The St. Francis Bulletin

FROM THE RECTOR:

With Holy Week and Easter behind us, we move on to other important events in the life of our parish. However, before we do that, I want to thank a number of people who helped make these celebrations more beautiful. First of all, the Altar Guild. C. J. Wright and the ladies of the Altar Guild spent countless hours preparing for the various celebrations. The church looked marvelous for Easter and everything went off exactly as planned. Since I began my tenure as Rector, one of the easiest things I have had to do is to work with the Altar Guild under three different directors. A special thanks to C. J. who for the last three years has done an admirable job filling some huge shoes. I know that Shirley Ellis will continue that tradition of service to our parish community.

I also want to express my thanks to Ben Ellis and my wife, Nancy, who helped me (actually we helped him) install the new Stations of the Cross in our church. In case you haven’t yet noticed or haven’t been in church since Easter, some very kind soul has donated a set of the Stations of the Cross to our parish. I do not know who that individual(s) is. Perhaps they want anonymity. In case they do not I will let you know as soon as I find out. I also want to thank Sylvia Kelley, Ray Merrill, the readers and the ushers who participated in the services and Father Stults who was at my side for all of the rites of Holy Week and Easter as well as all of you who came and worshipped the Lord with these wonderful observances.

Annual National Day of Prayer

Thursday, May 4, is the National Day of Prayer. The usual theme of this day is prayer for our country and the official who govern it. This year is no exception. These past two years we have combined this observance with prayer for our men and women in the military. I still think this is a good idea since we are still at war and apparently will be for the foreseeable future. Therefore on Thursday evening, May 4, at 7:00 p.m. we will celebrate the Holy Communion service in our Church to pray for our elected leaders and those in the military who are sacrificing themselves to pro tect our country and our liberty. Please join us.

Important Election May 13

On May 13, the City of Austin will elect a Mayor, several City Council members and vote on a number of propositions which include some proposed amendments to the City Charter. Of particular interest to me is Proposition 6 that appears on the ballot with rather innocuous language but will have a significant impact on the future of our city. A little background is important. Back in 1994, the Austin City Council attempted to extend city benefits to individuals who were not related by marriage to city employees. A huge campaign was mounted by the Christian community in Austin and the proposal was defeated by a 2 to 1 margin in a city wide election. Apparently buoyed by the fact that Travis County was the only county in Texas to vote not to ban same-sex marriage, the City Council has again decided to put the matter to a vote. As Imentioned, the language that will appear on the ballot is harmless enough. But it is also somewhat deceptive. It reads: “Shall the City Charter be amended to restore a city employee’s ability to purchase additional benefit coverage, by repealing Article IX, Section 4 (Employee Benefits) of the City Charter?” Who could be against that, right? Please be careful. This is designed to make it possible for the city to provide benefits to same-sex partners and live-in lovers, benefits that are now limited to spouses and children. You have to decide if that is what you want the city to do. Please remember to vote in this election.

Two Brief Announcements

Beginning in May, our outreach at Caritas will move to the third Tuesday instead of the third Friday because there is a greater need on Tuesday. Also, beginning in June, the 8:30 am service will move to 9:30 am. We will try this out for the summer to see if this is a better time.

Family Games Night is not for kids only! Do you know that over half the people who come to the Family Games Night could only be considered young in that they are young at heart? Over half the participants are adults without children at home. On the first Friday of each month, a fun loving group gathers in the meeting room from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for a light pot-luck dinner and a couple hours of playing some rather unusual board games. If this sounds interesting to you, just come on down and join us!

The month of May marks the last month of Christian Education for this academic year with classes concluding on May 21st. On this day, we will have an End-of-year Cookout and Swim party after the 11:00 service. The Rambins have kindly offered their home and pool as the location for our celebration.

We can be thankful for many aspects of the Sunday school program: the children who attend faithfully Sunday after Sunday at 9:30; the adults willing to work with our younger generation; and the adults and children who give an hour of their time on the fifth Sunday to visit the nursing home. Please continue to pray for our Sunday school program.

-Amy Crandell

The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
May He remember all your offerings, and
regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah.
May He grant you your heart’s desire, and
fulfill all your plans.
May we shout for joy over your victory, and
in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Now I know that the Lord will help his
anointed; He will answer him from His holy
heaven with mighty victories by His right
hand.
Some take pride in chariots, and some in
horses, but our pride is in the name of the
Lord our God.
They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise
and stand upright.
Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us
when we call.
-Psalm 20

All mothers and grandmothers of the church are invited to attend the mothers’ prayer group at the home of Kay Francis, 10004 Jupiter Hills. The group spends an hour on the second Monday of every month at 11 a.m. praying for their families. For more information, call Kay Francis at (512)280-6022.

GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENT

On May 26th, the Stults family will be celebrating Meredith’s graduation - with honors – from Blanco High School. Please join your prayers with ours as she moves on to Aggieland in the fall: Whoop!

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Birthdays

Rector: The Reverend Len Giacolone Associate Rector: The Reverend John Stults
Senior Warden: Mark Rambin Organist: Sylvia Kelley
Junior Warden: Keith Harrell Server: Ray Merrill