2 Dec 2022

Compline Evening Prayer

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Welcome to a peaceful landing place in your weekly journey.

Compline Worship BookletCompline is a simple office including a confession of sins, one or more psalms, a short reading from scripture, versicles and responses, the Lord’s Prayer, collects which ask for God’s protection during the night to come, and the canticle Nunc dimittis. The collects may be followed by a time of silence, along with free intercessions and thanksgivings.⁠ See the accompanying Compline booklet.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the office with any questions or suggestions.

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

2 Dec 2022

Live-streaming Guild: this is your invitation

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Live Stream GuildOur live streaming has been such a blessing to our parish. While we were pushed into it rather forcefully by the pandemic, the results have been wonderful! During those initial tough months, we were all able to stay connected spiritually. And, we continue to have the option of “tuning in” online if we are traveling, home sick, or unable to come in for whatever the reason. Many relatives and friends from around the world have been able to see our Christmas pageant, and attend baptisms and funerals. Also, we have a growing online congregation! There are faith family members who have not and may never come in-person to the church building, and they are just as beloved as those sitting in the pews next to you.

Never forget that it’s God who is continuously and triumphantly building His Church and making things grow (1 Corinthians 3:7).

We just need to be faithful in working hard, praying hard, and caring for our neighbors. With a lot of faith, and much generosity, next week we will be getting a major upgrade to our live streaming set-up. Up until this point, we have been streaming through phones with a less than effective sound system. This equipment will make a tremendous difference in the quality of the presentations. And, with this upgrade, A NEW GUILD will be created: the live streaming guild (or whatever they wish to be called once they come together).

The invitation into this group is really an invitation to be hands-on in God’s mission. Some important points to know:
• Similar to ushering, this duty would run one service only with a separate volunteer for 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services.
• Plenty of training will be provided, and step-by-step instructions will be there for you every time.
• We are hoping for plenty of volunteers so that this will be a once-a-month commitment, or less.

The Lord will give us the capacity for His work: not many of us in this congregation are knowledgeable with this streaming technology, but as believers we know that God will teach and guide us. When you consider if this guild is a match for you, it’s not so much that your current skills are a perfect pairing…it’s more so an opportunity to grow in the purpose to which God has called us all: To make disciples and care for His flock.

Bob Gilley will guide the Guild, and we will soon be doing a “train the trainers” session with MidSouth. Anyone who would like to learn at that stage is invited to join us on Wednesday, December 7th at a time to be announced early next week.

As we heard repeatedly during stewardship season, opportunities welcome us if we seek them. PLEASE- contact Fr. Howie, the office, or Bob with ANY questions, comments, suggestions, and to volunteer for this NEW GUILD!

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

28 Nov 2022

Advent Sunday Evening, December 4, 2022 Worship

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An EXCITING new Advent worship opportunity!

Amahl and the Night VisitorsThis Sunday evening, December 4, 2022, at 5:00 p.m., Marc Cheban, our organist, will lead us through “Amahl and the Night Visitors”: a one act opera. This sounds like a fun and fascinating evening that you won’t want to miss out on. It will run about one hour.

Based on Italian folk tales of the Nativity and Epiphany, Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors is a retelling of the story of the Magi from the point of view of a young disabled boy named Amahl, who lives in poverty with his widowed mother near Bethlehem.

He sees a bright star in the sky one night and tells his mother to go look, but she brushes him off, buried in concern over their bleak future and lack of means with which to support themselves. That night, three kings come across their meager hut and seek shelter, for they have traveled long and far following the star of which Amahl had spoken. They bring with them treasure and gifts to give to “the Child” who has just been born and who will reign over all. Blinded by the lure of the gold and what it could do for her family. the Mother attempts to steal just a bit of the treasure, but is caught red-handed. What no one expects is a gift far greater than gold–blessed by the Child, Amahl finds himself suddenly cured of his disability. A vivid and accessible tale originally created for television, Amahl and the Night Visitors is a perfect first opera–or hundredth!

28 Nov 2022

Christmas 2022 Angel Tree

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Dear Friends,

We will be helping a local family enjoy Christmas 2022 this year through our Angel Tree. We’re starting out with two small trees located on the small table by the sofa in the sitting area in the Great Hall. Please take a few minutes to look at the gift opportunities and select the one that speaks to you.

If you are unable to come to church to make your selection, the family can use ShopRite, Walmart, and Lyft gift cards. Easy to buy, no sizes or colors to think about, no limit on quantity. 

Do not wrap the gifts, but put the tag with the gift. There will be a box for the gifts in the foyer with an envelope for gift cards. Please return your gifts to church by Sunday, December 18, 2022.

We are Christ’s heart and hands in Newark. Our generosity will make Christmas more pleasant for a local family.

Any questions, let me know.

Thanks!

Connie Cooper

26 Nov 2022

Children’s Ministries Christmas 2022 Pageant

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On November 13, 2022, we will begin preparing for the annual Christmas pageant.  The first step will identifying who wants to be involved and in what way. We will need readers, actors, stagehands, prop and costume designers as well as snack helpers. Please let me know if you or your children are interested in participating.  Outside of Sunday mornings, the pageant rehearsal dates and times will be:

November 20, 2022 after 10:30 a.m. service
December 4 after 10:30 a.m. service
December 11, 2022 after 10:30 a.m. service
December 16, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

St Thomas’s  Family Holiday Party and Cookie Exchange will be held on December 18, 2022.

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Sincerely,

Belinda Young-Payne

26 Nov 2022

Worship and weekly news – November 27, 2022

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Hello faith family! This is the First Sunday in Advent – November 27, 2022, Year C.

Weekly News:

Here are some of our top news items this week. Also see this week’s Carpenter’s Helper newsletter.

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 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 Parlor.
  • Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022 Family Church Sunday. Ministry breakfast between services – sponsored by the communication ministry. At 10:30 a.m. worship service, look for our young members to be contributing to the service.
  • Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries program
  • Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person and online at our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet).
  • Advent Sundays at 5:00 p.m. – see worship program

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 your 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

26 Nov 2022

Advent Sunday Evening Worship

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Advent 2022Advent begins Sunday, November 27, 2022.

Each Sunday evening in Advent at 5 p.m., there will be an extra special worship service open to ALL!  There are so many ways to prepare our hearts for our Savior’s birth, and these Advent Evening worship services are a tradition many of us look forward to.

  • Sunday, November 27, 2022: Advent “stations” with prayers, instrumental music, and a hymn or two.  The unique stations will help us feel a connection to our brothers and sisters in faith around the world and through time. See the Nov. 27. worship booklet.
  • Sunday, December 4, 2022: Evensong; a service of scripture, prayer, and music, sung regularly in the Anglican church since the sixteenth century. See more information.
  • Sunday, December 11, 2022: Blue Christmas, also called the Longest Night, gives space for those who are feeling sorrowful this season, and their friends who support them, to come and sit with one another, light candles, and listen to music, in a liturgy that speaks of the love of God for the grieving. This service will be available live and on YouTube.
  • Sunday, December 18, 2022: “Son et Lumiere” images and colors accompanied by verses and music of Advent. This should be an awesome sensory experience.

These Sunday evening services are just a part of all of the exciting ways that we can fluff the hay in the mangers of our hearts. 

17 Nov 2022

Worship and weekly news – November 20, 2022

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Hello faith family! This is the Christ the King Sunday – November 20, 2022, Year C.

Weekly News:

Here are some of our top news items this week. Also see this week’s Carpenter’s Helper newsletter.

Worship at St. Thomas’s:

Services are held in-person with precautions 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 week’s Sunday 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 – volunteers needed Mon., Nov. 21, 2022
  • Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. – 2 Saint Readers (beginning in Oct)
  • Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. – lectionary bible study in the classroom.
  • Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-19, 2022 – 238th Diocesan Annual Convention. Volunteers needed for the registration table. See Cana or Helen if you can help. Pre-packaged crackers and cookies needed, see details.
  • Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022 – Thanksgiving Day. Office is closed. Blue Hen Bounty (BHB) is closed. St Anne’s, Middletown, is serving a free Thanksgiving lunch.
  • Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022 Family Church Sunday. Ministry breakfast between services – sponsored by the communications ministry. At 10:30 a.m. worship service, look for our young members to be contributing to the service.
  • Sun., Dec. 4, 2022 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Mini-Bazaar

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 your 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

14 Nov 2022

Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, November 21, 2022

by | posted in: Outreach, Service | 0

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

Monday, November 21, 2022 is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room. Guests at Hope are now “dining in” instead of grabbing lunch and taking it out, so we have two different short shifts that you can volunteer for!

The cooking shift goes from 10 – 11:45 a.m. and the serving and cleanup shift goes from 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  If you’d like to help, please bring a ball cap and an apron. We would LOVE to see you!

All of this takes place at Kingswood Methodist Church on Marrows Rd. 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   mad1240@comcast.net 

14 Nov 2022

Hospitality for the Diocesan Convention

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Good Afternoon Newark Episcopalians!

 Our 238th Diocesan Annual Convention is going to be held in Newark, at Clayton Hall  (100 David Hollowell Dr.)  on November 18 and 19, 2022 (this Friday and Saturday)!    

St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas are the hosting churches and we are going to provide pre-packaged crackers and cookies. Because it is COVID and flu season, we decided it would be safer to just buy the treats already packaged. You may buy a 6-pack of peanut butter crackers or cookies in a box of 8, 6-packs. 

We will be collecting the donations this week to hand out at the hospitality table as guests arrive for the convention.  Please volunteer to donate crackers or cookies using the Sign Up Genius (YES, another one:)   

If you would like to contribute, please bring them to St. Thomas’s by Thursday and I will take them over, on Friday,  to Clayton Hall.

Bless you all and stay healthy!
Madeline Johnson