God's welcome to all

On Thursday we were visited by a beautiful bobcat, who sauntered through the St Francis garden and lingered a while before moving on. In church on Sunday we are often treated to birds and squirrels coming and going in the garden, and even sometimes a coyote. The legacy of St Francis and his affinity for animals, preaching to the birds and making peace with the Wolf of Gubbio, seems to play out in the peace of our own gardens. All kinds of creatures feel at home in the beautiful welcome of the church.

At our annual meeting, warden Renee Meyst asked us to write our hopes and dreams for the coming year. Many of them involved growing in numbers and attracting more people. As we seek to further follow God's call at St Francis, I believe we will find ourselves welcoming more and more of God's beloved children. In the true spirit of St Francis, may kinds come to feel at home in this church!