Thanks and Praise!

October may be my favorite month of the year. Leaves are changing, temperatures are dropping, winds are blowing - the Earth is glorious! Meanwhile, church and school are in full-swing, all four major sports are playing, and the holidays are creeping closer. It's a month that's so full of life!

This is true, just as much, for our community of faith at St. Francis. We're a people who are alive in Jesus Christ! Through Bible studies, youth groups, outreach events, finance meetings, fellowship gatherings, Sunday worship, and in many other ways, we express our life together. For me and my family, it's a joy to be a part of, and it fills our hearts continually with thanks and praise.

Look around this month and see all the life happening in our parish. Scan the Sunday announcements. Check out the website and newsletter. God is moving and working all the time, in ways seen and unseen. All we have to do is be available, and God bless us, and employ us to be a blessing.

If you're as thankful as I am for St. Francis, please take a moment whenever you can to make your annual pledge for 2020. Your generosity is just one example, among many, of how God works among us to bring life to the world. Thank you, and God bless.

Fr. Kevin

 

Roberta Torian

Spending Time with Intention

   

By Susan Vogel

 

Roberta Torian is a lifelong Episcopalian, having grown up in Canaan, Connecticut, amid the breathtaking Berkshires. Some of her fondest memories come from Episcopal girls' overnight camp, which she attended from age 9. Fast-forward several years, and she moved to Philadelphia where she worked as a corporate attorney in an international law firm of 1,700 people. But she still found time to become involved with the Episcopal Church-very involved.

 

Among her many positions, she served on the Pennsylvania Diocesan Council for six years, and on its executive committee for two years. She served as President of The Church Training and Deaconess House, the entity that grants scholarships to women pursuing careers in ministry and other service careers.

 

Now in "retirement," Roberta spends most of her time in pursuits about which she is passionate. As commissioner for the Commission on Higher Education, she helps assess colleges and universities for accreditation.

 

She now serves on the board for the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls, an organization she worked with for five years before joining the board, and one that she finds extraordinarily rewarding.

 

Having just finished her first year on the board of the African American Museum of Philadelphia, she finds it exciting and time-consuming, as she helps develop partnerships, fosters educational programs in public schools, and oversees expansion.

 

Roberta came to St. Francis because it was close to home, and stayed because she found a connection. "St. Francis has a social conscience," she said. "And [Father] Kevin speaks to that social conscience in his sermons." Roberta added that Father Kevin spent a lot of time meeting with her and she found his perspective to be quite impactful. She also met with the outreach committee and saw that it truly "lived its faith," another important reason to call St. Francis her church home. She appreciates the fact that we sing hymns that are very familiar to her.

 

As we spoke, Roberta was waiting in line to get into the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, where she was about to enjoy a couple hours of pure entertainment-an all-too-rare pleasure that, thankfully, she occasionally allows herself.

 

She would like everyone to know that she intends to be an integral part of St. Francis, helping to support its missions and realize its goals.

V estry met on 8/13/19 and:

To that end on 8/16/19, the smaller $40,000 mortgage was paid in full and a principal reduction of $70,000 was made against the larger mortgage.

 

Vestry met on 9/10/19 and:

To that end, a $93,000 reduction was made on 9/16/19 reducing the mortgage to approximately $42,000.

Grow Together in Faith and Hope... 
$500,000+ Capital Campaign Goal

Refresh              Renew           Rejoice

Our facilities                        Our Faith                           In God's plan  

                                                                                      for our future 

St. Francis Capital Campaign  

 

The Capital Campaign continues through 2021 - a time period which we believe will be required to use pledge receipts to achieve all the Campaign's goals:

• Retire our mortgage debt
• Remodel and upgrade our facilities
• Enhance the safety and security of our facilities and grounds
• Acquire a new organ

As most of your know, we held a "mortgage burning" ceremony a few weeks ago to retire the smaller of two mortgages - and we are well on the way to retiring the second.

 

We are grateful for the spirit of faith and generosity that parishioners have demonstrated with their Campaign pledges. And, if you have not yet pledged, there is still time. If you'd like to find out how you can pledge, contact David Culver.

 

Thanks for your support!

 

Capital Campaign Committee 

 

Important Parish Dates in 2019

 

A list of some important upcoming dates for St. Francis, as currently scheduled. Always check parish bulletins, etc., for updated information on service times and events.

   

Tues., Oct 1              Brown Bag Lunch: Smart911 - 12 to 1pm

Wed., Oct 2             Circle of Friends - 6 to 7:30pm

Sunday, Oct. 6        St. Francis Day & Blessings of the Animals

Wed., Oct. 9            Diocesan Pre-Convention meeting at St. Francis (6:30 - 8:00pm)

Sunday, Oct. 13       Christian Formation: Liberation Theology (Dr. Michael Burke)  

Sat., Oct. 19            Feeding Thousands at St. Luke's, Devon, 9:40-11 am

Sunday, Oct 20        Holy Eucharist and Baptism; New Member & Visitor Orientation

Sunday, Oct 27        Annual Stewardship In-gathering Brunch

Friday, Nov. 1           All Saints' Remembrance Service - 12 pm, Churchyard Cemetery

Saturday, Nov. 3      All Saints' Sunday; Intro. to the Episcopal Church begins (6 weeks)

Wed., Nov. 6            Blood Drive, Parish Hall, 2-7 pm

Saturday, Nov. 9      Fellowship Dinners

Sunday, Nov. 24      Holy Eucharist and Baptism

The Brown Bag Lunch Committee will kick off its new season on Tuesday, October 1 (Noon-1PM) by welcoming Amy Kate Amer, Community Outreach Coordinator, with Chester County Department of Emergency Services.

 

Did you know that over 80% of calls made to 9-1-1 come from mobile phones? When you dial 9-1-1 from a mobile phone, the 9-1-1 call takers have very little information to help you - only your phone number and a very general sense of your location.

 

This is a serious problem in an emergency when seconds count, particular if you or your loved ones have medical conditions, or are unable to communicate.

Smart911 is a nationwide digital service that has been available to Chester County residents since 2017. The goal of the program is to make sure that the local 9-1-1 Center and First Responders automatically receive information that can help them get the right care to the right place quickly.

 

How Does Smart911 Works? The program allows citizens to provide additional details that 9-1-1 call takers may need in order to assist them during an emergency. Today, when you dial 9-1-1, the information receive by the Call Center can be limited based on the type of phone you are calling on. With Smart911, anytime you make an emergency call from a phone registered with your Safety Profile, the 9-1-1 systems recognize your phone number and automatically displays your profile on the screen of the call taker who receives your call.

At a time when you may be panicking, or unable to communicate, or it could be unsafe to speak, Smart911 ensures that the details you would need to tell the 9-1-1 call taker are immediately available in the event you cannot verbally provide them.

Please mark your calendars and join us on Tuesday, October 1 (Noon-1PM) to learn more about this life-saving program.

 

The Mission of the Department of Emergency Services is to promote and assist in providing safety and security to Chester County citizens so they can Work, Live, and Grow in a healthy and safe community

 

Circle of Friends meet every 1st Wednesday of each month.

 

Next meeting is October 2 at 6 p.m. 

 

Members of Guyana America Partners invite you to participate in our Fundraising effort through Boscov's "Friends Helping Friends Day". Shopping Passes are $5.00 each and entitles you to receive 25% discount on purchases made on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, from 8 AM to 11 PM. Register to win prizes. Refreshments will be served. Shopping Passes are available for purchase in the Narthex Sundays,  October 6, October 13. All Shopping Pass proceeds will benefit Guyana America Partners.  This opportunity has proven very economical to consumers in the past.  Thanks for your support.  Cicely Peters

 

Classes meet in the Parish Hall, following the 10 am service.

 

We are honored this year to have been selected to serve as one of four parishes in our diocese who will host this year's pre-convention meeting. This important business meeting of the diocese examines the annual diocesan budget, mission emphases, and resolutions that will be brought up at the annual convention in November. The offering of our Parish Hall and facilities for this meeting is part of our ongoing work of strengthening our relationship with our diocese, and with The Episcopal Church as a whole.

 

"Bring Your Pet to Church" Day

A special service of Holy Eucharist will be held OUTSIDE, on the courtyard lawn, at 10:00 am on Sunday, October 6. We invite people to bring their pets to worship with them, and to receive a blessing, as part of the service, following communion. The service will be shortened so our furry friends don't get too restless!

 

The Quinn family is participating in the Light the Night walk once again, in memory of Jeff, who passed away from Leukemia in 2016.  We would love to have you join us! This year, we are going to participate in the local Chester County event (in addition to Philadelphia) to make it easier for people who have expressed interest, but find it difficult to get into the city. The walk will be held at Wilson Park Farm in Chesterbrook on Saturday, October 12.  The walk is in the early evening and is only couple miles. It's a beautiful, moving, and inspirational event. To register for the walk, please use THIS link: https://pages.lls.org/ltn/epa/Chester19/TeamJeffChester and click on the Red "Join" button and you will be directed to the TEAM JEFF registration page.  

 

If you are unable to walk, but would still like to make a donation to LLS in memory of Jeff, you may do this using the same link, and by clicking on the Donate to Our Team box.   

 

Another way you can support TEAM JEFF is to visit downtown Wayne on Thursday, October 10th between 10 am and 8 pm. Coco Blu Boutique and Jules Thin Crust Pizza are each donating 15% of sales that day to LLS.  

 

Contact Jill Quinn for more info or questions. 

 

Thank you,

Mahala J Renkey

We are pleased to announce the following activities sponsored by the Outreach Committee this fall. We hope you will participate in whatever way you can - joining the committee, working at an event or helping spread the word! Thank you in advance for all that you do for others!

 

 

• November 6 - St. Francis is sponsoring a blood drive with the American Red Cross on Wed., November 6 from 2 pm to 7 pm. The drive will take place in the Undercroft. This drive is open to the public.

                                                                                  

Outreach Service Directory

 

The Outreach Ministry Committee would like to recognize Jill and Michael Quinn and Katie Ackerman for their community outreach involvement! We invite all parishioners to share their community outreach involvements with us, so we can support each other. Please send your name and an email address for the charities/organizations/ projects you are involved with so we can make a directory to share. Thanks!

 

[email protected]

 

Want to know more about membership at St. Francis? Fr. Kevin will host a one-hour New Member & Visitor Orientation to our parish on October 20, following the 10 am service. This brief overview will cover our history, our structure, our mission and ministry, our place in the Episcopal Church, and what membership means.  

 

Then, from  November 3 - December 8, Fr. Kevin will lead a 6-part Introduction to the Episcopal Church. Classes will cover history, liturgy, the "BCP", theology and sacraments, polity, and other distinctives of The Episcopalian Church.

Fellowship Dinner is a great way to get to know new and existing members of St. Francis, while having dinner in a small friendly setting at someone's home. 

This year the Fall Fellowship Dinner will be on Saturday, November 9.  You can sign up as a guest or a host for a dinner.  The Host will set the time, coordinate the dinner in their home and provide the main dish.  The other guests will bring a salad, side dish, dessert, or wine. The host can invite a guest or two to join them - a new member or anyone they would like to know better - however many the host would like.

A sign-up sheet is in the Narthex.   

If you need further information on the Fellowship Dinner, email Sharon Fernandes.

Online Resources for Discipleship

 

More of Fr. Kevin's teaching series are now available on our parish website. The may be streamed or downloaded and followed at your own pace. In his four-part series, Stages on the Journey: The Three-Fold Path and the Spiritual Life, Fr. Kevin Dellaria considers an ancient spiritual perspective on Christian growth.  In Introduction to the Bible , Fr. Kevin introduces basic ideas for encountering and engaging the Bible. In his most recent series, Made for this World , Fr. Kevin explores the creation and purpose of human beings. These are available on the St. Francis website under Education/The Rector's Study.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 7 p.m.

 

Do you love to shop on Amazon? If so, please consider selecting the St. Francis smile account before you begin your shopping.   Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the parish. The Vestry approved designating this money for Outreach during the coming year.

 

 

Get in on the fun on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. by wearing your name tag during the service and coffee hour and placing it in one of the small buckets at each door on your way out.  Diane will draw a name on Monday and announce the winner in the Friday Parish News!  

 

 

Want to get personally involved?  If you are over the age of 18 and want to donate your time and talent to the 100% volunteer team at the West Chester Food Cupboard, please email Charlotte Cain at [email protected].

 

Money and food is welcome too, because no one should go hungry.

 

Thank you!

 

610-344-3175

 

431 S. Bolmar Street, West Chester, PA  19382

Did you know that you can dedicate the Sunday Altar Flowers in honor of a friend or family member, in remembrance of a loved one, or for some other special recognition? Altar Flower dedications are just $50.00, and helps provide a fresh arrangement each week. The form for dedicating Altar Flowers can be found on our parish website at: https://stfrancisfields.com/wp-content/uploads/Altar-Flowers-Dedication-form.jpg

Monday, October 28, 2019!

For the calendar of events, please click the link below to the website.

St. Francis-in-the-Fields Calendar