St. Francis Bulletin
From the Rector
Fr. Len Giacolone
Even though I am writing this before it actually takes place, I want to thank everyone who had a hand in making our Christmas celebration the beautiful adoration of the Lord it always is. A great deal of behind the scenes work goes into the preparation and execution of these services from Becky Hunt and the Altar Guild to Paula, Amy and the choir, as well as all of our lay readers who participate in the services; my special thanks to everyone. We have so many dedicated volunteers in our parish who love doing what they do for us and for the Lord and we all owe every one of them our thanks.
Speaking of gratitude, I want to acknowledge Larry Cole who served his last day as an usher on December 21. Larry told me that he signed up to usher shortly after he an Eileen came to St. Francis. That was a while ago. I am grateful to Larry for his years of service to the parish.
More Appreciation
It’s time for our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. I have arranged for us to go to County Line on the Lake on January 31, 2015 beginning at 6:30 pm. Anyone who volunteers at the church in any capacity is welcome to come. As always, there will be a sign-up sheet for your convenience on the table at the front of the building. Cash bar as usual for anyone who wants an adult beverage. Soft drinks are included. County Line on the Lake is located at 5204 FM 2222 just east of Loop 360. I hope to see as many of you there as possible. I wanted to give you plenty of notice so that you can make arrangements to come. And thanks to all of you for whatever you do for St. Francis.
Pro-Life News
January is Pro-Life month, so designated because of the Supreme Court decision on January 22, 1973. As in the past, Texas Alliance for Life will be sponsoring their annual March and Rally for Life on Saturday, January 24, from 1-3 in the afternoon. Those who wish to participate in the march should meet at 17th and Congress between 1 and 1:30. The march to the Capitol will begin at 1:30 and the rally at 2:00 pm on the south steps of the Capitol. There will be prayer and Pro-Life speakers at the rally (I’m not sure who at the moment). I doubt that you will learn anything that you don’t already know. However, events like these express our solidarity with the Pro-Life movement and let the community know that we are here and that we’re not going anywhere. Obviously in January the weather can be problematic. We’ve been there in nearly balmy weather and we’ve been there is freezing cold and rain. But the important thing is that we’ve been there, testifying to the fact that all life is precious in the sight of God because it is His life. If you can’t do the march (it’s really not that long) go directly to the Capitol for the rally at 2:00. Even though these events are repeated over and over again each year, they are important for our witness to the sanctity of life.
Phoebe Hughes
Thanks to the generosity of the members of Saint Francis, the Anglicans for Life Chapter was able to have Christmas gifts for five families from the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center's needy list. This included eighteen children, each of which received wrapped gifts from under the decorated tree at the APRC headquarters, each handed out by Santa Fr. Len. We learned later that $64.00 of the money we had given was leftover, and a young couple with a new baby and no bed for the infant arrived at APRC, so the $64.00 went toward a bassinet and made the total of six families we were able to help. Thanks again to all who made this possible, but don't forget that we are still collecting diapers, sizes 3, 4, and 5.
The next regular meeting of AFL will be on Sunday, January 18 (which is National Sanctity of Life Sunday) after the 11:00 service in the library. Everyone is welcome to join us.
Prayer Walk
The monthly prayer walk is on January 3. Join us in the fellowship area at 9 am for a time of prayer before heading out to the our new property at 3401 Oak Creek Drive, Austin, Texas 78727 to pray for the construction and walk part of the surrounding neighborhood, praying as the spirit leads us. We are finished by 11:00 am. Kim and David Norris lead the group. Give them a call at 281.923.9028 with any questions.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Charlotte Ready
The Prayer Shawl Ministry is alive and well. Willing volunteers are given skeins of yarn and ideas on creating the shawl. While the shawl is being crafted, prayers are said. When it is finished, it receives a special blessing. The shawls are given to those who are ill to help with the healing.
We are blessed with several prolific knitters /crocheters in the congregation. Now, financial assistance with purchasing the skeins of yarn used to make each shawl is now needed so these ladies have the yarn to create the shawls. Please contact me in person or at charready@austin.rr.com if you are willing to help.
New Jurisdiction Search Update
As reported last month, the committee to find a new jurisdiction for St. Francis researched options for us to consider and presented the top five at a parish meeting. The "Cooper Committee" consisting of Doug Cooper, Phoebe Hughes, John Hatley, Jim Crandell, Ed Sandlin and Anne Idsal took on the task of calling every member of St. Francis to gather input with a few questions and give each member an opportunity to voice concerns. After the first round of calls, the committee met and reported that a handful of members could not be contacted. They decided to not proceed until everyone was reached. If you didn't return that call from one of the committee members, please do so! Everyone's voice must be heard on this issue.
The goal is for the committee to make a new jurisdiction recommendation to the vestry who will call a parish meeting where the members of the congregation vote on the final decision.
Property Update
Mark Rambin
Update from the Vestry about Our New Church Location – 3401 Oak Creek Drive, 78727.
We are making visible progress! Our General Contractor has completed the initial clearing of our building site and demolition of the old farm house and barn and sadly, the removal of a few trees we couldn’t build around (we worked hard to save as many as we could).
In mid-November, they began the next phase of work that includes the site-work and sub-grade preparation for the parking lots and building foundations. Their scope of work also includes the required site utilities, a drainage retaining pond and other water quality improvements, fire department water lines and hydrants, and guttering and other concrete work. This phase includes virtually all of the work required prior to commencing actual building construction. This phase is expected to be completed by mid February.
Our architect and engineers are working with the City of Austin to obtain a building permit for our final plans and drawings. Once our plans are approved and the building permit is issued, we will seek construction bids, obtain a fixed contract price, and get started on the building itself (the construction guys call this “going vertical”), hopefully by late winter or early spring.
If you haven’t been by the site yet, please make a visit sometime soon. Here are the directions:
From the South: Drive north on Mopac (Loop 1). Take the Scofield Ridge Parkway Exit (the last free exit) and continue on the north-bound frontage road. Take the U-turn lane at the light and continue on the south-bound access road. Oak Creek Drive will be on your right.
From the North: Drive south on the Mopac (Loop 1) toll road. Take the Howard Lane Exit. Continue on the south-bound service road through the lights at Howard Lane and Scofield Ridge Parkway. Oak Creek Drive will be on your right.
Sunday Coffee Hour Sign-up
Kim & David Norris
Happy New Year! Our 2015 sign-up list is just about wide open! Be sure to check the list located in a notebook on the coffee table in the fellowship area. Sign up for a Sunday or two. It is very easy to host our morning coffee hour. Muffins, cookies, cheese & crackers and/or fruit are great items to provide for our St. Francis snackers. Consider teaming up with another parishioner...or have your small group host a particular Sunday. All are welcome! Questions? Contact David & Kim Norris at (281) 923-9028 or austincityprayerwalk@hotmail.com.
Pictures Needed
Amy Crandell
The St. Francis web page and Facebook page need pictures of us in action! These pages do not reflect the vibrant life we have at St. Francis. I am starting a project to get pictures of every activity at St. Francis. There are 22+ groups and all need pictures. This is my appeal - take pictures of your group & send to me - amytcrandell@gmail.com. Any other pictures of activities are welcomed.
Evening Prayer
For the past few weeks, the Evening Prayer service was held at our new property. Due to the cold and rain encountered, the decision was made to move the service back to the Sanctuary of our temporary space.
This service is straight from the prayer book, with canticles sung and readings from the prayer book's lessons for the upcoming Sunday. All are welcome to attend. Thursdays at 7 pm.
St. Francis Activities
Our parish has many groups to carry out our mission. Here are more details on a few of them
Vestry: Our vestry is our governing board and is comprised of 9 members who are elected to a 3-year term. The elections are staggered so that we elect 2-3 members each year at the February annual meeting. The Vestry meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 5:30 pm and in general, is responsible to make decisions on behalf of the parish. Anyone can come to observe a meeting.
Acolytes: An acolyte serves at the altar during the Sunday services - lighting the candles, carrying the processional cross, helping prepare Communion, and assisting the Priest. We have a team of five who serve periodically.
Altar Guild: Led by Becky Hunt, this group of 14 is responsible for assisting the Priest in preparing for services at St. Francis. They are divided into teams and setup and cleanup the altar (among many other duties) for all the services that week.
Anglicans for Life: Formed in April of 2009 and affiliated with the global organization, the St. Francis chapter generally meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 12:30 pm. Anglicans for Life is the global Anglican ministry that educates, equips, and engages the Anglican Church in fulfilling Scripture’s mandate to protect the vulnerable, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Phoebe Hughes leads the group.
Anglican Rosary: Since October 2009, a weekly contemplative service has been held at St. Francis. Each Tuesday at noon, Becky Hunt leads the prayers and readings using an order of service and beads. All are welcome to join her.
Austin City Prayer Walk: Formed in October 2009 in response to the parish study on Experiencing God, this group, led by Kim and David Norris, meets monthly to walk the designated neighborhood and pray as the Spirit leads us. In the past, prayers have been said for all the downtown churches, then all the streets from the river to 15th, followed by the neighborhood to the northwest of us and now in the neighborhood of where our new church will be located. All are welcome to join us on the first Saturday of each month at 9 am at the temporary space on Burnet Road and are finished by 11 am.
Newsletter Submissions
Newsletter articles are gladly accepted for inclusion in the next month's newsletter. E-mail to amytcrandell@gmail.com by the 20th of the month.
