Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, November 16, 2025

You are welcome to the

8:00 a.m. Service of Holy Eucharist Rite I & Healing Prayer
the Rev. E. Weston Mathews, Celebrant
the Rev. Joy Y. Warburton, Preacher
the Rev. Dr. Nancy Searby, Deacon

10:00 a.m. Service of Holy Eucharist Rite II & Healing Prayer
with the St. Francis Choir
the Rev. E. Weston Mathews, Celebrant
the Rev. Joy Y. Warburton, Preacher
the Rev. Dr. Nancy Searby, Deacon

Please note that due to technical difficulties we are unable to livestream the
10:00 a.m. service this Sunday (NOV 16th).

View this Sunday's 10:00 a.m. Worship Bulletin

The Liturgy of the Word

The First Reading | Isaiah 65:17-25
The Response | Canticle 9
The Second Reading | 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
The Gospel Reading | Luke 21:5-19

Parish Prayer List

We pray especially for Francesca, Lee, Luke, Terry, Amelia, the Wiley-Jimenez Family, Cindy, Alessandro, Carl, Debra, Anne, Rachel, Pete, Susan, Pepin, Barbara & Bill, Jennifer, Helen, Park, Andy, Jeff Sr., Jessica, Clara Sue, and Dut.

We give thanks for the Altar Flowers, given to the glory of God by Leslie Siegmund in loving memory of Paul Siegmund.

We pray also for Franciscans who are preparing for Holy Baptism, including
Grace Czekaj, daughter of Katie Cjekaj;
Jaclyn Chappell, daughter of Alexandra & Scott Chappell;
Judy Fitzgerald and Brice Fitzgerald, children of Kristin Weston.

Fall 2025 Sunday Forum Hour Continues

THIS Sunday, November 16 at 11:30 a.m. "Reflections on Faith and Writing as Vocation"
with Craig Gralley

**Craig Gralley**
Craig is a friend of St. Francis and former CIA Senior Executive. He is the author of "Hall of Mirrors-Virginia Hall: America's Greatest spy of WWII" and "Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute: An Untold History of Spacemen and Spies." Please be sure to invite your friends and family to church at 10:00 a.m. on this Sunday and stay for this community forum.

Growing
Stronger Together

Pledging for 2026

As of November 12, 2025, 77 Franciscans have pledged $499,237,
which is 79% of the $630,000 goal.

Join these Franciscans who have made their pledge to St. Francis for 2026:

Sunday School Continues Every Sunday
10:00 - 10:30 am
Ages 3 - 10

Join us every Sunday during the 10:00 a.m. service for Sunday School!
Children are invited to gather for stories, prayer, and activities that help them grow in faith and friendship. Children will return to worship during the sharing of the Peace.
Classes meet in the Red classroom upstairs next to the Nursery.
For more information or to volunteer, please email Rev. Joy at familyministry@stfrancisgreatfalls.org.

Sunday School Teacher this Sunday: Mr. Larry Pratt

Thank you for supporting our Family Ministry Open House this past Saturday

My heartfelt thanks to all who attended the Family Ministry Open House on November 8th. Your presence, input, and enthusiasm made the event a wonderful success. It was inspiring to see you there in support of this vital ministry that clearly means so much to our parish community.

Your ideas, encouragement, and shared vision reaffirm the importance of nurturing faith and connection among our families.

Thank you again for your time, participation, and ongoing support. I look forward to all that God will continue to do through this ministry at St. Francis, and with each of you playing a part in it.

Joy

Sunday, November 16th at 11:15 am Family Ministry Meeting with Parents to Plan Christmas Pageant

Meeting in lower level Conference Room immediately after the 10:00 a.m. service. All are are welcome to attend.

Advent Wreath Making – Sunday, November 30

Join us after the 10:00 am service for our annual Advent Wreath Making event! All are warmly invited — Franciscans of all ages - especially youth, children, and newcomers — to take part in this meaningful tradition as we prepare our hearts and homes for the Advent season.

All materials will be provided. Free-will donations are welcome to help defray the cost.

Plan to come, create, and share in the spirit of Advent together!

Please click here to use the Sign-Up Genius to let us know you plan to come. Your sign up will help us determine the number of supplies we will need to have available.

Donations for Christmas Music and Altar Flowers

Each year St. Francis is beautifully decorated for Christmas with poinsettias and greens. We also have special music during the Christmas services. It is a custom at St Francis for parishioners to make Christmas donations to the Altar Guild and to the Music Program to support these groups’ efforts at Christmas and throughout the year. Donations may be given in memory of loved ones or in thanksgiving for someone or something special.

If you would like to give to either or both of these funds, please fill out the envelope enclosed in your Sunday bulletin and put it in the offering basket. You can also send a donation directly to the church office – 9220 Georgetown Pike Great Falls, VA 22066. To have your memorials or thanksgivings listed in the Christmas service bulletins, the church needs to receive your donation by the third Sunday of Advent, December 14th, 2025.

To contribute electronically, you may click on the “Give” button on the website www.stfrancisgreatfalls.org.

At the drop-down menu, you may choose to direct your gift to the Altar Guild or to Music. (If you wish to split your contribution, you will need to complete two transactions, one indicating Altar and the other indicating Music.) If you do donate via the website, please email the parish administrator at admin@stfrancisgreatfalls.org to let her know how to designate your gift in the Christmas Bulletin.

Thanking you in advance for your support.

Giving Thanks for Crèche Sunday

We were joined by over 120 people at the 10:00 a.m. service in celebration of Crèche Sunday on November 9th. The children of our St. Francis Crèche lifted their voices in song, reminding us of Jesus’ words: “Let the little children come to me," during the “Call to Worship” at this service.

The Deacon's Corner with
Deacon Nancy Searby

Sharing the Good News of God's Love at the intersection of community and church

FACETS Hypothermia Shelter Program at St. Francis: December 21 - 27

St. Francis Church, in conjunction with Fairfax Area Christian Emergency and Transitional Services (FACETS), will host a hypothermia shelter for 40 of our unhoused neighbors during Christmas week. This is part of FACETS's yearly Hypothermia Prevention and Shelter Program, which ensures that no person loses their life to hypothermia during the winter season. Guests will arrive at St. Francis at 5pm each day and will leave by 7am the following morning, except for Christmas Day.

Your help is needed to support this effort. Please sign up on one or both Sign Up Genius sign up pages. One is for volunteers (greeters, dinner teams, hospitality teams, breakfast teams, plus other support positions) and one is for donations of perishable and non-perishable foods and supplies. You can also support monetarily by clicking the Give button on St. Francis's website; PayPal has an option for FACETS in the drop down menu.

Sign Up for VOLUNTEERS

Sign up for DONATIONS of FOOD/SUPPLIES

We are excited to have a number of coalition partners joining us to support the shelter. These partners include the Young Men's Service League, and other Episcopal churches in our North Fairfax region. Additionally, Temple Rodef Shalom and Congregation Beth Emeth have generously offered their support on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when our guests will be with us for the whole day. We look forward to working with our partners to provide a safe, warm, and festive shelter for the most vulnerable among us. We welcome additional coalition partners, so please share this information with anyone you know who would like to contribute in some way. Thank you for joining this important work of loving our neighbors in Fairfax County.

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Maxson jessica.c.maxson@gmail.com or Scott Perkins ohio4csp@hotmail.com

Global Episcopal Mission Network (GEMN) features youth in world mission
this Thursday, Nov. 13th at 7:00 pm

The participation of youth in world mission will be the focus of the Nov. 13 Mission Thursday. The event will feature several youth from the Diocese of Maine who have been involved in companionships with people in other parts of the world and who attended Mission 2025 in Honduras. They also shared their experiences at the Maine diocesan convention on Oct. 25.

Since the youth are in high school during the day, this Mission Thursday will be held at 7pm Eastern. Register here. Simultaneous English-Spanish translation will be provided.

Global Mission Partner Country Meet-Ups

Across the Diocese of Virginia, many congregations have partnerships within the Anglican Communion around the world. Some are partnered with dioceses and/or congregations in the same country. The Diocesan Global Mission Advocate Team is kicking off a series of virtual meet ups to connect people who have or would like to have relationships in differing contexts. The first two meet ups will be for Tanzania and South Sudan. We will spend our time learning about the ministry of others and sharing our own stories. The hope is that we will all benefit from working together and be able to deepen our relationships, both with each other in our diocese and in our ministry areas. As the African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Tanzania Meet Up
November 17th, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Join via Zoom

South Sudan Meet Up
November 18th, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Join via Zoom

Are you interested in a meet up for another area?
Email Us!

Please join the South Sudan Meet Up to share our work with Bishop Isaac and Mama Nora and the Diocese of Ezo, Episcopal Church of South Sudan, and learn about others working with community in and from South Sudan.

Webinar on Anglican Communion Lambeth Call on Reconciliation November 19th at 1 pm

Here's the invitation from the Lambeth Calls team: "Ministering in a complex and divided world is challenging. Every day around the globe, conflict, civil unrest and war impact millions of people. Culturally and politically, the spirit of public discourse and constructive debate is increasingly polarized, reinforced by the echo chambers created by social media. In our own relationships and communities, there can also be differences and divisions. How can we follow the model of Jesus and lead in a way that builds unity and reconciliation?

"Join this webinar to hear from Anglicans involved in peace and reconciliation ministry – and consider what adopting the Lambeth Call on Reconciliation might mean for your setting."

// Please click here to register. (link is https://www.lambethconference.org/phase-3/register-for-phase-3/)

Music Notes from Director of Music, Larry Vote

St. Francis Episcopal Church Community Messiah Sing

If you are a lover of G.F. Handel’s Messiah, as a listener or singer, plan to come to the Community Messiah Sing at St. Francis on Saturday, December 13, at 5 pm. At that time Larry Vote, Director of Music, will lead the St. Francis Choir, soloists, players from the Paragon Philharmonic, organist, Sasha Beresovsky and members of the community in Part One, the Christmas Portion, of Handel’s immortal work. Bring your own score or purchase a score at the event itself. Bring a friend to join in mounting a large chorus in the grand style of Messiah readings taking place concurrently around the world. The Messiah Sing is free and open to the public. However, free will donations will be gladly accepted to help defray the cost of this event.

We are Seeking Two New Members for the St. Francis 2026 Vestry Committee

With two of our current members rotating off the Vestry early next year, please consider praying about and running for Vestry in 2026 for a 3-year term. Elections will take place at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 25th, 2026. If interested, please contact either our

Senior Warden, Lynda Davis lyndacdavis@aol.com,

Junior Warden, Pepin Tuma pepintuma@gmail.com, or

Priest-in-Charge, Weston Mathews rector@stfrancisgreatfalls.org

Thank you for your consideration.

FOR THE COMMUNITY

In the Millen Hall Theatre Space at St. Francis

NOV 14, 15 @ 7:30pm

NOV 21, 22, @ 7:30 pm

NOV 28, 29 @ 7:30 pm

About the event

Winner of the 2009 Tony-award for best play.

What begins as a polite meeting between two sets of parents, convened to resolve a playground scuffle between their children, quickly spirals into an evening of accusations, shifting alliances, and brutal honesty. In Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage, civility is tested as social masks slip, and the refined surface of adulthood cracks to reveal something far more primal.

With biting wit and razor-sharp dialogue, Reza exposes the fragility of manners, the absurdity of self-importance, and the wild chaos lurking just beneath the rules of polite society. Hilarious, unsettling, and uncomfortably relatable, God of Carnage is a comedy of manners without the manners—where the real playground may not belong to the children at all.

Featuring Tim Byer, Nate Eagle, Samantha Mitchell, Arianne' Warner

Directed by Natasha Parnian

Stage Managed by Katelyn Burton
________________

Doors open 30 min before performance.

PLEASE NOTE: Online ticket sales close 30 min before the show. After that point, tickets can be purchased at the door, while supplies last. This show is recommended for ages 16 and up. A limited number of student tickets (10 per performance) are available online and at the door-first come, first served.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds. Rainchecks and exchanges are considered on a case by case basis.

God of Carnage is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

ONGOING WEEKLY ACTIVITIES AT ST. FRANCIS

Morning Prayer offered MON-FRI, at 8:00 a.m. via Zoom

All are invited to immerse themselves in this supportive offering from St. Francis Church where we regularly pray for one another and our mission in the world. We pray using the Forward Day by Day daily prayer link of the Book of Common Prayer that automatically updates for each day's readings (link: https://prayer.forwardmovement.org/pray). On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we pray Rite I, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we pray Rite II.

Click here to connect to Morning Prayer via Zoom.
Zoom ID: 968 1679 4908; Passcode: church

Contemplative Prayer: Mondays at 7:30-8:30 p.m.

We hope you can join us via Zoom videoconference.
For more information and any questions, please contact the coordinator for the program: Kathy Anderson, 703-476-9065 or kquinnanderson@gmail.com.

Click here to connect to Contemplative Prayer via Zoom.
Zoom ID: 998 1159 6134; Passcode: church

Men’s Group: Wednesdays 8:35 a.m.
Reading and Discussing the Book of Hebrews

All are welcome. Questions? Contact Stu Edwards elchivogoat@cs.com

Click here to connect to the Men's Group via Zoom.

Zoom ID: 922 8116 0056; Passcode: church

St. Francis Social Hour meets on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

Join us for casual conversation. Grab your favorite beverage and let's reconnect!
Click here to connect to the St. Francis Social Hour.
Zoom ID: 935 2210 0835; Passcode: church

Thursday Afternoon Bible Study at NEW TIME of 3:00 p.m.

Meetings take place via Zoom on Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to join and participate in interesting discussions.

This fall, we will be studying Lord, Teach Us to Pray by John C. Purdy, a Kerygma resource that offers meaningful insights into the power of prayer.

Our group meets weekly via Zoom, creating a welcoming space for learning, reflection, and fellowship. Whether you have joined us before or are new to the group, we would love to have you with us.

The resource book is available here:

https://kerygma.com/products/lord-teach?_pos=2&_sid=013c64283&_ss=r

For further information contact Amelia Logan at ameliavinteriors@gmail.com
Click here to connect to the Thursday Afternoon Bible Study.
Zoom ID: 836 1505 5434; Passcode: TABS24

Women's Group Coffee on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to NOON at Starbucks in Great Falls

The St. Francis Women's Group has an open invitation to meet at the Starbucks in Great Falls every Friday morning. Please join us.

Second Story Dinners: Sundays at 5:15 p.m.

Needed: Volunteers to prepare and deliver Sunday dinners to the Second Story Teen Crisis Center on Gallows Road. Volunteers work solo or in pairs, according to their wishes.

Dinners are made on the first, third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of the month. The count for a meal typically ranges from five to eight persons. It has been as many as twelve. Volunteers receive reminders when their Sundays are coming up.

Please contact Jennifer Murphy at jenniferomurphy@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer for this ministry or if you have any questions.

Do you have a news item you would like to share through the Weekly Franciscan? Or do you have a photo from life at St. Francis you would like to submit? We welcome and rely on your participation.

admin@stfrancisgreatfalls.org

Clergy and Staff

The Rev. E. Weston Mathews, Priest-in-Charge
The Rev. Joy Y. Warburton, Associate for Family Ministry
The Rev. Dr. Nancy Searby, Deacon
Ms. Lynn Fallon, Parish Administrator
Mr. Larry Vote, Music Director
Mr. Sasha Beresovsky, Organist
Ms. Cristi Leslie, Creche Preschool Director
Ms. Carol Withers, Bookkeeper
Mr. Dominic Pelegrin, Sexton
Ms. Rita Arteaga, Nursery Attendant
Ms. Julieta Bonafe, Nursery Attendant
Ms. Sandra Loucks, VTS Seminarian

2025 Vestry Members

Lynda Davis, Senior Warden
Pepin Tuma, Junior Warden, Christian Formation
Cathryn Lee, Register, Christian Fellowship
Molly Reynolds, Treasurer
Kathy Anderson, Worship & Spiritual Care
Chris Giragosian, Mission & Mission Partnerships
Elizabeth Kim, Evangelism & Communications
Jessica Maxson, St. Francis Music & Arts
Larry Pratt, Stewardship & Fundraising
Steve Riihimaki, Family Ministry & Creche Board

Brice Eldridge, Facilities Manager, Creche Board Chair, Rise Against Hunger Chair
facilities@stfrancisgreatfalls.org

November 13, 2025 Newsletter