16 Oct 2020

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for October 18, 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 18, 2020. In it you will find a reminder that Novel Theology meets next Sunday, October 25, 2020, an invitation to join the 2 Saints Readers group (Sts. Thomas and Nicholas together), and see an update on some of our outreach from Madeline.

This week, we will have our 3 regular services, as well as continuing the Christian Education series, and next Sunday, Novel Theology:

  • Sun., Oct. 18, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE on YouTube and in-person.
  • Sun., Oct. 18, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. – Christian Education via ZOOM and in-person  
  • Wed. noon – intercessory prayer LIVE on YouTube a leaflet for Pentecost.
  • Thurs. at 7 p.m. – Compline evening prayers with Deacon Cecily via Zoom.  ALL are Welcome.  Let me know if you need a Zoom link for this calming and prayerful end to the day.
  • Sun., Oct. 25, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE on YouTube and in-person.
  • Sun., Oct. 25, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. – Novel Theology, live on ZOOM  

ALL are Welcome!  Please let me know if you’d like a paper copy of any of the leaflets mailed to you.  Please sign up for in-person attendance for this Sunday, October 18, 2020.  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

14 Oct 2020

Worship service for October 18, 2020

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Hello faith family.  Sunday, October 18, 2020 is the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Please sign up for in-person worship for this Sunday.  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 this week, Fr. Howie will continue the Christian Education Season with the final week of the 4-week course comparing religions.  A Zoom invitation will be sent on Sunday.  This will be presented via Zoom and in-person in the church building with social distancing.

The following 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.

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!  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

13 Oct 2020

Outreach update for October 2020

by | posted in: Outreach, Service | 0

 Hope Dining Room is going well on the third Monday of every month. Our first lunch was the 3rd Monday of August and we gave out 35 meals. For our lunch in September, we made 50 meals and gave out 47 and took 3  left-over meals to the Empowerment Center. We had 3 volunteers from St. Thomas’s and 3 from St. Nicholas, including one who picks and prepares veggies from their Community Garden. Our next lunch will be served on October 19, 2020. If you are free that day at lunchtime, we’d LOVE to hear from you!.

We are still doing” grab and go lunches”, served from a table outside. Social distancing is observed and masks are required. 

Hope Dining Room is thinking about Christmas bags, which they distribute to all comers who show up,  the Friday before Christmas. They fill the bags with socks, a small flashlight, a mask, hand sanitizer, a knit hat, small hotel-sized toiletries and cookies. 

They do 10-15 bags for children and fill them with a coloring book, crayons, a small toy, mittens, child-sized hat and mask and cookies. They fix about 70 bags for men and 30 for women. If you would like to donate any of these items, there will be a box outside the office in early December, so start gathering.          

Respectfully submitted,  
Madeline Johnson <mad1240@comcast.net>

13 Oct 2020

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for October 11, 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 11, 2020. In it you will find a heartfelt Thank You from Frs. Howie and Jim for the warm showing of hospitality, and the Bishop’s most recent message regarding Covid-19.  The annual Blessing of the Animals will take place this Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 2 p.m. in the Grove.  Please send me your animal pics!

Also, see the most recent edition of our Diocese weekly newsletter titled The Net, as well as the quarterly magazine, the Communion. St. Thomas’s ECM is mentioned!  There is also news of the reopening of the Memorial House.

This week, we will have our 3 regular services, as well as continuing the Christian Education series and the animal blessing:

  • Sun., Oct. 11, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE on YouTube and in-person.
  • Sun., Oct. 11, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. – Christian Education via ZOOM and in-person  
  • Sun., Oct. 11, 2020 at 2 p.m. – Blessing of the Animals in the Grove
  • Wed. noon – intercessory prayer LIVE on YouTube a leaflet for Pentecost.
  • Thurs. at 7 p.m. – Compline evening prayers with Deacon Cecily via Zoom.  ALL are Welcome.  Let me know if you need a Zoom link for this calming and prayerful end to the day.
  • Sun., Oct. 18, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE on YouTube and in-person.
  • Sun., Oct. 18, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. – Christian Education via ZOOM and in-person  

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 attendance for this week, 10/11/20.  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

13 Oct 2020

Hope Dining Room October 19, 2020 sign-up

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

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

Next Monday, October 19, 2020 is our Hope Dining Room volunteer day!   

Here are the duty times and jobs:
10 – 11:45 a.m. – cook and assemble meals
11- 12 noon – do dishes
11:45 – 1:00 p.m. – serve (hand out “Grab and Go” meals, outside, at Kingswood Methodist Church, Brookside)

We can only have 5 masked-people in the kitchen at one time and serving is done  from a table, outside, as a “grab and go”. If you are free on Monday, October 19 at lunchtime, we have a job for you! Here is the Sign Up Genius for the fruit and dessert: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-hope2

You may drop off your donations of food at St. Thomas’s on Tuesday-Thursday from 9 – noon or before the 9 a.m. Sunday service. There is a box for Hope Dining Room outside the office.  If that is not convenient, give me a call  or an email and I will pick it up at your door. If you would like to volunteer to help in the kitchen, please email or call me. No experience is necessary!

MANY Blessings,
Madeline Johnson at mad1240@comcast.net

13 Oct 2020

2021 Annual Giving – October update

by | posted in: Stewardship Campaign | 0

Brothers and Sisters in Christ’s Love:

All Things in LoveWe want to welcome you to the St. Thomas’s Annual Giving campaign for 2021. The theme this year mirrors the theme for the Annual Convention – All Things in Love.

During the pandemic, our financial realities have been different from what we had projected, yet we have striven to share God’s Love. Our mission did not change, even if our way of providing All Things in Love might have.

  • We continued to serve UD students from Blue Hen Bounty.
  • We prepared meals for 640 homeless over 16 weeks.
  • We continue to prepare lunch for 50 at Hope Dining Room each month.
  • We provided 3 worship opportunities each week; Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening.

Our hope for 2021 is that we will be able to continue to provide digital worship for those who cannot join us in person. We look to continue to serve those less fortunate, and expand those ministries.  We have approved and are preparing for the installation of solar panels to reduce costs. Our work, worship, mission and ministry are informed by God’s Love. 

We cannot go back to the way things were, but we can thrive as we move into the future.  Our ability to accomplish All Things in Love depends on your prayerful consideration of your financial commitment to our work.  We ask you to seek the places where you see God at work in Love, and see how your contribution can allow us to participate.   Your Love makes our Love possible. See the pledge card and some information which may help in your decision. Our Annual Giving campaign will officially end on Sunday, October 25, 2020, as we pray in thanksgiving for those pledges we have received by that time.

If the social distancing we have all experienced has taught us nothing else, it is that we need one another to be our best. Our parish and our community depend on our commitment to All Things in Love.

In Christ’s Love we ask,

The Rev. Howell Sasser – Rector, St. Thomas’s
Kristin Sausville – Stewardship Chair
Joy Lynam – Sr. Warden             

7 Oct 2020

Worship service for October 4, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Hello faith family.  Sunday, October 11, 2020 is the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Sign up for in-person worship for Sunday.  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 this week, Fr. Howie will continue the Christian Education Season with week 3 of the 4-week course comparing religions.  A Zoom invitation will be sent on Sunday.  This will be presented via Zoom and in-person in the church building with social distancing.

And, then at 2 p.m., Fr. Howie will be Blessing the Animals in the Grove and LIVE on YouTube.  ALL Animals are Welcome- please send in your photos of your pets, and invite your family, friends and neighbors!  Email cana.hartman@gmail.com or text 302.354.3277.

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!  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

2 Oct 2020

Youth Gathering in the Grove – Friday, October 2, 2020

by | posted in: CREW | 0

St. Thomas’s Youth (grades 6-12) are invited to responsibly gather in person at the church to share in food, fun, and fellowship while enjoying the Grove and outside courtyard once it gets dark.

Masks are required when not eating and social distancing will be expected.

Please BYO mask and lawn chair, if possible (or towel), for sitting.

Rain Date: Sat., October 3, 2020 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. If you have questions, please contact Sue Houghton via the church office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com or (302) 368-4644.

2 Oct 2020

Worship service for October 4, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Hello faith family!  I hope this finds you well.  Sunday, October 4, 2020 is the Eighteenth 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.

Following the service, the Christian Education season will continue at 10:30 a.m. with the 4-week course “What we believe, What we share,” which compares religions. This will be held in-person in the church building, as well as on Zoom.  Here is your link to the Zoom meeting.  All are WELCOME.

Yesterday, I emailed an invitation to in-person worship for this Sunday, with a link to a sign-up genius.  Also, see 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

2 Oct 2020

Outreach for Hope Dining Room or “internet for education”

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

Dear family of St. Thomas’s,

We have been looking for opportunities to work with our friends at St. Nicholas. Our quarantine – YouTube-services were well received by both parishes, so when we entered into the Hope Dining Room project, we invited St. Nicholas to join us. St. Nicholas has been providing not only help in the kitchen, but also, veggies from their community garden. St. Nicholas has come up with another timely pandemic-related community outreach project and they have invited us to partner with them.

Because of COVID, most local public schools are totally virtual, at this point. The Christina School District has made sure each child has a computer, but some local families do not have internet access. The principal of one local elementary school, has identified the families that can’t afford it. Our two churches would like to team-up to provide that service for the effected families.

If you would like to help with Hope Dining Room expenses or the “internet for education” project, you can send a check made out to St. Thomas’s with “St. T’s/St. N’s co-outreach fund” on the memo line. Donations can also be made electronically using your bank account or credit card on our Giving page.  If you feel passionate about one or the other of these outreaches and wish your money to be used only for that one, please note that and we will respect and act on it.

It takes a village and a couple churches to raise a child in a pandemic. Food and education are two necessities that we feel called to assist with in our town. God at work – in love – for our community.

Many Blessings to you all – stay well,
Madeline Johnson