The Monthly Newsletter of 

Happy pledge season! Donna and I have been active, pledging members of five parishes over the last 25 years, and I’ve come to appreciate the importance of this season more and more each year. Being generous with our time, talent, and treasure can be a challenge. In our hearts and minds we may want to serve and be generous, but life distracts us. Like any discipline, giving and serving need to be practiced with intentionality to be most effective. Without a blueprint, good intentions get left behind. This is one reason among others that making a commitment in advance is important. It orients us and gives us a goal. A pledge of time, talent, and treasure that is prayerfully-considered helps us do more than we ever thought we could, and gives us a sense of reward and accomplishment at the end of the year. With that said, here are three practical strategies Donna and I learned to employ that have made our annual giving easy, effective, and enjoyable.

1.) Make a Budget: A household budget is the most powerful and liberating financial tool ever created. When Donna and I began using a budget many years ago, we were amazed how much further our money went. In a very short time we discovered we could give more, save more, and spend more than we ever thought we could, just because we told our money what to do instead of asking where it went. If you want to be a generous giver - whatever that means for your income - a basic, monthly, household budget is the most effective tool you can use.

2.) Prioritize Giving: When you make a budget, put giving and saving first. Why? Because those are the practices most likely to be forgotten or neglected. To be a healthy, biblical practice, giving and saving shouldn’t be “haphazard”. That’s one of the gifts of the pledging system: it asks us to think ahead and weigh the costs (Lk. 14:28). If we give these things first priority in our budget, we will almost always give more and save more than we would otherwise. One “hack” to make this easy is to arrange automatic checks or transfers through your bank.

3.) Give Proportionally and Challenge Yourself: Once you’ve made a budget and prioritized your giving goals, generosity becomes a fun and interesting challenge. With a pledge amount written down, it’s easy to know what percentage of your income you designate to church and charity year-after-year and to gradually increase in giving. Or course, some years we backtrack, maybe due to lost income or an increase in expenses. That’s just a reality of life. But if we’re budgeting effectively and making giving a priority, our asset-building years can more often than not be a time of growing in faith and financial generosity.

I know, I know. All I’ve written above doesn’t sound all that “spiritual” for a pastor’s monthly newsletter article. But the truth is, money has spiritual power: it can keep us in bondage, or it can be a tool for a happy, productive, generous life. Because of that, the practice of financial management - giving, saving, and spending - is a spiritual practice, and one which the Bible discusses frequently.

If you pledge this year, thank you. And if it isn’t your habit to pledge, please consider trying it this year. And if pledging seems scary or constricting, try making it a part of a basic, household budget, and see if it doesn’t bless you abundantly. (If you want information on how to set up a budget, I’ll be glad to help.)

Fr. Kevin+

Our 2023 Pledge Drive is now underway. Have you prayerfully considered your pledge of time, talent, and treasure?

We are an active parish, with many ways to serve the Gospel, and 100% of the annual operating budget of St. Francis comes from the financial support of our parish members and friends.

Our “connecting” pledge goal for 2023 is to find the right ministry fit for everyone in our parish, so that all may serve together. Our financial pledge goal for 2023 is $350,000.

Please take time this week to fill out both pledge cards and return them in the envelope provided, and be prepared to come and celebrate our fellowship at the Ingathering Feast on Sunday, October 30^th. (More info coming soon!)

Get Your House in Order: Each Sunday evening in October, 5:30 to 7:00.

Interrupted by the COVID shut-down in 2020, this 5-week class will present information on end-of-life preparation. From preparing Wills and POAs to planning the details of your funeral, this program is designed to answer questions and remove some of the stress of planning for dying and death. A light supper will be provided. This program will be in-person only.

A.k.a., “Episcopal 101”. A broad look at the history, practices, and polity of the Episcopal Church, and why the Episcopal approach to Christianity has something valuable to offer to the world. Newcomers to the Episcopal Church and/or St. Francis are strongly encouraged to attend. This class will meet the requirements for adults seeking Confirmation or Reception in the Episcopal Church at the next Episcopal visitation (TBD). This program will be presented in a hybrid and recorded format.

The Enneagram Journey: Sundays, 11:30am to 1:30pm, Nov. 6 – Feb. 12

(12 Sundays) Lunch provided. The Enneagram is a powerful tool with ancient roots that offers insight into personality, spiritual struggles, temptations and motivations, and most of all, relationships with others. This is a great course for couples and individuals alike. For more information, contact Fr. Kevin or Donna Dellaria. Cost is $50. Class limited to15.

The Feast of St. Francis was celebrated on Sunday, October 2 with indoor Eucharist at 8:00am, and indoor in the Parish Hall at 10 am with the Blessing of the Animals. Many pets were there, no horses though. If you do have a horse (or a cow or llama) that needs a blessing, please call Fr. Kevin and he will come visit and offer a blessing for your animal.

Thank you very much for all the donations for Brandywine SPCA. The animals and the people who work at the SPCA are very grateful.

After two years of hiatus, the 2022-23 season of the Brown Bag Lunch will kick-off on Tuesday, October 4^th with Joseph Fratinardo, VP of The West Chester Food Cupboard, as our guest speaker. The organization has a simple message: “No one should go hungry”.

On Tuesday, November 1, Terri Potrako, Executive Director of Volunteer English Program, will be our speaker and on Tuesday, December 6, Tracy Behringer, Chester County Hospital will speak about mental health. These will be in-person sessions with a zoom option for those who are unable to attend in person. Please add these sessions to your calendars and we looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday, October 4.

The Committee is looking for speakers for 2023 so if you have an educational topic, a favorite hobby, or a vacation trip, etc., you would like to share, please contact Shirley Warren (sawarre@verizon.net), Meridith Ridington(mridington@gmail.com) or Esther Underhill (underwalt@aol.com). Thanks again.

Did you ever wonder who made all the beautiful banners that our acolytes process in with every Sunday? 

In April St. Francis applied for a Clergy Renewal Grant and on August 31 the church received an email from Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) part of which included these words: “It is a pleasure to inform you that the Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) has awarded a grant to your congregation for its clergy renewal program”. No doubt, we are beyond happy since hundreds of churches apply and only about 125 grants are awarded each year. Fr. Kevin shared the “good news” with the congregation in September. The grant awarded is $50,000 and up to $15,000 may be used to support interim pastoral leadership during Fr. Kevin’s sabbatical, as well as renewal activities for the congregation.

Thanks to the Sabbatical Planning Committee, vestry and the congregation who enthusiastically supported and endorsed the submission of the application.

During October, CTS will email a sample press release link, which we can customize and share with our community, as well as information regarding public announcement about the grant. The Sabbatical Committee will also meet in October to work on a sabbatical leave-taking plan to share with the congregation.

Purpose of CTS Program: The Lilly Endownment National Clergy Renewal Program at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) seeks to strengthen Christian congregations by providing opportunities for pastors to step away briefly from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and to engage in a period of renewal and reflection. Renewal periods are not vacations, but times for intentional exploration and reflection, for regaining the enthusiasm and creativity for ministry, for discovering what will make a pastor’s heart sing.

Please do not hesitate to contact Fr. Kevin directly with any questions or a member of the Committee listed below. Thanks again for your support.

Sabbatical Planning Committee Members: Jane Brooks, Don Jenkins, Fr. Kevin, Nancy Needhammer, Joe Perry, Jill Quinn, John Woodcock (Pastoral Consultant) and Shirley Warren (Chair).

Three years ago, St. Francis was awarded a $60,000 Nonprofit Security Grant from the Federal government to upgrade its security, which were implemented based on the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Study conducted by PA State Police Department in 2019. These upgrades are broken down into three categories, outlined below. As of October 2022, we are pleased to report that the project is completed.

The system is designed with much flexibility and ease of use. For example, all three doors can be automatically scheduled to unlock and lock at a specific date and time. If you have a meeting or an event and wish to schedule the door(s), please contact the Parish Office in advance.

The Committee thanks the congregation for your patience during these upgrades especially as we all get use to the enhanced security. PLEASE NOTE: An access card is in the combination lock box for ease of use with the card reader to open door #1 (Main entrance). If you do not have the code to open the combination lock box or don’t remember it, please call the Parish Office at 610-647-0130.

Pickleball will be MONDAY'S at 5 pm weather

CLICK HERE to sign up!

State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett

State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss beneath the rain forest's jeweled canopy. Patchett delivers a gripping adventure story and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name of discovery and love.

Caleb’s Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks

The fall furniture drive has resumed! Thanks to those who have already responded!

Dressers, beds (not mattresses), tables and chairs, lamps, sofas and upholstered chairs in good condition are top priority items.

Please email or text photos of furniture to John Groch at 610-547-3583, grochjohn@hotmail.com.

Thank you!

If interested, please contact Cindy Claffey (cindyclaffey@gmail.com) or Fr. Kevin (kdellaria@gmail.com).

Circle of Friends is a pastoral care ministry of note writing (birthday, get well, thank you, encouragement, etc.)

The Circle of Friends will meet in person on Wednesday, October 26 at 5:30 pm. We hope you will join us!

For more information please contact Sherri Lewis.

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, www.stfrancisfields.com.

St. Francis-in-the-Fields Calendar 

St. Francis-in-the-Fields is an active parish, even during COVID-19. For more information about our worship, outreach, and other ministries, visit our parish website, www.stfrancisfields.org. Our monthly parish newsletter, Fieldnotes, may be found by clicking HERE. Stay current on events by following our parish on Facebook.

St. Francis-in-the-Fields is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, a member of The Episcopal Church, and part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.