The Voice of the Vestry
St. Francis of the Tetons Episcopal
Church 20 Alta School Rd.
Alta, Wyoming
83414
307-353-8100
stfrancis.episcopalidaho.org
With Valentine’s Day approaching I began thinking about love and weddings at St. Francis. There had been some discussion about the absence of weddings in the past few years, so St. Francis formed a new Wedding Committee and advertised in a local magazine in hopes of bringing this joy back to our church and our community. One day, after attending Centering Prayer, a lady appeared at the door knocking. She asked if there was a priest present, to which we replied no, but asked how we could help her. She explained that she was waiting for a couple to return from Jackson with a marriage license but that they were running late. The couple had planned to have an outdoor ceremony up on the road to Targhee, but the woman was concerned about darkness setting in so she asked if they could use the church yard instead. We had replied that that would be fine, but, because it was already 5:15 pm and the temperature was just above zero, we suggested that they come in and use the inside of the church instead. She replied that she would offer the option to the couple, she still had just a bit of hesitancy. Rather than waiting around for the mystery couple to return from Jackson I said, “how about I just leave the church open for you, and if they decide to use it, then you just lock up when you are done, please be our welcomed guest.” The woman then introduced herself as Angel. I could have just about fallen over before thinking, yes, God has sent us an Angel and a couple to get married. About an hour later Angel called me to express, not only her gratitude, but also the gratitude of the couple and their parents. She explained that the couple had scheduled an outside wedding because they couldn’t justify the expense of a church ceremony, they were so grateful for our hospitality. The parents then stated that their dream had come true, their kids had gotten married in a church. Our Wedding Committee had made a recommendation last month, to the Vestry, to reduce our fee for a church wedding, in the hopes of encouraging more couples to get married at St. Francis. Since then, we have booked two weddings in June this year. We are looking forward to this new ministry that we can give to our community. Our hope is that as more people attend a wedding at St. Francis they will pass the word around about our beautiful church and our low fees, this will be the best type of advertising, word of mouth. It is written in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Let us spread the word that the sacred covenant of marriage in a church can now be offered to our neighbors. I think God sent us this message on that cold snowy evening at St. Francis of the Tetons. The church lighting renovation is being scheduled and we will be meeting in the lower sanctuary during construction. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and look forward to the beautiful new lighting fixtures. The next Eat and Meet lands on Shrove Tuesday, March 5th, the theme is pancakes with bacon and sausage. Then we start Lent on Wednesday the 6th, with Ash Wednesday. This is another festive time to invite our friends and neighbors for a meal of breakfast at dinner. God’s peace, Rod
Church Services
Sundays at 10:00am
All are welcome
For worship and
fellowship
Office Hours
Monday –Thursday
9am - 1pm
Friday
10am - 2pm
The Printed Voice of St. Francis of the Tetons Episcopal Church
February 2019 The Flock
Meet Our 2019 Vestry Members
Junior Warden
Clarke Arick
This is Clarke’s fourth year as Junior Warden.
Clarke resides part time in both Driggs, Idaho and Athens, Georgia with his wife
Patty Sticher.
Currently, Clarke is on the Building & Grounds, Worship, and Outreach
Committees.
Senior Warden
Rod Gust
Rod is beginning his fourth year as Senior Warden.
Rod resides full time in Alta, Wyoming with his wife Jil.
Currently he holds seats on the Wedding, Worship, Christian Education, Building &
Grounds and Outreach Committees.
Wood Palmer
Wood is now serving his second year on Vestry.
Wood and his wife Ann Loyola reside in Alta, Wyoming full time.
In the past Wood has been one of our St. Francis Boy Scout leaders. He is now
serving on the Building & Grounds Committee.
Steve Thomas
This year will be Steve’s second year on Vestry.
Steve is a full time resident of Tetonia, Idaho where he lives with his wife Valerie.
Steve is also serving on the Columbarium Committee this year.
Treasurer
Ruth Lindstedt
Ruth is now in her second year as Treasurer and Vestry member for
St. Francis.
Ruth is an ordained Roman Catholic Woman Priest and a certified Spiritual
Guide & Companion.
Ruth lives full time in Driggs, Idaho and serves on the Finance and Worship
Committees.
Celeste Wilcoxson
Celeste is now serving her second year on Vestry.
She and her husband Rob reside in Driggs full time.
Celeste is one of our volunteers who is always ready to step in and serve.
VESTRY
Spirituality Group Takes Off
Jim Steele
Jim will be serving his fourth year on Vestry this year.
Currently Jim and his wife Connie live in Victor, Idaho full time.
Jim is our Tin Cup Coordinator for the church, he also serves on the Stewardship
& Outreach Committees.
Pete Oslund
Pete is celebrating his third year serving as a Vestry member.
Pete and his wife Mary Lou divide their time between Tetonia, Idaho and Mesa,
Arizona.
When in town Pete is always ready to step in and help.
Jim Rein
Jim is a returning member of Vestry, having served from 2006 through 2014
as a member, a Junior Warden and Senior Warden.
Jim and his wife Ellen divide their time between Victor Idaho & Corolla, North
Carolina.
Jim serves on the Building & Grounds, Columbarium, Stewardship, Finance and
Outreach Committees.
In January a new Spiritual Growth
Group, led by Rev. Mary Erickson and
Ruth Lindstedt, was launched. The
attendance at the first meeting totaled
seven, which was a great start!
The group will be meeting on the third
Wednesday of each month from 5:00
until around 6:15 pm (please note the
time has changed from the first
meeting).
All are encouraged
to come and learn
how you can enrich your experience
with Christ in your every day life.
Please call Ruth at 320-224-6470 if you
are interested in joining.
Changes Coming to Our Worship Space St. Francis has a big change coming
our way in February. Thanks to a
generous donation, made by a St.
Francis parishioner, new pendant light
fixtures will be installed in our worship
space. The new fixtures will be a
beautiful upgrade for us, and, given
that they will be LED, they will allow
us to save money on our lighting bills
while helping our environment.
Rod Gust, along with the Building &
Grounds Committee, will be leading a
construction crew this month, they
will be taking down the old light
fixtures, re-texturing, painting the
ceiling, and hanging the new fixtures
in place. Painting the walls will also
take place during this time.
We ask for your patience during this
process. Church services will be
conducted in the lower
sanctuary. The project
should be finished by the
end of the month.
What Is Vestry? A vestry is a group of church members
who manage the temporal affairs of
the church.
Historically, a vestry was a committee
for the local secular and ecclesiastical
government for a parish in England
and Wales, which originally met in the
vestry or sacristy of the parish church,
and consequently became known
colloquially as the "vestry".
For many centuries they were the sole
civil government of rural areas. At the
high point of their powers, just prior to
removal of Poor Law responsibilities
in 1834, the vestries spent not far short
of one-fifth of the budget of the
national government itself.
Their secular and ecclesiastical duties
were separated under local government
reforms in 1894. Their ecclesiastical
dut ies have been per formed
by Parochial Church Councils since
1921. The only remnant of the vestry
meeting is the parish meeting called to
appoint churchwardens.
Living, Loving and Learning at St. Francis
Top Left: Bev Charette take time to catch up
with Selina Jacobs. Selina came back from
Germany to visit her friends at St. Francis.
Top Right: Jim Rein and Elaine Moehring.
Middle: Phoebe Lewis sells Sarah Balben some
Girl Scout cookies. Phoebe exceeded her goal and
sold 551 boxes. She is grateful to her St. Francis
family for their support.
Bottom: St. Francis Choir sings along with Bev
Charette.
Railer Dodge, Bob Partridge, Danielle, Serena, Jim Steele, Brian and family, Patricia Ross, Jayne, Pete
Oslund, as well as all faith communities and schools of Teton Valley.
Prayers of the People
Birthdays
February 1st - Toni Hill
February 5th - Mary Lou Oslund
February 22nd - Lina Marquis
February Birthdays & Anniversaries
Anniversaries
None
If you would like your birthday or anniversary listed
please email the church office
Paradise Point Sunday
On February 10th we will be
celebrating Paradise Point Episcopal
Church Camp.
Located on beautiful Payette Lake and
nestled in the mountain valley of
McCall, this Idaho gem is loved by all
who visit.
Paradise Point Summer Camp
provides a life changing experience for
campers of all ages. We have several
summer camp options for youth, teens
and adults and all faith backgrounds
are welcome. All participants enjoy
freshly prepared, healthy meals and
challenging activities while having tons
of fun! Paradise Point fosters the
perfect opportunity for families,
friends and youth to come together in
a fun, safe and spir it - f i l led
environment. Campers are forever
touched by God in this place of
beauty, joy, solitude and good
company.
Registration is now open for the
summer season at camp.
Some of the camps that Paradise Point
will be offering this year are Beginners
Camp, Extreme Adrenaline, Day
Camps, Leadership Development,
Mountain Adventure, Teen Camp,
Ultimate Adventure, and Water Week,
as well as Adult and Family camps.
Wear your favorite Paradise Point shirt
or just help with your donation made
out to Paradise Point. Feel free to
leave your donation in the offering
plate or place it in the little wooden
house located at the back of the
church.
For more information on Paradise Point
v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e a t
www.paradise.episcopalidaho.org
Paradise Point campers and
St. Francis parishioners, Luke
Gentry and Spencer Parisee,
outside their cabin in 2015.
Vestry Members and Church Staff Junior Warden
Clarke Arick
706-338-9113
Pete Oslund
208-456-2774
Jim Steele
937-231-1141
Wood Palmer
208-390-2461
Steve Thomas
307-752-3154
Celeste Wilcoxson
508-627-0699
Jim Rein
208-787-4802
Bishop of Idaho
The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom
208-345-4440
Priest
The Rev. Deb Adams
208-201-5467
Senior Warden
Rod Gust
307-413-2102
Parish Sexton
Angie Warner
208-354-2242
Treasurer
Ruth Lindstedt
307-353-8100
sfttreasurer
@silverstar.com
Parish Administrator
Nancy Parisee
307-353-8100
208-201-3135
Parish Historian
Toni Hill
208-354-6267
February Service Volunteers February 3rd
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Morning Prayer
Worship Leader: Erica Tremblay
Musician: Rev. Eric Moehring
Lay Minister: Sarah Balben
Lay Reader: Jim Steele
Greeter/Usher: Celeste Wilcoxson
Refreshments: Ellen Rein
Altar Flowers: Elaine Moehring
February 10th Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Morning Prayer
Worship Leader: Ellen Rein
Musician: Beverly Charette
Lay Minister: Angie Warner
Lay Reader: Carol Taylor
Greeter/Usher: Ruth Lindstedt
Refreshments: Jim & Connie Steele
Altar Flowers: Jim & Ellen Rein
February 17th Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev. Eric Moehring
Musician: Gayle Lien
Lay Minister: Angie Warner
Lay Reader: Sharon Froberg
Greeter/Usher: Erica Tremblay
Refreshments: Sharon Froberg
Altar Flowers: Erica Tremblay
February 24th
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev. Deb Adams
Musician: Ellen Rein
Lay Minister: Rod Gust
Lay Reader: Beverly Charette
Greeter/Usher: Jim Rein
Refreshments: Angie Warner & Toni Hill
Altar Flowers: Beverly Charette
January 6th 25
January 13th 23
January 20th 18
January 27th 27
Church Attendance
St. Francis Approved Vestry Minutes From December 11, 2018
V
E
S
T
R
Y
Meeting was called to order at 5:30 Present were Celeste Wilcoxson, Steve Thomas, Ruth Lindstedt, Wood Palmer, Jim Steele, Rod Gust Opening prayer was given by Jim Minutes were approved for the November 13 meeting. We discussed reducing the fee for weddings from $1,500. to $300. to stay more in line with prices in Teton Valley and to encourage more couples to get married at St. Francis. We set the theme for the next Eat and Meet to be Soup and Bread. Rod will host with Wood. There was discussion of a letter to be sent to Hawtin Jorgensen for charges and per-formance to date. Rod will redraft and submit to vestry before transmitting. Ruth presented the transaction detail by account and it was approved. Vestry reviewed the recommendations of the Finance committee for the budget and made adjustments to Administration Wages, Sexton Wages, and Music, to keep in line with inflation and build on the music of our worship services. Ruth will reconcile these adjustments before the annual meeting so we can present the budget to the congregation. The closing prayer was offered by Rod and the meeting was concluded at 7:00. Respectfully submitted by Rod.
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
1 AA 7:30pm
2
3 MP Service 10am
with Erica
Tremblay
4
Book Club 6pm
5
Cub Scouts
6:30pm
6 Centering Prayer
11am
Ladies’ Lunch
12:30 pm
7 Centering Prayer
4pm
8 AA 7:30pm
9
10 MP Service 10am
with Ellen Rein
Paradise Point
Sunday
Worship Comm.
meets after church
11 Book Club 6pm
12
Vestry 5:30pm
Cub Scouts
6:30pm
13 Centering Prayer
11am
Boy Scouts
6:30pm
14 Centering Prayer
4pm
Valentine’s Day
15 AA 7:30pm
16
17 HE Service 10am
with Rev. Eric
Moehring
18 Girl Scouts 4pm
Book Club 6pm
19 Cub Scouts
6:30pm
20 Centering Prayer
11am
Spiritual Growth
Group 5 pm
21 Centering Prayer
4pm
22 AA 7:30pm
23
24 HE Service 10am
with Rev. Deb
Adams
Building &
Grounds Comm.
meets after church
25 Book Club 6pm
26
27 Centering Prayer
11am
28 Centering Prayer
4pm
St. Francis Newsletter
If you have additions or
corrections to our St. Francis
newsletter please contact Nancy
Parisee at [email protected]
or call 307.353.8100.
February 2019