April, 2015

Copyright tamingthewolf.com 2015

By Mother Martha Berger

We have received competitive bids from fifteen prospective

contractors and are in the process of negotiating for the most cost-

effective and qualified persons/companies Below is a listing of the

progression for the reconstruction. Oakbrook Esser will be giving

us their timeline for the stained glass soon.

Time Table

Beginning of April Bids Received & Organ Removed

Mid April Bids discussed by Narthex Committee

Late April Vestry reviews and chooses contractors

May Flooring installed

Beginning of June Wall studs go up

Mid June Electrical work begins, Inspection takes

place

Late June Drywall and trim erected

Congregation volunteers paint

THE NARTHEX PROJECT UPDATE

Newsletter of St. Francis Episcopal Church of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

anticle

Goal

Current

Amount Raised

$25,000

$30,000

$37,000

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

St. Francis of Assisi

$19,751

By Shelly Frey

Knitting has long been seen as a

‘practical’ way for (mainly) women to

express themselves artistically. But

it’s also a way to unwind (de-stress)

after a hectic day.

There is no denying the

medative quality to the act

of knitting. The rhythmic

clicking of the needles, the

steady counting, deliberate

movement and repetition

is almost prayer-like.

That’s the very sentiment

behind the Prayer Shawl

Ministry movement that

has been weaving its way

around the world over the

past few years.

To those that participate it’s often

seen as an opportunity to touch the

heart of someone in need. A way to

wrap a child of Christ in the love of

Christ, and in the love of the one

making the gift.

We’ve all been ill or injured and we

know just how frightening that can

be. How much it isolates you and

how vulnerable you can feel.

The simple of act of wrapping a

shawl around your shoulders is, in

itself, comforting. But the

knowledge that someone (often a

complete stranger) has spent hours

upon hours weaving prayer and love

into the shawl wrapped around your

shoulders adds a level of comfort

that is immeasurable.

Sally Polley can

sometimes be

seen knitting

prayer shawls

for Deacon Ken

Castello’s

nursing home

ministry-oh who

am I kidding?

Sometimes?

Its rare to see

her without

bamboo needles in hand, a pile of

colorful yarn in her lap. In fact, Sally

recently completed twenty-seven

shawls at Deacon Ken’s request.

So many things these days are called

a ‘ministry’, but prayer shawls are a

spiritual experience. For the one

crafting the shawl and for the one

receiving the shawl..

On the first Tuesday of every month

St. Bartholomew’s in Pewaukee hosts

a morning of knitting followed by

lunch at a local restaurant. Sally has

long been a regular member of this

delightful group.

Regular Events

Men’s Group

2nd Mondays, 6:30 pm

Undercroft

Outreach Ministry

3rd Sundays following

worship. Sunday School area

downstairs.

Vestry

3rd Mondays, 6:30 pm

Hearth Room

Worship Committee as

announced

Open Staff Meeting

Mondays at 10:30 am

Outside Groups

Yoga

Saturdays, 10-11 am

Undercroft

A.A. Open Meeting

2nd Saturdays, 7:00 pm

Undercroft

A.A. Regular Meeting

Tuesdays, 7:00 pm

Undercroft

WRAPPED IN LOVE

Summer Edition of the

Main Volunteer Schedule

has been released. If you

need a copy please

contact CKorn@wi.rr.com

or stop by the office.

In a sermon given this past

March, Mother Martha Berger

referred to a letter written by the

Bishop of Indianapolis to her

diocese.

The full text of this letter, which

addresses “The Religious Freedom

Restoration Act. This bill purports

to protect persons and businesses

from government reprisal if their

decisions to treat groups of people

differently (in the provision of

services and goods, for example)

stem from what they claim to be

religious beliefs – even if those

beliefs are not part of the formally

professed teaching of any

established religious group.” can be

found at this link or you may

request a printed copy from the

office.

A Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and People of the

Diocese of Indianapolis

The St. Francis’ Men’s Club is

again sponsoring this year’s

Women’s Appreciation

Dinner. The men of the

parish wish to thank and

celebrate the women and

young ladies in their lives and

their devotion and dedication

to the Lord’s work.

We invite you to mark your

calendar for Ascension Day

on Thursday, May 14th, at St.

Francis church in Menomonee

Falls. An Evening Prayer

service will be held at 6pm,

followed by dinner around

6:30pm in the Undercroft. So

ladies, take the evening off

and come join us and see the

men prepare and serve a

scrumptious meal!

Gentlemen: come help us

serve the ladies of the parish!

A signup sheet will be posted

soon with more details. All

women are invited, so bring a

friend!

“You like me! You really do!”

Ascension Day Women’s Appreciation Dinner – 2015

Actress Maria Bello (ER, Prime

Suspect) wrote an essay for the

New York Times this past fall

entitled “When None, and All, of

the Categories Fit” In it she asks

the question what is a partner?

Her own answers to that

question are at once insightful

and deeply thought-provoking.

The essay can be found at the

following link or you may request

a printed copy from the office.

EDITORIAL COMMENTS BY SHELLY FREY

….worth a look

Upcoming….

St. Francis’ Men’s Club

Club president, Steve Kupcho,

will discuss his 40 years of

researching birds and bird

populations in the Badger

State. Please join Steve on

Mon., April 13th at 6:30 pm.

Book Club

A Book Club will be starting

later this spring. Tentative

meeting day is the second

Tuesday of every month.

Meeting time yet to be

decided. If you are interested

or would like further

information please see Sally

Polley or Shelly Frey.

We’d like to add some new

books to our Parish Library and

invite you to contribute one of

the following books to help

keep the library current for

children and adults. If you

would prefer to contribute

monetarily to a purchasing fund

please make sure to note which

book the funds are intended to

be used for. You may drop the

payment in an offering plate

during any service or give it

directly to Mother Martha

Come Worship with Me, written by

Ruth Boling and illustrated by Dahle

Carrier Offers a delightful journey

through the major holidays for

children and adults alike.

The Book of Forgiving

(audiobook) written by

Archbishop Desmond

Tutu

Toxic Charity, written by Robert D. Lupton

Amy L. Sherman (2011, Christianity Today)

notes “Years of charitable giving at home

and abroad, Lupton contends, have made

barely a dent in reducing poverty and often

encourage dependency. Toxic Charity offers

some statistics, but more stories, as

evidence that both our philosophy and

practice of charity are frequently

misguided.” Lupton also offers strategies to

overcome this practice.

Help Wanted….

Do you have the gift of the gab?

A yearning to inform? Do you

like snapping pictures?

If you answered

yes or no to any

or all of these

questions—we

need you!

If you’d like to

write an article or two or

photograph a special event

(even an everyday event) please

let us know at

canticle@stfrancismf.org.

PARISH LIBRARY

by Deacon Ken Castello

After service one day, “Jim”

came up to me and asked if I

would like to have a look at

the miniature

houses that

he builds in

his spare

time.

I indicated that I would very

much like to see his houses.

I have heard about Jim's

houses from the activity staff

over the years and I was

delighted at the prospect of

finally getting to see

them for myself.

It had been worth

the wait.

As I entered Jim’s apartment I

was greeted by the sight of an

intricately detailed miniature

house, complete with working

lights. But the fine detail of

the exterior did not prepare

me for what I spied through

the tiny windows of that

house.

Diminutive suites of furniture

filled each of the small rooms.

Chairs encircling the dining

table seemed ready for guests.

I could almost imagine rocking

in the tiny rocking chair or

reading in bed, my book

illuminated by table lamps to

either side, back propped

against the pocket-sized

pillows.

My eyes again were

drawn to the exterior

this marvel. Tiny trees

dotted the grassy landscape

surrounding a fish-pond

(complete with life-like fish)

which nestled near the house.

The finishing touch (in my

opinion) was—believe it or

not—an

outhouse.

Complete

with the

standard two

holes and a small catalog.

Have I mentioned the roof of

the house? It was blanketed in

wooden tiles, each

painstakingly cut by Jim from

balsa wood

Jim, now 86, told me that he’d

been building cabins and

houses since he was 14 years

old. I could well imagine that

it would take a lifetime to

acquire such impressive skill as

that which I saw displayed.

But Jim was not done amazing

me. As we proceeded into his

apartment I was greeted by yet

more houses. Perched atop

tables and cabinets were six

more of Jim’s creations. Each

more

beautiful than the next.

The detail that I saw and the

delight and amazement that I

felt are hard to describe. I felt,

perhaps, a bit like a kid again.

Sometime later, as I was made

ready to leave the nursing

home, one of the staff

members told me that I had

really made a friend out of Jim.

For Jim, the staffer explained,

only shows his hobby to those

he truly likes.

Jim still comes to every one of

my services and through the

grace of God I have made a

friend.

Deacon’s Corner

“It had been

worth the wait.”

“But Jim was not

done amazing me..”

“I felt,

perhaps, a bit

like a kid

Miniature Houses Reveal a Big Heart

St. Francis Men’s Club

members hosting a

scrumptious Coffee &

Fellowship hour.

Pictured at right are J.D.Polley

(left) and Club President

Steve Kupcho (right)

Scrumptious is the word

guys, thank you for a terrific

morning.

….is the headline of Christianity

Today article by journalist Jordan

Hylden. In this riveting (seriously it

was) piece Hylden poses a series of

thought-provoking questions to Alan

Jacobs, author of the recently

published “The Book of Common

Prayer, A Biography,” Following is

an excerpt of the published this April.

The Book of Common Prayer is

nearly 500 years old. Does it still

make a difference for how we

worship today?

I suppose that would depend on who

you mean by "we"—there are

millions of Christians worshipping in

ways unaffected by the BCP, except

insofar as they share common roots

in Jewish and early Christian worship.

But the reach of the BCP is more

extensive than one might think. It has

relatively direct connections to

Methodist and Lutheran worship.

And the liturgical scholarship that, in

the early 20th century, went into

possible revisions of the Church of

England's 1662 book eventually

made its way not only into modern

Anglican prayer books but even had

an influence on liturgical

developments in the Roman Catholic

Church, especially when vernacular

Masses were approved at Vatican II.

Coffee and Flowers

What's not to love?

We are still in need of

volunteers to fund Altar

Flowers and host

Fellowship/Coffee Hour. If

you are able to help please

sign up on the sign-up

sheets posted on the

bulletin board just inside

the lower entrance.

Update Your

Directories!

Mary Jancik has moved to

a new home at Riverview

Village located on River

Heights Drive here in the

Falls. Full contact details

are available in the office.

The Book of Common Prayer is Still a Big Deal…

And then, of course, the BCP's rite

for Holy Matrimony has spread

throughout the English-speaking

world. I was once a groomsman in a

Unitarian wedding that used it—

though with all Trinitarian references

gently excised.

So all in all, the BCP's influence

on Christian worship is kind of a

big deal.

Editorial comments by Shelly Frey

Leslie Thorkelson (above)

putting the finishing

touches on her magnificent

altar display.

Liz Stolaski (foreground left) and Barb Spain (foreground right) making

certain everything is in place for the Easter Service.

Shala Johnson (left) and Sue Hafert (right) discussing

their strategy for making the church ready for Easter.

A lovely and fragrant display (crafted by several

members of the Altar Guild) greeted service goers on

Easter morning.

Deacon Ken Castello (left) and Mother Martha Berger (right)

celebrating the Holy Eucharist during the Palm Sunday Service.

Another successful Lenten Season and Holy Week

for St. Francis Church

Vestry

Senior Warden: Craig Korn

Junior Warden: Ron Johnson

Vestry Members:

Class of 2016

Jan Leisner, Jud Williams,

JD Polley

Class of 2017

Sue Hafert, Barb Spain

Class of 2018

Chuck Sherry

Clergy

Rector: The Rev. Martha Berger

Deacon: The Rev. Ken Castello

Priest Emerita: The Rev. Sue Clark

St Francis Episcopal Church

Office Hours:

Monday 10:00 am—2:00 pm

Tuesday 10:00—2:00 pm

Thursday 10:00 am—2:00 pm

And by appointment

Mailing Address:

P.O. BOX 194

Menomonee Falls, WI 53052

Church Location:

N84 W16525 Menomonee Av

Menomonee Falls WI 53052

office@stfrancismf.org

www.stfrancismf.org