This Saturday, December 7
9-Noon
Everyone is needed!
Bring your special baked goods, toys for the new Santa table, your shopping list!
Please drop off everything Friday morning-especially your items for the "Christmas Theme Baskets" Those were a big hit last year!
Call Nancy Doane for any questions.
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St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church
Blue Hill ~ Maine
December 4, 2019
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(Thank you, Greg Bush, who sends this photo from Captiva, Florida)
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The birds in the above photo are not seagulls!
(The photo is an optical illusion.)
What you see are actually St. Francis parishioners, friends and guests scurrying together to arrive on time at St. Francis Church for a very special Sunday Worship Service
and
Coffee Hour
being sponsored by-
Our St. Francis Discernment Committee.
Sunday, December 15.
Nuff said. Be there. Fly like a seagull!
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Our hardworking Discernment Committee:
Sarah Everdell, Chair
Peter Gilchrist, Charity Chung, Kate Mulrenin, Sue Grindle
Heather Ford, Bob Publicover, and Ruth Billings
What a group!
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A special message from Mary Crawford and the Stewardship Committee-
"As we enter the Thanksgiving season we are at 87% of our 2020 Annual Stewardship goal, leaving us short by 13%. We are confident that St. Francis will rise to the challenge.
Please watch your mailboxes this week for encouragement.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21
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Sunday Worship Service
10 am
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Coffee Hour
Just begun:
A New Adult Forum
for Advent
Short readings for everyone
beginning Sunday, December 1st
(see right)
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Saturday, December 7
9-1
St. Francis Christmas Fair
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Friday, December 13
Fridays at St Francis
-a new mini-ministry-
"Coffee, Conversation, and Cards for our loved ones"
9:30 am -10:30 am
(see right)
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Sunday, December 15
The Discernment Committee
"Serious Coffee Hour!"
(not just Sarah's yummy smoked salmon!)
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December 24
Please sign up for our Christmas Eve Dinner
(who, what, and how many)
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"The Giving Tree" tags are now available. Once again, there are tags for all age groups of children. The gifts will be delivered to The Emmaus Shelter on Sunday, December 14. (see below, right)
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We Pray for:
Art
Patricia Brady
Craig
Holly Colt
Edward Dufresne
Diane Dumond
Christy Olsen-Hall
Brinley Hall
Dorine Harris
Kira Hartley
Lee Holmes
Dilys Hoyt
Jennifer Hulsey
Sam Hulsey
Catherine Husted
Keagan
Alix Kirkpatrick
Tyler Knowles
JoAnn Krestan
Roseanna McFarland
Bill Petry
Bob Publicover
Susie Rackcliffe
Diana Robson
Dennis Robertson
Ronan
Carla Rosensweig
Ed Rosensweig
Sarah Semler
Sophie
Cathy Smith
Donny Smith
Peter Smith
Gloria Smith
Gavin Starr
Those in the Armed Services
Abigail
James Crowe III
Andy Dittmer
Brian Haley
Sean Haley
Douglas Hamilton
Kyler Hall
Peter McGuyer
Kyle Carino Mings
Eric Partridge
Henry Shepley
Those with December Birthdays
Harry Bissell
Tom Boardman
Nancy Doane
Jon Dullnig
Caroline Herrick
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The Outreach Committee is beginning its St Francis Shoppers
program. We have drivers all ready to go and now we need folks that need the help. If you know of anyone who is not be able to get to the store or pharmacy and would like someone to do the shopping for them please have them call
Nancy Doane at 326-9140
to arrange for this service.
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Caring Cards
This new card-writing ministry has had its first gathering and sent caring cards to eighteen parishioners and friends.
This group would love to grow and have not only your participation but your input for those who you feel would enjoy receiving some correspondence from St. Francis Church.
There will be a lot Christmas cards sent out during our next gathering at 9:30 am on Friday, December 13th for about an hour. Please come!
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Christmas eClare
Thank you! eClare has begun to receive your Christmas Greetings!
This is now that special "one time during the winter" when we hear from all of our away parishioners.
And we receive some beautiful photos from our local parishioners! Send in photos of the grandchildren-most of whom are too far away from us! Pets are very welcome!
Your beautiful home decorations, too.
Please continue to send in your news and updates, photos of you and your family (or whatever hits you!)
We want to catch up with our servicemen and women, too.
It's a fun eClare! Last year's Christmas Greetings eClare had more than 600 readings for this special edition. A great connection.
Thank you! The Christmas eClare will go out on (or about)
December 15
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Please send everything to:
jnrountree@roadrunner.com
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Welcome to the altar,Tyler Knowles (right), who has served at the altar in her previous life and now serves St. Francis. She is seen here with Sue Grindle, Rev. Steve and Chris Ramsay.
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This daily Advent reader incorporates meditations from
Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life
. Writers include Barbara Brown Taylor, Henri J. M. Nouwen, Sue Monk Kidd, Wendell Berry, Wendy M. Wright, and other voices from Weavings, contained the teachings and perspectives of some of the finest theologians and teachers of Christian spiritual formation.
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From Sue Grindle-
Needed: Art supplies for a worthy non-profit organization!
The Eagles' Nest Clubhouse in Ellsworth is a peer based mental health recovery program designed to empower its members toward individual and shared goals. As the chair of Outreach, I became aware of its existence last week and all that the club offers to the members;
everything from job skills and development to graphic design to fun activities like Karaoke and scrap-booking (hence the need for art supplies). If you have any items to donate, please place them in the baskets in the Narthex and I will make sure they get to Ellsworth. Brochures on the Eagles' Nest program will be located in the under croft. Thank you for your help!
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A reminder from the Planned Giving Committee.
From Tim Thomas-
Do you have an IRA and are at least 701/2? If so you may make a charitable distribution from your IRA to satisfy your pledge to St. Francis (or another charitable organization). The distribution should come directly to St. Francis (or other charitable organization) and be made by December 31st. The distribution will serve to reduce your income tax, and will count as part of the minimum distribution requirement applicable to your IRA. The custodian of your IRA can assist you with this.
The committee wishes members of St. Francis a joyful
Christmas season and blessings for the New Year. As the New Year approaches , please consider St. Francis in your estate plan.
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Information regarding The Giving Tree for the children of The Emmaus Shelter
The tree is
adorned with gift tags noting the age for either a boy or girl. Please take as many as you can, purchase the appropriate gifts, and return to the church no later than
Saturday, December 14th.
Please
Do Not
Wrap gifts, place each one in a bag with the appropriate tag, some wrapping paper and ribbon. All gifts will go to the Emmaus Center in Ellsworth.
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Really Wonderful Gifts of Thanksgiving!
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From Tracey Hair, Executive Director of H.O.M.E./Emmaus
"The Little Church that Could!"
"Each year
H.O.M.E.
gives Thanksgiving dinner boxes, filled with everything from the turkey to the pie, to families and individuals in the community who have a home but don’t have the necessary means to purchase food for a Thanksgiving feast. This year H.O.M.E. distributed 65 food boxes from its Orland location and more than 100 food boxes from its Ellsworth location (The Emmaus Shelter.)
S
t Francis By the Sea
has shared its ministry by providing support for this program. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, volunteers delivered the food boxes to the Food Pantry along with warm winter socks and shirts for people in H.O.M.E.’s shelters who are experiencing homelessness.
"Show me a day where the world wasn’t new.” Sr. Barbara Hance.
We are filled to the brim with gratitude for our St Francis By the Sea family!"
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Links to Websites of
Special Interest:
From our church office: We have a St. Francis Facebook Page. Link below... "LIKE" our page and keep up to date on all the news and happenings!!!
NAMI Maine
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