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From the Desk of Deacon Ruth

Change

““As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20)

Could you imagine making the change in your life as Peter and Andrew did? They seemed to make their decision so quickly without struggling with pros and cons of their choice. Maybe you have, either by choice or by happenstance, had to make a change in your life quickly. Most people struggle with change in their lives even if that change is good. We fear the uncertainty of what is to come and what will become of us during and after the change. Are things going to turn out in our favor or are the decisions we make going to cause us unnecessary grief? These are all legitimate concerns. However, these concerns should not to stop us from making changes in our lives.

God calls us to change every day. He calls us to grow closer to him and to follow him daily. We are to look to him for answers and direction. This sounds so easy doesn’t it, but it is not. We are not always sure how to follow; or for that matter, how to listen to God and trust Him.

Peter and Andrew did not seem to have much of a problem when Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” So why is it so hard for us? Much of the cause for our difficulty in following is that we are not taught how to listen at an early age. We are also discouraged from testing our ability to hear God. In testing our ability to hear God we are not testing God himself but rather what we think we have heard. There are several ways of testing our hearing. One way is the way Gideon did it in Judges 6:36-40:

Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised-look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Gideon was not testing God but what he heard God tell him. Our fleece will be something other than a wool fleece; the thing to remember is that we can ask God to let us know that we heard him correctly. In time, the hope is that we will not have to put out the fleece as often because we will learn to recognize God’s voice in our life.

Another way is to talk with fellow Christians and see if they can help you discern God’s call to you. Reading scripture helps as well. God does not change; so what was written long ago is still relevant today. Does what we heard from God line up with what scripture has to say about our situation? There are Bibles that are arranged to cover specific topics, such as “Change,” “Child discipline,” “Eternal Life,” “Faith, Fear/Fear of God,” and “Forgiveness,” to name a few topics. God does not leave us without resources that will help us follow him.

We at St. Francis have experienced many changes in our short history and here we are again going through another change. I ask all of you to make sure that you lift our Church Family in prayer everyday and ask for God to continue to guide us through the search process for a new Rector that we would stay the course and call the person who is God’s choice for us. Ask God that the person we call will continue to lead us in following His Will in our everyday life and ministries.

Change is not easy. However, God is with us to walk us through the process of searching for a new rector. God will not let us down. However, this does not mean it will be easy. So let us pray together during this process. There is a prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, page 818, that is appropriate for all of us to say:

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God’s Peace Always,

Ruth

From the Vestry

At the June 21 Meeting, the Vestry discussed our current financial status and the type of parish profile we want to send to applicants for the position of rector. Minutes of the meeting are posted on the bulletin board outside the Music Room.

Each Vestry member will write one or two sections of a draft parish profile over the summer. Much of the information in the parish profile will be based on the congregational survey we completed in March. The draft will be compiled for our next Vestry meeting in August.

St. Francis is making commendable progress in paying our fair share to the diocese. We want to complete our parish profile so it will be ready when we are prepared to offer a position to our new rector

Remember that your church’s work continues through the summer season, so please keep your pledge up to date.

Treasurer's Report

The finances of St. Francis for the first half of the year were strong. At the beginning of the year we owed $7,080 to the Diocese for fair share payments that were not made from Sept-Dec. of last year. We finished paying off this debt in June. In addition, we are current with our fair share payments for this year.

Back in March of 2007 St. Francis owed $20,000 to the Diocese for past fair share payments that had not been made during that time. In 2007 St. Francis entered into a 4-year repayment plan with the Diocese. We were to pay $416.67 a month for four years. We were current on those payments until last year when we fell behind. Now that last year's fair share obligation is complete, we can concentrate on paying off this obligation. We owe $2500 to be current on the loan, and $5833 to pay the entire loan off completely. If our income remains steady, we should be able to pay this off over the next couple of months.

Our next financial goal will be to establish a cash reserve so that we may hire a new rector. The Vestry feels that we should have at least $30,000 in reserves before we hire somebody. We promise to keep the congregation well informed as to the progress of establishing this reserve.

Parish Ministries

Help Needed!

We are looking for church office volunteers for Thursday and Friday mornings. We also need help preparing the Sunday bulletins and weekly Happenings. Ushers are needed for the 8am service. Drivers: If you would be willing to drive someone to church on Sunday we are aware of shut-ins who would greatly appreciate this assistance. To help with any of these opportunities please contact the church office at 896-1999.

Daughters of the King

The Diocesan Assembly of the Daughters of the King will be held on August 19th and 20th, 2010 at Hope in the Desert Episcopal Church in Albuquerque. The St. Francis Chapter-Louise de Marillac- also celebrates the publication of They That Laugh Win by our own Eve Cobos Yusuf, a memoir dedicated to her father, Dr. Rubén Cobos, once a Poet Laureate of New Mexico.

St Francis Website, Our "Web Portal" to the World

July marks the second anniversary of the launch of the redesigned website for St Francis church. Our website is officially available through any Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari) through the web address http://stfrancisnm.org or http://www.stfrancisnm.org. Since 2008, the website has received tens of thousands of visits worldwide. It is the repository for online versions of the publications of St. Francis, including the Messenger and the weekly Happenings. It also provides electronic versions of calendar events, and general church information. While much of the material is open and available to all, the website does have special “member only” features. The website has on several occasions resulted in additional inquiries and visits by prospective members. This is not surprising, given the 21st century tendency for people to increasingly rely on the Internet to find things, even churches.

As such, the St. Francis website has become the “web presence” of St. Francis. We encourage church members to visit and explore the website. We would like this resource to provide a useful tool to visitors and church members alike. We welcome suggestions for improving the website, correcting errors and deficiencies, and notification of events and happenings in the church. Please provide your suggestions to any of the church staff or through the website contact form: http://stfrancisnm.org/contact.

Jim Lyke, Webmaster

Prayer Shawl Ministry

The Ministry will not meet in July or August, but will continue to click their needles and hooks as we prepare for a Craft Fair in September. Parishioners are welcome to join us at any time and instructions are available. Call Cindy Johnson at 890-3639 or Natalia Davis at 867-0257.

Outreach

Storehouse West

Storehouse West has been one of our ministries here at St. Francis for many years; however, collection for Storehouse West has always been haphazard. If we remembered to bring something, all well and good, but Storehouse West has never been a “high profile” ministry here at St. Francis. To make Storehouse West a more visible part of our ministry here at St. Francis I am asking all of you to bring a non-perishable food item on the last Sunday of each month. We will work with Storehouse West each month to get an idea of what foods they need and publish those foods throughout the month. You are not limited to just those foods or just the last Sunday of the month—the idea is to make a difference in the lives of those who are in need. Please bring any non-perishable food item that you would like. This month Storehouse West needs Jell-O, pudding mix and boxed macaroni and cheese.

God's Peace always,

Rev Ruth

Cub Scouts

Cub Scout Pack 31 is having an Italian Night Dinner & Silent Auction on Friday, July 9, at 6:30 pm in St. Francis’ Parish Hall. The cost is $7.50 at the door. Also, they are having a car wash on Saturday, July 17, at the church from 9 am to Noon. The cost is $5 per car. Cub Scout Pack 31 is sponsored by St. Francis and meets on Monday nights in the Parish Hall. Questions can be directed to Paula Mote at 896-4142.

Fellowship

Spanish Classes

Spanish classes have ended until next Spring. Interested parishioners can contact Natalia Davis at any time. Call 867-0257 for additional information.

A Memoir

Eve Cobos Yusuf, long-time member of St. Francis, has published a memoir entitled They That Laugh, Win. This book is now available on Amazon.com for $13.22 plus shipping, or from the Hispanic Cultural Center for $16.95.

The Play’s the Thing

St. Francis’ own Bob Bosser is in the cast of William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing, presented by the Vortex Theater on weekends in July and August. This is one of three Shakespeare comedies presented by the Vortex this summer. Information and tickets can be obtained by calling 247-8600 or on the web at http://vortexabq.org/.

Brotherhood of St. Andrew

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew (BOSA) will not meet in July. In August, we will resume meeting on the second Saturday of the month for worship, fellowship, breakfast and a brief meeting to discuss ways in which the organization can be of service to the church.

Calling All Crafters!

The Prayer Shawl Ministry has recently received a gift of fine yarns that are unsuitable for prayer shawls. They are making these yarns into items to be sold at a craft fair on September 12 in the Parish Hall. Anyone who knits or crochets is welcome to use these yarns to make items for the craft fair. Anyone else who has “crafty” talents (sewing, quilting, woodworking, etc.) who would like to make items for the craft fair is welcome to participate. Contact Natalia Davis at 867-0257.

Christian Formation

Diocesan Vacation Bible School

Episcopal churches in the Albuquerque area are sponsoring a Vacation Bible School at St. Chad’s July 26-29 from 9:00-11:30 am. For more information, contact St. Chad’s:

7171 Tennyson Street NE,

Albuquerque, NM 87122

(O) 505-856-9200

(F) 505-823-9294

Email: office@stchadsabq.org

Website: www.stchadsabq.org

St. Francis Vacation Bible School

We are looking for anyone interested in putting together a Vacation Bible School at St. Francis. We plan on holding an evening Vacation Bible School in early August just before school starts. Please call or email the church office if you are interested, 896-1999 or stfechurch@qwestoffice.net

Sunday School

Sunday School will not be meeting during the summer months. We encourage children to attend worship services with their parents.

Youth Zone

Although the youth group is officially in recess during the summer, we did go on one fun outing during June. One Sunday afternoon, we had pizza at the church and went to the Chamisa Hills Country Club for an afternoon of swimming. About 10 kids attended this function and everyone had fun.

The basketball hoop has been purchased and will be installed sometime in July. Thank you to the Brotherhood of St. Andrew for organizing the great chili cook off, which raised the funds for the basketball hoop.

Many of our kids will be attending Camp Stoney this summer. It is a wonderful opportunity to be out in nature, make new friends, and grow closer to God. Several of our youth are attending Camp Stoney on scholarships provided by St. Francis. For those that have not yet signed up, there are still open camp sessions in July and Camp Stoney still has scholarships available as well.

Camp Stoney

Camping programs at Camp Stoney have begun. Families and kids have a wonderful time in a Christian atmosphere every summer. Camp programs run from May 28—July 24, and include special weeks such as Senior High Leadership, Arts & Crafts, and Junior High Adventure Camp. Other weeks, campers explore the Christian themes in popular series such as Harry Potter and Narnia. More information and registration materials are available in the church office, or call 896-1999. Look for a full schedule on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall.

St. Francis Info Page

Sunday Schedule

• Saturday 5pm Deacon’s Mass (Beginning June 12)
• 8am Holy Communion I
• 9:45am Nursery
• 9:45am Sunday School
• 10am Holy Communion II

St. Francis Staff

• The Rev. Ruth Morgan, Deacon and Parish Administrator
• Elizabeth Olguin, Parish Administrator
• Mrs. Vera Kleinhenz, Organist and Choir Director
• Mr. Robert Gabaldon, Youth Director

St. Francis Vestry

• Paul Isaacson, Senior Warden
• Ed Lovato, Junior Warden
• Heather Gabaldon, Treasurer
• Bill Oehlshlager
• Jim Lyke
• Tris Carty
• Rusty Elliott
• Freda McKeown
• Diane Bourg

The Messenger

Diane Bourg, Editor

Send submissions by the 20th of the month to quilterdiane@comcast.net

Office Hours

• Monday-Thursday 9am-1pm
• Friday 9am-noon
• Monday July 5 (closed)

Calendar

• Choir Rehearsal 7pm July 1
• Independence Day Sunday, July 4
• Cub Scout Dinner 6:30pm, July 9
• Cub Scout Car Wash 9am-noon, July 17
• Diocesan VBS 9-11:30am, July 26-29 (St. Chad’s, Albuquerque)

Contact Us

St. Francis Episcopal Church

2903 Cabezon Blvd. SE

Rio Rancho, NM 87124

Telephone: 896-1999

Fax: 505.896.9585

E-mail: stfechurch@qwestoffice.net

Web Address:

www.stfrancisnm.org