Newsletter, October 2005, Volume 12.08

FROM THE RECTOR:

THE ELECTRONIC AGE
You will notice that included with this newsletter is a survey concerning some updates we would like to consider at St. Francis. Most parishioners now have email. It is a convenient tool for quick communication and present the possibility for saving some time, energy and money.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, a number of people would like to be able to communicate with other members of the parish via email. Of course, everyone can swap email addresses. But if you would like to have yours circulated among parish members please provide it on the survey and return it, either by mail or on church on Sunday, and it will appear on the next parish roster. Likewise, if you would like to receive the parish newsletter by email, please indicate that as well. We’ll see how all this turns out. Please be patient while we try to accommodate your wishes.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Our study of the Nicene Creed continues on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. I think the course is quite challenging and approximately 20 or so parishioners have signed up and participated in the class so far. The class is still open to anyone who wants to join although you’ll have some catching up to do. One of the most important points we have discovered so far is how important this statement of our faith really is. Even if you’d just like to come and listen, you are welcome.

CHARITY
Since the last time I wrote to you Hurricane Katrina has had a life changing effect on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. St. Francis sent $3000.00 from our Charities Fund to the Salvation Army in Jackson, Mississippi which is their headquarters for the Gulf Coast region. I have also encouraged those of you who were in church to do whatever was possible on an individual basis to contribute to charities who are assisting with the relief effort. It is possible that the parish will do additional contributing at some future date. In addition, I have started another parish wide food drive for the food pantry of Caritas of Austin. Many of you will recall that we conducted a very successful food drive last year and our goal is to do even better this year. There are grocery bags available in the church with the needed items printed on the bags themselves. As you know, many of the evacuees from Louisiana found themselves in Austin as well as other cities in Texas and the drain on resources in the city will continue. I believe it is our Christian duty to help in this regard.

PLEDGE DRIVE
We have traditionally started our annual parish pledge drive in the middle of November. This has caused us some difficulty with the creation of the budget for the following fiscal year. If we do not conclude our pledge drive until the middle of December we are forced to create our annual budget after the start of the fiscal year. Therefore, we will kick off our annual pledge drive for 2006 on October 23. As usual, I will speak to you at the Holy Communion service and you will have the next month or so to turn in your 2006 pledge card. That way the Vestry will have the opportunity to determine how to allocate funds to the appropriate priorities before the new fiscal year actually begins. As you have done in the past, I trust that you will be very generous with your pledges this year.

POT LUCK SUNDAY
Finally, October has a fifth Sunday and that means Pot Luck lunch on the 30th. You know the drill. Bring something good to eat—a salad, main course, vegetable, dessert. It doesn’t matter. Then plan to join your fellow parishioners for conversation and lunch. It is always a good time and you get to try some things that you might never have imagined existed.


CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS


The beginning of a new school year is always exciting. I am so glad to begin studying God’s word with the children and they are pleased to be in Sunday school. I find working with the Sunday school one of the more rewarding activities I do.

By the end of this month, the ten children from pre-kindergarten through the sixth grade will have finished the Genesis stories of Abraham. In October, we will continue on with Isaac. Each class has a time of song and prayer, followed by reading the Bible story for the day. There is always an activity to reinforce the lesson – a games, a craft, a puzzle, and a take-home paper for each child to review at home. Thanks to Kay Francis for working with the youngest class and I work with the elementary grades. It is very exciting to welcome three new students to the elementary-aged class!

This is the report for the youth class, grades 7-12 from John Stults:
For those of you who want to know what goes on in your young adult Sunday school, we are in the process of learning a new habit. It takes about 90 days to form a habit and in that spirit, we are inculcating a consistent daily "quiet time" which is centered around our propers for each Sunday. We intend to read the propers for each Sunday at least five times each week. Our youth are to bookmark their Bibles for each of the four readings assigned for the upcoming Sunday and they are to read all four each day, preferably near to the same time as possible each day.

Consistency is the key to this new habit, because it is through consistent reading of Scripture that our Father can really begin to impact our lives. We agree that the Word of God is indeed inspired ("God-breathed"), but unless we spend time in the Word, little of that inspiration can benefit us. I'll keep you posted on our progress and we are off to a great start! God Bless.

Thanks to the parents who bring their children to Sunday school each week, Thanks to Fr. Len for offering a class for all the adults.


Caritas of Austin's Community Food Drive

St. Francis has a Food Drive going on - pick up a sack of groceries and add them to the collection in the Meeting Room.

BOSOM BUDDIES

Merry Nell Drummond co-founded and leads a Christ-centered breast cancer support group named Bosom Buddies. Their mission is to Celebrate life in Jesus Christ. They do this through group sharing of prayer, scriptures, laughter, tears, as well as their experience, strength and hope. The only requirement for attendance is a stringent one: a person must have had breast cancer at some point in their lives! Bosom Buddies will mark its tenth anniversary this August. The group meets every Monday at noon at Westlake United Methodist Church in the library. For information, please call Merry Nell at 327-3363.
The Reverend Father Len Giacolone, Rector

The Reverend Father John Stults, Assistant Rector
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