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The St. Francis Church Newsletter
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August 2012
My Dear Friends of St. Francis,
On August 26th after the 10:00 am service, the Vestry invites you to come to
midyear “State of Church” meeting in the Parish Hall. At this meeting we will
introduce you to our new Director of Children and Youth Ministry, Ms. Amanda
Harmon. We will briefly go over the highlights of her job description and the
resulting changes in Robert’s role, as he will shift his energies into other areas of
our church life.
Robert will also present to you a report on Christian Formation and the implica-
tions of moving Sunday School for elementary age children from 9:15 to 10:30.
He will also share with you plans for the Adult Forums.
The Vestry, led by our Senior Warden, Mariana Newton, will speak to our goals
for the year, and what has been thus far accomplished. There will be a report from
the Junior Warden, Lynn Sandlin, on what has been accomplished regarding our
building and grounds, as well as a list of future goals.
My role at the meeting, as the Rector of St. Francis, will be on the one hand to conduct the meeting, and to
share with you my vision for the future of St. Francis. I will also give a brief report on our financial status.
The meeting should last about an hour and will start immediately after the service at approximately 11:00 in
the Parish Hall. We will have light refreshments to help tide us over until lunch.
I am very excited about this meeting and about the future of St. Francis. Because of God’s help, our com-
mitment as a faith community and the leadership of so many there is a very exciting future in front of us.
Do we have concerns and challenges; of course, they are part of growth and change. As we work together to
greet the opportunities and challenges in front of us, we will be doing the spiritual work that will lead us
more deeply into the heart and service of Jesus.
In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord,
Michael+
MICHAEL MOULDEN RECTOR
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F R O M R E V . R O B E R T B L A C K
There are many upcoming adjustments to our Christian Formation program that you will
notice this upcoming fall. We’ll discuss many of these at the August 26th meeting, but to
give you a preview and build your excitement:
We’ve hired a Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry, Amanda Harmon. She will be
a great addition to our staff and a tremendous asset to St. Francis.
Sunday School for elementary school aged children will move to during the 10:30 ser-
vice. This change has been suggested by teachers and parents, and we anticipate that it
will lead to greater participation in Sunday School.
We will not have a youth Confirmation class this year. We are so thankful for our Confir-
mation teachers (Brad and Terri Jones, Kit and Scott Hargett, Meg and Marcus Hayes,
Norman Lee, and Chris Bean) who have decided that it is time for them to take a sabbati-
cal from leading Confirmation. We will take this opportunity to assess the program and its
structure. The class will resume in 2013-14.
The format of the forums will shift to include more Bible study. We will also have fewer forum series over the
course of the year, allowing us to focus more on quality over quantity.
As Amanda takes some of the responsibilities from me, I will continue in the priestly ministry (liturgy, preaching,
pastoral care), but shift my programmatic duties to overseeing Adult Formation, and Evangelism.
In all that we do in the areas of Evangelism and Christian Formation, we aspire to have people know that Jesus loves
them and equip them to love Jesus. We pray that these changes will be improvements that let us live into that mission
and desire.
Blessings,
The Rev. Robert Black
ROBERT BLACK ASSISTANT RECTOR
As your Junior Warden I look forward to updating you on the year-to-date campus activities at the
All-Parish Meeting scheduled for August 26th. While I will discuss these items in detail, here is a
preview to raise your awareness.
We will discuss the physical changes that have taken place over the course of the year such as the
removal of Claire cottage and the “taking back the back forty” from the kudzu to name two large
projects.
We will chat about the portico roof projects and update you on additional projects underway at
St. Francis.
Update you on the “Roustabouts” projects and the community garden activities and how they
inspire all of us with their love for St. Francis and the community we live in.
Of course we will talk about the plans for this fall the property committee has developed through the leadership of
Mike Taylor our facilities manager.
And last but not least, we will outline some projects and activities that you may want to be a part of.
The discussion will hopefully engage you and encourage you to be an active participant all the exciting campus activities
available to you and your family at your St. Francis parish.
Lynn Sandlin
J U N I O R W A R D E N
LYNN SANDLIN
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S E N I O R W A R D E N
Come all! It’s your church and time for a mid-year report!
For the past several years, the Vestries of our church have wrestled with the idea of change from
a Pastoral Sized Church to a Program Sized Church. We have had visiting consultants and in
January 2012, we invited The Rev. Dr. Trawin Malone (Canon for Regional Ministry in our Dio-
cese) to lead us in understanding the likelihood of advantages and difficulties in making such a
change. While we are a large enough in membership to be a Program Sized Church, the addition
of a Director of Children and Youth Ministry gives us the opportunity to redistribute responsibili-
ties of leadership required for a Program Sized Church.
Our church already has enough members (150-350) to be considered a Program Sized Church
with church attendance typically ranging from 252-268 in June and higher in winter months.
There are many more who have been members longer, but who are not active church participants,
except for maybe Easter (463-527), Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. In the past year, we have not experienced sig-
nificant growth of active members and 10 parishioners have died in the first six months of this year. However, we’ve
had a steady stream of visitors to whom we’ve extended a warm welcome to join us.
Change is upon us and God is our guide. Clergy may find the shift significant in terms of the style of their ministry.
The Vestry must pay attention to the context of ministry and adequately prepare and work with clergy in the transi-
tion. Parishioner collaboration, engagement and active participation in program planning and activities will tap into
the wisdom and gifts of any and all!
So, as your Senior Warden, I look forward to sharing with you on August 26th, the goals we are growing into as well
as additional planned goals in the next 6-12 months to develop our Pastoral Sized Church into a Program Sized
Church. Our growth goals are not just numbers of parishioners, although we expect our Program Sized Church to
attract new parishioners/families as well as former members. Beyond numbers, goals include programs for spiritual
growth, prayer, Christian Formation at all levels, inreach and outreach programs, stewardship, leadership develop-
ment, hospitality, and active inclusion in parish life, wellness, to name a few.
In the Spirit of the Christ,
Mariana Newton
MARIANA NEWTON
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S T . F R A N C I S E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H A Parish of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop
The Rt. Rev. Albert (Chip) Marble, Assisting Bishop The Rt. Rev. William Gregg, Assistant Bishop
P A R I S H S T A F F The Rev. Michael Moulden, Rector
The Rev. Robert Black, Assistant Rector
Liz Harvey, Youth Ministry Assistant
Rae Augustin, Day School Director
Sam Doyle, Choir Director
Pat Copley, Organist
Jane Woody, Junior Choir Director
Linda Allgood, Parish Administrator
Bonnie Thyer, Communications Coordinator
Mike Taylor, Facilities Manager
Linda Lambe, Bookkeeper
Rigoberto Bautista, Custodian
On the web at: www.stfrancisgreensboro.org
Phone 336-288-4721 Fax 336-288-4760
St. Francis Day School 336-288-4740
ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 3506 Lawndale Drive
Greensboro, NC 27408
P A R I S H V E S T R Y Mariana Newton (12), Senior Warden 292-4598
Lynn Sandlin (13), Junior Warden 644-8056
Jenan Jones Benson (13), Clerk 545-0964
Bruce Barnes (12), Worship 674-3193
Martha Shafer (12), Education/Membership 643-0151
Jennifer Mangrum (13), St. Francis Day School 665-0521
Keir Davis (13), Fellowship/Parish Life 856-7680
Lynn McNair (14), Outreach/Service 456-1578
Midge Spong (14), Congregational Care/HR 638-3059
Charlie Fetter (14), Property/Facilities 298-3524
Dick Miller (14), Property/Facilities 668-7787
Bill Kopald (12), Communication 299-2520
Larry Upson, Treasurer 547-7966
Church office : [email protected]
The Franciscan Editor: