tools. Questions? Please contact Marge Tremblay: mbtremb@verizon.net or 508-829-2414. We ask that "Drop-in" volunteers contact Marge prior to visiting.

Save the Date!!

The annual St. Francis picnic will be held, rain or shine, on Sunday, September 14, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Please join us for food, fellowship, and fun while reconnecting with each other and welcoming The Perkins family. Fall weekends fill up quickly, so mark your calendars now! Suggested donations of $5.00 per person/$10.00 per family will be accepted. Please sign-up in the Narthax or by contacting Melanie Amaral at 508-981-7421 or smamaral@charter.net, or Dawn Rooke at 508-829-7124 or dtrooke@gmail.com.

WorkCamp Prayers

Please continue to pray for our youth and adults doing mission work in San Diego, California. They will return home on Sunday, August 3.

Lori, Andrew and Kati Churchill; Gino, Isabel and Sofia Polletta; Sydney and Alexis McKeon; Erynn and Katie Sheehan; Kyle Deane, Ellie Wright, Lucy Evangelidis, Erin Chisholm, DJ Hutchins, Sara (Rayworth) Allegretti and Heidi Kuchenbaur

St. Francis Green Team

The St. Francis Green Team has formed! In keeping with our mission of looking for ways to "green-up" our church spaces we plan to highlight our efforts each month in the Little Portion. We will also present information that will help folks to do the same in their own homes and the wider community.

Our topic for this month has to do with our recycling efforts. We are currently looking for ways to reduce our usage of plastic throw-away water bottles during church activities by encouraging the use of reusable water bottles with possible access to a cold-water dispenser at church in the future.

We would also like to make it easier for those in our parish community to be able to recycle button batteries which contain mercury. When these batteries are disposed of in an incinerator the mercury can be released into the atmosphere. Since the Wachusett Recycling Center does take all batteries including rechargeable, Ni-cad, lithium, and button. The Green Team will set up a collection box (in a location yet to be determined) for you to deposit those used batteries. If you do bring in 9 volt batteries be sure to put tape over the terminals to avoid a possible fire hazard. Sarah Anderson, a member of the team will periodically bring the batteries to the recycling center.

Education for Ministry

Come Think With Us!

Come and explore the Education for Ministry program at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Holden.

The course covers the basics of theological education in the Old and New Testaments, church history, liturgy, and theology. The St. Francis class, which will begin its 12th year in the fall, meets weekly on Thursday evenings from September to May. There is a possibility of establishing a 2nd group that will meet on Wednesday mornings.

For more information contact Robin Carlo at 508-341-1698 or rcarlo5@mac.com or check out the EfM website at ww.sewanee.edu/EfM. You can also sign up in the narthex.

Mission

Clothing drive for Nu Day Syria Relief will continue through the summer and into the fall. Please don't hesitate to bring any linens such as sheets, towels or otherwise.

Hope for Housing Cards will be sold in the narthex after the 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. services the weekend August 23-24.

Directories

Don't forget....if you're on vacation this summer and get a family photo you can email it to the office, stfran@verizon.net to be included in the fall directory.

Servers

August 2/3, 2014

Altar Guild: Roz Glanville, Jane Howell, Sarah Ribeiro, Julie Russell

Saturday, Aug 2 - 5:00 p.m.

Ushers: Bev Giarusso and Carolyn Schmidt

LEMs: Ann Scannell and Kathleen O'Connor

Sunday, Aug 3 - 9:00 a.m.

Nursing Home: Laurie Sanchez and Betty Hofstra

Ushers: Craig Stanovich and David Gundersen

LEMs: Loretta Haynes and Pam Hanson

Lectors: Mary Jude Pigsley, Cassie Clemente, Loretta Haynes

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