St Francis Bulletin
Janaury 2016, Volume 23, Issue 1
From the Rector
Fr. Len Giacolone
First of all, I want to wish all of you a happy and blessed new year. No one ever knows what a new year will bring, but we can always ask the Lord for His blessings and that's what I am doing for all of you.
The annual parish volunteer appreciation dinner is set for Saturday evening, January 16, at the County Line on the Lake, 5204 FM 2222. As most of you know, this is an all you can eat fest with a cash bar. We usually arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 pm and dinner is usually served near 7:00. If you have volunteered in any capacity at the church during 2015 you are eligible to attend. Please sign the list on the table in the front of the building no later than January 10. And thanks to all of you who make St. Francis the great parish that it is.
My further appreciation to everyone who worked on our Advent and Christmas liturgies. Our worship gets better all the time thanks to the hard work of many different people. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.
Since we have affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth our annual meeting must now be in January. The Vestry has amended our by-laws so that our meeting will be on the fourth Sunday of January; this year January 24, after the 11:00 am service. Along with the reports from various people such as the Rector, Senior Warden and Treasurer, the primary reason for the meeting is to elect new Vestry members. Mark Rambin, Keith Harrell and Jim Crandell will be leaving the Vestry after an extended period of time on the Vestry. They have given extraordinary service to our parish since they have been here. Their service on the Vestry will be sorely missed. However, there are five members of our parish who have indicated a willingness to stand for election for the three open seats.
Vestry Nominees:
- Kevin Burnette has been a member of our parish since 2004 and owns his own consulting business in Austin, in lead generation and data analytics for large companies.
- Amy Crandell directs our choir and produces our weekly worship aids and the newsletter. She has also headed our Sunday School. Amy joined our parish in 2002 and works in software development for the State.
- Dr. Brendle Glomb has been with us officially since 2011 although he and his family attended long before then. Dr. Glomb is the chief medical officer for Superior Health Plan here in Austin.
- David Norris joined the parish in 2009. David is a regional manager for a national hotel chain and with his wife, Kim, takes care of our hospitality needs in the parish. David is also one of our ushers.
- Susan Rambin joined the parish in 2000 and has been active in the Altar Guild and the Anglicans for Life group at St. Francis.
You will have to choose three of your fellow parish members for the leadership positions in the parish. If you don't know these folks I would encourage you to try to get to know at least some of them before the meeting.
Also at the meeting we are required to select one delegate and one alternate delegate to the Diocesan Convention. The Vestry will discuss this more at the January meeting.
Finally, we are still collecting pledges for 2016. I have it on good authority that not everyone has made their pledge, and we need to know what our numbers are going to be for next year. So, if you have not as yet returned a pledge card for 2016, please do so now.
Phoebe Hughes
Anglicans for Life's project to raise money to help the families of Austin Pregnancy Resource Center with Christmas was a great success. Thanks to the generosity of many of you we were able to assist eight families in making their Christmas more joyous. Many thanks to all of you for making this possible.
Sunday, January 17, is national "Sanctity of Life Sunday". There will be an insert in your pew sheet this Sunday. After reading it, consider sharing it with someone else .
The 2016 Texas Rally for Life will be held on January 23 from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. at the State Capitol and we hope that as many as possible will serve as an Anglican presence in this march.
We continue to collect diapers (sizes 2, 3, 4,), etc. for APRC.
1 Audrey Woodgate
4 Allan Parker
5 Philip Crandell, Doug Cooper, Elizabeth Lamb
19 Arthur Woodgate
31 Ben Ellis
11 Grady and Michelle Collins
16 Michael and Peggy Presley
19 Bryan and Denise Gentsch
25 Brendle and Teresa Glomb
Readings for January
1/3 - 2nd Sunday after Christmas (w)
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 84
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
1/10 - 1st Sunday after Epiphany (w)
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 89:20-29
Acts 10:34-38
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
1/17 - 2nd Sunday after Epiphany (g)
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
1/24 - Septuagesima (v)
Nehemiah 8:2-10
Psalm 113
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Luke 4:14-21
1/31 - Sexagesima (v)
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-17
1 Corinthians 14:12b-20
Luke 4:21-32
Diocesan Upcoming Events
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
2016 Men's Conference
and Dinner with the Archbishop
Two events: A retreat for men only and a dinner open to all.•
| Men's Conference |
Dinner with the Archbishop |
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Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19-20, 2016
St. Vincent's Cathedral
1300 Forest Ridge Road, Bedford
Friday 7-9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Attendees: All men of the diocese
$30 for men over 30,
$20 for men 30 & under
(Includes Saturday lunch)
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Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, at 7 p.m.
Ridglea Country Club
3700 Bernie Anderson Avenue, Fort Worth
Open to all
$50 per person
cash bar available
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Save the dates of Feb. 19 & 20, 2016, for the diocesan men's conference at St. Vincent's Cathedral in Bedford. The conference is open to all men, so consider inviting someone you know who would enjoy a weekend of fellowship and spiritual encouragement.
 The conference leader is the Most Rev. Foley Beach, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. Archbishop Beach grew up in the Atlanta area and entered ordained ministry in 1992. He was elected Archbishop in 2014. He and his wife, Allison, are the parents of two grown children.
Lodging is available at the Best Western Plus DFW Airport West, at 421 Airport Freeway in Euless.
Call 817-836-4040 and ask for Fort Worth Diocese/St. Vincent rate of $89-99 plus tax.
Transportation to and from conference/dinner provided. Rate available through Feb. 1, 2016.
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If you have questions
about either the Men's Conference or the Saturday dinner,
please write to: men.2016@fwepiscopal.org.
Reservation deadline for both events: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016.
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Click here to register here for one event or both.
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St. Francis January Calendar
- Monthly newsletter deadline is the 20th of the month.
- Weekly service bulletin deadline is end of day on Wednesdays.
Send to stfrancisaustin@gmailcom.
St. Francis Groups Descriptions
Amy Crandell
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 four 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 Sunday 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.
Austin City Prayer Walk: Formed in October 2009 in response to the parish study on Experiencing God, this group, now lead by Amy & Jim Crandell, 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.
Choir: The all-volunteer choir was formed in 2008 with the arrival of our organist & music director, Paula Blaha. Amy Crandell organizes the music and leads the rehearsals. Currently, nine St. Francis members devote 45 minutes each Sunday to rehearsing. Our goal is to enhance the music at the 11:00 service with music sung to the glory of God.
St. Francis Anglican Church of Austin
A parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth
Diocese Office: 2900 Alemeda St., Fort Worth, TX 76108
Bishop: The Rt. Rev'd Jack L. Iker, D.D
This editor is not much of a tweeter.
Staff
Rector: The Rev. Canon Len Giacolone
Music Director and Organist: Paula Blaha
Church Group Leadership
Vestry Members: Senior Warden, Mark Rambin; Junior Warden, Keith Harrell; Treasurer, Michael Ready; Secretary, Jim Crandell; Grady Collins, John Hatley, Ed Sandlin, Don St.Martin, Fr. Len Giacolone
Acolytes: Fr. Len Giacolone
Altar Guild: Becky Hunt
Anglicans for Life: Phoebe Hughes
Austin City Prayer Walk: Amy & Jim Crandell
Choir: Amy Crandell
Christian Education for Youth: Missy Bernard, Doug Cooper
Christian Education for Adults: Fr. Len Giacolone
Evening Prayer: Jim Crandell
Home Group Hosts: Claire Ducker, Doug Cooper, Kim & David Norris
Hospitality: Kim and David Norris
Intercessory Prayer Group: Fr. Len and Nancy Giacolone
Mothers' Prayer Group: Charlotte Ready
Newsletter & Pew Sheet: Amy Crandell
Nursery: Missy Bernard & Grace Rowse
Prayer Shawl Ministry: Charlotte Ready
Readers: Mark Rambin
St. Claire's Guild: Eileen Cole
St. Polycarp's Guild: Jim Crandell
Ushers: Al Parker
Webmaster: Jim Crandell
Women's Bible Study: Becky Hunt
Women of the Church: Leanne Read
5th Sunday Nursing Home Service: Amy & Jim Crandell
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