7 Mar 2023

Coffee Hour Signup for 10:30 a.m. Worship Service

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Hello St. Thomas saints!

We would like to resurrect Coffee Hour after the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Sundays.  Anybody can do it.  If you need instructions on how to use a Mr. Coffee machine, please get in touch with me and I would be happy to help you. 

We have been serving a plate of cookies (can be right out of the box!) and a bowl of crackers (for those who prefer no sugar).  Keeping it VERY simple  –  just an opportunity to “catch up” with people we haven’t seen. I also bring a bottle of juice for the kids and a small carton of half and half. We have coffee in the pantry and paper, hot and cold cups in the kitchen, as well as napkins.

The Mr. Coffee machine takes 10 minutes to brew a pot and we haven’t needed more than 1 pot.

Here is the Sign Up Genius:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4daca72aaaff2-coffee#/

        I am happy to walk, anybody who would like to give it a try, through it.

MANY Blessings to you all,

        Madeline Johnson       mad1240@comcast.net

3 Mar 2023

Worship and weekly news – March 5, 2023

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Hello faith family! This Sunday is the Second Sunday in Lent – March 5, 2023, Year A.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter for this week, which has info on …
Interactive Stations of the Cross,
Philadelphia Museum of Art Trip,
Noisy Sundays – bring your change!,
Many ways to show love to our neighbors,
2 Saints Readers Program April 2023, and
Annual Meeting 2023 and Vestry Nominations.

Our weekly Worship schedule

This Sunday’s Worship Schedule

Growth and Fellowship:

In this strange pandemic time, 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 Mar 2023

Philadelphia Museum of Art Trip

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Philadelphia Museum of ArtThere are always outstanding exhibits to be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art but specifically, we will be taking this trip to see Glencairn, built by a religious community in 1885, serves as a museum itself. Displaying an outstanding collection of medieval objects, religious art and other objects significant to religious history, it provides visitors to explore the religious beliefs and practices of a variety of cultures and eras. While renovating, many pieces from this collection will be displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The trip will be on Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

We will be taking the Amtrak train from Newark at a cost of $14 for a round trip.

Museum entry fee varies:
Adults $25
Seniors (65 & over) $23
Students with valid ID $14
18 years old and under are FREE

Train and museum fees are due to the St. Thomas’s Office by April 22, 2023. See Fr. Howie if you need assistance with these costs. Please also budget for lunch and an uber in Philly Medieval Treasures from the Glencairn.

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

3 Mar 2023

Interactive Stations of the Cross 2023

by | posted in: Lent, News | 0

When I was a girl the only thing I knew about The Stations of the Cross were vague references from my Roman Catholic friends. Sometimes I would see Roman numerals around the perimeters of Catholic or Episcopal churches and figured out they were for the purpose of marking the Stations.

When I arrived at St. Thomas’s I learned that on Good Friday a small group of folks would “walk the stations.” But I didn’t “get it” until I attended my first National Youth Workers Convention and visited an exhibit in a prayer space that provided INTERACTIVE Stations of the Cross, designed by Lilly Lewin. That’s when they became meaningful to me. Each stop of Jesus’ journey from where Pilate dismissed him by washing his hands to where he was laid in the tomb was interpreted with an action or space for reflection.

That’s when I started to make the connection. You literally wash your hands. You make a cross and carry it. You stop where Jesus stumbled and think on things that make you stumble. Where Jesus met his mother you remember things that are on your heart. You pray for folks who are ill or in trouble at another stop. You make an image of the cross where Veronica legendarily wiped Jesus’ face and where he left his image on her cloth. You mourn with the women of Jerusalem and stop to mark hurt places in the world. You drink vinegar and drive nails. You experience the torn curtain of the Temple. You imagine how it would feel to have your dead son laid in your arms. You smell spices at the Tomb. And there is a 15th Station that shows the promise of the Resurrection.

Interactive Stations of the Cross have been installed at St. Thomas’s and will remain until the evening of Good Friday. If this sounds like something that you would like to participate in, as a way to mark your Lent, or as a way to think about Jesus’ suffering on his way to his death, I urge you to visit them, placed around the edges of the sanctuary. There are ways that groups and individuals can experience this.

You can visit anytime the church building is open, before or after worship on Sundays, or during office hours: during Monday – Thursday 9-2. You can make arrangements for weekend or evening visits by calling the church office: 302-368-4644. You can also ask for someone to be there with you to answer questions or just to be present.

Sally Price, Parishioner

24 Feb 2023

Worship and weekly news – February 26, 2023

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Hello faith family! This Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent – February 26, 2023, Year A.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter for this week, which includes articles on
Noisy Sundays – bring your change!,
Many ways to show love to our neighbors,
2 Saints Readers Program April 2023, and
Annual Meeting 2023 and Vestry Nominations.

Our weekly Worship schedule

This Sunday’s Worship Schedule

  • Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person and online at our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet).
  • Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – Adult Education topic is Growing Up in the Church; what we learned about faith, race, and gender featuring Teri Quinn-Gray, Denise Burgher, and Fr. Howie.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries program
  • Family Church Sunday – Ministry Breakfast between services (9:15 -10 a.m.) presented by Finance Ministry.
  • Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person and online at our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet).
  • Sundays in Lent at 7:00 p.m. – worship via YouTube.

Growth and Fellowship:

  • 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
  • 2nd Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – Novel Theology
  • 3rd Monday of the month – Hope Dining Room
  • Sundays from 4-6 p.m. – free dinners for ECM students. Eat in or take homemade dinners to go.
  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers (April program)
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.
  • Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 – adult inquirers class series begins. See Fr. Howie for more info.
  • Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 4:00 p.m., 2 Saints Readers resumes via Zoom with “An Invisible Thread” by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski.
  • Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. – Annual Meeting and Vestry nominations

In this strange pandemic time, 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

24 Feb 2023

Noisy Sundays – bring your change!

by | posted in: Children's Ministries | 0

We are collecting loose change! The kids will have cans to shake and make some NOISE!

This Sunday, and throughout Lent, the Sunday school children will have a noisy collection in all Sunday services. Members are encourage to find your spare change at home and bring it in. During the week, the change bucket will be available for rattling and donations in the lobby. The more “noise” the change makes the better! (They will even accept money that is not so noisy!)

The proceeds will go to a charity to be selected. Some of their ideas include:
• A local school’s donors’ choice
• School lunch debt
• Medical debt
• Micro-loans

You will be updated as this project progresses. Please let Fr. Howie know if any of these choices jump out to you, or if you have another suggestion to give the kids.

24 Feb 2023

Many ways to show love to our neighbors

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

In the Great Hall, next to the name tag station, we have always had a few collections going on. For quite some time, we have had a box for eyeglasses, which go the Lions Club. Also, there is a container for your pop tabs that our janitorial team of Tradeworks students enjoy taking to the Ronald McDonald House. Of course there is are bins for food donations for Hope Dining Room and for Blue Hen Bounty. There is a place for Go-Bags for the Empowerment Center, and now there are three new bins. Two of these bins are marked for “Shoes” and “Clothes” to go to the Clothing Bank of Delaware. And a third bin is marked “Sheets and Towels” for the Faithful Friends Animal Society.

A few notes about our new bins.
• All donations should be washed.
• Any socks or undergarments need to be new in packaging.
• Tie or zip tie shoes together- no boxes please.

We do not talk about these donations often, but they make a big difference to those in need

20 Feb 2023

2 Saints Readers Program April 2023

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2 Saints Readers include Parishioners of St. Nicholas and St. Thomas’s for a book discussion virtually over Zoom on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. This is another way the extended families of St. Nicholas and St. Thomas’s can stay in touch and get to know each other too! This is a joint book reading with discussion. You are invited.

An Invisible Thread bookOn Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 4:00 p.m., 2 Saints Readers resumes via Zoom with “An Invisible Thread” by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski.

If you are on our parish mail lists, you will receive an email invitation to this Zoom series. Or, write to the Office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com or call (302) 368-4644 for Zoom information.

Everyone is welcome to participate in this friendly and engaging sharing of ideas with our neighbors at St. Nicholas’s Parish.

18 Feb 2023

Worship and weekly news – February 19, 2023

by | posted in: News, Worship | 0

Hello faith family! This Sunday is the Seventh and Last Sunday after Epiphany – February 19, 2023, Year A.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter for this week.

Worship at St. Thomas’s

Services are held in-person and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe.

Our weekly Worship schedule

This Sunday’s Worship Schedule

Growth and Fellowship:

  • 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
  • 2nd Sundays at 9:15 a.m. – Novel Theology
  • 3rd Monday of the month – Hope Dining Room
  • Sundays from 4-6 p.m. – free dinners for ECM students. Eat in or take homemade dinners to go.
  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.
  • Monday, February 20, 2023 – Hope Dining Room volunteers needed
  • Feb. 21, 2023 from 5:30-7 p.m. – Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner – for food, games, and fun. See dinner details.
  • Feb. 22, 2023 ASH WEDNESDAY: services at 7 a.m., Noon, 7 p.m. In-person and via YouTube.
  • Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023 – Family Church Sunday at 10:30 a.m. service. Ministry Breakfast between services (9:15 -10 a.m.)
  • Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 – adult inquirers class series begins. See Fr. Howie for more info.
  • Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 4:00 p.m., 2 Saints Readers resumes via Zoom with “An Invisible Thread” by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski.
  • Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. – Annual Meeting and Vestry nominations

In this strange pandemic time, 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

18 Feb 2023

Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, February 20, 2023

by | posted in: Outreach, Service | 0

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

Monday, February 20, 2023, is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room.  Guests at Hope, are now “dining in” so we have 2 different short shifts that you can volunteer for. The cooking shift goes from 10 – 11:45 a.m. The serving and cleanup shift, goes from 11:45 – 1:30 p.m.

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 sign up to donate things we need for the meal, which may be brought to St. Thomas’s on Monday – Thursday between 9 and noon OR when you come to church on Sunday.  If that doesn’t work for you, give me a call and I will pick it up at your house.

BLESSINGS to you ALL,

Madeline Johnson