2014 february franciscan

12
February 2014 As we enter into the Discernment Phase of exploring a possible Capital Campaign, we want to invite you to join us in the “Dreamcatching” process. This is our time to dream – to dream about these most basic questions: What is God calling St. Francis to do? How can St. Francis’ mission and ministries be supported more fully by our facilities or budget if money were no object? The Dreamcatching process is designed to give each and every member of our church family the op- portunity to share their own ideas, needs, desires and dreams about utilizing our facilities and our re- sources to support our mission. The purpose of Dreamcatching IS NOT planning, building, making decisions, solving problems or worrying about costs. The purpose IS speaking, listening, brainstorm- ing, sharing, and “catching” dreams, wishes, and ideas. I hope you will have the opportunity to have a Dreamcatching discussion at your next group or committee meeting. If you are not part of a ministry, or if you would like to be more involved in the Dreamcatching proc- ess, we have several other ways for you to participate. There will be two parish Dreamcatching sessions. Our first meeting will be on February 16th after church in the Parish Hall. The next meeting will be on March 2nd at 4:30 pm in the Parish Hall. We have created an on-line survey. We will send this out to all parishioners on Email Express. (Please contact the church office if your e-mail address needs to be updated.) The ushers will be passing out surveys with the service order on Sunday mornings during the month of February. Individuals are also encouraged to submit their ideas by email to Midge Spong ([email protected]) or by mailing them to, or dropping them off at, the church office. Once the ministry group meetings are completed, the Dreamcatcher Committee will begin a “distilling” process -sorting and organizing all the gathered ideas for presentation to the congregation. We cannot promise that all ideas can be achieved or that everyone will get what they wish for, but we can promise that all will be heard and considered, and will help us see the big picture. There will be plenty of opportunity for everyone to discuss, question and respond to the results and any proposed solutions or projects. Right now though, it’s time to start dreaming! Please help us by participating. Warmly, Midge Spong, Dreamcatcher Committee

Upload: st-francis-episcopal-church

Post on 29-Mar-2016

216 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

St. Francis Church, Greensboro - Franciscan Newsletter.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: 2014 February Franciscan

February 2014

As we enter into the Discernment Phase of exploring a possible Capital Campaign, we want to invite

you to join us in the “Dreamcatching” process. This is our time to dream – to dream about these most

basic questions: What is God calling St. Francis to do? How can St. Francis’ mission and ministries be

supported more fully by our facilities or budget — if money were no object?

The Dreamcatching process is designed to give each and every member of our church family the op-

portunity to share their own ideas, needs, desires and dreams about utilizing our facilities and our re-

sources to support our mission. The purpose of Dreamcatching IS NOT planning, building, making

decisions, solving problems or worrying about costs. The purpose IS speaking, listening, brainstorm-

ing, sharing, and “catching” dreams, wishes, and ideas. I hope you will have the opportunity to have a

Dreamcatching discussion at your next group or committee meeting.

If you are not part of a ministry, or if you would like to be more involved in the Dreamcatching proc-

ess, we have several other ways for you to participate.

There will be two parish Dreamcatching sessions. Our first meeting will be on February 16th after

church in the Parish Hall. The next meeting will be on March 2nd at 4:30 pm in the Parish Hall.

We have created an on-line survey. We will send this out to all parishioners on Email Express.

(Please contact the church office if your e-mail address needs to be updated.)

The ushers will be passing out surveys with the service order on Sunday mornings during the month

of February.

Individuals are also encouraged to submit their ideas by email to Midge Spong

([email protected]) or by mailing them to, or dropping them off at, the church office.

Once the ministry group meetings are completed, the Dreamcatcher Committee will begin a

“distilling” process -sorting and organizing all the gathered ideas for presentation to the congregation.

We cannot promise that all ideas can be achieved or that everyone will get what they wish for, but we

can promise that all will be heard and considered, and will help us see the big picture. There will be

plenty of opportunity for everyone to discuss, question and respond to the results and any proposed

solutions or projects.

Right now though, it’s time to start dreaming! Please help us by participating.

Warmly, Midge Spong, Dreamcatcher Committee

Page 2: 2014 February Franciscan

2

F R O M R E V . R O B E R T B L A C K

V E S T R Y U P D A T E /

D R E A M C A T C H I N G S E S S I O N S

I grew up in the Episcopal Church- St. Joseph’s in Boynton Beach, Florida,

to be exact. And as many children do, I served as an acolyte. This particu-

lar parish was a bit more towards the “high church” side of the spectrum,

using some extra liturgical flourish on most Sundays. And because of the

nature of this style of worship, acolytes played an integral role and their

ministry was truly valued. They even had “levels” of acolytes based on

training and years of service. It was in that experience as in serving God as

an acolyte that I first began to discern a call to be ordained.

People would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I would say

“I’d like to be a professional acolyte.” Well, as it turns out, I haven’t yet

found a church that is hiring for such a position. It was the sense that

through liturgy, we do something that truly matters that drew me in. The

ministry around the Sacraments of the Church spoke to me, as did the sym-

bols that we use in worship. Sunday mornings, you could find me in the acolyte room, just hoping

that someone would be absent so that I could serve that day, even if my name wasn’t on the sched-

ule. Being an acolyte was the first time in my life that I truly knew and felt connected to God. As a

child, I felt that serving God as an acolyte was my way of giving. I didn’t have much money to put

in the plate, and I wasn’t aware of many opportunities to volunteer, so I dedicated myself to being

an acolyte.

This is just a small part of my story, and I share it here as an example of the sort of thing that you

might hear in one of our Listening Groups. The stories of our lives are great gifts to each other as

we hear them and listen for the Spirit’s movement. If you haven’t yet signed up for a Listening

Group, it’s not too late. February 9 after the 10:30 service, there will be an orientation session.

All are welcome.

Blessings,

The Rev. Robert Black

ROBERT BLACK ASSISTANT RECTOR

The St. Francis Vestry would like to invite you to a Vestry Update/Dreamcatching Session. We

will update you on where we are in our discernment phase of the Capital Campaign and where we

are headed this year. Then we will do some Dreamcatching, where we would like you to help us

brainstorm ideas to make St. Francis all it can be. We will hold two meetings in hopes that one of

them will fit your schedule. Our first meeting will be on February 16th after church in the Par-

ish Hall. The next meeting will be on March 2nd at 4:30 pm in the Parish Hall. We hope you

can join us to share in this exciting process.

Page 3: 2014 February Franciscan

3

T R E A S U R E R ’ S Y E A R E N D R E P O R T

V E S T R Y H I G H L I G H T S

Vestry Highlights for January 2014

Vestry approved amendments to the 2014 Budget

Donation of $2,500 from Outreach approved for Alight Foundation

Fellowship Committee working on several social activities for the Parish

Day School having a Luncheon/Gift Basket Raffle on Match 9th; Donations from Parish-

ioners for the Gift Baskets would be greatly appreciated. Gift Cards are welcome (goods,

services, tickets, etc...)

The following is a brief summary of the 2013 year-end financial reports for St. Francis Episcopal

Church:

December ANNUAL YTD YTD

ACTUAL BUDGET ACTUAL VARIANCE

Revenues $148,519 $647,200 $643,750 ($3,449)

Expenses 52,250 660,894 621,406 ($39,488)

Net Margin $96,269 ($13,694) $22,344 $36,038

The month of December was a record month with about $148,000 in overall revenue. We contin-

ued our trend of spending less than budgeted and for the month we spent only $52,250 resulting

in a very healthy margin of $96K for December.

At year-end, we took in $643,750 in revenue and spent only $621,406 yielding a positive margin

of $22,344…………well ahead of our budget for 2013. Thank you to all who participated in

making 2013 a superb financial year. We also spent $143K on Capital Projects during the year,

which was partially offset with $34K in donations. Therefore, we have about $109K in out-

standing capital liability which we continue to finance internally through cash management.

The Day School financial report showed a net margin of a negative ($5,086) through the first 6

months of the school year. The revenues were $80,905 and the expenses were $85,992. We hope

this negative position will be overcome during the next 6 months of the school year. Currently,

the school has 64 students, but the annual budget was built on an assumption of 72 students,

which is the core reason for the shortfall in revenue.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns ([email protected].)

Dennis

Page 4: 2014 February Franciscan

4

F R O M A M A N D A H A R M O N

AMANDA HARMON DIRECTOR OF

CHILDREN'S AND

YOUTH MINISTRY

The High School students had a great

time on their Ski Trip to Winterplace

Ski Resort in West Virginia. We had

fantastic weather for the trip, with

fresh snow coming down all day

long! After a great day on the slopes,

we also got to go tubing.

Page 5: 2014 February Franciscan

5

Y O U T H G R O U P

A L T A R G U I L D N E W S -

E X P E R I E N C E I S N O T R E Q U I R E D !

The Altar Guild will be offering a training Class on Saturday, February

15th from 10:00 until 11:30. Please consider joining our committee, The

commitment is 1 Saturday / month for 1 hour and the next day- Sunday- after

one of the services.

The ministry of the Altar Guild is often described as a behind the scenes

ministry. We prepare all things that are necessary for the celebration of the

Eucharist, or any of the other Sacraments and Offices of the Church – the

flowers, the hangings, the candles, the linens, the bread and the wine. Please

call Kitty Baker at 336.676.2458 or email at [email protected] to join us.

Page 6: 2014 February Franciscan

6

Friends from St. Francis is a ministry active at the time of a death in a parishioner's family to

help ease the grieving process for the family.

Please consider joining us in this gratifying ministry. We would like to expand our group to share

the duties with a wider number of parishioners. There is usually just a few days’ notice and re-

quires a couple hours of your time, only if you are available.

1. We provide ushers and house sitters at the home of the deceased during the funeral

and reception

2. We can initiate and provide a visitation usually the night before for the family

3. We implement a simple reception after the funeral for the family

4. We relay a request from the family to the shepherd's staff for a meal at the shepherd's

staff discretion

5. We write a personal letter to the family immediately after the death.

6. We deliver a "We Care Basket" to the family if they would like to have one. The

basket contains paper products, prayer book, hymnal, St. Francis note cards, and

other useful items.

If you would like to be a part of this meaningful ministry, there is a place for you. Contact Ellen

Lyon at 288-8018 [email protected] or Beth Bramhall at 282-1032 [email protected].

F R I E N D S F R O M S T . F R A N C I S

F E L L O W S H I P C O M M I T T E E

Let’s Have Some Fun!

The Fellowship Committee is getting ready to kick off another season of social gatherings for our

community. Some of the highlights to watch for over the next few months, with details to follow:

Dinner Clubs – A chance for small groups of all walks of life to

get together sharing food, fun and fellowship. We will host a

kick off event on February 23rd for those that are interested in

participating.

Parents Night Out – A series of evenings for those with children

to gather at St. Mike’s and share some adult time, childcare

provided.

Coffee Break – Our coffee hour will be starting back up in April

with a kick off after the Easter Sunday service.

If you have any suggestions or questions, we can always be reached at

[email protected].

Page 7: 2014 February Franciscan

7

We continue our mission to serve our community in need, and the following opportunities are now

available for anyone in the parish who may be interested in participating in helping to meet some

of these needs.

Backpack Beginnings headquarters suffered severe loss of food and other goods during some

recent extreme weather when pipes froze and flooded their facilities. Anyone interested in

assisting them can check out their website at http://backpackbeginnings.org/ or call them at

(336)709-9649.

We will also be assisting them during February with “Love in Action”, a joint project with

the EYC, to prepare Comfort Backpacks for local teens in crisis.

In addition, they are trying to recruit volunteers to serve in several positions: Marketing

volunteer; Clothing Pantry chair, Food Backpack Program chair, and Event chair. If any-

one is interested in a volunteer opportunity please contact Backpack Beginnings at (336)

709-9649.

“Change-ing Lives” initiative will take place this year during

Lent. This baby bottle program was so successful last year it was

decided to be renewed as our special Lenten offering. This will

begin on March 9th and continue to Palm Sunday in place of the

mite boxes.

There will be more to come on these projects throughout the month, so

stay tuned.

In addition, please check out the Ministries>Action Ministries>Mission>Outreach link in the St.

Francis website to see links to the many organizations we have supported who also welcome vol-

unteers from St. Francis.

Please continue to remember the food shortage needs in our community by supporting the Greens-

boro Urban Ministry Food Bank with donations of food at the church office or on Sundays.

Betty Barry, Chair

O U T R E A C H

C H A P T E R S I N O U R L I V E S

DEATHS:

Jim Allen, parishioner

Mary Jane Moring Montgomery, parishioner

Annette Cahalan, grandmother of Lee Cahalan and great-grandmother of Lauren and Reid Cahalan

Page 8: 2014 February Franciscan

8

D A Y S C H O O L

DAY SCHOOL REGISTRATION

Priority registration for the 2014/2015 school year is open for parishioners and currently enrolled

students. The general public may register beginning February 4th. Children who will be ages of 18

months—5 years old by August 31, 2014 are welcome to enroll. Parishioners are eligible for a 10%

tuition discount. Please contact Rae or Kit at (336)288-4740 or [email protected]

if you have questions about the process or would like to schedule a tour.

Child’s full name: _____________________________________________________

Child’s birthday: _____________________ (Must be class age by August 31, 2014.)

Check one: _____ male _____ female

Indicate your first and second choice:

_____ Twos M/W/F ($220) or _____ T/Th ($185)

_____ Threes M/W/F ($220) or _____ T/Th ($185)

_____ Fours M-Th ($245)

_____ Pre-K (ages 4 & 5) M- F ($285) Placement in the Pre-K class is subject to director approval.

Parent names: ________________________________________________________

Street address: ________________________________________________________

City: ___________________________________ Zip code: ____________________

Email address: ________________________________________________________

Home phone: ____________________ Cell phone: __________________________

The registration fee of $65 is due in full at the time of registration. This completed form and the

registration fee will hold your child’s place for the 2014/2015 school year. Please note that teacher

and class placements are based upon enrollment. The registration fee is non-refundable. Checks

should be made payable to St. Francis Day School and our mailing address is 3506 Lawndale Dr.,

Greensboro, NC 27408. If your child has an IEP or IFSP, please attach a copy with this form.

In early April, you will receive the SFDS Enrollment Packet and a statement for September

2014 tuition. The completed forms and tuition are due May 1, 2014.

Registration Form

2014/2015

Page 9: 2014 February Franciscan

9

Y O U T H G R O U P

BACKPACK BEGINNINGS - LOVE IN ACTION The EYC, in partnership with the Outreach Committee, will assemble 50 COMFORT BACK-

PACKS for local teens in crisis on February 23rd. Our “Comfort Backpacks” will be distributed

through the Backpack Beginnings organization to girls and boys ages 12 – 17 who are abused, ne-

glected, homeless, refugee, and living in foster homes.

All St. Francis parishioners are invited to share in this project by donating these needed items (new

or gently used, in good condition):

• Backpacks OR

• Duffle Bags OR

• Small Blankets or Throws.

In order to fill the backpacks and duffle bags, the items listed below are needed in compassionate

quantities. Parishioners are invited to donate items according to the first letter of your last name.

A–C Books for reading, grade levels 6 through 9; see below:

D–G Activity books, crossword puzzle books, and/or Sudoku puzzle books for ages 12 – 17;

H–K Personal Needs: Socks (4- or 6-pack), deodorants, lip balms, individual tissue packs;

L–N School Supplies: Folders with pockets, full-size spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, blank

journals;

O–R Hygiene Needs: Full-size bottles of body wash, full-size bars of bath soap, new wash-

cloths or loofahs;

S–T Hygiene Needs: Hairbrushes / combs, full-size bottles of shampoo;

U–Z Dental Hygiene Needs: Individually-packaged toothbrushes, full-size tubes of toothpaste.

Donations will be collected at each Sunday

worship service and in the church office on

weekdays between January 27th and February

23rd. Cash and checks are also appreciated,

with “EYC Backpacks” written on memo line.

Book suggestions for ages 12 – 17:

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

Because of Mr. Terupt, by Rob Buyea

Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

See You at Harry’s, by Jo Knowles

Almost Home, by Joan Bauer

Dragonrider, by Cornelia Funke

Castle Waiting, by Linda Medley

My So-Called Digital Life, by Bob Pletka

The Fast and the Furriest, by Andy Behrens

Private Peaceful, by Michael Morpurgo

Black Hawk Down, by Mark Bowden

Weeping Under the Same Moon, by Jana Laiz

Ultimate Spy Book, by H. Keith Melton

Page 10: 2014 February Franciscan

10

Charlie Hutchison and scouts from troop 216 begin work on

the MLK holiday on a welcome garden at St. Francis.

E A G L E S C O U T P R O J E C T

Charlie Hutchison has started his

Eagle Scout project landscaping

and revitalizing the area immedi-

ately adjacent to the parking lot

here at St. Francis. Charlie is re-

cruiting scouts from his troop 216

to complete the work. Anyone in-

terested in contributing to the mate-

rial cost involved please mail a

check to Charlie Hutchison at 5532

North Church Street, Greensboro,

NC 27455. He has estimated the

cost of the project to be between

$500 and $700. Any money left

over will go the St. Francis land-

scaping fund.

The Day School's "Lucky to Have You!" lunch and

basket raffle is coming a little earlier this year! Mark

your calendars for Sunday, March 9th. (This move was

made to accommodate our rabid basketball fans!) We

will still have our St. Pat's theme and dine on baked

potatoes and soups.

If you have any goods, services or experiences to do-

nate, please turn them into the front office by Friday,

February 28th. Of course, a tax donation letter will be

provided to you.

L U C K Y T O H A V E Y O U !

L U N C H A N D B A S K E T R A F F L E

Page 11: 2014 February Franciscan

11

K I L L I N G J E S U S , A B O O K S T U D Y

If you're interested in a plot in the Community

Garden, please let Linda Allgood know

([email protected]) by February

23rd. $15 will hold you a spot and you may drop

your check in the offering plate or return it to the

Church office. Please be sure and designate its for

the Community Garden. If you're a returning gar-

dener for 2013, please give us your plot number as

well. The garden is resting and absorbing nutri-

ents at the moment, but it should be ready to plant

by no later than mid-March. We'll send complete

details as soon as we have them in hand, but in the

meantime check the Greensboro Beautiful website for free gardening classes and the Guilford

County Extension Center website for great tips. Looking forward to seeing you in the garden!

C O M M U N I T Y G A R D E N

A L T A R F L O W E R M I N I S T R Y - J O I N U S

Following the last service of the morning on Sunday, the flower com-

mittee members prepare floral arrangements from the Altar Flowers to

deliver to parishioners' homes for their birthday, anniversary, illness,

bereavement, etc. If you have just a few minutes a month to be a part

of this vital ministry , Contact Nancy Stiefel at 288-6064 or just drop

by the Sacristy after church on Sunday morning to find out more.

Come and join your friends in a Book Study on the popular Bill O’Reilly

book Killing Jesus, in the Parish Hall, 6 PM to 7 PM, on Wednesdays, Febru-

ary 19th through April 9th. The Rev. Dr. Paul Crowell will hold discussions

on this work described by the author as “not a religious book. We do not

address Jesus as Messiah, only as a man who galvanized a remote area of the

Roman Empire and made very powerful enemies while preaching a philoso-

phy of peace and love…. We are historical investigators interested primarily

in telling the truth about important people.” Delve more deeply into the death

of Jesus as Lenten preparation for Holy Week and Easter. Purchase your own

copy, bring drinks and food as needed and plan on lively discussion.

Page 12: 2014 February Franciscan

S T . F R A N C I S E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H A Parish of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Ann Hodges-Copple, Bishop Suffragan

P A R I S H S T A F F

ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 3506 Lawndale Drive

Greensboro, NC 27408

The Rev. Michael Moulden, Rector

The Rev. Robert Black, Assistant Rector

Amanda Harmon, Director of Children's and

Youth Ministry

Rae Augustin, Day School Director

Sam Doyle, Choir Director

Pat Copley, Organist

Jane Woody, Junior Choir Director

Linda Allgood, Parish Administrator

Bonnie Thyer, Communications Coordinator

Linda Lambe, Bookkeeper

Ken Cressman, Facilities Manager

Rigoberto Bautista, Custodian

On the web at: www.stfrancisgreensboro.org

Phone 336-288-4721 Fax 336-288-4760

St. Francis Day School 336-288-4740