Hello faith family! This is the Fourth Sunday in Advent – December 18, 2022, Year A.
News for the Week
See the Carpenter’s Helper Weekly news for December 18, 2022, Christmas Letter from the Rector, as well as, the many activities below.
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
- Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person and online at our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet).
- Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person and online at our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet).
- Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion in-person. (Intercessory Prayer booklet).
- Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer, live via Zoom. (booklet).
- Advent Sundays at 5:00 p.m. – see worship program
This week’s Sunday 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 via Zoom or in-person in the Great Hall classroom. Fr. Howie will lead an Advent themed, spiritually inspired discussion of artworks by John August Swanson.
- Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries program
- Sunday, Dec.18, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, and Children’s Christmas Pageant, in-person and online at our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet).
- Sunday, Dec.18, 2022 at 12:15-2:30 p.m. – Family Holiday Party and Cookie Exchange will be held after the 10:30 a.m. worship service.
- Sun., Dec.18, 2022 at 7 p.m. – Caroling with our St. Nicholas neighbors
- Sun., Dec.18, 2022 – Christmas 2022 Angel Tree gifts due
- Advent Sundays at 5:00 p.m. – see worship program
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.
- Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. – Youth Activity: Elf movie and dinner party
- Monday, December 19, 2022 – Hope Dining Room needs volunteers
- Sunday, December, 24, 2022 – Christmas Eve:
- 4 p.m. – This will be a fun, shorter, and family friendly service. This is a perfect last-minute wrap up to this Advent season, and a final surge of excitement with joyous caroling for the birth of our Savior!
- 8 p.m. – A traditional, more peaceful and reflective service, with twinkling candlelight and tranquil music.
- Sunday, December, 25, 2022 at 10 a.m. – Christmas Day – This will be a Rite II service with music, however, expect a more quiet, special and serene service as we praise God for the arrival of sweet little baby Jesus.
- Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 6 p.m. – Epiphany Potluck Gathering
- Sunday, January 29, 2023 between services – presentation from The Friendship House/Empowerment Centers
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
The main courses will be provided by our vestry and rector: a ham, and a pasta dish. You are invited to being a dish to share, but it is not required. There is a 
Everyone is invited. Honorary gifts are often given to show appreciation for someone’s kindness or to recognize their impact on your life, or to mark an anniversary or other special event. In Memory Gifts are a special way to memorialize someone special who has passed away. A donation with your dedication turns your expression of love into a sign of hope. All names received for dedications will be published in the Christmas and Christmas Eve booklets.
Greetings everyone,