29 Oct 2020

Youth Ministry Volunteer Meeting

by | posted in: CREW | 0

St. Thomas’s Youth Ministries is having a meeting tomorrow, October 30, 2020 (Friday) night at 7 p.m. to go over the planned program and then to help match Volunteers up with specific opportunities. Since this is an all volunteer effort, we want to make sure we had committed support from volunteers to help run the program before rolling it out to the youth.

The Youth Ministry Program is for 6th through 12 graders. There are many opportunities to be involved with this program with varying levels of time commitment. These opportunities include meeting facilitation, mentoring, ministry liaisons, hospitality, activities, prayer, and service projects.  See the Sign-up Genius listing of volunteer opportunities to go with this program.

 If you are interested in helping out please try to come to the meeting.  I apologize for the short notice.  If you are interested in helping out and cannot attend the meeting please contact me directly so that I can give you more information and help to identify the best way to involve you in our program.

Sue Houghton

29 Oct 2020

Worship service sign-up for November 1, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Hello faith family. Sign-up for in-person worship for this Sunday, November 1, 2020.  As always, we will continue to stream each service on YouTube. All are welcome; please worship in whatever way is comfortable for you.

This Sunday, our coffee hour guest speaker is Dr Constance Cooper!  Connie will offer an illustrated introduction to the history of St. Thomas’s. We will learn about how St. Thomas’s got started, some of its ups and downs, the story of campus ministry, and how we moved from South Main Street to South College Avenue.  There will even be a few puzzles and surprises!.  This presentation will be in-person as well as via Zoom.  A Zoom invitation will be emailed on Sunday at 10:15 a.m.  You do not need to register.

Then, at 1 p.m., families with children and/or youth of our St. Thomas’s community are invited to decorate their cars and share treats and fun for an afternoon at St. Thomas’s Truck or Treat! Parishioners with no children can get in on the fun by donating goodies or decorations for the event or by helping with set up or clean up! In order to keep everyone safe, we will be following guidelines set by the department of public health and the city of Newark.  This means mask wearing, social distancing of people and treats, hand sanitizer, and a limit of 20 adults at the event (16 years and up) for an outside event.

 
Please continue to share your impressions and ideas for both in-person and online worship.  Your thoughts are appreciated!

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

23 Oct 2020

Children’s Ministries Trunk or Treat

by | posted in: Children's Ministries | 0

Truck or Treat 2020Families with children and/or youth of our St. Thomas’s community are invited to decorate their cars and share treats and fun for an afternoon. Parishioners with no children can get in on the fun by donating goodies or decorations for the event or by helping with set up or clean up! In order to keep everyone safe, we will be following guidelines set by the department of public health and the city of Newark. This means mask wearing, social distancing of people and treats, hand sanitizer, and a limit of 20 adults at the event (16 years and up) for an outside event.

When: Sunday, November 1, 2020 for 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Where: parking lot of St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church

Sign Up Genius will be available soon for families with children to sign up to participate. Due to limitations on adult numbers, please sign up a primary parent who will definitely come and then a secondary parent who wants to come and will be able to if space allows.

Fun, decorated cars (Parked in designated spots around the parking lot.)
Trunk or Treating of course!! Treats should be packaged and arranged so each child can take safely.
PUMPKIN People Craft Tables (We will be using latex balloons)
Costume Parade – Remember to include a protective mask as part of your ensemble! And wear comfy shoes…we’re going to try a walk around the block!
Giant Trick or Treat for UNICEF collection box (Bring your coins to donate.)
Music
Safe Fun and Fellowship with Friends and Family

Take home bags (\with more goodies and information about the plan for St. Thomas’s Children’s Ministries.

23 Oct 2020

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for October 25, 2020

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Hello faith family!  I hope this finds you all well.  See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for the week of October 25, 2020.  In it you will find information about: next Sunday’s coffee hour presentation, the annual All Souls service, and the first annual Children’s Ministries Trunk or Treat.

This week, we will have our three regular services, and several other events on the calendar:

ALL are Welcome!  Please let me know if you’d like a paper copy of any of the leaflets mailed to you.  Here is a  link to sign up for in-person worship  for this week, 10/25/20.  Please do not feel pressure to return to the church building until you are comfortable.  We may be in different locations, but we are celebrating TOGETHER.

In this strange 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. 

Please let me know if you have any meetings – virtual or otherwise – that you would like to have included on the Parish calendar.   

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

22 Oct 2020

Worship service for October 25, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Hello faith family!  I hope this finds you well. Sunday, October 25, 2020 is the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. Here is the service program, and the service program in large print  for your preview. There are paper copies available to be mailed.  If you would like one, please let me know.  We will be streaming LIVE from St. Thomas’s at 9 a.m.  On Sunday, connect to our worship service at St. Thomas’s YouTube channel – this is the same link each week. Please subscribe and ring the notification bell (twice) so you never miss a service.  All are welcome; please worship in whatever way is comfortable for you.

Following the service, Novel Theology will be discussing “A New Song” by Jan Karon, via ZOOM.  Reading the book is never a requirement for joining in the lively discussion.  All are WELCOME.

Please see our parish prayer list.  These names are read aloud and prayed for each Wednesday at the service of intercessory prayer and sharing this list each week in the Sunday leaflet gives us all the opportunity to participate.  Please take a moment to look over this list, and send me any updates or additions.

Yesterday, I emailed an invitation to in-person worship for this Sunday, with a link to a sign-up genius.  Here is the FAQ about the precautions and procedures for doing so safely.  Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about this option. Each service will continue to be streamed, and I suspect many of us will still be participating from home.  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.

In this strange 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. 

See past sermons or bulletins on our Recent Sermons page.

I look forward to worshiping together on Sunday!   

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

22 Oct 2020

Two Saints Readers book discussion

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Hello fellow bibliophiles!  The first meeting of the new Two Saints Readers book discussion group will be Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 10 a.m.  There will be 3 more meetings after this at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 10, and 17, 2020.  Father Howie will lead the discussions.  Note that you’ll need to do some reading before the first meeting on October 27.  I suggest you purchase the book and get started!  

This is another way the extended families of St. Nicholas and St. Thomas’s can stay in touch and get to know each other too! This is a joint book reading with discussion.

The book is Things Seen and Unseen, by Nora Gallagher:  It started with an occasional Sunday, a “tourist’s” visit to a local church. Eventually Nora Gallagher entered into a yearlong journey to discover her faith and a relationship with God, using the Christian calendar as her compass. The Christian calendar, the events of a year in one church, and her own spiritual journey, each strand combed out with harrowing intimacy. Thought provoking and profoundly perceptive, Things Seen and Unseen is a remarkable demonstration that “the road to the sacred is paved with the ordinary.”

Here are some suggestions about buying the book.  First let me mention that the Delaware Library System has exactly one book to loan out, so you may want to consider buying the book.  
Amazon has new paperback copies at $16. They offer information about several companies that sell good quality used copies, but remember that you’ll pay approximately $5 whether you have a Prime account with Amazon or not.  However, even with the postage, you can save by buying used.
This book is also readily available electronically.  Amazon offers a kindle download for $6.99.
AbeBook.com has several vendors with used paperback copies, too, for about the same price as Amazon’s.  Barnes and Nobel have their new paperbacks listed for $16, Amazon’s price.

Please use this link to sign up for a ZOOM invitation. I will be sending your invitations via email on Tuesdays at 9:45 a.m.  If you have questions, please reply to this email or you can contact Alice Edgell from St. Nicholas at alice.edgell@concast.net.

ALL are WELCOME!

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

22 Oct 2020

Worship service sign-up for October 18, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Hello faith family.  Please sign-up for in-person worship for this Sunday, October 18, 2020.  As always, we will continue to stream each service on YouTube.  All are welcome – please worship in whatever way is comfortable for you.

This Sunday, Novel Theology will be meeting via Zoom. ALL are Welcome.  Reading the book is never a requirement to join in the lively discussion, however I must say this looks to be a juicy one: A New Song by Jan Karon.  A Zoom invitation will be sent on Sunday, October 25, 2020.  You do not need to register.

The following Sunday, November 1, 2020 at 10:30 a.m., the coffee hour guest speaker will be our own Dr. Constance Cooper!  She will lead us in celebrating and learning about the saints of St. Thomas’s on whose shoulder we stand, whose work we continue day by day.  She will offer an illustrated introduction to the history of St. Thomas’s. We will learn about how St. Thomas’s got started, some of its ups and downs, the story of campus ministry, and how we moved from South Main Street to South College Avenue. There will even be a few puzzles and surprises!  This will be offered in-person and via ZOOM.

Please continue to share your impressions and ideas for both in-person and online worship.  Your thoughts are appreciated!

Please let me know if you have any meetings – virtual or otherwise – that you would like to have included on the Parish calendar.   

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

20 Oct 2020

All Souls remembrance – October 31, 2020

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All are WELCOME to join us, in the cemetery at 21 S. Main Street on October 31, 2020 at 4 p.m., as we pray for the souls of those who have departed this life. This observance is an extension of All Saints’ Day. While All Saints’ is to remember all the saints, this service remembers those who are unknown in the wider fellowship of the church, ESPECIALLY FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS.

Commemoration of All Faithful Departed did not appear in an American Prayer Book until 1979. It is also known as All Souls’ Day.

20 Oct 2020

An Introduction to the History of St. Thomas’s Parish, 1842-1980

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Join us on Sunday, November 1, 2020, at 10:30 a.m., either in-person or by Zoom, to celebrate and learn about the saints of St. Thomas’s on whose shoulder we stand, whose work we continue day by day. Dr. Constance Cooper will offer an illustrated introduction to the history of St. Thomas’s. We will learn about how St. Thomas’s got started, some of its ups and downs, the story of campus ministry, and how we moved from South Main Street to South College Avenue.

There will even be a few puzzles and surprises! ALL are WELCOME!

16 Oct 2020

Ladies Night Out

by | posted in: Women's fellowship | 0

The next Ladies Night Out will be Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. in the courtyard of St. Thomas’a Parish.

ALL are Welcome. Bring your own snack, beverage, and lawn chair. You must bring a mask and social distancing will be observed.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  It may be chilly, so layer up!

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