My name is Madeline Johnson, I am a member of your Vestry and I have a story for you. (See YouTube version.)

Five weeks ago, on a Saturday, all Vestry members got an email from Father Howie saying that we would be having an emergency vestry meeting the next day, between services, on Zoom. There was a rumor that the state of Delaware would be receiving some migrants from one of the southern states and we needed to make a plan for how to take care of God’s children. This is one of the many reasons I LOVE this church –  no drama, no politics, just do what Jesus would have us do. At the meeting, we surveyed the resources that we have at St. Thomas’s: air mattresses, blankets, a big sleeping-space, nice bathrooms, a big kitchen and lots of good cooks in our parish. Next, we brainstormed other agencies that might help us: Red Cross, Respond DE (for which our own Jill Jensen is a volunteer nurse, when they need her), and Jewish Family Services (the only agency in Delaware that is authorized to settle refugees) and whom we helped last Fall, as we settled Afghan refugees in Newark! 

The next morning, Jill got a call from Respond DE that 33 migrants were coming into Georgetown, DE  –  would she come down and help? She jumped in her car and started driving down to Georgetown. Before she got all the way there, they called her back and told her to slow down – they hadn’t received confirmation that the migrants had actually taken off yet. Later, they called again and told her it had been cancelled. We were ready, however, with our plan.

St. Thomas’s is “practiced” at caring for God’s children. We have Blue Hen Bounty (BHB), a service for food-insecure students: cupboards full of food, laundry detergent, shampoo, etc. for students who may have an academic scholarship that does not include room and board. We participate in Code Purple every winter for our homeless population in Newark. We host them for overnights that go below 20 degrees, for dinner, a safe, warm place to sleep and breakfast the next morning. We participate with other Newark churches to serve at Hope Dining Room, once a month and we make “Go Bags ” for the Newark Empowerment Center. About 8 weeks ago, I got an email from the Empowerment Center, saying they were almost out of “Go Bags”. I passed it on to all of you and by Monday morning, we had 2 HUGE cardboard boxes overflowing with “Go Bags”. I delivered 68 “Go Bags” to the Newark Empowerment Center that day – FROM YOU!!! THANK YOU ALL for your support of our outreach ministries!!! The recipients of your time, talents and treasure thank you too.

Annual Giving will take financial commitments from each of us. An opportunity before us is examining how much we give, and whether we can do more. Please prayerfully consider how you can give back  for that with which God has blessed you. Won’t you please pledge your gifts using our pledge form and return it by October 30, 2022?   Pledges may be left in the box in the church lobby or mailed using the self- addressed, stamped envelope included in the packet you received.

 BLESS YOU ALL,

 Madeline Johnson

In a week, we will present our financial gift pledges at the altar to be blessed. Will you join us by sending in your pledge? Many thanks to those of you who have already done so.

Annual Giving is the time of year when we are asked to give thanksgiving and pledge our financial gifts for the coming year. Our parish budget is based on our gift giving. Our pledges, our gifts to our parish, not only keep our lights on and our doors open to all, but also go towards helping others in our community.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need more information. Information is available at  
https://stthomasnewarkde.church/annualgiving2023/

In thanksgiving,
Annual Giving Ministry
Fr. Howie, Joy Lynam, Kristin Sausville, Helen Spence, Jinglan Redder

Gracious and loving God, you have given us everything that we need.  Come now and do a new thing in us.  Help us to live with open hearts and open hands.  Awaken in us the gift of gratitude, that all our works may praise you.  Deliver us from the fear that leads us to horde your blessings.  And teach us to hold what we have reverently, but lightly.  Be with us as we seek to do your will.  And give us your blessing always.  Amen.

Have you noticed the display in the corner of the foyer? We’ve seen the annual giving box before, with its message, “thank you for your prayerful pledge”. This is where you can drop in your annual giving pledge form, in lieu of mailing it in. But, what is going on with the big poster?

The image is of the grove in the fall, with the church building in the background. It is barren of the crocus; a sign of spring that is a favorite scene of our greater Newark community. Those flowers bring attention to our grove, and they are one small but visible way that the people of Newark can see St. Thomas’s in the community and be invited to share in the blessings of God.

There are countless other ways that St. Thomas’s shows up for our faith community and for the Newark and UD communities. Your pledges, your gifts to your parish, not only keep our lights on and our doors open to all, but also go towards that mission of service. And so, this poster will be a visual representation of our gifts that we are sharing. For every $1000 pledged, we can add another flower to the field.

We currently have 68 flowers of promise planted on the poster, and the goal is for over 250. Wouldn’t it be beautiful and exciting to exceed that goal and have our flowers flowing all over? Keep up with the growth at our Annual Giving page, which includes the weekly ministry moments and a prayer for this year, and will be updated weekly with how many pledge promise flowers we have added to our grounds.

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to consider your pledge. This year, the strategic planning committee has been “tilling the soil”; really digging in to see what opportunities can be unearthed. Many of our ministries and other groups are beginning to root around, post-pandemic, and have begun to plant seeds of regrowth. There are hints of germination all over and it is invigorating!

Be a part of the excitement! Your dollars will be planting the “bulbs” that will bloom in the spring and will come back again and again. You will hear about and see projects that are very visible and immediate, however there are also more subtle investments being made for the future of our beloved parish and its work in our community. Everyone’s contribution looks a little different just like every flower is unique, and it is all important. If you feel moved to pick up a shovel and dig into a ministry, please reach out to the office and we will help you connect.

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

Good morning. I am Helen Spence, a member of the Annual Giving Team, and I am here to discuss the spiritual aspect of our giving. (See YouTube version.)

There is a wonderful hymn, often sung at the Feast of Pentecost, and it begins like this: “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place, and I know that it’s the spirit of the Lord.” Do you feel it? The spirit is alive, in each of us. It’s here in this place that my parents have called home for 76 years. This place where I was baptized, confirmed and married; where I was taught – and taught others. This place that I have called home, even during the years I lived elsewhere. And so now I am home, doing a new thing in a very familiar place – this place which began the formation of my spirit.

The work and worship we share here at St. Thomas’s requires our spirit, our time and, yes, our money. Doing a new thing – doing an old thing in a new way – continuing to do the thing God is calling us to do … all of that is what makes our mission and ministry special. Sharing our spirit through our mission and ministry shows the strength of that spirit, not only to each other but to the community around us.

In support of our mission and ministry, we give from what we have been given. We give from the abundance of God’s gifts to us. Today’s readings speak of God’s abundant love, and that is the source of our giving. Opportunities abound if we seek them. I invite you to join me in prayerfully considering where the Spirit is calling you and give of your abundance accordingly. As the hymn finishes “And for these blessings, we lift our hearts in praise. Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived when we shall leave this place.”

During October, we are collecting our thoughts, thanksgivings, and prayers for Annual Giving for our reflection. Annual Giving will take financial commitments from each of us. An opportunity before us is examining how much we give and whether we can do more. Please prayerfully determine how to give back that which has been given to you. Won’t you please pledge your gifts using our pledge card and return it by October 30, 2022? Pledges may be left in the box in the church lobby or mailed using the self-addressed, stamped envelope included in the packet you received.

Thank you so much.
Helen Spence, Annual Giving Ministry