What is ECW?  Since 1871, the National Episcopal Church Women, ECW, have championed women’s rights and the Christian foundation of God and family. They are an affiliate of the Episcopal Church and celebrate that Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Their women’s ministry and children’s programs feed, educate, and provide community grants around the world. They are a volunteer organization that creates a legacy for Episcopal Church Women to lead future generations with stewardship in Christ.

The Episcopal Church Women of the Episcopal Church in Delaware represents the interests and mission of all Episcopalian women in the diocese.  This is a Delaware ECW event.

The Annual meeting is not until October 2021 and more information will be shared in September 2021.  For more information about ECW, see the Diocese of Delaware ECW and national ECW websites.

Happy Friday!  See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for the Seventh Sunday of Easter and the week of May 16, 2021. In it you will find a reminder of the upcoming Summer Worship Schedule, a reminder that Communion at the Curb will continue, and Eye Spy looks at the St. Thomas’s Children and Youth. 

• Sunday, May 16, 2021 is going to be a big day!
  • Bishop Kevin will be celebrating with us at 9 a.m. on YouTube and in-person. He will be Baptizing and Confirming members of our faith family!  And, we will reaffirm our own baptismal promises.  This is a day for Joy and Celebration!
  • Communion at the Curb will continue after the service from 10-11 a.m.
  • We will have a special guest speaker, live via zoom, at 11 a.m.  He will speak about The Order of Saint John, whose roots go back over 900 years!
• Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 10 a.m., 2 Saints Readers will continue to discuss “Holy Envy: Finding God in the faith of others” by Barbara Brown Taylor, via Zoom.  You can jump into the conversation, even if you missed a week.
• Wednesday at noon: Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion, live on YouTube and in-person with precautions
• Thursday at 7 p.m.: Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying service program.

Starting June 6th, we return to two Sunday services: 8 a.m. – Rite 1 spoken and 9:30 a.m. – Rite 2 with music. Both services will be Live on our YouTube channel, as well as, in-person with precautions.  Communion at the Curb will continue after the 9:30 a.m. services.

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. See our Giving page.

The new Forward Day by Day booklets are available.  Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

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 all events or news, visit our website, check FaceBook, or check out the posted events on the board next to the name tag station. Recent Newsletters, Sermons, or Announcements are also available.

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

Font: the term comes from the Latin fons,“spring of water,” and designates a receptacle for baptismal water. Fonts in the early church were pools or sunken basins, often in the shape of a cross, in which candidates were immersed in running water. In fact, Baptism is a Greek word meaning “to immerse”. Many fonts remained large even after infant baptism became the norm, but they were raised above ground for convenience. Eventually, the typical font was the size of a washbasin, and even adult candidates were baptized by pouring a little water on their heads. The ancient practice never died out, however, and the Book of Common Prayer lists immersion as a method of baptizing. Today, some new or renovated church buildings have a large font, suitable for immersion, located where the people can easily see it or gather around it.

On Sunday, May 16, we will celebrate Noah’s Holy Baptism, and renew our own baptismal promises. The familiar wooden font will be present, but in it’s every-day place in the back of the sanctuary. A glass basin stand-in font will be used for the actual baptism, to best care for the safety of all during this pandemic.

It is not random that our font stands in the back of the church. In the 19th century, it was the custom in the Anglican tradition to push the Baptistry off to one side, where Baptism was practiced primarily as a ‘family affair’ for a small gathering on Sunday afternoons after church. The Liturgical Renewal Movement of the 20th century has restored the Sacrament of Baptism to its primary role as an action of the whole Christian community. It expresses God’s personal love and the community’s welcome in God’s name. We have been cleansed by the outpouring of God’s Spirit in Baptism. Because Baptism is the means by which we enter the church, it makes sense to position the font by where we enter the sanctuary as a reminder of this truth. Each week as we enter for worship, passing by the font helps us to remember that we are God’s baptized people. Baptism and Confirmation On May 16, 2021, at the 9 a.m. service, Bishop Kevin will be visiting with us at St. Thomas’s. He will be Baptizing and Confirming those who have been faithfully waiting, during this pandemic, for a safe time. This will be a service of celebration! We will also be reaffirming our own baptismal promises. If you have questions about baptism or confirmation, please reach out to Fr. Howie.

Baptism removes the stain of Original Sin, and it clothes us with the grace. We are objectively changed when we are baptized. Baptism leaves an indelible mark upon our souls. We are claimed as God’s own.Initiation into the Church is entrance into a Eucharistic community.

Because the rites of initiation of the Church begin with Baptism and are completed by the reception of the Eucharist, the Baptismal font and its location reflect the Christian’s journey through the waters of Baptism to the altar. This integral relationship between the Baptismal font and the altar can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, such as placing the font and altar on the same architectural axis, as it is here at St. Thomas’s. We are reminded of our Christian pilgrimage each week as we pass the Font on our way to the altar.