St. Francis Episcopal Church

Lent 2016

Join us for worship:

Saturdays at 5:00 p.m.

Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.

Lenten Table/Devotional Resources

Looking for devotional material to assist you in keeping a holy Lent? Stop by the Lenten table in the Narthex for Lenten devotional resources. There you will find various devotionals for adults, youth, and families, including the 2016 Lenten Meditations from Episcopal Relief and Development.

Also located on the Altar Frontal (against the wall near the doors to the worship space) you will find copies of A Walk through Jerusalem for you to use if you would like to walk the Stations of the Cross found on the walls of the Nave. The Sanctuary will be open for this activity during office hours - Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Shrove Tuesday

Tuesday, February 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please sign-up in the narthex.

Jambalaya (with chicken, sausage and shrimp) $8 in advance, $10 at the door

Pancakes and Sausages $5 in advance, $6 at the door

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday falls this year on February 10th, and the forty-day journey of Lent begins.

Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes: 7:00 a.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m.

Lenten Midweek Programming

On five Wednesday evenings in Lent (February 17 & 24 and March 2, 9, and 16) join us for a time of food, fellowship, reflection, and worship as we gather for a simple supper, viewing and discussion of short videos on aspects of faith from the Animate Faith series, and Eucharist.

The schedule is as follows:

5:30 p.m. - Simple Supper - Coordinated by Nancy Rogan, please use the sign-up sheet located in

the narthex for attendance and for those willing to provide soup for the meal.

6:00 p.m. - Video Viewing and Discussion

February 17 - God: Faith is a Quest by Brian McLaren;

February 24 - Religion: Spirituality is Not Enough by Lillian Daniel &

Church: An Imperfect Family by Bruce Reyes Chow;

March 2 - Jesus: The Revolution of Love by Mark Scandrette;

March 9 - Salvation: Abundant Life Now by Shane Hipps &

Cross: Where God Is by Nadia Bolz Weber;

March 16 - Bible: A Book Like No Other by Lauren Winner

7:00 p.m. - Eucharist of Thanksgiving for Creation and Redemption from A New Zealand Prayer Book

Lenten Bible Study

Thursday morning (10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.) ~ February 18 and March 3, 10 & 17

The Letter to the Hebrews is an ancient church sermon (originally attributed to Paul) that was meant to spread faith and hope to a Christian community facing the difficult circumstances of living the Good News of the Gospel in the midst of great hardships. Many of us may find the circumstances of our daily lives give us cause to feel tired, stressed out, and living with the heavy weight of the world on our shoulders. During our Lenten Bible study, we will gather and explore the hope-filled words of The Letter to the Hebrews and translate its meaning to our lives today. We will study the thirteen chapters of the letter over the course of four meetings...please join us for all four dates, or just one, as your schedule allows. Please sign-up in the narthex.

Lenten Quiet Day

On Saturday, March 12 we will gather from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for fellowship, refreshments, prayer, and a viewing and discussion of the short videos that are part of the "Sitting in the Dark: Growing through the Poetry of Pain" series from the Work of the People. The videos explore how in times of darkness in our lives when we go through pain, depression, grief, or fear we can experience these things as forms of suffering, but they can also be times of transformation and healing. Video presenters include Barbara Brown Taylor, Brene Brown, Glennon Melton Doyle, Jean Vanier, Walter Bruggemann, Parker Palmer, and Nish Weiseth. For more information or if you have questions please contact Karen Safstrom (karen.safstrom@gmail.com). A sign-up sheet can be found on the table in the narthex.

Palm Saturday Program

Saturday, March 19th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ~ St. Francis Church and St. Clare House

Children (age 3 through Grade 5) will have a variety of Lent/Easter activities to choose from such as planting, painting, cooking, dyeing eggs, and making "stained glass" windows. Small groups will also take turns in a "prayer walk," which will help them to experience Holy Week in a dramatic way (e.g. walking into Jerusalem with palms, sharing bread and "wine," participating in a Tenebrae service and crawling into the tomb.) Activities could get messy and the "tomb" (St. Clare basement) will be cold so please dress in warm play clothes! Children should bring a lunch. Drinks and cookies will be provided. A sign up sheet will be posted in the narthex.

Parents who are interested in helping should contact Sue Bastardo (508) 829-0600.

Holy Week and Easter Schedule

Liturgy of the Palms/Passion Sunday

5:00 p.m. Saturday, March 19 and 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Sunday, March 20

Maundy Thursday ~ March 24

7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist, Foot Washing, Stripping the Altar (Music)

Gethsemane Watch begins immediately following the 7:00 p.m. service.

Please sign-up on the sheet in the narthex for keeping vigil through the night.

Good Friday ~ March 25

8:00 a.m. Stations of the Cross (Gethsemane watch concludes)

12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Ecumenical Service begins at the 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 (Music)

Saturday ~ March 26

9:00 a.m. Holy Saturday Liturgy

9:30 a.m. Vigil Rehearsal for LEMs, Lay Readers, and Acolytes

8:00 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter (Music)

Easter Sunday ~ March 27

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

No Church School - Nursery care available at 10:00 a.m.

From Society of St. John

Once again, the Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist are offering a FREE Lenten series. It is simply constructed for ease of use. Participants WATCH the short daily video, ANSWER the daily question and then SHARE with others in-person and online. All supporting materials are available to download for free or can be ordered at http://ssje.org/ssje/growrule/

From Forward Movement

Which saint will win the Golden Halo? For the seventh year running, people worldwide are gearing up for Lent Madness, the "saintly smackdown" in which thirty-two saints do battle to win the coveted Golden Halo. More information at www.lentmadness.org/about

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