2 Jul 2020

Worship service for July 5, 2020

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Sunday, July 5, 2020 is the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. 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. Please subscribe and ring the notification bell (twice) so you never miss a service. Here is the service leaflet  that accompanies the service. 

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. 

I look forward to worshiping together on Sunday!   

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com

30 Jun 2020

Feeding the Homeless on Thursday, June 30, 2020

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

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

Last Thursday, June 25, 2020, with your help, we served 40 homeless friends: 47 showed up, so 7 people were given “Go Bags”. The Hope Dining Room is still scheduled to open July 13, 2020, so the end of this ministry is in sight.

The plan for this week is substantial nachos (with meat, cheese and salsa), and tossed salad, complimented with a fruit cup, cookies and a soda.   Below is the sign up genius.  As always, only look at the black and gold part.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-feeding12

If you would bring your items to St. Thomas’s on Thursday between 2 and 4 p.m., that would be great.  IF that doesn’t work for you, call me and I will pick it up at your door.

MANY Blessings for your care for our homeless friends,
Madeline Johnson

30 Jun 2020

Your invitation to the last of the St. John Bible series

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TONIGHT, June 30, 2020, is the last session of the Sensus Divina series with illuminations from the St. John Bible and it’s going out with a bang!  The main participants will all be at St. James’s in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with a real Heritage Volume of the St. John Bible (to be shown on camera) and also live music!!

Regardless of whether you have joined in earlier weeks, this is a good chance to get one last taste of the art of the St. John Bible.  The Zoom link can be used even without registration:
https://zoom.us/j/97773551955?pwd=dGVsWGRYbldMaFcrVFUrOXMydjFTUT09  

If you have any questions, please let Fr. Howie or myself know.  This is a fantastic opportunity.  I hope to see you there (virtually).

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com

28 Jun 2020

Children’s ministries at home for June 28, 2020

by | posted in: Children's Ministries | 0

Happy Fourth Sunday after Pentecost!  I pray this not finds you and your family well and safe. I hope that your week was as peace-filled as mine, with several moments in time when I was able to stop, experience the blessings of God in my surroundings, my family, my friends, books I was reading, a sandwich I was eating………ok, I’ll stop. But I have had a wonderful first week of summer and I thank God that I get to spend part of it with you (in my hearts, through these messages and in our Zoom gatherings.) 

The week of June 28, 2020, we will explore scripture and activities on the themes of welcome, mission, and discipleship.  In the gospel his week, Jesus reminds us that the response given to his disciples is also a response to him. Likewise, when we serve the littlest, the poorest, the most disenfranchised, the stranger, we serve Jesus.

To this email, I have attached a kid-friendly version of this week’s gospel, several hands-on activities that correspond to this week’s gospel. In keeping with our theme and in an attempt to link the gospel message to what is currently happening in the world around us, I have also attached an extra coloring sheet that reminds us of our mission to work for justice and peace for all people. Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone.   

For the next six weeks, I will also host a weekly Zoom gathering each Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon (note the new time).  This gathering will be a time for us to share fellowship, prayer and fun. If you have a suggestion for a game, a special prayer, or want to read the scripture for the day, you are always welcome to do so.  The new link to the Zoom gathering can be obtained by emailing me at belmar43@aol.com. It is the same link I sent last week, with Meeting ID ending in 3152.  I hope to see as many of you there as possible.  Please make sure that your name is displayed when you log in so I will know it is safe to let you in.

Peace be with you,

Ms. Belinda, Children’s Ministries

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

26 Jun 2020

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for June 28, 2020

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Happy Friday faith family!  See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for the week of June 28, 2020. In it you will find info on our participation in the Great EpisGOpal Race, and in the City of Newark’s summer celebration Decorating tour.  Also, see the most recent edition of our Diocese weekly newsletter titled The Net, as well as the quarterly magazine, the Communion.  Included in The Net is the first version of a Regathering document, giving an overview of what a return to gathering in-person may look like.

  • Worship this week: please let me know if you’d like a paper copy of any leaflet mailed to you.
    • Wednesday noon – intercessory prayer LIVE on YouTube a leaflet for Pentecost.
    • Thursday at 7 p.m. Compline evening prayers with Deacon Cecily, on Zoom. Compline evening prayers with Deacon Cecily.  ALL are Welcome.  Let me know if you need a Zoom link for this calming and prayerful end to the day.
    • Sunday at 9 a.m.Worship Service, Rite II, with music LIVE on YouTube.
    • Sunday at 11 a.m. – children’s worship via Zoom.
  • Thursday morning – we will be decorating the corner of our Grove with Christmas decorations for the City of Newark’s summer celebration Decorating tour!  Please let Amy or me know if you have any decorations the church can borrow or if you are available to help set-up.
  • Please keep signing up for the Great EpisGOpal Race through our signup genuis.  We are SO CLOSE to reaching our goal that I’m certain we will surpass it!  We are going to do it!!!  Together we are going to complete a MARATHON!

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com

26 Jun 2020

Worship service for June 28, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Sunday, June 28, 2020 is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.  We will be streaming LIVE from St. Thomas’s at 9 a.m.  We have the great pleasure of celebrating a Holy Baptism and renewing our baptismal vows! And, we get to sing one of our FAVORITE hymns.

On Sunday, connect to our worship service at St. Thomas’s YouTube channel. Please subscribe and ring the notification bell (twice) so you never miss a service. Here is the service leaflet  that accompanies the service. 

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. 

I look forward to worshiping together on Sunday!   

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com

24 Jun 2020

City of Newark Festival of Fun decorations … Christmas in July

by | posted in: News | 0

Good afternoon family!  I have a FUN opportunity to share with you. From July 1-13, 2020, the City of Newark Parks and Recreation is having a Decorating Tour!  St. Thomas’s will be participating.  This is an awesome opportunity to share some Spirit with our neighbors and gain some visibility for our parish.

On July 1, 2020, we will be putting up our display on the corner of S. College and Park Place Avenues. 

This is Amy’s brilliant idea.  Let’s support her.  Come on … where are my other Christmas fanatics?  I know you have amazing festive display ideas, miles of extension cords and wowza decorations packed away.  Please let Amy or myself know if you are available to help with the assembly on the July 1, 2020.  

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com

24 Jun 2020

The Great EpisGOpal Race

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

A marathon is 42 kilometers or 26.0976 miles.  As a non-runner that sounds ridiculously far to me but we all know that TOGETHER, things that seem impossible become possible.

I need all of your help.  The United Thank Offering (UTO) is running a virtual marathon from July 24 to August 1, 2020 “The Great EpisGOpal Race”.  We will join together as St. Thomas’s team The Soul Surrenders, to race for OUR lives and the lives of those affected by COVID-19. 

  • I’m asking each of us to sign up for at least 1 km (0.621371 miles). Be sure to sign up at the Sign up Genius, or you can reply directly to me at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.
  • Then, send me a pic of your chosen modality(s).  This virtual race can be walked slowly, run fast, skateboarded, swam, etc.
  • And, finally, please send in your donations to the church office.  We will put them together and send it as one large team donation from St. Thomas’s. If you are sending a check, please make it payable to “St. Thomas’s Church” with “EpisGOpal Race” written in the  memo line. Or, you may pay online, check “EpisGOpal Race,” and add your information on our secure online payment form.

Everyone signing up for The Soul Surrenderers will receive a team water bottle, so please let me know the number of people participating from your household. I’m asking for a suggested donation of $5 per km. Please feel free to solicit additional donations from family and neighbors. 100% of the money raised will go to the 2020 UTO Ingathering in support of Episcopal ministries responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a FUN opportunity for our faith family to join together- in a safe, socially distant way, to make a positive difference.  It is a relaxed low-pressure effort that can be done at your own pace, over several days.  Everything is by the honor system.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com

22 Jun 2020

Children’s ministries at home for June 21, 2020

by | posted in: Children's Ministries | 0

I pray this note finds you and your family well and safe. I pray that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we may all be instruments of peace and safety in this world for all God’s people. Amen.

This week, we will explore scripture and activities on the themes of God’s strength and the strength of God’s love for us.In the gospel  story, Jesus reassures his disciples of their great worth to God. God’s tender care extends to every moment of our lives, showing the abundance of grace we have received. 

To this email, I have attached a kid-friendly version of this week’s gospel, several hands-on activities that correspond to this week’s lectionary, and a few Father’s Day coloring sheets. Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone.   

For the next seven weeks, I will also host a weekly Zoom gathering each Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon (note the new time).  We will be using a new link, so that we will be able to have a whole hour for fellowship, prayer and fun.  If you have a suggestion for a game, a special prayer, or want to read the scripture for the day, you are always welcome to do so.  The new link to the Zoom gathering can be obtained by emailing me at belmar43@aol.com. (It is the same link I sent last week, with Meeting ID ending in 3152.)  I hope to see as many of you there as possible.  Please make sure that your name is displayed when you log in so I will know it is safe to let you in.

Peace be with you,
Ms. Belinda
Children’s Ministries

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving­kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

22 Jun 2020

Feeding the Homeless on Thursday, June 25, 2020

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

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

Last Thursday, June 18, 2020, with your help, we served dinner to 40 homeless friends. ALL appreciated it immensely. One wanted to know what church we were from, where it was and his message to you all is: “My name is George, and I BLESS you all for doing this.”

The end is in sight! Hope Dining Room is tentatively scheduled to open on July 13, 2020. When it does, this ministry will end. I will keep you posted. The plan for this week is Spanish rice with bacon and green beans, complemented by a fruit cup, 2 cookies and a soda. Below, you will find the sign up genius.  As always, only look at the black and gold part:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-feeding11

IF you would bring your items to St. Thomas on Thursday, June 25, 2020, between 2 and 4 p.m., that would be great.  IF that doesn’t fit into your schedule, please give me a call and I will pick it up at your door.

MANY Blessings for your care for our homeless friends,
Madeline Johnson