13.10.2025
Saint Francis
St. Francis Weekly News
Staying in touch with Pastor Elizabeth
Pr. Elizabeth Ekdale continues serving as our vacancy pastor on a part-time basis. You can reach her by calling the church office at (415) 621-2635, e-mailing the parish office at Admin@sflcsf.org, calling her cell phone at (415) 846-4340, or dropping by the church office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Pr. Elizabeth is also available to bring Holy Communion to those not able to worship in person on Sunday afternoons. Please let her know if you would like a pastoral visit.
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 11:00 AM - The Feast of St Francis
Worship Service with holy communion, and is available in-person and live-streamed. A live-stream of the worship service can be accessed through the St. Francis YouTube Channel. This special day will also include animal blessings throughout the day at the church booth at the Castro St Fair. (More information on the Castro St Fair below.)
Every Sunday at 10:00 AM – Impromptu Choir in the Sanctuary
Our Impromptu Choir is still going strong! This fun, informal group is open to everyone! No experience is needed — just bring your voice, your enthusiasm, and a love for joyful music-making. Come add your voice — we’d love to sing with you!
Yehiel Curry to Be Installed as ELCA Presiding Bishop
The Rev. Yehiel Curry will be installed as presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. Central time at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn. Curry will be the first Black presiding bishop of the ELCA.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will preside at the installation and present Curry with the pectoral cross, the common symbol of the office of bishop in the ELCA. The Rev. Kevin Vandiver, senior pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, D.C., will deliver the sermon. Members of the ELCA Conference of Bishops and other invited leaders will participate in the processional. Music leadership for the worship service includes the National Lutheran Choir and musicians from St. Olaf College and the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod.
The installation is a public worship service, open to all who wish to attend. The service will also be available via livestream.
St. Francis at the Castro Street Fair - Sunday, Oct 5 - 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
St. Francis Lutheran Church will be hosting a booth at this year’s Castro Street Fair!
This special day falls on the Feast of St. Francis, so we’ll offer animal blessings throughout the day. We'll also be handing out fun stickers and informative flyers about our worship services, food pantry, senior lunches, childcare options, choir, upcoming events (like our Halloween movie night), holiday schedule, and more.
This is a great opportunity to connect with our wider community — and we invite you to come by our booth during the day to share in conversation and outreach!
Celebrate World Food Day with ELCA World Hunger on Oct. 16!
Join people around the world in raising awareness and taking collective action to end hunger for good.
World Food Day is one of the most celebrated days on the United Nations calendar, with opportunities in more than 150 countries and more than 50 languages to raise awareness of hunger. This year’s theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” highlights how each of us has a role to play in creating a world where we all have access to a nutritious diet.
ELCA World Hunger has been at work for more than 50 years, addressing root causes of hunger around the world and here in the United States. Hand in hand with thousands of others across our church, you provide immediate relief to those who are hungry as well as solutions for long-term sustainability. Your gifts connect people with training and resources so they can enjoy a fruitful harvest, access clean water, send their kids to school, get adequate health care and strengthen their income streams.
This World Food Day, your congregation or community is invited to join ELCA World Hunger in taking action. When we work together, we can build a just world where all are fed. To make a donation online, go to https://community.elca.org/givenow
Let’s Keep in Touch!
Between outreach, Faith in the Neighborhood, neighborhood movies and participating in street fairs, there is a lot going on while we await the arrival of the interim pastor. The church staff really appreciate all the energy and effort that goes into making these things a success and we ask you keep us in the communication loop – not only so we can occasionally provide support as needed, but also to be sure there is plenty of time and space on the church calendar for each event.
Sign up for Worship Roles, Refreshments and Flowers
Here is a link where you can easily connect to all sign-ups: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/1047003888275452027/false#/invitation. Please note: some worship roles require training. If you are signing up with this link for the very first time, please check in with the pastor first. Another way to sign up is to contact the pastor through the parish office at (415) 621-2635 and they will get back to you.
Prayer Support and Prayer Ministry Praying for each other is one of the central activities of a Christian Community. It is Christ's design for our life together, and it is a beautiful and powerful gift we can give each other. At St. Francis we offer the following prayer support:
The weekly prayer list: we keep a list of names of people who have asked for prayers either on their own behalf or on behalf of someone else.
The urgent prayer team: a team of people who will lift up a person or group of persons during a crisis or an emergency. (If you would like to join the team, please let the Pastor know).
Prayers offered during worship: Please help us keep the prayer list up to date. If you wish to place a name on the prayer list, please contact the parish office at admin@sflcsf.org.
Prayers after worship: This evolved from the healing prayer ministry offered before Covid. After worship you may take a seat in one of the pews and a prayer minister will come and sit with you. They will offer support, and if desired will pray for you and anoint you.
Donations - To make a donation to St. Francis, you can make a donation on our website by clicking https://sflcsf.org/giving/ or mail a check to St. Francis Lutheran Church at 152 Church Street, San Francisco, CA 94114.
Support the Friends of St. Francis Childcare Center (FOSF)
FoSF is a family-centered early care and education program where children, parents, and gardens grow, located at 50 Belcher Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. To make an online donation, go to www.fosf-childcare.org.
