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2018 Christmas from Steve and Francesca Crane

STEVE & FRANCESCA CRANE FAMILY CHRISTMAS 2018

The Christmas season is about the arrival of Jesus, Prince of Peace. Zechariah prophesied about John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus, who is the one “to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:79).

More than ever, we need Jesus to guide us to peace. Our wish is that you will experience the peace, grace and love of God this Christmas season and throughout the New Year.

David continues working at Brian’s House Enterprises. He is capable of simple tasks such as sorting hardware and punch cards; these give him a sense of purpose and work place involvement. He particularly enjoys working on the Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty line.

The Book Family Farm continues to patiently work with David as he learns to care for horses, ride and enjoy animals. His niece, Hannah, is constantly there to encourage him. His sister, Bethany also helps.  David enjoyed two weeks of vacation at Jaycee Camp in Effort, PA again this year. We are thankful for his caring counselors.

Francesca (aka Missy) completed her work with Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties in May as Interim Executive Director. She helped guide the organization through major changes that resulted in uniting with Good Samaritan Shelter to form a new group, Bridge of Hope @ Good Samaritan Services. In September she took on a new interim executive director position at No Longer Alone Ministries. She also works as an Adjunct Professor at Eastern University as needed in the areas of Nonprofit and International Leadership Development and at Eastern Mennonite University Lancaster Campus.  She recently completed two three-year terms on the executive committee of the Chester County Advisory Board for Mental Health/Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities.

Steve continues in ministry as half-time chaplain at Norristown State Hospital. It is a challenge and a joy to minister to the patients in this forensic and psychiatric setting. In August he completed an 8 month interim as conference minister of the Atlantic Coast Conference of the Mennonite Church USA, serving churches in New York City. In July Steve returned to Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell as interim pastor. He previously served as interim for 18 months in 2005-6. It has been a great joy to reconnect with this congregation and minister among them during this time of transition. Steve continues to serve on the West Brandywine Township Zoning Hearing Board. He also enjoys playing guitar and helping lead the Tel Hai (Retirement Community) Ukulele Band. He also joins Walt Kinsey for music programs at local institutions as he is able.

We enjoy being a part of Ridgeview Mennonite Church, although because of work requirements, we have not been able to participate as much as we would like.

We were happy to be able to visit with Steph and Ben and our 3 creative granddaughters, Morgan, Maya and Mercy, in Evanston, IL. Of course it’s always great to have Bethany and Steve, Daniel and Hannah nearby.  We were all able to gather at our Pocono mountain cottage in August and again for Thanksgiving. We held “cousin camp” with a lot of fun and activities.

In this world full of war, strife, polarization, and angst, we ask God to help us “Make every effort to live at peace with everyone” (Hebrews 12:14a). We pray that the Lord will guide our feet on the path to peace.

We are thankful for your friendship this past year and look forward to another year of family, friends and faith.

Sincerely,

            Steve & Francesca
                   and David

STEVE & FRANCESCA CRANE FAMILY

CHRISTMAS 2017

When Jesus was born, the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14 NRSV).

We are at the end of another disturbing year for this world. The news is full of wars, hate, bigotry, prejudice, abuse, killing, lying, lust, greed, envy, pride, . . .; The list could go on.

As an adult, Jesus taught, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Jesus’ peace is needed more than ever. We wish you the peace, grace and love of God this Christmas season and throughout the New Year.

David continues working at Brian’s House Enterprises. He is capable of simple tasks such as sorting hardware and punch cards; these give him a sense of purpose and work place involvement. Earlier this year David was among the protestors at a rally in Harrisburg when the State of Pennsylvania was seeking major changes that would have essentially shut down vocational training centers like Brian’s House. Fortunately, the law was corrected.

The Book Family Farm continues to patiently work with David as he learns to care for horses, ride and enjoy animals. His niece, Hannah, is constantly there to encourage him. His sister, Bethany also helps.  David enjoyed two weeks of vacation at Jaycee Camp in Effort, PA again this year. We are thankful for his caring counselors, Zac and Paige.

Francesca (aka Missy) returned to Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties in April as Interim Executive Director. The organization is going through major changes that resulted in uniting with Good Samaritan Shelter to form a new group, Bridge of Hope @ Good Samaritan Services. She continues finalizing details and will continue through March. She works as an Adjunct Professor at Eastern University as needed in the areas of Nonprofit and International Leadership Development.  She completed her term as President of Coatesville Rotary Club in June and continues serving on the executive committee of the Chester County Advisory Board for Mental Health/Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities.

Steve continues in ministry as chaplain at Norristown State Hospital. It is a challenge and a joy to minister to the patients in this forensic psychiatric setting. At The end of February he completed his interim pastoral ministry at GraceCrossing Community Church in Phoenixville. It is nice to sit among the congregation at Ridgeview Mennonite Church on Sundays when he is not in Norristown. In December he will begin serving an 8 month interim as conference minister of the Atlantic Coast Conference of the Mennonite Church USA.  He will serve six churches in New York City. Recently, Steve was accepted to serve on the West Brandywine Township Zoning Hearing Board. He completed a term on the Board of Directors for Tel Hai Retirement community, but continues to help with the Tel Hai Ukulele Band. He also joins Walt Kinsey for music programs at local institutions as he is able.

We continue to enjoy our new home. We had the kitchen remodeled in the Spring. Thanks go to Kyle King, Building Contractor for his work. Steve enjoys the additional yard work and flower beds. We were happy to be able to make a few visits to Steph and Ben and our 3 creative granddaughters, Morgan, Maya and Mercy, in Evanston, IL. They joined us in July along with Bethany and Steve, and Daniel and Hannah at our Pocono mountain cottage. We held “cousin camp” with a lot of fun and activities.

The God of peace be with you all. Amen. (Romans 15:33)

We are thankful for your friendship, letters and caring.

Sincerely,

            Steve & Francesca

                   and David

STEVE & FRANCESCA CRANE FAMILY EASTER LETTER 2017

We wish you the blessings or our risen Lord this Holy Week.

We are getting settled into our new home. We moved in at the beginning of October and are still making some improvements. Our kitchen remodel will be completed this week! It will be great to be back in the kitchen after a month. Thanks – Kyle King, Building Contractor! David enjoys his new room; the house is all one level, so he won’t fall down stairs at home again.

David continues working at Brian’s House Enterprises. Recently the State of Pennsylvania was proposing major changes that would have essentially shut down vocational training centers like Brian’s House leaving David without a job. He joined us along with many of his co-workers at a Rally in Harrisburg at the State House. He was also able to meet our Representative, Harry Lewis. It was a good day, the proposal was changed to give workers like David a choice and we all had a new experience.

The Book Family Farm continues to patiently work with David as he learns to care for horses, ride and enjoy animals. His niece, Hannah, is constantly there to encourage him as well.

Francesca (aka Missy) . . . has returned as Interim Executive Director at Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties. The organization is going through some major changes that will help them to serve more families more efficiently. It is an exciting time.  

She continues to work as an Adjunct Professor at Eastern University as needed in the areas of Nonprofit and International Leadership Development.  Her term as President of Coatesville Rotary Club will continue through June 30^th. She looks forward to several visits from Steph’s family and enjoys having Bethany’s family nearby.

Steve continues in ministry as a part-time chaplain at Norristown State Hospital. It is a challenge and a joy to minister to the patients as they go through a challenging time in their lives. The ministry includes several worship services, Bible studies and counseling visits each week. It’s also great to share this work with Steve’s brother Bob, who has many years’ experience as a chaplain to psychiatric patients.

This week Steve held a service remembering the Passion of Christ with criminal psychiatric patients. It was moving to have the patients participate in the dramatic reading of Matthew chapters 26 & 27. Many were in tears when Jesus was beaten and crucified. It was sad to end the readings with Jesus dead and in the tomb. We concluded by remembering that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, that in the midst of our darkest moments, we have the promise of new life in Jesus.

At The end of February Steve completed his interim ministry at GraceCrossing Community Church in Phoenixville. It was a great joy to minister to this wonderful church family during their time of transition. Steve greatly misses the comradery and fellowship that was shared. Congratulations to Pastor Dan McDowell who will be officially installed as pastor on May 7. Steve will take a break from official church ministry for a while, enjoying sitting among the congregation at Ridgeview Mennonite Church.

Sincerely,

Steve, Francesca & David

“Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about.” (N.T. Wright in Surprised by Hope)

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
(Pope John Paul II)

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2016!

2016 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM STEVE & FRANCESCA CRANE

At Christ’s birth, the angels proclaimed to the shepherds (Luke 2:14):

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

This has been another difficult year for this world; the peace that comes with the presence of Jesus is needed more than ever. We wish you the peace, grace and love of God this Christmas season and throughout the New Year.

2016 also flew by much too quickly.

God has blessed us with a new home, just a few miles from our old home. In October we moved into a smaller, one-floor plan; David won’t be able to fall down the stairs in this place. One difference is a larger yard with many mature trees. It’s a pleasant setting. We hope to close on the sale of our old home before the end of the year.

Francesca (a.k.a. Missy) is enjoying teaching at Eastern University as an adjunct in the areas of International Development, Non-profit Management and Cross-Cultural Studies. She continues with her board work for several different organizations and with her commitment to the Rotary Club of Coatesville.  Moving into a new home has been a challenge but well worth it.  It was wonderful to count on family and friends to help us move. She is grateful to be more available to help out with the grandchildren that live locally and hopes to be able to travel to the Chicago area more often to enjoy our three granddaughters in 2017.

This year Steve continued serving as transitional (interim) pastor of the Grace Crossing Community Church in Phoenixville. He is thankful for the opportunity to serve this wonderful group of people during this time of transition. If all goes according to plan, he will complete his ministry in Phoenixville in February 2017. In March, Steve began a new ministry as a part-time chaplain at Norristown State Hospital. It is a challenge to minister to individuals during extremely vulnerable times in their lives. He continues his relationship with the Mennonite church and regularly participates in Conference activities and meets with a group of pastors.

In September Steve completed 11 years on the City of Coatesville Zoning Hearing Board. He finished his service because of our move out of the municipality. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Tel Hai Retirement community; there, he led a team to develop new mission and vision statements and served on the CEO search committee.  Steve helps with the Tel Hai Ukulele Band and joins Walt Kinsey for music programs at local institutions as he is able.

Steve is a bit disappointed that he was unable to travel internationally this year.  Hopefully there will be opportunities in the year ahead to minister in Latin America.

David continues to enjoy his work at Brian’s House. He has a variety of jobs that include sorting hardware, shredding paper, and punch cards. David enjoys horseback riding at the Book Family Farm.  He’s thankful to his sister for taking care of him when we need some help.

David enjoyed two weeks of vacation at Jaycee Camp in Effort, PA. He was happy to see some of his old friends from Eagle Springs Camp that closed last year. He came home with a very full beard but it had lots of gray in it! How is that possible for a 25 year old?

We were glad to start the New Year off right at Evanston’s First Night with Steph’s family. We were there again in June to enjoy the girls’ dance recitals. At the end of July Steph, Morgan, Maya and Mercy joined us along with Bethany, Daniel and Hannah for 2 weeks at our Pocono mountain cottage. Ben and Steve J. stayed too when they were able to get away from work. We held the second annual “cousin camp.” It’s great place to gather the family together and enjoy the beach, lake and hiking, and to spend a relaxing time away from the regular duties of our lives.

The family was all together for Thanksgiving. The pictures on our Christmas card were taken at Hemlock Lake at that time.

“And may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7)

We are thankful for your friendship, letters and caring.

Sincerely,

            Steve & Francesca

                   and David

More 2016 Photos