17 Feb 2023

Annual Meeting 2023 and Vestry Nominations

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It’s time to send in your vestry nominations!

It’s hard to believe it’s that time again!

Strong lay and clergy leadership teams are at the heart of healthy, thriving Episcopal congregations. These teams start with the vestry. Now is the time to pray about whom God would have you nominate for the 2023-2024 Vestry. See our Vestry and Ministries information.

Here are the steps to take:

  1. PRAY.
  2. Submit a name or names to the office by emailing cana.hartman@gmail.com or call 302.368.4644 Monday-Thursday between 9-noon. (Yes, you can nominate yourself if you feel so moved!)
  3. We will then confirm that the person meets requirements according to Church Bylaws and Diocesan Canons.
  4. And then, finally, we will speak with the nominee to review the responsibilities of the vestry and confirm that they are open to having their name on this year’s ballot.

Please submit your nominee(s) by April 3, 2023.

If you are curious about the vestry experience, please reach out to Fr. Howie, the office, or speak to any member of the vestry.

Nominations are requested to fill three openings. The Vestry has prayerfully decided to transition from 12 Vestry members to 9. This will be the second year in that transition and we are replacing four Vestry members with three. In 2024, we will complete this transition to a nine-member Vestry.

Vestry elections will be conducted during the annual congregational meeting following the 10:30 a.m. service on March 19, 2023.

Please give your full and prayerful attention to this important yearly call to leadership in the life of St. Thomas’s Episcopal Parish.

17 Feb 2023

Adult Education for February 2023

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There are three upcoming opportunities for AWESOME spiritual growth.

THIS SUNDAY, February 19, 2023 at 9:15 a.m. Learn about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. We will meet in the Great Hall classroom in-person or LIVE via Zoom. ALL are welcome.

NEXT SUNDAY, February 26, 2023 at 9:15 a.m. Growing up in the Church – what we learned about faith, race, and gender featuring Teri Quinn-Gray, Denise Burgher, and Fr Howie. We will meet in the Great Hall classroom in-person or LIVE via ZOOM. ALL are Welcome!

INQUIRERS CLASS on Mondays in Lent at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Are you looking for a general refresher on the Christian faith and the Anglican / Episcopal way of approaching it? Do you have questions you have always wanted answers to? Do you wonder what makes us, us? Attend one class or several! ALL are Welcome!

9 Feb 2023

Shrove Tuesday 2023 Pancake Supper

by | posted in: Lent, News | 0

Shrove Tuesday Pancake DinnerHello Church Family,

St. Thomas’s Parish will once again be celebrating Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday … or Mardi Gras ….. or Pancake Tuesday….) with a Pancake Supper, fellowship, and fun on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.  There will be plenty of pancakes, sausages and beverages for all who attend.  Music, games and crafts will also be part of the fun. 

In order to make this event the best it can be, volunteers are needed to set up, cook, plan activities, and clean up. A HUGE Thank You to those of you who have already volunteered.  We also need to have an estimate of how many people to expect.  (No worries!!  It’s absolutely ok to just show up, the more the merrier of course. But an estimate is always nice.)

Please RSVP if you can (even if it is just to say Maybe) or to volunteer to help with the event.

Thank you so much!  I am really looking forward to seeing as many of you as are able to come!

Blessings,
Belinda Young-Payne 

9 Feb 2023

Worship and weekly news – February 12, 2023

by | posted in: News, Worship | 0

Hello faith family! This Sunday is the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany – February 12, 2023, Year A.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter for this week.

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany 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.
  • 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 a.m.-10 a.m.)
  • Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 – adult inquirers class series begins. See Fr. Howie for more info.

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 Feb 2023

Blue Hen Bounty Needs Donations

by | posted in: ECM, News, Outreach | 0

Blue Hen Bounty food pantryThanks 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.

We are currently in need of peanut butter, strawberry preserves, grape jelly, dish soap, salt and pepper along with any other items you find on sale.

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.

3 Feb 2023

Worship and weekly news – February 5, 2023

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Hello faith family! This Sunday is the Third Sunday after Epiphany – February 5, 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

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
  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.

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

30 Jan 2023

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and Family Fun Night

by | posted in: Lent | 0

St. Thomas’s Parish will again be celebrating Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras or Pancake Day) on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. There will be plenty of pancakes. sausages, and beverages for all who attend. Music, games and crafts will also be available. (Maybe a few pancake races??!!!)

In order to make the event the best it can be, volunteers are needed to plan the event, set up, clean up and cook. Please sign up to help and/or to let us know you are coming. Thank you!

Blessings, 
Belinda Young-Payne

20 Jan 2023

Worship and weekly news – January 20, 2023

by | posted in: News, Worship | 0

Hello faith family! This Sunday is the Third Sunday after Epiphany – January 22, 2023, Year A.

Weekly News

See our Carpenter’s Helper Newsletter for this week, which includes information on Family Church Sunday, How to make a flower dedication, as well as, several items mentioned below. For those who have requested pledge envelopes, they will be available this Sunday in the Great Hall.

Third Sunday after EpiphanyWorship 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

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
  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.
  • Sunday, January 29, 2023 – Family Church Sunday
  • Sunday, January 29, 2023 between services – presentation from The Friendship House/Empowerment Centers hosted by our Outreach Ministry.

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

20 Jan 2023

Family Church Sunday – January 29, 2023

by | posted in: Children's Ministries, News | 0

Join the excitement on Sunday, January 29, 2023. It’s Family Church Sunday with a breakfast between services hosted by members of Episcopal Campus Ministry (ECM) to present Blue Hen Bounty (BHB), a food pantry that provides supplemental nutrition to college-age students who are food insecure and cannot provide ample nutrition for themselves.

If you are a parent of a child who is interested in participating in the January 29, 2023, Family Church Sunday 10:30 a.m. service in any way (arranging flowers, reading, passing the plate, singing in Marc’s family choir, etc.) please let Fr. Howie, Cana, or Belinda know and we will make it happen!

Members of Episcopal Campus Ministry (ECM) will be around between services to talk about Blue Hen Bounty (BHB) and answer questions.

18 Jan 2023

Enriching our worship

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Have you noticed subtle differences in the wording of the 10:30 a.m. Rite II service on the fourth Sunday of the month? It’s not in your head; you are not forgetting the words. On these Sundays, we have been using some of the text from “Enriching Our Worship”.

“Enriching Our Worship” is a collection of supplemental liturgical materials prepared by the Standing Liturgical Commission (1997) and published by Church Publishing Incorporated. It includes resources and forms for Morning and Evening Prayer, Order of Worship for the Evening, the Great Litany, and the Holy Eucharist. These texts may be used in conjunction with Rite 2 liturgies of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), or supplemental texts may be used to develop an entire liturgy. It is not intended to supplant the Book of Common Prayer, but rather to provide additional resources to assist worshiping communities wishing to expand the language, images and metaphors used in worship.

The major difference is the use of language for God that does not use familiar masculine terms. The liturgical texts reflect the influence of the prayer experience of women, and a desire to honor that experience while remaining faithful to the norms of liturgical prayer as received by the Episcopal Church.

Expanding our vocabulary of prayer and the ways in which we name the Holy One bear witness to the fact that the mystery of God transcends all categories of knowing, including those of masculine and feminine. One of the considerations in choosing or developing the texts included in this collection has been the prayer experience of women, and the desire to honor that experience while remaining faithful to the constituent elements and norms of liturgical prayer as The Episcopal Church has received and understood them.

The differences are quite subtle, and so if you are like me you may zone into worship and find yourself accidentally saying the “wrong” words. Has this happened to you? It can feel like sneezing into a silence, or at least akin to giving a loud Alleluia during Lent. As calming and meditative as familiar worship can be, these Sundays can be a refreshing opportunity to pay closer attention to the words we speak. However, if a mistake is made, let there be no feelings of embarrassment: as is printed on the welcome page at the beginning of every service booklet, “when you’re worshiping God, you can’t get it wrong!”.

For more info: Enriching Our Worship 1 (churchpublishing.org)

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