28 Jan 2021

Worship service for January 31, 2021

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Epiphany 4Hello faith family!  January 31, 2021 is the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany. We will be streaming LIVE from St. Thomas’s at 9 a.m. YouTube channel. 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.

Following the service each week in January, Fr. Howie will be offering Drive/Walk Through Communion and Prayers from 10 to 11 a.m.  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.

This Sunday, at 10:30 a.m., adult education will meet via ZOOM to continue the discussion around “Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of The Lord of the Rings” by Mark Eddy Smith.  Please contact Rue, Larry, or the office with any questions.  Reading the book is not a requirement, and you can participate in one or all of the sessions.

At this time, all services and gatherings have been moved to online.  Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about the decision to move back to online worship. 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. 

I look forward to worshiping together on Sunday! 

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

27 Jan 2021

179th Annual Meeting is March 21, 2021

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St. Thomas’s 179th Annual Meeting will be held on March 21, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. – noon via Zoom.

Included in the annual meeting agenda is an election for three new Vestry candidates for the Vestry Class of 2024.This election will be conducted by postal mail again this year, in an effort to keep the process valid and fair, while caring for the health and safety of our parish and community during the pandemic. Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters by Monday, February 15, 2021. A return envelope with postage will be included, though ballots may be dropped off in the ballot box in the lobby. It is important that all eligible members vote so that we reach at least a quorum. Last year during the pandemic, we had an excellent parish membership response. ALL BALLOTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021.

22 Jan 2021

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for January 24, 2021

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Happy Friday!  See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for January 24, 2021. In it you will find many of the same events as last week, however please take note to  SAVE THE DATE FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING on Sunday, March 21, 2021 via Zoom at 11 a.m.  More information will be coming soon. We are now in Epiphanytide, and in two more Sundays we will be shifting into Lent:

You will receive an emailed invitation to all the above events, and their accompanying leaflets.  As always, there are copies available to be mailed, so please let me know if you’d like a paper copy. 

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

21 Jan 2021

Worship service for January 24, 2021

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Epiphany 3Hello faith family!  January 24, 2021 is the Third Sunday after Epiphany.  We will be streaming LIVE from St. Thomas’s at 9 a.m. on YouTube channel. 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.  

Following the service each week in January, Fr. Howie will be offering Drive/Walk Through Communion and Prayers from 10 to 11 a.m.  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.

This Sunday, at 10:30 a.m., Novel Theology will meet via Zoom to discuss “Season of Wonder” by Rae Anne Thayne.  An email invitation will be sent out.  ALL are WELCOME to participate in this discussion – reading the book is never a requirement.

The following Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 10:30 a.m., Lord of the Rings theme adult education will meet via ZOOM to continue the discussion around “Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of The Lord of the Rings” by Mark Eddy Smith.  Please contact Rue, Larry, or the office with any questions.  Reading the book is not a requirement, and you can participate in one or all of the sessions.

At this time, all services and gatherings have been moved to online.  Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr Howie with any questions or concerns about the decision to move back to online worship. 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. 

I look forward to worshiping together on Sunday! 

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

15 Jan 2021

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for January 17, 2021

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Happy  See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for January 17, 2021. In it, you will see a thank you message from Fr Howie, an update on virtual worship from Bishop Kevin, as well as notes about upcoming events- and a summary of our favorite centenarian’s birthday celebration! We are now in Epiphanytide, and while it is not as vigorous a schedule as the Christmas season, there are some upcoming events to mark on your calendar:

  • Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 9 a.m.: Holy Eucharist, rite II with music, live on YouTube
  • Sunday, January 17, 2021 from 10-11 a.m.: Walk/Drive Through Communion and Prayers, in-person with a mask please
  • Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 10:30 a.m.: adult education 3-week series, Spirituality in the Lord of the Rings, live via Zoom
  • Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 10 a.m.: 2 Saints readers will begin discussing “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande, live via Zoom
  • Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at noon: Intercessory Prayers with Holy Eucharist, live on YouTube
  • Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 7 p.m.: Evening Compline Prayers with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom
  • Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 9 a.m.: Holy Eucharist, rite II with music, live on YouTube
  • Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 10-11a.m.: Walk/Drive Through Communion and Prayers, in-person with a mask please
  • Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 10:30 a.m.: Novel Theology will meet via Zoom to discuss “Season of Wonder” by Rae Ann Thayne

You will receive an emailed invitation to all the above events, and their accompanying leaflets.  As always, there are copies available to be mailed, so please let me know if you’d like a paper copy.  If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, email the office.

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 Jan 2021

Adult Education – A Visit to Middle Earth Re-Scheduled

by | posted in: Adult Education | 0

See original announcement and update below.

Well, dear friends, last Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, we tried to have the first class on “Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues”, but attendance was very low. After a 15-minute wait, we decided to postpone the beginning. I’m going to start over this coming Sunday.

The new dates will be January 17th, January 31st, and February 2nd, 2021, all at 10:30 a.m.  Novel Theology will be January 24, 2021. 

Please read the Introduction and Parts 1 and 2 prior to Sunday, January 17, 2021 (they’re a quick read).

The info on the book is: “Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of The Lord of the Rings” by Mark Eddy Smith.

Stay well; I’ll hope to see you in Middle Earth!

Rue Manning
Co-chair Adult Education

13 Jan 2021

Worship service for January 17, 2021

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Hello faith family!  Happy Epiphany!  January 17, 2021 is the Second Sunday after Epiphany.  We will be streaming LIVE from St. Thomas’s at 9 a.m. on our YouTube channel.  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.  

Please see our parish prayer list to this email. 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.

Following the service each week in January, Fr. Howie will be offering Drive/Walk Through Communion and Prayers from 10 to 11 a.m.  ALL are Welcome!

The much anticipated Lord of the Rings theme adult education will continue this Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. A ZOOM invitation will be sent to all on Sunday morning. This session will utilize “Tolkien’s Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of The Lord of the Rings”  by Mark Eddy Smith.  Please contact Rue, Larry, or the office with any questions.

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. 

At this time, all services and gatherings have been moved to online.  Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr Howie with any questions or concerns about the decision to move back to online worship. 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.

I look forward to worshiping together on Sunday! 

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

13 Jan 2021

Episcopal Campus Ministry (ECM) Report for January 2021

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Happy New Year! ECM took a break over Christmas but has resumed. Our first meeting starting this past Sunday on January 10, 2021. Due to the exigencies of Covid 19, ECM we continued to meet via zoom on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. Shannon—our president sends out the Zoom link and reminders are issued over email and GroupMe.

Blue Hen Bounty (BHB) has continued serving the community during the shutdown with spectacular support from Cana, Amy and Teresa (all honorary members of ECM with the BHB t-shirts to prove). Patronage of BHB has continued to be steady. We continue to see patrons among staff as well students. This increase has been hoped for and we remain humbled and grateful to serve our community in this fundamental way.

The new cabinets have been purchased and are awaiting installation! The floors need to be resurfaced so installation must wait. They will be installed in the Classroom to accommodate our increased supply and demand. Special thanks to Sue and Amy for making this happen!

The supermarket cards have been purchased—thanks Amy! At a virtual meeting between Cana, Amy, Teresa and I, we discussed how best to distribute and store the supermarket cards. The cards will be distributed on as needed basis at the discretion of the issuer: Cana and Teresa. A set number of activated cards (8-10) will be stored in the locked office desk. The rest will be stored in the St Thomas safe. Cana has created a simple form to keep track of the cards which have been issued for our records.

We have accepted an invitation from the St. Thomas’s CREW to have a joint virtual meeting on January 24, 2021. Kate Burchess will make a presentation of Centering Prayer to both groups during our meeting. ECM will organize the ice breaker. Sue and I met late last year to explore the options of linking the groups and I am very pleased that this will be happening soon.

ECM will work on and submit a video to be used in New Student Recruitment at the University of Delaware (UD). When complete, I will attach a link for the Vestry to review.

Our focus on explicit spirituality continues to develop. We have been building the conversation about knowing God through prayer. This past meeting, I spoke with students about the current events at the Capitol. I asked them not to close off in fear but to exercise their minds and practice critical thinking. I asked them not to give into fear or anxiety. I reminded them that they were safe in their homes and thus far, very little about their lives will change in spite of the rapid changes going on in our country. I reminded them that Facebook and YouTube and TikTok are not reliable sources of peer-reviewed information and should be avoided or cross referenced with reputable sources. I assured them that in spite of what they may have heard, there are no lizards in skin suits masquerading as people or pedophile rings operating out of pizza parlors. We had a brief discussion. Several students are taking classes and quite frankly focused on their work. Please keep all of our UD students in your prayers. This has been a very difficult time for our students even though ECM students they are blessed with parents and homes which appear to be weathering the challenges of the pandemic very well. Please, please keep them in your prayers.

University of Religious Leaders Organization (URLO) meetings have continued via Zoom which I attend— our next meeting is January 19, 2021.

With regards,   
Denise Burgher, ECM Convening Graduate Advisor

13 Jan 2021

Hope Dining Room on Monday January 18, 2021

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

Next Monday, January 18, 2021 is our Hope Dining Room day! We can have 5 masked-people in the kitchen at a time and serving is done from a table in the front of the room as a “grab and go”.  Our guests come in one door and walk across the room, grab lunch and go out the other door – 6 feet or more apart.  ALL of them are masked as well.

If you are free on Monday, January 18, 2021we have a job for you! We begin preparing the meal at Kingswood Methodist Church on Marrows Rd. in Brookside, at 10 a.m. and serve it from 12 – 1 p.m. Here is the Sign Up Genius for the fruit cups, cookies and volunteers:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-hope5

You may drop off your donations of food at St. Thomas’s on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday from 9 a.m. – noon. If those times don’t work for you, give me a call or email and I will pick it up at your door.

Many Blessings,
Madeline Johnson   mad1240@comcast.net

12 Jan 2021

Outreach Report for December 2020 and January 2021

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Our Hope Dining Room service with St. Nicholas happened on Dec. 21, 2020.  We prepared 55 meals,  served 36 of them and took 19 to the Newark Empowerment Center. We also provided MANY toiletries and cookies for the Christmas Goodie bags for the guests at Hope Dining Room.

We joined forces with St. Nicholas to provide mittens, hats and socks for the tiny children at St. Michaels Day Nursery in downtown Wilmington. I delivered all of our collection to St. Nicholas on January 10, 2021.

Two years ago our CREW (teens) collected warm sweaters, coats, scarves, gloves and socks for use at Code Purple which did not happen 2 years ago, because of the mild winter.  There were only 3 Code Purples called and we didn’t get any of them – they were done by 3 other churches in Newark. This year, Code Purple can’t be done in the churches, because of the pandemic. So, after consultation with Kelly Tompkins and Belinda, I took all the boxes of warm clothes to the Newark Empowerment Center. They will keep some of the items and send some to the Hope Center, where many of our homeless friends are staying.

I would like to THANK all of our St. Thomas’s family for their generosity and care for people who truly need help.  The needs are many and St. Thomas’s always steps up, royally!!!   BLESS you ALL!!!

Respectfully submitted,
Madeline Johnson