You may see the sermon for the First Sunday After the Epiphany – January 12, 2020 celebrated by The Reverend Dr. Howell C. Sasser, Jr. on YouTube at https://youtu.be/RR8s1khgStA.
Recent sermons are also available.
Bread Baking Guild
There has been home baked bread when the people of St. Thomas’s gather around the 10:30 a.m. communion table since the early 1980s.The recipe we use was developed by a former parishioner and has rarely been altered since then.
The recipe is very accessible for experienced bakers as well as folks who are learning how to make bread.The tools used are also easy to come by.Most of them are probably already in your kitchen.
Our bakers range in age from 6 to 80+. We welcome everyone who is interested in learning how to produce the loaves for the congregation.We will even offer instruction if necessary.We’ll also supply the cutters to make sure the loaves are always the same size and shape.
If you’re interested, speak with Fr. Howie or Sally Price.ALL are Welcome to join in this important ministry!
Carpenter’s Helper news for January 12, 2020
Good morning! Happy Friday! Please see the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for this week. I have received only positive feedback regarding having these available electronically via email and also through our website. Also, please keep in mind that there are still paper copies available in the Great Hall by the name tag station, for you to take home if you wish.
There are a few “extra” events coming up to put on the calendar:
- This Sunday, January 12, 2020, at 9 a.m. between services, please join the Finance committee for Doughnuts and a finance update. They want your input! Please attend; we are all partners in Stewardship.
- There will be Holy Baptism at the 10:30 a.m. service! I’m so excited to welcome another member fully into our faith family!
- Youth CREW (“Christians Ready, Equipped, and Willing”) is hosting an outing to a UD Basketball game at 1 p.m. Please contact Belinda if you are interested.
- This Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at noon, starts a NEW SERVICE of Intercessory Prayer with Holy Eucharist. Please come by if you are able, to pray for the needs of the Parish, our Hearts, and the World.
- Novel Theology is meeting next Sunday, January 19, 2020, to discuss “An Irish Country Love Story” by Patrick Taylor. There is still time to check out this good read, however reading is not required to attend this discussion.
Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
Christian Education for Winter / Spring 2020
The Christian life is a source of endless fascination. Just when we think we have seen and heard everything it has to offer, something new turns up. Committing to a life of learning and growing in the faith is an excellent way to make sure there is always enough fuel in the spiritual tank.
Ask, Seek, Knock from Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
All events are open to the public and are held at St. Thomas’s Parish, 276 S. College Ave., Newark Delaware 19711. See our web site at stthomasparish.org for more information and updates. Questions? Call the Parish Office at (302) 369-4644,
Lecture Series
An Absurdly Short History of Christianity
Six-Week Series on February 16 and 23 & March 1, 8, 15, 22, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
Who invented church? How did we go from a few fishermen to billions of faithful people? And, what relevance can the church have in a time when belief seems to have become a dirty word? In six sessions, we will follow the development of the Christian Movement from the time of the Apostles to the Electronic Age.
Along the way, there will be a few heretics and councils, but we will also talk about how our past shapes us and what we believe. Come along for new insights on familiar stories and maybe some new information too.
Guest Lecturer at noon
Prayer Beads: Touching Holiness on February 9, 2020
Most of us know about rosaries and how they are used in prayer, but there are many practices (in many faiths!) that incorporate beads as a way to connect the spiritual with the physical. This session will suggest a few prayer techniques you might try, but will also be hands-on. Beads and stringing materials will be provided and a knowledgeable beader will be on hand to guide us in making our own aids to prayer.
Faith and Fear: A Primer on Sentencing Reform on March, 29, 2020
Mandatory minimum sentences, “three strikes” laws, and the war on drugs. These and other social forces have combined to fill our prisons beyond their intended capacities. These are places that most faithful people rarely see of even think about. And yet our faith calls us to a special concern for prisoners. This session will give us an update on current conditions and future possibilities.
Sermon for Epiphany – January 5, 2020
You may see the sermon for Epiphany – January 5, 2020 celebrated by The Reverend Dr. Howell C. Sasser, Jr. on YouTube at https://youtu.be/qOsB3TMUEAM.
Recent sermons are also available.
Children’s Ministries News for January 5, 2020
This Sunday, January 5, 2020, Sunday School will begin with Sunday Breakfast Club in the Great Hall classroom at 9:30 am. Thank you to the McGough Family for hosting this week. (Don’t forget to sign up for your turn by using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CAAA62CAB9-sunday
The education and worship part of our children’s program will begin at 9:45 a.m. in the Undercroft. If you can, please join us and/or have your children join us as we conclude the cycle of nativity stories, combining the prologue to the Gospel of John with the story of Epiphany, inviting children to offer, with the kings, gifts for the infant Jesus.
Later in the day, join me and my family at 5 p.m. for St. Thomas’s Epiphany celebration.The evening will include Worship, Celebration, Potluck dinner and Burning of the Greens. Ham and pasta will be provided. If you want to contribute, please bring a side dish or dessert to share. And, please feel free to bring a friend or neighbor. Or just bring yourself!
I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Blessings,Belinda Young-Payne, Director of Children’s Ministries
First Sunday offering for Rector’s discretionary fund
Don’t forget this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month so all loose plate (non-pledge) cash and checks are earmarked for the Rector’s discretionary fund. The discretionary fund provides resources for Father Howie to help our friends and neighbors in need. Donations can he made anytime during the month by writing “discretionary fund” on your check or giving online at www.stthomasparish.org. Grocery and gas cards are also helpful.
Carpenter’s Helper news for January 5, 2020
Happy 2020! A new year gives us all the opportunity to make adjustments to align ourselves with our goals, and to reexamine our goals. One of my goals is to be a better creation steward. I pray to be made aware of small adjustments that can add up to significant change.
So, to that effect, this week I will not be printing out 120 Helpers to put into all of the leaflets. I am sending this electronic link, and will have copies available in the Great Hall and lobby. Please give me your feedback! This amounts to a savings of around $20 per week, so not huge, but a small change that can add up to saving both money and paper. However, if this change is at the expense of you knowing what is happening in our parish, and being connected to the excitement, then it’s totally not worth it. All past Helpers are available from our website and Facebook.
So, without further delay, see the January 5, 2020 Carpenter’s Helper newsletter. See all Newsletters or Announcements.
A few reminders:
- EPIPHANY Fellowship, Pot-Luck, and burning of the greens is this Sunday, January 5, 2020 at 5:00 in the evening. I hope to see you at our favorite pot-luck of the year!
- Next Sunday, January 12, 2020, the Finance Committee would like to have everyone attend their update at 9 a.m. There will be doughnuts!
- Novel Theology will be meeting on January 19, 2020 at 9:15 a.m. in the Classroom . An Irish Love Story by Patrick Taylor will be discussed.
- Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at noon, starts a new service of Intercessory Prayer with Holy Eucharist.
Kind Regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
Epiphany Potluck on Sunday, January 5, 2020, at 5 p.m.
Come join in the Epiphany celebration with your St. Thomas’s family on Sunday evening, January 5, 2020, starting at 5 p.m.
It’s our favorite potluck event of the year!
Ham and a pasta dish will be provided. All you need to bring is side dishes or desserts. (If you’re not up to cooking just bring yourself.)
We’ll start off with Evening Prayer around the tables and round off the night with a bonfire of our Christmas greenery from the church.
Come join us, and bring a neighbor! ALL are Welcome!
Cana Hartman and Sally Price
Novel Theology for January – May 2020
Novel Theology is a lively discussion group that meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Classroom. Meetings are the second Sunday of September through May. For January, April and May 2020, we will meet on the third Sunday.
The reading list for the 2019-20 is:
Sept. 8, 2019 – The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan
Oct. 13, 2019 – Love Heals by Becca Stevens
Nov. 10, 2019 – The Walk by Richard Paul Evans
Dec. 8, 2019 – Gabriel’s Angel by Nora Roberts
Jan. 19, 2020 – An Irish Love Story by Patrick Taylor
Feb. 9, 2020 – A Step of Faith by Richard Paul Evans
March 8, 2020 – A Live Coal in the Sea by Madeline L’Engle
April 19, 2020 – The Other Side of the Sun by Madeline L’Engle
May 17, 2020 – Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Please join us! Reading the book is not a requirement. For more information, contact Susan Hechter at susanahechter@gmail.com.