19 Aug 2023

Outdoor Worship on September 3, 2023

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Outdoor Worship Sep. 3Both 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services will be outdoors, but the musicians will only be performing at the 10:30 a.m. service. There will be special guest musicians — Capitol Brass!

This is going to be a FUN occasion! In the event of overwhelming weather, we will move indoors.

We will attempt to live stream with an outdoor camera, so you can still join us online!

We will be kicking off the new season with a Blessing of the Backpacks. Students, teachers, and all those in education: bring your backpack (suitcase, satchel, etc.) for a special blessing, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services.

Please bring your camp/lawn chairs and/or picnic blankets if you are able. We will also have plenty of our folding chairs available for casual seating. We recommend comfortable clothes and shoes. And, maybe bug spray?

Fr. Clay will be grilling hotdogs and hamburgers. Please pack any other food for yourself, and maybe bring a dish to share. We are a FUN community – let’s play lawn games at the picnic! Bring your favorite game or some friends to join in!
Friends and neighbors are welcome to come to the picnic, for the service, or both!

If you have any questions or suggestions for this day, please reply to this email, or reach out to Fr. Howie. Wouldn’t worship in the grove be a wonderful new St Thomas tradition? What would make this day special for you?

17 Aug 2023

Worship and weekly news for August 20, 2023

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Hello faith family! This is the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – August 20, 2023. This week we celebrate Henry Winter Style: the first deaf person to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in the United States. He is commemorated along with his teacher, Thomas Gallaudet on the Episcopal calendar of saints.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter. And, see info on our Stepping Up Together Campaign.

There is quite a bit of news coming up as we roll into the fall. Watch for emails about all of the EXCITEMENT headed our way!

Our weekly Worship schedule

Twelfth Sunday after PentecostThis Sunday’s Schedule

Growth and Fellowship

  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers
  • 1st Sunday of the month – Gospel in Spanish
  • Last Sunday of the month – Family Church Sunday
  • Last Sunday of the month – Coffee and Fellowship between services. Resumes in September.
  • 2nd Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – Novel Theology. Resumes in September.
  • 3rd Monday of the month – Hope Dining Room. Volunteers needed for Mon., Aug. 21, 2023.
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries program. Program suspended during summer and resumes Sep. 10, 2023.
  • Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – adult education. Resumes in September.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries. Resumes in September.

Other Parish Events

  • Sun., Sep. 3, 2023 – outdoor worship
  • Sat., Sep. 9, 2023 – St. Thomas’s Health Fair
  • Sun., Sep. 17, 2023 – Newark Community Day. We will have a booth.
  • Sun., Oct. 8, 2023 – Blessing of the Animals
  • Tue., Oct. 31, 2023 – candles in the cemetery
  • Sat., Nov. 4, 2023 – All Souls special service

The church is aware that some of its members are struggling to make ends meet. If you are in this situation, please let the clergy know of your needs, pray for the church, and feel no guilt about your giving. But if you are able to give, options for giving include mailing a check to our church or online giving.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

To see worship, events or news, see our website, FaceBook, InstaGram, YouTube, or the posted events on the board next to the name tag station. Recent Newsletters, Sermons, or Announcements are also available.

Regardless of whether we are together in-person or virtually, we are connected by the Holy Spirit:  Always together; never apart…maybe in distance, but never in heart.

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com or (302) 368-4644

15 Aug 2023

Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, August 21, 2023

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Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,

Monday, August 21, 2023,  is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room. Guests at Hope are now “dining in” so we have 2 different short shifts for which you can volunteer. The set-up and cooking shift goes from 10 AM – 11:45.   The serving and clean up shift goes from 11:45 – 1:30. 

If you’d like to help, please bring an apron and a ball cap. We would LOVE to see you! 

All of this takes place at Kingswood Methodist Church kitchen on Marrows Road in Brookside Park. It is a team effort, lots of fun and it makes you feel so good to feed people who really appreciate it. 

Please volunteer for the things we need for the meal and for volunteers we need to carry this out. If you are donating one of those items, THANK YOU! You can bring it to St. Thomas’s, Monday – Thursday from 9 – noon, OR when you come to church on Sunday! If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, give me a call or an email and I will pick it up at your house.

BLESSINGS to you all,
Madeline Johnson    mad1240@comcast.net

15 Aug 2023

Blue Hen Bounty donation requests

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Blue Hen Bounty food pantryIt is time for the students to return to campus and to the Blue Hen Bounty cabinets – which are in need!

Thanks to all of you who have been donating items to Blue Hen Bounty (BHB) food pantry provided by Episcopal Camus Ministry (ECM) for University of Delaware students who are food insecure and cannot provide ample nutrition for themselves.

While you are doing your grocery shopping, please consider purchasing anything that is on sale for Blue Hen Bounty.  

We need canned vegetables, cereal, peanut butter, jelly (strawberry and grape are popular) cooking oil, spices, salt & pepper, personal hygiene products for both men and women, soup, pasta, canned tuna, chicken, salmon and mackerel, canned fruits and applesauce, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc.

If you have an overabundance from your garden or bought more than your family will use, fresh fruit and veggies are always welcome.

Donations can be left in the box for BHB in the Great Hall or left in the classroom.

We even get requests for eggs.  (If you donated eggs, please place in the frig with a note saying ” For BHB”)

If you prefer, you can always make a cash/check donation – just indicate funds are for BHB.

Thanks for your support for this important ministry.

The church building is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. – noon. There is a bin by the name tag station marked for Blue Hen Bounty donations or put donations on the tables or counters in the great hall classroom. For questions, email bluehenbounty@gmail.com. Thank you.

15 Aug 2023

Transportation ministry is recruiting a dispatcher

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St. Thomas’s transportation ministry is recruiting a dispatcher. This ministry is an established and important one. They provide transportation for parishioners needing help getting to and from doctor’s appointments, Sunday services, and other important errands. This can be such a blessing to those in our faith family who have loved and cared for us in other seasons.

We are looking for someone to step in as a coordinator. There is already an established group of volunteers to do the driving (though we always welcome more). This person would bring together the drivers and those needing rides.

If this is something you feel you could help with, please reply to this email or reach out to Fr. Howie.

And, if you are in need of rides, do not hesitate to let us know!

15 Aug 2023

Community Health Fair 2023 – August Update

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2023 Health FairThe Second Annual Health Fair at St. Thomas’s is fast approaching.  It will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  We have a wide variety of organizations committed to come and provide health education and information, there will be flu and COVID shots available and Narcan (Naloxone) administration training at 11 a.m.

We need help from volunteers to make this event a success. Most importantly, we invite you to attend and support the event, but we also need help getting  the word out to the wider community. Please consider inviting a friend to join you in visiting the event. If you can think of anywhere that would hang a flier for us or help spread the word electronically, please let the office know. 

We also need people to help the day go smoothly and donations of water and snacks.  If you can help, please sign-up to volunteer. 

We are also providing outdoor children’s activities. If you have any lawn games you could lend us for the day, please let the office know.

If you would like to learn about how Narcan administration can save a life, please sign-up for Narcan training. 

If you have any questions please, contact the office at (302) 368-4644.

Thank you for your help.
Philippa Sunnergren

10 Aug 2023

Worship and weekly news for August 13, 2023

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Hello faith family! This is the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – August 13, 2023. This week we celebrate Jonathan Daniels an Episcopal seminarian and civil rights activist. In 1965, he was killed by a special county deputy, Tom Coleman, who was a construction worker, in Hayneville, Alabama, while in the act of shielding 17-year-old Ruby Sales. He saved the life of the young Black civil rights activist. They were both working in the nonviolent civil rights movement in Lowndes County to integrate public places and register Black voters after passage of the Voting Rights Act that summer. Daniels’ death generated further support for the civil rights movement.

In 1991, Daniels was designated as a martyr in the Episcopal church, and is recognized annually in its calendar.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter. It’s a musical week here at St. Thomas’s. See the newsletter for info on: the Encore Choir, St. Nicholas’ new organ, and Mona Redder’s senior recital. Also, and importantly, see info on our Stepping Up Together Campaign.

Our weekly Worship schedule

Eleventh Sunday after PentecostThis Sunday’s Schedule

Growth and Fellowship

  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers
  • 1st Sunday of the month – Gospel in Spanish
  • Last Sunday of the month – Family Church Sunday
  • Last Sunday of the month – Coffee and Fellowship between services. Resumes in September.
  • 2nd Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – Novel Theology. Resumes in September.
  • 3rd Monday of the month – Hope Dining Room
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries program. Program suspended during summer and resumes Sep. 10, 2023.
  • Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – adult education. Resumes in September.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries. Resumes in September.

Other Parish Events

The church is aware that some of its members are struggling to make ends meet. If you are in this situation, please let the clergy know of your needs, pray for the church, and feel no guilt about your giving. But if you are able to give, options for giving include mailing a check to our church or online giving.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

To see worship, events or news, see our website, FaceBook, InstaGram, YouTube, or the posted events on the board next to the name tag station. Recent Newsletters, Sermons, or Announcements are also available.

Regardless of whether we are together in-person or virtually, we are connected by the Holy Spirit:  Always together; never apart…maybe in distance, but never in heart.

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com or (302) 368-4644

3 Aug 2023

Step Up Together 2023 Campaign

by | posted in: Giving, News | 0

“Our steps are directed by the Lord” (Psalm 37:24)

Step Up TogetherAlmighty God, you bless all our works that begin, continue, and end in you; and you inspire in your people a love for your house: sustain us as we work for the repair of our church building and remind us that we have and hold everything for your glory alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

StairwellEarlier this year, our Property Committee discovered that an important retaining wall, one that has been repaired in the past, is now failing. This wall holds open the space at the back of the church for the below-ground stairwell entrance to our building’s utility room. Consulting engineers have specified that the wall cannot be repaired again but must be rebuilt, very soon, to be twice as thick as it is now. So, work is scheduled to begin in mid-September 2023.

Now, with the approval of our Vestry and support from the Diocese of Delaware’s Advance & Development Committee, we are embarking on a campaign to raise the money needed to rebuild this wall.  As many of us as possible need to STEP UP TOGETHER at this time to donate what we can.  

Giving Timeline: August 1 – September 30, 2023
Goal: receive $25,000 in gifts
The Diocese will match $1 for every $1 up to $25,000 received by Sep. 30.

See our updates:
October 15, 2023 update – WE DID IT! – we have exceeded 2 of our goals and grant matches!
September 29 update and THANK YOU friends and Diocese! Almost there!
September 17 update and THANK YOU friends and Diocese!
August update for this campaign. $7,000 in gifts received toward $25,000 goal. Thank YOU!

Ways to give toward this campaign:

(1) Give via the parish’s online giving site.
(2) Give by check: Write “Step Up Together” on the memo line and mail your check to St. Thomas’s Episcopal Parish, 276 S. College Ave., Newark DE 19711.
(3) Visit your bank’s website, identify St. Thomas’s Parish as a payee, enter “Step Up Together” in the memo line, and send your gift.
(4) Donate appreciated securities from your brokerage account. Contact Amy Keach (iloveoregon@hotmail.com) for details.
(5) If you are over the age of 70 ½, you may use your IRA tax-free to make a qualified charitable contribution (QCD). Contact Amy Keach or your tax advisor for details.
(6) Or, make a promise to give.

Let’s STEP UP TOGETHER! Your invitation to give or promise to give and Q&A.

Feel free to write to us at StThomasChallengeGrant@gmail.com.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Amy Keach, Treasurer and Property Committee member
The Rev. Dr. Howell C. Sasser, Jr., Rector

2 Aug 2023

Step Up Together 2023 Campaign Invitation

by | posted in: Giving, News | 0

“Our steps are directed by the Lord” (Psalm 37:24)

Almighty God, you bless all our works that begin, continue, and end in you; and you inspire in your people a love for your house: sustain us as we work for the repair of our church building and remind us that we have and hold everything for your glory alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Dear Friends,

Step Up TogetherAs members of our parish family, you know how much we have to be grateful for, and your continued support of our ministries and programs is very much appreciated.  St. Thomas’s has been a gathering place of prayer for over 181 years, a heritage we celebrate with thanksgiving!

For the past 67 years, our worship space has been at 276 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware. Here, through the sacraments, parishioners have met the presence of God at the altar, professed their love in lifetime commitment, and buried loved ones.

Here we come together to learn, to care for one another, and to help folks in the larger community, using this building to shelter homeless, provide a base for AA and Al Anon, host Scout troops, dancers, and more.

Earlier this year, our Property Committee discovered that an important retaining wall, one that has been repaired in the past, is now failing. This wall holds open the space at the back of the church for the below-ground stairwell entrance to our building’s utility room.

Consulting engineers have specified that the wall cannot be repaired again but must be rebuilt, very soon, to be twice as thick as it is now. So work is scheduled to begin in mid-September 2023.

Now, with the approval of our Vestry and support from the Diocese of Delaware’s Advance & Development Committee, we are embarking on a campaign to raise the money needed to rebuild this wall.  As many of us as possible need to STEP UP TOGETHER at this time to donate what we can.  

Please look over the details in Questions you may have, especially the wonderful offer of support from the Diocese, and consider how you can contribute. We are most grateful for your gift. You will also soon receive a postal letter version.

Members of the Vestry and the Property Committee will be at both services on August 6, 2023, to make an announcement and will stay after the service to answer questions about the project. Feel free to ask questions at any time either to one of us or to any member of the Vestry.

Let’s STEP UP TOGETHER! Feel free to write to us at StThomasChallengeGrant@gmail.com.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Amy Keach, Treasurer and Property Committee member
The Rev. Dr. Howell C. Sasser, Jr., Rector                                

2 Aug 2023

Worship and weekly news for August 6, 2023

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Hello faith family! This is the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Sunday of the Transfiguration – August 6, 2023.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter for this week with news on our Stepping Up Together Campaign.

This week we celebrate Phoebe, a first-century Christian woman mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, verses 16:1–2. A notable woman in the church of Cenchreae, she was trusted by Paul to deliver his letter to the Romans. Paul refers to her both as a “servant” or “deacon” and as a helper or patron of many. This is the only place in the New Testament where a woman is specifically referred to with these two distinctions. Paul introduces Phoebe as his emissary to the church in Rome and, because they are not acquainted with her, Paul provides them with her credentials.

Also, there are flower dedications available for the next few Sundays. Please let the office know if you have anything you’d like to celebrate or memorialize.

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Sunday of the TransfigurationOur weekly Worship schedule

This Sunday’s Schedule

Growth and Fellowship

  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers
  • 1st Sunday of the month – Gospel in Spanish
  • Last Sunday of the month – Family Church Sunday
  • Last Sunday of the month – Coffee and Fellowship between services. Resumes in September.
  • 2nd Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – Novel Theology. Resumes in September.
  • 3rd Monday of the month – Hope Dining Room
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries program. Program suspended during summer and resumes Sep. 10, 2023.
  • Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – adult education. Resumes in September.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries. Resumes in September.

Other Parish Events

The church is aware that some of its members are struggling to make ends meet. If you are in this situation, please let the clergy know of your needs, pray for the church, and feel no guilt about your giving. But if you are able to give, options for giving include mailing a check to our church or online giving.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

To see worship, events or news, see our website, FaceBook, InstaGram, YouTube, or the posted events on the board next to the name tag station. Recent Newsletters, Sermons, or Announcements are also available.

Regardless of whether we are together in-person or virtually, we are connected by the Holy Spirit:  Always together; never apart…maybe in distance, but never in heart.

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com or (302) 368-4644