St. Francis Hosts Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series
by the Rev. Laurie Anzilotti, Vicar
St. Francis Episcopal Church, Eureka
St. Francis Episcopal Church in Eureka wants to know their neighbors. In an effort to do that, the church is hosting a free outdoor summer concert series with the Rockwood Arbor subdivision, which is immediately next door to the church. The planning team consisted of two St. Francis parishioners and two Rockwood Arbors residents.
The Rev. Laurie Anzilotti, St. Francis' Vicar, says the origin of the concert series came from asking the question, “Who is our neighbor?” St. Francis’ dedicated their first permanent church building in fall of 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic kept them out of the building, and therefore their new neighborhood, for nearly half of the time they occupied the space. With the vaccine in hand and pandemic restrictions easing in late spring, it was time to dive into their neighborhood.
The first concert was held August 7 in St. Francis' parking lot. The rock band, Out by 9, performed. The band lead, Chris Johnson, is a Rockwood Arbor resident. The band performed for free, but accepted donations for their efforts. The evening included free popcorn, cookies, games like cornhole and washers, and a playground for children. 80 people attended that evening. 55 were neighbors who were unaffiliated with St. Francis prior to the concert. St. Francis parishioner and concert planner Janet Housemean said, “Our whole focus is just to be friendly, be neighborly and to build community.”
The first concert has already brought new collaboration with St. Francis’ neighbors. Attendees inquired about renting the St. Francis’ Community Room, and Rockwood Arbors invited the congregation to participate in their luminary walk and to carol in the neighborhood this winter. These are first steps in partnering with their neighbors.
St. Francis will hold another concert on Friday, Sept. 3 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. St. Francis’ parishioner Herb Smith’s band, JMC 50, will perform. The 11-piece band plays music from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. “We expect people to be up and dancing with the kind of music we play,” Smith said.
St. Francis partnered with the brand new St. Louis County Libraries Eureka Hills branch (500 Workman Rd.), and Eureka Elementary (5350 Rockwood Arbor Drive) to provide free parking for the concert.
Join St. Francis’ for the September 3 concert!
St. Francis Concert Series
Pictures from the August 7 concert at St. Francis Episcopal Church, Eureka.
St. Francis Episcopal Church is located at 602 Rockwood Arbors Drive in Eureka, MO.
Visit their website to learn more about them: https://www.stfranciseureka.com/
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