30 Nov 2020

Family Fun Night & Cookie Exchange 2020

by | posted in: Advent, Children's Ministries, Christmas | 0

Good Morning Everyone, 

November’s Trunk or Treat was so much fun and it was great to see everyone who came. Our next family gathering will be Family Fun Night & Cookie Exchange on December 18, 2020 from 6:00 to 7:45 p.m. in The Great Hall at St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church This indoor event, like the last one, will have a plan and guidelines to keep everyone safe. One of the things we will need to do is wear masks inside so please try to eat your dinner before you get there!!  The cookie exchange means you’ll be taking your dessert home!! See the flyer.

Also, if space allows. I would be happy to include adults without children for the Cookie Exchange toward the end of the evening (around 7:30 p.m.?),  if there is interested.

Please see the flyer for the event, which includes information about activities, the link to sign up and my contact info if you have questions or want to volunteer to help with set up or clean up.

I can’t wait to see everyone!!

Blessings,
Ms Belinda <belmar43@aol.com>

26 Nov 2020

Ladies Night IN via ZOOM

by | posted in: Women's fellowship | 0

Ladies Night IN via ZOOM on Monday, November 30, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. All are WELCOME! Doesn’t it sound great: wearing my comfy sweats, eating some left-overs, and swapping stories about weirdo Thanksgiving 2020? Contact the office for a Zoom link.

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

26 Nov 2020

Worship service sign-up for November 29, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Advent 1Good morning faith family.  Please sign up for in-person worship for this Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 9 a.m. See the FAQ about the precautions and procedures for meeting in-person 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.

As always, we will continue to stream each service on 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. Here is the service program and the service program in large print. All are welcome; please worship in whatever way is comfortable for you.

This Sunday and each Sunday in Advent at 10:00 a.m., Drive Through Communion and Prayers will be offered for those who have not received the Sacrament in-person during the service.  You do not need to sign up for this.  ALL are WELCOME!

And then, at 5 p.m., there will be Advent week 1 Evening Prayer, live via YouTube and in-person with the usual precautions (masks required). Here is the leaflet for the Advent Evening service.

The Lord of the Rings adult education class has been postponed until January, so we can focus on celebrating the Advent season in new and meaningful ways during this unprecedented year.  This gives you plenty of time to dust off this awesome trilogy, or enjoy them for the first time!

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

24 Nov 2020

Communion in Advent 2020

by | posted in: Advent | 0

Dear friends,

As Anglicans, we have a deep attachment to the sacraments.  It has been a source of great sadness that so many in our parish community have not been able to receive the Eucharist since the COVID pandemic began.  It has not been possible for all of us to gather in the church, and it was and is impractical (and not advisable for public health reasons) to bring the sacrament to everyone individually at his or her home.  But after conferring with parishioners with liturgical and medical expertise, I am pleased to have another option to offer.

On the four Sundays of Advent 2020 (November 29th, and December 6th, 13th, and 20th), the Eucharist will be available in front of the church portico from 10:00 a.m. (or the end of the 9:00 service) until 11:00 a.m.  The formalities will be simple – we will read the confession, I will offer absolution, and we will read the Lord’s Prayer (from a card to be provided), and then the Host will be offered as we do presently in church – in small plastic cups.  Masks and hand sanitizer will be in use.  The normal assumption will be that those coming to receive the Eucharist will have attended the 9:00 a.m. service virtually, but there won’t be a quiz about the sermon!

More advertising of this offering will be coming to you in all the usual ways.  I look forward to seeing many more of you in person!

Peace and be well
Howie+
The Reverend Dr. Howell C. Sasser, Jr., Rector

24 Nov 2020

Christmas 2020 Outreach with Tarbiyah

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

What is Tarbiyah?
Tarbiyah is a Muslim School located in Newark, Delaware. They are dedicated to teaching all of their students love, kindness, and respect.

What have they done during the pandemic?
The Tarbiyah School has distributed 1.3 million meals since March to children in Northern Delaware in need of food. They currently have 13 distribution sites, giving out a total of 5,000 to 7,000 meals every day, but they want to do something extra special for the holiday season.

What does St. Thomas’s need from you?
We Need Donations of:
● New Adult and Kid Size Coats
● New Hats and Gloves
● Educational Toys/Games
● Stuffed Animals
● Goody Bags – Sign Up to Donate Supplies for Goody Bags
You do not need to sign up to donate coats, gloves, hats,stuffed animals, or educational toys.

What do I do with my donations?
Donations can be dropped off in the Great Hall at St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church, or you can contact Jill Jensen at jeejensen@gmail.com to request a pick up. The children and youth at St. Thomas’s will prepare the donations for distribution. Our goal is to have all donations by Thursday, December 10, 2020.

Don’t Like Shopping?
You Can Donate Money at St. Thomas’s Online Donations.

Print and share our flyer.

20 Nov 2020

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for November 22, 2020

by | posted in: News | 0

Hello faith family!  I hope this finds you all well.  See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for the week of November 22, 2020. In it, you will find a plea from me for Christmas lights, info about a virtual Bazaar, a virtual Thanksgiving, and a virtual Novel Theology meeting.

This week, we will have our three regular services and Novel Theology:

  • Sunday, November 22, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship service Rite II with music, live on YouTube and in-person.
  • Sunday, November 22, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. – Novel Theology via  ZOOM.
  • Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer live on YouTube using a leaflet for Pentecost.
  • Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline evening prayers with Deacon Cecily live on ZOOM.
  •  Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship service Rite II with music, live on YouTube and in-person. First Sunday of Advent.

As we head into Advent and the season of sharing, there will be many opportunities to give back to our community.  It will be different from our traditional Angel Tree and food drive.  One of the projects being put together is a kids’ gift bag assembly.  You can look for emails about this worthy effort, and others in the upcoming weeks.  If you have questions or if you have a project that needs to be advertised, please contact the office.

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, 11.22.20.  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.

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

19 Nov 2020

Worship service sign-up for November 22, 2020

by | posted in: Worship | 0

Hello faith family!  I hope this finds you well. Here is the service program and the service program in large print for your preview. Sunday, November 22, 2020 is the last Sunday of Pentecost and Christ the King Sunday. Next Sunday begins Advent! And, Christian Education is wrapping up our celebration of Creation Season. 

On Sunday, we will be streaming LIVE from St. Thomas’s at 9 a.m. and also worshiping in person. 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. Here is the service program and the service program in large print.

Following the service this week, Novel Theology will meet via Zoom to discuss The Girls of Ennismore by Patricia Flavy.  A Zoom link will be sent Sunday at 10 a.m.  Reading this book is not required to participate in this lively discussion, though it’s another stellar choice.  Set in Ireland during the turbulent early 20th century, Patricia Falvey’s sweeping novel explores an unlikely friendship between two girls of vastly different backgrounds, as each tries to overcome the barriers set by class and birthright…

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.

I look forward to worshiping together on Sunday! 

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

19 Nov 2020

Letting our Light SHINE

by | posted in: Christmas, News | 0

This is a call for Christmas Lights! And, it will be followed by a call to help decorate. If you have any extra working Christmas lights or see a deal too good to pass up, please share. You can drop them at the church office Mon.-Thur. from 9 a.m.-noon or email Cana, Parish Administrator, at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com and she will do a contactless porch pick-up.

Thanks in advance for your help! It is more important than ever, during this unusual season, that we remind our community that we are still here, that God’s love is constant, and we are filled with JOY remembering the birth of our Savior. Our parish will be participating in the2020 Newark Christmas light tour.

18 Nov 2020

Need for sleeping bags

by | posted in: Outreach | 0

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

As the cold weather approaches, the Newark Empowerment Center is in need of sleeping bags to keep our homeless friends warm at night. IF you happen to have any sleeping bags that are no longer in use, I will put a big box outside the office at St. Thomas’s today, to collect them.  I will take them to the Empowerment Center. IF you would rather take them there yourself, they are located in the parking lot, behind the Newark Methodist Church (parking lot is off of Delaware Ave.)  The Empowerment Center is open from 1 – 3 p.m. (on weekdays) and they serve lunch from outside at that time, so you can just drive up and someone will  take it right from your car.  (no contact)

MANY Blessings,
Madeline Johnson