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St. Francis Episcopal Church

Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Parish Profile

May 2013

St. Francis Episcopal Church has respectfully and prayerfully begun the search for a rector. Our parish is a welcoming and friendly community that seeks to reach out to all people and guide them in their own journeys to know and serve the living God. In our efforts together, the Pastoral Search Committee and Vestry have sought to revere our parish’s rich history, enthusiastically embrace the present, and joyfully anticipate our future.

Introduction

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Who We Are

Under the direction of Bishop Burnett, St. Timothy’s and St. Andrew’s Church combined their efforts to maintain a strong Episcopal presence in the Panhandle of Nebraska. Both congregations have worked together to overcome the challenges of combining two separate parishes to create a new direction with new traditions as St. Francis Episcopal Church.

Survey

Having invested in the physical space, we continue to invest in our congregational realms and toward our growth and spiritual needs. The St. Francis Pastoral Search Committee recently drafted a survey to give to members of the congregation. This offered an opportunity for the parish to identify the needs and strengths of the church and in what direction to proceed. The raw data and results of the survey are located within the St. Francis website at http://stfrancisscottsbluff.episcopal-ne.org/

http://stfrancisscottsbluff.episcopal-ne.org/

http://stfrancisscottsbluff.episcopal-ne.org/

The survey revealed a hope that our new rector be strong in Pastoral Care and Spiritual Guidance. We are looking for a strong leader that can help use our gifts and passion to grow the congregation and find new ways to bring the Spirit of Christ to our communities, state and world. We would like our new rector to be energetic and a strong communicator with a

solid foundation in our Liturgy.

Comments from our parish survey asking what keeps you coming back to St. Francis include:

“enjoy the style of worship,” ‘’ people we’ve met…and have grown to

know,” “(we) appreciate their kindness and

acceptance,” “our fellowship and sermons,” “It’s my Church!” “the commitment to spiritual growth

and preference for Episcopal worship” “been member for over 50 years”

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We are a diverse congregation representing many age groups, ideals and ethnic backgrounds. Our diversity adds rich hues to the tapestry of our congregation. We have members who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our congregation and members ranging from “Cradle” Episcopalians to those new to the Faith.

Being less than seven years old, the parish at St. Francis itself may still be in infancy. However, the majority of the parishioners reported they have been an Episcopalian ranging from 10 to over 30 years. This shows the roots of St. Timothy’s and St. Andrew’s beginnings. Regular attendance was 87.04% and responses demonstrated loyalty and an invested

commitment to our parish

Currently, we worship on Sunday’s with two different services. At the 8:00 AM service, Rite I is used and at 10:00 AM Rite II. There is a healing service on Tuesday mornings. According to the survey, 48.28% of the respondents said they preferred Rite II. Our congregation indicated they liked thought provoking, topical, and easy to understand sermons. Overall traditional services were preferred (46.55%), but 50% of survey respondents said they would like a blend of traditional and contemporary services. This shows our willingness to adapt to the ever-changing demands of our congregation and especially the needs of our younger generations. We understand we need to be able to adapt to grow.

Episcopal Church Women/Altar Guild

The ladies of the congregation continue to support the parish through providing the food for funerals, diocesan and deanery events, receptions, and other occasions. From projects like the Valentine bake sale and the special Advent offerings, they offer church camp scholarships, sponsor Christmas baskets for needy families, serve the first of the month Sunday Birthday/Anniversary cakes, organize the Christmas cookie exchange and delivery to shut-ins, and faithfully contribute to the clergy discretionary fund. “Their quiet servant ministries out of the limelight are part of the fabric of our fellowship”

Acolytes

Dinners in the Parish Hall

St. Francis has an active guild that takes care of the supplies and devotedly prepares the altar for services.

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Wednesday Night Suppers

Every Wednesday from mid-October until Holy Week the men of St. Francis cook a hardy meal for the congregation with a little help from some of the women! It is a time for fellowship and a chance to not have to cook at home. Through the free will offering basket, enough money is usually raised to cover the costs as well as the rest of the kitchen costs of the congregation.

Christian Education /Youth

In addition to Father Kelsey, we are blessed to have Rae Whitney who offers many opportunities for Christian education for adults. This includes going through the entire Bible over many years with the Wednesday night study group. Other studies have included a study of the Prayer Book and a study of the 1982 Hymnal. With her formal training in theology as well as being an author of hundreds of hymns, Rae has a wealth of knowledge in these areas. Father Kelsey did a series on the Revelation of John, which was well attended and last summer offered a class on “Life in the Early Church.” This past Lent he lead a study of the Scripture passages selected by Johannes Brahms when writing his Requiem. Members of the parish have also had the opportunity to experience Cursillo.

We presently have twelve acolytes trained by our Acolyte Master, Clark Wisniewski to offer their services. We have a team of volunteers who teach Sunday School with attendance ranging from one to up to twenty children. A nursery is staffed on Sundays. During the past year we have been blessed with an influx of babies and young children making it pretty robust on Sundays.

Acolyte Master leading the young acolytes

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Finding new and creative ways to interact and inspire youth today will be a continuing challenge. Our future and the future of the Episcopal Church depend on linking with families to further strengthen and reinvigorate our foundation. We envision a strong youth program. It may be an ecumenical program where the kids have fun as well as have opportunities to learn and grow in Christ and obtain life skills. We believe it is vital to teach children the importance of outreach. Those lessons of charity and generosity are the principles of a life with Christ and we want to reinforce those lessons as much as possible.

Children of St. Francis in the Chapel

As St. Francis continues to grow, we desire to further our spiritual development with strong pastoral guidance. We believe we have a capacity to

increase the level of our personal pastoral care efforts and look for guidance to enhance our efforts. We seek to build on the efforts of our teachers in the congregation and continue to learn and grow in Christ as adults, too.

Our Vestry consists of nine members and is led by our Senior and Junior Wardens who serve a term of three years. We have a president of our Foundation Board who helps manage the church’s financial investments. In addition to our Rector, The Rev. Karen Anderson and the Rev. Bob Manasek are a blessing to St. Francis with their ministry and spiritual counsel. Our lay ministry is important to our congregation as well. Sister Elizabeth- Sojourner OSB, and Dr. Terry Haney share acolyte and server duties at the 8:00 AM service. In September 2012, Bishop Barker commissioned them as Lay Leaders and authorized them to serve the paten at the intinction station. They also are able to offer Morning Prayer in the event none of our clergy are available.

Sharing news on our bulletin board

Leadership

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Graph from 2011 shows an increase in pledges in 2007 and has continued to remain steady

Outreach: The last seven years have been a busy time as we have worked on building a spirit of compassion, generosity and stewardship. We have spent many hours on community outreach, which has had a positive impact on our community, and the world. We have sponsored fundraising events such as the St. Francis Summer Golf Tournament, which goes to support our missionaries.

St. Francis Golf tournament is a big highlight in the summer

Since 2007, a small group of parishioners have met on Tuesday afternoons to catalogue, list, sell and deliver items donated to sell on the St. Francis Ebay site, “Prairie Treasures”. During this time they have sold over 700 items and have raised $11,136 for the Vestry to distribute to various community based outreach groups including funds to start the weekend backpack program. We also, linked our efforts with other churches in the Valley to fund home building efforts in Haiti after the devastating earthquake. Locally, our clergy and members of our church have worked with Habitat for Humanity to build new homes in our own area.

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In the spirit of St. Francis and taking care of all God’s creatures, we have supported the Panhandle Humane Society, the Local Youth Shelter and DOVES. In addition, the Children’s Sunday school class has raised money to buy small farm animals for third world countries. Members of the parish serve on various non-profit boards and volunteer throughout the community; we support the Lakota Lutheran Center, help stock the food bank, serve at the soup kitchen and participate in the annual Stop Aids Walk and Crop Walk.

Members take a hand at carpentry for Habitat for Humanity

Our rector’s wife, Debbie Hogue, working with the public school system, identified that many of the school children were not getting adequate meals on the weekend. With financial support and volunteers from St. Francis she developed a food program encompassing Scottsbluff and Gering called the Cat Pack/Pup Pack program. Through the Cooperative Ministry it has become

a community wide effort sending backpacks of food home with students. Over 200 backpacks are sent home each weekend, packed by many of our parishioners and youth members. Recently, Mitchell and Morrill School districts have started to send backpacks home. Word of this ministry spread across the State of Nebraska and has inspired others to create similar programs.

Blessing of Animals in celebration of St. Francis, the Patron Saint of Animals

Food ready to be packed

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Parish History and Campus Review

St. Francis Episcopal Church is a welcoming community that seeks to reach out to all people wherever they are on their faith journey and aid them to discover God’s Spirit. We are a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and thus, part of the Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA). The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Church with its origins in the Church of England. In the American Colonies, it had stressed its continuity with the early Western church and maintained apostolic succession. St. Francis Church continues to recognize the constitution of the Church, its canons, discipline, doctrines and worship.

Just as many are in their own lives, St. Francis is a church in a time of transition. The church has established a search committee that is working with the Vestry to call its next rector. In 2006, the congregations of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Gering and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Scottsbluff were united, and a new name was chosen by the parish. On January 13, 2007 Bishop Joe Burnett formally changed the name of the patron saint and became the present St. Francis Episcopal Church in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

St. Francis is located at the edge of downtown Scottsbluff

The first joint worship service was held at St. Andrew’s Church on September 10, 2006. That day members of St. Andrew’s welcomed the people of St. Timothy’s at the North Platte River Bridge with a joyful greeting of balloons, banners, and welcome signs. The two congregations proceeded to the church and shared Holy Communion together for the first time followed by a festive celebration. Today, the parish at St. Francis continues to be committed to growing deeper in spirit, deepening its faith and finding even more ways to express God’s love during these transitions.

The cities of Scottsbluff and Gering are separated by the North Platte River. Gering became a town site in 1887, and was named the county seat for the newly designated Scotts Bluff County. During those early years, a missionary by the name of George Allen Beecher, who headquartered out of Ft. Sidney, about 80 miles east, would travel on a circuit. This brought him to Gering and Scottsbluff where services were held in the homes of early settlers and in buildings borrowed for such purposes.

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There had been few attempts at services since both towns had started. In 1904, the parishioners of Gering erected a small church building. Services were held in Gering and Scottsbluff by a number of missionaries. In 1910, the Bishop sent Mr. Henry Ives to establish a mission. On Sunday, August 28, 1910, Mr. Ives held his first services at the chapel in Gering. George Beecher became Bishop of the Missionary District of Western Nebraska and in 1936, dedicated the church in honor of St. Timothy.

Henry Ives is credited for starting the mission in Scottsbluff and for writing down his account of it in the records. Ives’ first regular services at St. Andrew’s Mission, was on Sunday, November 13, 1910. Bishop Graves probably chose this name because it was the next saint on the Calendar. The congregation grew quickly and by 1920, St. Andrew’s became a self-supporting parish. The current site of the church was purchased and the first service held in the new building was in 1922 on Christmas Eve.

1921 – 1969

These pictures of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church show the transformation that resulted through the support of members of the church.

For many years both churches in the Valley flourished. In 1993, St. Timothy’s became part of a cluster with Holy Apostles’ Church of Mitchell, Nebraska. Due to circumstances the congregation of St. Timothy’s Church prayerfully made the decision to merge with St. Andrew’s Church in Scottsbluff.

Father Kelsey Hogue was called to St. Andrew’s in 2006 and conducted the merger of the two congregations. Bringing the two congregations together brought hope of strengthening the ministry and resources. In 2007, the two Deacons from St. Timothy’s, Karen Anderson and Bob Manasek were ordained into the priesthood at St. Francis where they both continue to serve along with Father Kelsey.

Memorial Chapel

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Many items and furnishings from St. Timothy’s were brought over and incorporated at St. Francis to embrace and integrate the new family. Our building hardly resembles the church that was first built in 1921, due to the numerous remodeling and additions that have happened over the years. The building first had stucco applied in 1929 and major renovations began in the 1940’s.

The first twelve stained glass windows were installed in 1965 as memorials. Later windows from St. Timothy’s were added in the building.

The bronze figure over the altar was sculpted by William Joseph of Denver and placed there in 1965. It portrays Christ, as a Prophet, Priest, and King.

For many years, there had been a strong music ministry in the church and the beautiful pipe organ was installed in 1936. Major restoration on the organ was done in 2006, by Dan Vaughn, the son of the man who built it. The piano was added when the worship space was remodeled. The Columbarium is located in the front of the church and a new glass baptismal font was purchased recently.

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There is a white-walled courtyard outside the entrance with a belfry, plantings and marble benches.

Members of St. Francis show up for Clean Up Day…washing windows in the church courtyard.

A large renovation project was started about six years ago including the installation of elevators, handicap/wheelchair accessibility, a heated sidewalk, new tile roof, heating units, projection screen, satellite dish, new electrical, and a sound/video system. In addition, the

undercroft, parish hall, education rooms, nursery and worship space were updated. The stained glass windows were completely restored in 2012 and now have a projected life expectancy of at least 75 years.

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“we have upgraded and restored our building so it will be a base for ministry for years to come, and done so without debt”

The new kitchen and appliances have seen increased activity during coffee hour, barbecues, Wednesday night dinners, Thanksgiving meals, and various other functions.

The men of St. Francis have shown off their talents cooking for Wednesday night dinners and the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Suppers. In the fall of 2012, Bishop Barker and his staff used St. Francis as a headquarters during his visit to Western Nebraska, which is part of the Western Deanery.

Parish Hall

In the early 1980’s, a Foundation Board was created to manage investments for the benefit of the church. Over the years our parish has been blessed with a variety of gifts and memorials. Beautiful vestments, linens, crosses, torches, and silver chalices have been acquired through the years. For spiritual or contemplative journeys, prayer groups have used the Labyrinth Rug for meditation. The Altar, Credence Table and Communion Rail that are used during worship were all given in memory of loved ones.

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Many names can be seen on plaques on the memorial tree on the wall in the parish hall.

The church building has been used by various groups in the community ranging from Duplicate Bridge Club to Yoga/Tai Chi classes. The presence of St. Francis Church goes beyond its walls. Not only through Cooperative Ministries and outreach projects, but every year the community is invited to a Blessing of Animals in a nearby park in celebration of St. Francis Day. Today, our building continues to serve the people who have come together for fellowship and worship.

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”___ St. Francis of Assisi

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Community Information

St. Francis Episcopal Church is located in Scottsbluff, Nebraska in Scotts Bluff County. It is part of what is referred to by locals as the Twin Cities consisting of both Scottsbluff and Gering, and situated in the heart of the Nebraska Panhandle.

The town of Gering was established in 1888 and soon after the town of Scottsbluff was established just on the other side of the North Platte River. The river flows between the two towns and just as its edge is the village of Terrytown, which was founded in 1949 by the late Senator Terry Carpenter. St. Francis draws from a community of about 35,000 people consisting of other surrounding towns.

This community that St. Francis Church serves, sits at the foot of the Scotts Bluff National Monument that overlooks the historic Mitchell Pass and North Platte River Valley. From 1841 to 1869, over 250,000 pioneers traveled west on the Oregon, Mormon, or California Trails through the Mitchell Pass to the Rocky Mountains, as well as the Pony Express Trail.

An event that gets the summer started is the Sugar Valley Rally where enthusiasts from all over the country come to race. There is a local craft show and entertainment in conjunction.

In July, we have the annual Oregon Trail Days, one of our biggest celebrations, which tributes the famous trek. A parade kicks the event off and the week is full of activities, art shows, concerts, carnival and an International food fair.

Five Rocks Amphitheater is an outdoor entertainment venue that hosts a variety of entertainers, concerts and an outdoor cinema. This has become a popular place in the summer to watch movies under the stars. Located downtown is the Historic Midwest Theater that runs mainstream and specialty films, visual and performing arts, as well as school and community educational programs.

Parishioner Dan Dickinson with his 1949 Willys is media coordinator for the Sugar Valley Rally

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The Valley boasts a rich diversity of cultural events and performing arts. Theater West Summer Repertory is a live summer theater program and children’s camp. Their productions attract professional directors, designers, and actors from across the country. It provides collegiate theater majors, and talented musicians, actors and singers from our community opportunities for experience, training and performance in front of an audience.

West Nebraska Arts Center has a gallery featuring local, national and international artists that display a wide variety of visual art forms. Live performances of theater, music and dance are presented as well as workshops for all ages. Midwest Theater

For the outdoor enthusiasts and naturalist, the Panhandle offers many different activities and opportunities. We have access to areas such has Scottsbluff National Monument for hiking, biking, driving, and during the summertime various educational programs such as hiking to a fossil area for paleontology lessons.

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is also close to the area where you can see Daemonelix fossil beds

along with wildflowers, waterways, and bird watching.

In various times of the year, different Native American

artisans come to the park to share their talents, gifts and

stories of their tribes and heritage.

For the hunters and trappers, we have the largest acreage of

Wildlife Management Areas in the state. We have several local

trout streams full of rainbow and brown trout, along with bass,

walleye and catfish. For hunting, there is mule deer and white tail

deer. You can trap bobcat, coyote, rabbits, and fox just to name a

few. You have the opportunity to hunt waterfowl such as geese

and duck or upland birds such as quail, pheasant and grouse.

There are abundant wild turkeys and doves to hunt. If you are not

into hunting with a firearm, you can hike with a camera to see if

you can spot a big horn sheep or cougar at Buffalo Creek or

traverse Carter Canyon to see if you can spot and elk or two.

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Scottsbluff is fortunate to be the home of the Regional West Medical Center, which is a fully accredited acute care regional medical center serving western Nebraska and portions of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. It is the largest employer in the region. Some of the services include a level II trauma center, physician’s clinic, cancer services, bariatric center, hospice and air link ambulance service.

The Western Nebraska Community College offers many educational opportunities. It has an Upward Bound program as well as one for Veterans The Scottsbluff Public School system takes pride in offering unique programs and curricula to its students, including advanced placement courses and alternative learning programs. In the past couple years, the high school has produced state champions in wrestling, basketball, golf, journalism, speech, drill team and DECA. The community supports education and believes in giving all children the opportunity for the best education to help them grow and become successful. The University of Nebraska Research and Extension Center, Gering Public Schools and faith-based schools are also in the area.

Lake Minatare State Recreation Area Lake Minatare is part of the North Platte Wildlife Refuge and provides opportunities to view waterfowl and wildlife as well as hiking, fishing, and boating. It closes to the public from October to January to provide undisturbed habitat for waterfowl during the migration periods and is important as a nesting location for bald eagles.

Overlooking the Valley, the Wildcat Nature Center offers a chance to learn about the ecology and history of the area while providing a scenic view of the surrounding hills. There are 3 1/2

miles worth of hiking trails, a picnic area with shelters and a campground.

Bluffs Middle School

The annual USATF certified Monument Marathon provides a stunning and tranquil experience for runners with the towering landmarks and diverse landscape of the West. Participants have raved about the amazing course, business and community support of the event.

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Western Nebraska Regional Airport provides services to and from Scottsbluff. Denver, Colorado is about 200 miles southwest, Cheyenne, Wyoming 100 miles southwest, Rapid City, South Dakota 200 miles north (Mt. Rushmore 144 miles) and Lincoln is around 400 miles east.

Golf Course

Our community has a rich culture made up of Russian, German, Greek, Polish, Japanese, Black, Hispanic and Native American people. These influences enrich our lives and give us a larger perspective. The surrounding farms raise crops such as corn, beans, wheat, sunflower, sorghum, rye and sugar beets. The sugar beet industry as well as the corn and beans play an important role in the community’s economy. Equally important is the cattle

and livestock market.

Sugar Factory

While visiting Scottsbluff, you will understand why the Nebraska State motto is “The Good Life.” You will experience the beautiful landscape of the Panhandle and enjoy the friendly Nebraska hospitality offered by our community and parish at St. Francis Church.

Riverside Discovery Center

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For more Community Information please go to the following links:

http://www.scottsbluffgering.net/

http://scottsbluff.org/

http://www.sbps.net/

http://www.visitscottsbluff.com/

http://www.rwmc.net/