Weekly News (12.12.2025)

St. Francis Weekly News  

 

Bishop Jeff Johnson at St. Francis on Sunday, Dec 14th!   

      On  December 14th Pastor Christian Jennert will attend worship and be installed as our Bridge Pastor. (His first official day will be December 15th.) Bishop Jeff Johnson will preach that day and preside at the installation. Worship service with holy communion, is available in-person and live-streamed. A live-stream of the worship service can be accessed through the St. Francis YouTube Channel.

     Weather permitting, group photographs taken on the Memorial Terrace for the website. Otherwise, we will use the sanctuary. After the service, we will have a luncheon to thank Pastor Elizabeth for her time at St Francis and to welcome Pastor Christian. (Pastor Elizabeth will be with us until December 31st.     

     As a reminder, after lunch there will be a special Congregation Meeting to vote on members to serve on the Call Committee and to approve a special credit facility for the Legacy Fund. This is an important day for our congregation made extra special by the attendance of Bishop Jeff. Everyone is encouraged to try to attend and bring a friend / many friends. For those attending the meeting remotely, you can begin signing in to Zoom at 12:50 pm for the 1:00 meeting, and the link is

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88997767119?pwd=AYQmQPGo7eclWzOqovjYIaUJncx6o8“

 

Joyful Beginnings” Stewardship Pledge Report

Our goal for 2026 is to encourage all members and friends of St. Francis to participate in the pledge program. To view our progress, please see the “new growth” illustration on the west wall of the Parish Hall. For every pledge received between now and the end of January, a new leaf will be added to the tree! 

 

Number of 2026 pledges received so far = 41 

 

Pledge forms and stewardship materials were mailed at the end of October. Packets are also available from the ushers, and from Irene in the parish office:  (415) 621-2635, admin@sflcsf.org. If you haven’t already returned your pledge form, please mail it to the church or bring it with you to worship by Sunday, December 28. 

The St. Francis Stewardship Committee 

 

Christmas Decor Appeal Follow-up

To everyone who donated to the Christmas decor appeal - your generous gifts have enabled Randy Thume and Co. to be extra extravagant and lavish with their decorating for Advent and Christmas.  Thank you to all who donated and thank you to Randy for your creative gifts of decorating.  Warmly, Pr. Elizabeth

 

Decorating at the church for Christmas - Sunday, Dec. 21st

Volunteers are needed to help decorate the tree and sanctuary for Christmas. Please plan to stay following worship to help. Thank you!

 

Christmas Worship at St. Francis

Dec 24th - 6:30 pm special Christmas music; 7:00 PM Christmas worship with holy communion and candle lighting

Dec 25th - 11:00 AM Festive Christmas worship with carols and holy communion

Please invite family, friends and neighbors to our Christmas services!

 

HYMN/SONG REQUESTS FOR CAROLS & COOKIES on Sunday, December 21

During fellowship/coffee hour, Ray Capiral, our Director of Music, will lead an informal singalong of Christmas carols/songs, approximately 30-35 minutes. If you would like to request a particular Christmas hymn or song, please make those submissions to Ray directly. You can email him at: MusicDir@sflc.org or let him know in person! The deadline for requests is Monday, 15 December, 3:00 PM. All song submissions will be considered in the order received for as long as the program (30-35 mins.) allows.

 

Free neighborhood movie - Sunday, Dec 21, 3:00 PM

We will be showing National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Doors open at 3:00 PM and the movie showing begins at 3:30 PM. Refreshments will be provided and there will be a raffle drawing. All are welcome! Click here to RSVP.

 

Christmas Day Community Potluck Thursday, Dec 25 - 12:00 - 3:00 PM

Please bring something to share with everyone that joins in this meal together. We are asking that you bring appetizers, side dishes or dessert. St. Francis will supply the main dishes and a variety of beverages too.

 

It is a great chance to meet neighbors, share delicious homemade dishes, and celebrate the season & the joy of community. This is an in-person event, so come hungry and ready to connect! We can't wait to see you there! To RSVP for this event, click here.

 

The Impromptu Choir continues! We meet every Sunday at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary

You are invited to join the Impromptu Choir — a fun, informal group open to everyone! No experience is necessary — just a willingness to sing and share in joyful music-making. Come add your voice — we’d love to have you! Practice begins at 10:00 AM, just before worship. Questions? You can reach Ray Capiral, Director of Music for the church, at musicdir@sflcsf.org (Office Hours: Tues/Thurs, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, or by appointment).

 

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.

 

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.

 

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 or remove a name, 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.