St. Francis Episcopal Church

May/June 2016

Join us for worship:

Saturdays at 5:00 p.m.

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

Church School Schedule for May and June

May 29th (Memorial Day): Regular church school
June 5th: Banner party and end of year celebration.

Digital Awareness Workshop

The Youth and Senior Ministries at St. Francis are excited to announce that they will hold a special inter-generational event, a Digital Awareness Workshop, on June 12 at 11:30am in Fellowship Hall. The goal of this workshop will be to create "Smart, Safe, Social Students and Seniors" that can successfully navigate their devices and the major services that connect them. Bring your own device (BYOD - really, this is a thing...) and we'll group you with others who use the same or similar devices.

We'll be going over important information about device and internet safety, as well as data, privacy, and identity management tips. We'll share many helpful resources that you can take home or save directly to your device. We'll leave plenty of time for small group discussion, youth and senior perspectives, and Q&A.

If you're attending coffee hour and wish to stick around for this special event, but you're not part of the Youth or Senior ministry - don't worry! Pull up a chair anyway, and prepare to learn!

Please contact Matt Haynes (haynes.matthew.m@gmail.com) or Marge Tremblay (mbtremb@verizon.net) with any questions.

Mission Opportunities

Hope for Housing Gift Cards We regret to announce that the weekend of May 28 and May 29 will be the final weekend of Hope for Housing card sales until September. Due to technical problems at Central Mass Housing Alliance, they are currently unable to provide us with cards and it is uncertain when they will be able to resume. Our inventories are running low, so as a result we will sell what we have but we may not be able to accommodate all requests. We thank those people that have participated for your support for the Hope for Housing program.

Shoe Drive Have Old Shoes? This month, the Mission Committee invites everyone to donate old shoes that are still in good condition in support of Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Worcester. Each year, IHN partners with an organization that re-sells and re-uses old shoes. This shoe drive helps raise funds to cover the IHN's operating budget. Starting on May 14/15 and until the end of the month, we will have a drop off box in the Narthex so that people from St. Francis can deposit shoes. For more information, contact Esteban Loustaunau (eloustaunau@assumption.edu)

School Supplies for Haiti Please help support Cassandra Clemente's summer school teaching project in Haiti. Cassandra plans to run a six-week summer school for children in Haiti through the organization "Tree of Hope Haiti." A list of school supplies needed is available on the Mission Commission Table. Please sign up for a specific item and bring it to church before June 5th. Also, make sure to take a look at Cassandra's project display!

Military Package Drive June 18th - 19th. Please drop your donations off at the mission table in the corner of the Narthex. Donations of any of the following items are greatly appreciated. Packages are put together and sent out throughout the year to the men and women on our Military Prayer list. It is important for all items to be in original packaging, including any safety seals. Food items need to be checked for expiration dates, if applicable.

Non-Food Items:

Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Dental floss
Lip balm with sunscreen
Hand sanitizer
Small jars of Vaseline
Individual size tissues
Pens
Note cards/envelopes
Decks of playing cards
Small rolls of duct tape - gray, black or camo
Food Items:
Granola/protein bars (solid - no filling or frosting)
Hard candy
Red licorice
Beef Jerky
Dry soup
Dried fruit
Peanut butter - small jars
Canned nuts

St. Francis and Laundry Love Thank you to all who contributed to our support of Laundry Love and our visit to that ministry of the diocese on May 12. The St. Francis community donated 2,160 dryer sheets, 1,842 ounces of detergent or the equivalent of 1,198 loads of laundry, and $618.87!

Men's Ministry

Our mission is simple - To serve those who aren't able to keep up with tasks around the house and who have insufficient means to cope on their own. Our projects have been as simple as moving some heavy furniture to the garage for a couple in Holden so they could sell it in a garage sale to building a handicap ramp for a woman in Worcester.

Help us to help our brothers and sisters in the St. Francis community, and the wider community. Let us know if you, or someone you know, needs a hand.

Bryan Diehl - diehl4@charter.net

2016 Many Hands Organic Farm CSA

Become An Organic Farm Shareholder

Pick up your weekly organic produce for 22 weeks from June to November

Large Share: $650 or Medium Share: $425

Pickup Locations: Barre (at the farm on Monday, Wednesday or Friday)

Worcester (at Living Earth on Monday)

Holden (Wednesday at St. Francis, Friday at town center home) extra one-time delivery charge to Worcester or Holden: $33

For more information pick up a flyer on the table in the narthex or contact Many Hands Organic Farm, 411 Sheldon Rd., Barre, 978-355-2853, farm@mhof.net

BCH Episcopal Camp and Conference Center

Looking for summer camping opportunities? Check out the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center. Click here for more information.