Ministries and Opportunities to Serve
The role of Greeter is being expanded to include a full Ministry of Ushers.
The Ministry of Ushers by Deb Hinton
I write this to the many parishioners who might feel that handing out bulletins is not important or meaningful. I want to discuss my philosophy of this task as relates to the "Ministry of Ushers."
In one of many biblical concordances there are over forty references to the word talent. Of course they are referring to the type of payment called a talent. How ironic that the ushers do accept the payment from each of us for God's work at our church. But the talent of greeting and ushering is much broader and is actually a ministry to the church and its parishioners.
When first time worshipers come in our doors, their first impression of us is the usher. The usher exhibits Bodacious Hospitality towards them and welcomes them into the church. The usher will then seat them near a church member that can assist with the service. Upon ending the service the usher will introduce the visitors to Father Neil and invite them for refreshments. This is no different then what we expect when we acquire services for restaurant dining or going to the spa.
When Sue, John and I returned to Alabama last year and were visiting churches, the complete opposite happened to us. We visited a particular Episcopal church because we knew the assistant rector. We went for six weeks and NO ONE greeted us, introduced themselves to us, or asked us about ourselves. I felt neglected and we realized that this was not the kind of church for us.
There are many things an usher does during the Sunday morning time: greeting, presenting the gifts, collecting the offering, guiding parishioners to the Table for Communion and, yes, giving out bulletins.
Our outreach ministry begins with the Ministry of Ushers. Please join me and others who participate in this most important role. It takes time on Sunday morning and you are already at church anyway! If you would like to join us please sign up on the table in the narthex, call the church office, 205.988.4371, and leave your name.
The Ministries of Acolyte, Server, and Reader 
The volunteers of these ministries are both adults and youth who serve during the 8:30am or 10:45am worship. Betty Bond will be glad to schedule you as a volunteer acolyte, server, or reader. Please consider giving of your time to these valuable ministries. For more information, contact Betty Bond @ bettywbond@charter.net or reach her by telephone 733.9270.
The Ministry of the Flower Guild 
The altar arrangements and church flowers used in our worship services are created by volunteers of the Flower Guild. They are a faithful group who dedicate their gifts to the glory of God and serve actively through the year. The volunteers of this ministry invite you to join them. If you have interest in working with the weekly altar arrangements or assisting a group effort at Easter, please contact Mickey Farmer. To inquire about the flower ministry contact Mickey Farmer at mickeybfarmer@hotmail.com.
Join the Junior Warden's Team 
Junior Warden Call for Volunteers
David Cypher is the new junior warden. He would like volunteers (help) for the inside and outside of the church. He especially is looking for anyone who have skills such as: craftsman, plumbing, painters etc. or anyone just willing to help out. There is a sign in the Narthex to sign up. At St. Francis, the Jr. Wardens are responsible for maintaining the grounds and the buildings of our church, although they are not responsible for doing all of the actual work. St. Francis is able to maintain our beautiful facilities because of the work of many volunteers. The Jr. Wardens host a "Done in a Day" where much of this work is handled. Volunteers have a great time rolling up their sleeves and watching the work get "Done in a Day". Please consider joining us in the future, this is a great way to get to know others at St. Francis. For more information contact our Jr. Warden, David Cypher at mcypher741@aol.com.
Education for Ministry
Interested in EfM or have questions? Contact Betty Bond @ bettywbond@charter.net or 733-9270. 
Education for Ministry-Every baptized person is called to ministry. Sewanee offers this extension program to provide a foundation to support that ministry. Participants read course materials in the Bible, Church history, and theology, and meet for weekly seminars to discuss the readings and reflect on their implications for ministry. The course runs four years, with enrollment for one year at a time. Seminar groups are limited to twelve persons.
2008 Group Photo: Leathea Gray, Susan Adams, Nancy Todd, Sue Ellen Bullock, Jammye Holmes, Janet Palmer Lara Dworshak, Jane Hopson, Betty Bond, Chris Gonzalez, Irene Lanca, Carl West, Eric Holmes