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Merry Christmas from St. Francis House!

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Why Get Involved With St. Francis House? by outgoing board member Joanne Oliver, as told to Kate Larson I first encountered St. Francis House when my son, Kyle, enrolled at UW-Madison as a freshman in 2002. Our family wasn’t native to Wisconsin, so I didn’t know much about the university until Kyle started talking about wanting to go there. I worried that being one of 40,000 students was going to feel overwhelming. I hoped he would find his niche. Kyle started to really get involved with St. Francis House during his sophomore year, when Melissa Wilcox became the chaplain. Under her leadership, Kyle found his spiritual home at St. Francis House. He told me that local churches brought meals to the students on Sundays, so I signed up a group from our congregation at Trinity Episcopal Church in Wauwatosa. We’ve been bringing Sunday meals regularly ever since. Kyle had been thinking about going into ministry, and his time at St. Francis House rekindled and nurtured that interest. After he finished his undergraduate and Master’s degrees, he called and told us he was going to attend seminary. Kyle also met his wife, Kristin Saylor, at St. Francis House. Kristin enjoyed being part of the SFH community and it sparked her desire to attend seminary as well. Both of them are now Episcopal priests, serving in New York. So St. Francis House is an important place to our entire family.
 A few years ago, Fr. Jonathan asked me to join the Board of Directors. One of my responsibilities was planning the 100 Year Anniversary celebrations. During that process, I was delighted to have the opportunity to hear stories from different decades in the life of St. Francis House and the university. Watching the building be moved and renovated was also very meaningful; it seemed almost improbable, but it was completed successfully. Sometimes, people ask me why I drive all the way to Madison to bring a meal or volunteer at St. Francis House. I tell them that the ministry at St. Francis House warrants support from the whole Diocese, and the whole state. It’s worth your time and effort and support to make a place for those students to worship and connect. Campus ministry is especially critical because the chaplain is involved in the life of the university and knows where the students are at – the semester schedule, the stress of exams, missing their families. It’s different than simply connecting students to local parishes. I would encourage you to support St. Francis House so it can continue to be a place where students are supported and nourished in their faith. + + +

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Deeper & Wider: Next Steps for SFH by Father Jonathan SFH has so many things for which to be thankful in 2016. Your support is chief among them. Just more than 3 years since reopening the student center, your support has allowed us to fully furnish the chapel and lounge, which weekly welcomes dozens of studiers and small groups, in addition to the worshiping community. The community has likewise grown in size and vision. Since the reopen, more than sixty students have made a spiritual home at SFH. Perhaps most importantly, God has met those who have gathered, and God continues to invite us into new possibilities for abundant life together. We believe God is now calling us to new things to grow our participation in God’s mission at the University of Wisconsin. Your support these past years has given us the courage, confidence, and ability to take these steps in faith. Among the exciting new projects before us are:

• An annual summer gathering of Wisconsin area youth ministers, hosted at SFH. With this project, our goal is to resource youth ministers, who are often lay volunteers working in isolated contexts. We imagine a gathering that provides a network, time to connect, and time with a guest presenter. By this work, we also aim to build bridges between the youth ministry and the campus ministry worlds.

• A mission initiative to introduce two part-time internships to the SFH team. These positions would include training in missional practices as well as separate projects directed at strengthening our statewide and campus networks.

• Partnership with the International Forgiveness Institute, founded by UW professor and leading forgiveness scholar Robert Enright. Our goal for this project is that SFH becomes an organizer of, and resource to, faith communities interested in cultivating cultures of forgiveness. We believe these projects open new and meaningful possibilities for our students and, indeed, for the capacity of SFH to welcome and engage students on campus. What’s more, in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, these new things allow our engagements on campus to bless others across the state. Your support thus far has given us confidence to dream dreams about where God is calling us next, and your continued support will make these dreams a reality. Thank you already. And if one of these dreams especially touches your heart, would you let us know? Bless you, and we thank God for you.

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Episco-Badgers On Pilgrimage! SFH is currently organizing a group of 10 faith communities from across the state of Wisconsin to travel to St. Louis / Ferguson and participate in the Taizé Pilgrimage of Trust, slated for May 2017. As part of the pilgrimage, we are organizing pre-events that allow pilgrims and others to engage local issues of race and faith in Madison and Milwaukee. We will post updates on the the SFH website and Facebook page if you would like to attend or support these local events. An often-talked-about charism of the St. Francis House community is our vision for partnering with others to open greater possibilities. We are delighted for this particular opportunity to partner toward a visible Christian witness around one of the important issues of our day. Pray for us - and ask us how the journey went!

Thank You! As ever, thanks to those who provided meals for SFH this semester: the Rev. Bill & Amy Dunlop & St. Paul’s, Watertown; the Rev. Dorota Pruski and the young adults of St. Andrew’s; Diane Brown and Mike Klitzke of St. Luke’s; Chris and Joanne Oliver of Trinity, Wauwatosa; Sherry Reames and Guy Stalnaker of St. Andrew’s; the Rev. Dr. Miranda Hassett, the young adult Vintage crew, and other friends from St. Dunstan’s; the Rev. Carol Smith, with friends from Grace Church, and Rebekah Melton. We couldn’t do what we do without you!

Giving to St. Francis House Your gifts of prayer, presence, and financial support are deeply felt and much appreciated. Financial gifts can be made via the enclosed envelope or online at www.stfrancisuw.org. To give to Episcopal campus ministries is to give to new and unexpected life for young adults inside and outside of the church. It is to support local missions, and it is oftentimes to live the promises of baptism toward sisters and brothers in Christ while they are away from us. To live in the space of those promises on the whole church’s behalf is a privilege and joy. Thank you for your continued generosity.

God bless you, much love, and Merry Christmas from all of us here at St. Francis House.