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St. Francis Times

October 28, 2007
Festival of the Reformation
And Reception of New Members

First Reading:      Jeremiah 3:31-34
Second Reading  Romans 3:19-28
Holy Gospel:        John 8:31-36
Psalmody:           Psalm 46

WE REMEMBER IN PRAYER:

• Jeffrey Meinster & Jan Marie, friends of Timur Muhrlin
• Jane Huey, mother of James Huey, who has health concerns
• James Huey
• Doug Oakman, brother-in-law of Dave Walda, recovering from his recent treatment
• Mary, cousin of Michael Petrelis
• Dorothy Smith, of the childcare center
• Robert Webber, recuperating from surgery
• Shirley Castaveda (from our Senior Center) recovering from surgery
• Mary Domenichini (from our Senior Center) under bed rest for leg problems
• Pastor Bradley Schmeling and St. John's Lutheran Church, Atlanta, Georgia, as they ponder their future with the ELCA

Those serving in the world:

• The Rev. Megan Rohrer, Missionary to the Homeless of SF through The Welcome Ministry;
• The Rev. Pieter Oberholzer and his partner, Fanie Zondagh, and the staff at Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM) in South Africa, serving LGBT people and allies;
• Catharine Coon and the Children of Hope Project in Uganda.

Regularly! When we give our gifts regularly, we acknowledge that we are regular receivers of God’s grace upon us.

A Mini GALA on Saturday evening November 10^th

This event benefits the St. Francis’ mission and ministry for 2007 funding many of our congregation’s ministries, including the Senior Center, our new Sunday School and more.

$50 per person; includes all food and beverages. PLEASE RSVP BY NOVEMBER 6. Call 415-621-2635 if you need additional information.

The Gala Committee needs items for the silent auction. Certificates are very popular, but anything is welcome! Items can be left in a box located in the church office. Please fill out a form describing the item and who it is from, etc. The Gala Committee appreciates the efforts of the congregation and your help! Without you, November 10^th would not be possible.

NEW MEMBERS RECEIVED TODAY

Twelve new members are received at today’s Reformation Service. We welcome Patrick Brandt, Nancy Burns, Chris Buchanan, Marcus Cayson, Devin Grant, Ken Mierow, Steve O’Rourke, Janet Thuesen, Phillip Wilson, David Walda, Lucy Walda and Rose Woodvine. Please welcome them in worship and at refreshments after the service today. Below are Bios of some of the new members. The other Bios will be published later.

Patrick Brandt was born in Billings, Montana, and has always enjoyed music, drawing, painting, writing and reading. At that time, my parents were Catholic and we all attended church regularly. I am one of ten siblings, and am the only gay person in my family. My mother remarried when I was 17 and we moved to Missouri, where I eventually went to college and studied Music, English and Art. I graduated with an Art degree. Fulfilling my adventurous spirit, I worked and lived in Missouri, Florida, Kansas, Colorado and now San Francisco, CA. For nearly twenty years, I worked in Visual Merchandising in department stores, then Sports and Entertainment, then changed careers to Healthcare. One of my jobs allowed me to travel most of the country, which is how I developed a love for this City. My first apartment was just 1/2 block from St. Francis. I had passed the church many times, thinking that I should attend. After meeting my partner, who is a member, nearly a year ago, he encouraged me to join him at St. Francis for church service. Now, that I am attending, I feel that I am a part of a loving, nurturing, uplifting, spiritually motivated community where I can worship God.

Chris Buchanan (a lefty) likes a lot of things. He says' people have told me that I bring out positive energy and feel comfortable talking to me.' He loves music and old movies, and has some skill at the piano, playing the classics. Chris comes a big family of ten children, six girls and 3 boy- Chris is in the middle. He grew up in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunter’s Point area near the navy ship yard. His father was in the navy. Chris enjoys good food and being around good positive people. He does not take anything for granted because life constantly changes and people are only here for a short time.

Nancy Burns grew up the oldest of six children in a typical Midwest Irish Catholic family. On her fourth birthday, she announced her intention to become a nun - if the convent would permit her to take her favorite "blankie" with her. Needless to say, her initial career aspirations did not pan out, but her desire to be close to a loving, just and fair God remained a part of her.



Luckily, she met longtime St. Francis member Deb Cote in 2002. Deb introduced her to St. Francis, where Nancy discovered all the POSITIVE aspects of religion and spirituality that had been missing from most of her adult life. Nancy and Deb married in the fall of 2004 and took up residence in the Richmond District, together with Rex, their Wonder Dog. Both love spending time at home with Rex and enjoy visits with good friends and family. When able to take time away from busy jobs, they enjoy traveling to the mountains for skiing and to Europe for Big Vacations.

Marcus Philip Cayson is a local S.F. Bay Area native who was born in the East Bay and was raised in Western Marin near Point Reyes/Tomales Bay where he was involved in many rural farming activities. He graduated from Alhambra High School in Martinez California in 1984. He attended St. Mary’s College and Samuel Merritt College of Nursing from which he received his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from that intercollegiate program in 1989. After graduating in 1991 he began working at the University of California Medical Center in their intensive care units. While in critical care he worked as a staff nurse, charge nurse and a senior clinical nurse. In 2001 he began administrative and research nursing assignments until 2005. In the private sector he has worked at the law firms of Leif Cabraser Heiman & Bernstein LLP & Chavez and Gertler LLP as a legal nurse consultant. In April of 2007 he returned to UCSF as a senior analyst. Besides employment his greatest joy is travel and he has traveled all over the world. Most recently in March of 2007 he spent a month in Turkey. He has come to feel at home at St. Francis Lutheran because of their inclusiveness and because of its obvious commitment to those in the community around it.

Ken Mierow grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. and moved to San Francisco in May of 1980. Ken likes to read (fiction, mostly). He works as an accountant. Earlier this year, Ken passed the CPA exam. He is an avid SF Giants fan, and a docent at the San Francisco Zoo.

Janet M. Thuesen came to California from Falls Church, Virginia in 2004. She lived in Virginia for a number of years during which time she worked in The White House under President Carter, a program developer for the Department of Education and a partner in Otto Kroeger Associates, an international psychological consulting firm. Her diverse professional life has always been in the "people fields." Janet has three children who are scattered about the country and three grandchildren.

She lives on a houseboat in Sausalito with her 4 ½ pound Maltese dog named "Paaske" which means ‘Easter’ in Danish. She enjoys volunteering in various capacities including serving on the board of The Danish Heritage Museum in Iowa. (This sounds very formal . . . . . but she is not.)

Dave Walda was born, raised and has lived in the Bay Area all his life. He has been a Lutheran since birth in 1955. He has one adult son living in the East Bay. For 28 years Dave worked at a major bank, before the offices were relocated to New York. He lives with his mother, Lucy Walda in Brisbane. Dave says "When I started working for St Francis as parish administrator, I was impressed with their ministries in the community, and realized the importance St. Francis has in this neighborhood. I have formed many friendships with the congregation and enjoy being part of the St. Francis community."

Lucy Walda was born in the small town of Pioche, Nevada, and graduated from Lincoln High School in Panaca, Nev. She spent two years as a secretary working for an attorney, and one year at the Department County Recorder for Lincoln County. Lucy then worked twelve years for the Nevada Bank of Commerce. She married George Walda in 1953 and moved to San Francisco, where she lived on Hayes Street for 53 years. Lucy has two sons, David and Steven. Her Christian years began as Episcopalian, to non-denominational. When she married, she joined St. Paulus Lutheran where her husband was a member. She lives with David in Brisbane.

Rose Woodvine volunteers at the Sunday Community Hospitality and the Friday Simply Supper meals. He is out-going, friendly and likes to help others. Rose was born in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and moved to San Francisco three years ago.

SET YOUR CLOCKS NEXT WEEK - an extra hour! Remember that daylight savings time ends next Saturday night. Set your clocks back one hour (fall back).

ALL SAINTS SUNDAY MEMORIALS

Names of departed loved ones are being collected for All Saints Sunday, November 4th. Please complete the handout enclosed in the worship folder and return it to an usher, or contact the church office by Wednesday October 31. The names will be classified as either those who passed since last All Saints, November 5, 2006, or those others for which there should be a remembrance.

SUSAN G KOMEN REPORT

The final tally is in for the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. The St. Francis and Friends Team raised $9,822, which is significantly more than double what we've ever raised before. The top 4 money raisers for the team were Deb Cote - $3,960.00, Nancy Loewe - $1,050.00, Janet Theusen - $1,040.00, and Nancy Burns - $900.00. Thanks to all who supported the team! Thanks to the walkers and those that raised money! Remember to get a yearly mammogram.

If you would like one of your pastors to listen to your concerns or pain, don't hesitate to ask us -make an appointment, or ask us to call you or mark the pew card. We can be distracted at times on Sundays, so it is best to set aside another time when we can really listen.Pastors Robert and Dawn

	ADULT FORUM BEGINS NEW STUDY
	Join us in the reading and discussion of a new book on understanding the Bad News of the religious right. Sundays at 10:30 AM in the Conference Room. Pastor Robert

THANKSGIVING IS APPROACHING QUICKLY

We serve a meal for some 200 people. Would you volunteer to make this meal run smoothly? The St. Vincent DePaul Society will staff a sign-up table at coffee hour starting on Reformation Sunday. Please consider how you could volunteer!

ORGAN RENOVATION UPDATE

David Schofield has informed us that the organ renovations are scheduled to be completed by mid-December. A dedication service will be sometime before the start of Lent when the Organ Plaque will be unveiled. If you have changes to the Organ Plaque, please send an email to Ken Hedrick at: kenhedrick@aol.com.

The Task Force would also like to remind those that are on the payment plan for their respective pledge, to please make their 2007 commitment by the end of the year. Thanks for your support!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The St. Vincent DePaul Society of St. Francis serves a meal to the homeless every Sunday morning. The committee welcomes all to come see this efficient ministry that serves up to 60 people each Sunday. We would also like you to consider volunteering for this ministry, even if you cannot help every Sunday. We especially need volunteers for the next 3 weeks while Chuck is on vacation.

TRIP TO SCANDINAVIA, THE BALTICS AND ST. PETERSBURG

St. Paul Lutheran Church in Oakland plans a trip to this area of Northern Europe in August 2008, If you are interested and would like more information, contact Pastor Ross Merkel (510) 530-6333.

THANKSGIVING FOOD BASKET

In case you are wondering what to bring for the food basket, for the next three Sundays we ask that you bring items for the Thanksgiving Dinner. This dinner is a big event that feeds up to 200 people. The items we need include: Bags of stuffing mix, jars of apple sauce, juice boxes, and cans of sweet potatoes. If everyone brought even one thing, we would be well on our way to have everything we need!-St. Vincent De Paul Committee

Thanks to all who have contributed to the food basket. We were able to bring a large box of donations to the Food Bank last week and they were very appreciative.

NEWS FROM CATHARINE COON

Greetings from Kampala! I returned safely, refreshed and encouraged (and with all my luggage!), from my time in the States.

Children of Hope reached a milestone while I was away. We had our first student complete vocational school. Instead of the last two years of secondary school, Bruno "branched" and took three years of vocational training, finishing with a diploma in Journalism (roughly the equivalent of an A.A. degree). He graduated last month. Below are excerpts from open letter from Bruno to anyone who has been involved with Children of Hope in any way.

Life as a Student in Children of Hope

As a 13 year-old I was alone in the city trying to make ends meet, hoping that one day I’ll make my family proud and wipe away the tears they cried for years.The funny part of it is that as a boy, I had to do what a man has got to do. Because I had no particular place to call home, I qualified to be called a troublemaker, yet in actual sense I was only trying to make ends meet. This was by doing whatever casual job anybody could offer.

My enrollment in Children of Hope marked the beginning of my dream to help my family out of poverty. It all started well, though change doesn't happen overnight.

Children of Hopeslowly watched over me while trimming me into the kind of person I ought to be. After a while I realized I’m supposed to be an example to my sisters and brothers in the project. This seriously forced me to change my attitude, availability, and reliability in the project, activities, even performance in class.

The biggest part I’ve learned from Children of Hope is that even when the world sees only the bad part of somebody, look for that little good part. That alone will help the individual discover himself, and even work on the bad parts to become good. That is exactly what God did in my life.

As a student I’ve experienced more love in COH then ever before. This is because we all almost have the same problems or challenges. Ocen

The renowned troublemaker has become a source of inspiration to the church at Lugogo [the church Bruno attends], thanks to COH. A destitute boy has a place called home. A boy who worked to make just enough money to go through the day is a diploma holder. Thanks be to God.

Thank you for standing with Children of Hope in reaching out to us. May God bless you a million times. It is because of you that I am writing this. Thank you for giving to the Lord. God bless.

FR. THOMAS KEATING TO SPEAK IN BAY AREA, NOV. 4TH

Fr. Keating is well-known for helping to bring contemplative prayer out of the monastery and into everyday life. He travels around the world teaching/speaking on centering prayer (and meditative prayer practice), the spiritual journey and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue among Christian and non-Christian religions. His talk "An Invitation to Interspiritual Dialogue and the Healing of the Human Family" will be held Nov 4th, 1:30-4:30 PM at Mercy High School Auditorium, 3250 19th Av, San Francisco. To ensure seating, prepay by check $25.00 to St. Hillary Catholic Church and send check to St. Hillary Catholic church c/o Sharon Lewis 761 Hillary Dr, Tiburon, CA 94920. For partial scholarships, call Sr. Cathy Cahur (415) 553-8776.

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE CALENDAR

Lectionary for the All Saints Sunday

• First Reading: Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
• Second Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23
• Gospel: Luke 6:20-31
• Psalmody: Psalm 149

WORSHIP PARTICIPANTS FOR NEXT SUNDAY

Please take note of the opportunities available to assist with the worship service. There are open slots for upcoming Sundays. Please sign up on the sign-up sheets in the Parish Hall.

Safeway parking permits are available in the back of the church. The permits allow parking for Sunday services ONLY.

St. Francis Lutheran Church

A Place for Gathering: Memory, Presence and Promise
152 Church Street, San Francisco, CA 94114-1111

(415)621-2635, FAX (415)621-8819

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Deadline for Times material is Wednesday at 2 p.m. Every effort will be made to accommodate all submissions according to space availability.
 

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