13 Sep 2020

Episcopal Campus Ministry (ECM) Report for September 2020

by Joy Lynam | posted in: ECM | 0

Due to the exigencies of Covid 19, ECM has begun the semester meeting via zoom. Shannon—our president, sent out the Zoom link; reminders were issued over email and GroupMe. The group decided to meet on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. during this semester in response to the challenges of coordinating around multiple schedules. Our inaugural meeting saw four students in attendance along with Sally and me. We had one new member join ECM who had reached out to us during the break as she is a new transfer student though a native of Delaware.

Blue Hen Bounty (BHB) has continued serving the community during the shutdown with a great deal of support from Cana—who is wonderful. BHB has been patronized by several students over break which has continued into the semester. Shannon, Aly and I will need take inventory of our supply and seek more contributions from the church to re-up our inventory which we will do this Friday.

ECM discussed and agreed to send a sympathy card to the members of the Chabad House along with a gift of kosher coffee produced by a Jewish company as a way to express our sympathy. We have successfully reached out to Rabbi Voegel and Sally will complete the purchase and card on our behalf.

BHB has completed an application for a grant under the CARES act which was flagged to our intention by Cana. Shannon, Amy, Father Howie and I filled in the information utilizing a google doc which was then transferred into the correct format for the grant.

Shannon and I met with the Brian Anderson from Student Life who has been assigned to work among other issues with food insecurity on campus. This meeting went very well. We have asked for a UD email address, advertising across the campus, donations of cash and kind and an ongoing relationship with UD through his department. I will report on the progress we make in these areas.

Father Howie, Devon Miller-Duggan, Sally and I (ECM steering/advisory committee) met to discuss options and ideas for ECM this year as we continue to deal with Covid 19. We agreed to create a welcome surprise for the present ECM students from St. Thomas’s. We floated ideas about the ways that ECM can interact with the broader community: chalking the sidewalks with inspiring quotes, lawn signs with the same, a campaign which outlines basic tenets of Episcopalian theology with catchy images, etc. ECM has been invited to think about what we want to do before Shannon, and I share the ideas which were raised by the steering/advisory committee.

The one idea which I did share with the group with Shannon’s agreement was our spiritual focus. This shift was in response to a need that was identified and a request which ECM made of the ECM group as separate from working with BHB. Father Howie agreed to create a spiritual discernment/education text which ECM will work through this year that is similar but different from his, Into The Desert but more along the lines of spiritual formation.

University of Religious Leaders Organization (URLO) meetings have continued via Zoom which I attend.

With regards,
Denise Burgher
ECM Convening Graduate Advisor

11 Sep 2020

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for September 13, 2020

by Joy Lynam | posted in: News | 0

Hello faith family! I hope this finds you all well. See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for the week of September 13, 2020. In it, you will find the FAQs for our return to in-person worship, as well as a call for “Go-Bags”.

This week, we will have our 3 regular services, as well as a memorial service:

Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 11 a.m. – Bob Browning memorial live on YouTube , here is the leaflet.
Sunday, September 13, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE from St. Thomas’s on YouTube.
Wednesday noon – intercessory prayer LIVE on YouTube a leaflet for Pentecost.
Thursday at 7 p.m. – 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, September 20, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE from St. Thomas’s on YouTube and in-person (in-person guidelines).

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.

ALL are Welcome! Please let me know if you’d like a paper copy of any of the leaflets mailed to you.

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

10 Sep 2020

Worship service for September 13, 2020

by Joy Lynam | posted in: Worship | 0

Pentecost 15 Hello faith family! I hope this finds you well. Sunday, September 13, 2020 is the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost. 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 that accompanies this Sunday’s worship service. 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. Yesterday, I emailed an invitation to in-person worship for this Sunday with a link to a sign-up genius. Here our FAQ about the precautions and procedures for doing in-person worship 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.

Our friends at St. Nicholas are still most welcome to worship with us online every Sunday, however their parish has returned to in-person gathering. On Sunday, September 13, 2020, St. Thomas’s will also begin offering in-person worship, as well as, online worship, still at 9 a.m. Regardless of whether we are together in-person or virtually, we are connected by the Holy Spirit: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20).

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

9 Sep 2020

A call for GO-BAGS

by Joy Lynam | posted in: Outreach | 0

The Newark Empowerment Center (NEC) is staffed by a Friendship House professional and supported by hospitality volunteers primarily supplied by faith community, including our faith family at St. Thomas’s. They serve Newark’s citizens in need, and right now they are in need. They have a critical need for “Go Bags”.

Because there are so few free meals served in Newark, the Center distributes Go Bags to homeless clients every weekday. With enough food for one meal, a typical Go Bag will have a variety of nonperishable food items. The Newark Empowerment Center (NEC) is located in the Newark United Methodist Church at 69 E. Main St., Newark, but we are making a collection of Go Bags here at St. Thomas’s: the box is located right outside of the office. Please consider contributing.

EXAMPLE GO BAG
gallon sized ziplock bag with the following:
protein serving (pasta, stew, tuna or chicken soup)- flip top cans only
granola or cereal bar
8-16 oz. juice
peanut butter/cheese crackers
fruit serving (single serve peaches, mixed fruit applesauce, raisins)
napkin and plastic spoon
dessert optional (single serve pudding, cookies)

9 Sep 2020

A guide to our return to in-person worship

by Joy Lynam | posted in: Worship | 0

On September 13, 2020, St. Thomas’s will resume in-person worship on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and Wednesdays at 12:00 noon. Both services will be open to the congregation and anyone else in the community who might like to attend, but with safety precautions designed to help keep everyone healthy. This guide answers some basic questions about how things will work.

Who can come to church?
Anyone can be present for worship. We ask that those who have any of the major COVID-19 symptoms – cough, fever, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, sore throat – or who know they have been exposed to COVID-19 not attend in person until they have appropriate medical clearance. We also encourage those who are at high risk of complications of infection to consider delaying their return to the in-person services.

Will “YouTube church” end when in-person services start again?
No! We will continue to live-stream all of our services. Those who can’t yet return to live worship, those who may be traveling, and even those who have never been to St Thomas’s can keep worshiping with us in exactly the same way they have done over the past few months.

How can I know I’ll be safe in church?
We will be taking a number of steps to keep everyone safe. All those in attendance will be required to wear masks at all times (with the exception of readers, the preacher, and other when they are “on camera”). Ample quantities of hand sanitizer will be made available at the church door, in the narthex, near the altar, and in other key places, and reminders about using it will be given during services. Seating will be limited and configured to maintain safe distances between non-related people. A sign-in book will be in place and staffed at the church door to keep a record of all who attend each service and provide a way of following up if someone should later become sick. And all high-contact surfaces and touch points (like pew seats and door handles) will be sanitized after each service.

Will church look different?
Some aspects of our worship will be different. Singing will be kept to a minimum. Communion will be distributed in one kind (bread) only, in small plastic cups that help minimize contact with the hosts. The Peace will be passed only with “touch-free” gestures. We will encourage those who wish to gather to visit with friends before or after church to do so outside, or at least to maintain safe distances.

How many people can attend in person?
We estimate that 36 to 38 people can be accommodated in the nave and the balcony. At such time as more people want to attend, if the state- mandated capacity limits have not changed, we have plans for overflow seating in the parish hall. To give us an idea of how many people to expect, we will be using an advance reservation system – Sign-Up Genius (the same one that was used this summer for food donations) for Sunday services.

The reservation “book” for each Sunday will open the prior Wednesday. You will receive an email from Cana with the link. Those without reservations will not necessarily be turned away, but we hope everyone will pitch in to help make church attendance planning as efficient as possible.

For the time being, the Wednesday service will be open without the need for advance sign-up.

Will there be coffee hour and Sunday School and other usual stuff?
For the time being, there will be no coffee hour or in-person Christian education for children. Most events in the Christian education for adults calendar will be offered in a blended in-person and virtual format. Other church meetings and classes will continue to be virtual until the Vestry decides to permit them to resume.

How can I get other questions answered?
If you have other questions or concerns, please contact Fr. Howie (302-368- 4644 or Howell.sasser.jr@gmail.com) or any other member of the parish’s reopening task force (Deacon Cecily, Barb Eldred, Sally Price, Martha Holyoke, Ronnie Wilbur, and Brian Smith).

6 Sep 2020

Resuming In-Person Worship on September 13, 2020

by Joy Lynam | posted in: News | 0

We are sharing an overview of what in-person worship will look like, beginning NEXT Sunday, September 13, 2020. All services will continue to be broadcast through YouTube and Sunday worship will remain at 9 a.m. You can look for the sign up email fro Sunday worship from me on Wednesday. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Fr. Howie at StThomassRector@googlegroups.com with any questions regarding the guidelines, and please contact the office with any questions regarding the sign-up for in-person worship or YouTube broadcasting. Your comments and questions are appreciated!!

Our friends at St. Nicholas are still most welcome to worship with us online every Sunday although their parish will return to in-person gathering this week. Next Sunday, September 13, 2020, we will also begin offering in-person worship, still at 9 a.m. Please look for upcoming email communication about what this in-person service will be like, and what the safety protocols will be. 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.

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

6 Sep 2020

Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for September 6, 2020

by Joy Lynam | posted in: News | 0

Happy Friday faith family! I hope this finds you all well. See the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter for the week of September 6, 2020. In it is a call from Bishop Brown to share your artistic talents. I know there are many artists in our faith family who use many different media: photography, painting, collage, etc. Share your gifts! Also, the schedule for 2020-2021 Novel Theology is available for meetings via Zoom at 10:30 a.m. on one Sunday a month.

This week, we will have our 3 regular services, as well as a memorial service:

Sunday, September 6, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE from St. Thomas’s on YouTube.
Wednesday noon – intercessory prayer LIVE on YouTube a leaflet for Pentecost.
Thursday at 7 p.m. – 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.
Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 11 a.m. – Bob Browning memorial live on YouTube
Sunday, September 13, 2020 at 9 a.m. – Worship Service, Rite II with music LIVE from St. Thomas’s on YouTube and in-person (in-person guidelines).

Please let me know if you have any meetings – virtual or otherwise – that you would like to have included on the Parish calendar.

ALL are Welcome! Please let me know if you’d like a paper copy of any of the leaflets mailed to you.

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

4 Sep 2020

Novel Theology for 2020-2021

by Joy Lynam | posted in: News | 0

Meetings will be held on the Sundays listed below at 10:30 a.m. via ZOOM until it is safe and comfortable for us all to meet again in person. Please contact the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com for a ZOOM link.

Oct. 25, 2020: A New Song by Jan Karron
Nov. 22, 2020: The Girls of Ennismore by Patricia Falvey (pp361)
Dec. 27, 2020: Where Courage Calls by Jeanette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan (pp329)
Jan. 24, 2021: Season of Wonder by Rae Anne Thayne (pp339)
Feb. 14, 2021: The Peppermint Tea Chronicles by Alexander McCall Smith (pp310)
March 21, 2021: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Meggoch
April 18, 2021: Dimity and the Heart of Gold by Nancy Atherton (pp228)
May 23, 2021: Fly Girls by Keith O’Brien

3 Sep 2020

Worship service for September 6, 2020

by Joy Lynam | posted in: Worship | 0

Pentecost 14 Greetings faith family! I hope this finds you well. Sunday, September 6, 2020 is the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost. 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 leaflet that accompanies the service. 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.

Our friends at St. Nicholas are still most welcome to worship with us online every Sunday, however their parish will return to in-person gathering this week. Next Sunday, September 13, 2020, we will also begin offering in-person worship, still at 9 a.m. Please look for upcoming email communication about what this in-person service will be like, and what the safety protocols will be. 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: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20).

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

31 Aug 2020

Rector’s Summer / Fall 2020 update

by Joy Lynam | posted in: News | 0

26 August 2020

Dear friends,

At a recent funeral (the first in the church since February) we heard the famous reading from Ecclesiastes that begins, “For everything there is a season.” More on my mind lately is how it ends: “That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.” After six months in which it has felt as if the world has been holding its breath and time has been on pause, this seems like a good time to look back and look ahead.

My first and most important message is to say thank you. We devoted a Carpenter’s Helper issue to this theme, but I must add my own thanks. Many people have kept St. Thomas’s going through the COVID Spring and Summer of 2020. The altar has been tended. Meals have been made and delivered. The grounds have been planted and weeded and cleared of storm damage. Pledges and other donations have continued to come in. Our ability to share our events over the Internet has expanded rapidly. A wonderful new chapter in our cooperation with St Nicholas’s has begun. To all those who have made these and other things happen, I extend my personal thanks and the thanks of the parish. Well done, good and faithful servants of our Lord Jesus.

With that as a launching pad, we are ready to begin looking forward. Committees have been meeting over the summer to work on stewardship and Christian education for children and youth. They will begin to share the fruits of their work soon.

The first offerings of the adult education program for the year will also be coming up in September. For these and other events, we are excited to be able to use what we have learned about Zoom and YouTube to make sure that everyone has a chance to participate.

Another small group has joined with members of St. Nicholas’s to explore ways we can cooperate on service, fellowship, and worship. Expect to hear more about this mutual ministry in the coming weeks.

At a meeting of the clergy this week, the diocesan Commission on Ministry rolled out a new program to help parishes organize small groups for the deepening of faith and the discernment of new opportunities to which God may be calling us. I am excited about this initiative and am confident that many at St. Thomas’s will find it to be a powerful faith fertilizer.

Another diocesan group has been working on our response to racism inside and outside the church. The first of their recommendations and the programs they inspire will be coming to St. Thomas’s and churches all over Delaware this fall. I encourage everyone to join in this part of the church’s mission to heal creation.

And I am pleased to report that the Vestry has voted to resume in-person worship at St. Thomas’s on Sunday, September 13^th. A group of parishioners met over the summer to produce a plan for a safe resumption of services. This plan has been approved by the Diocese and will guide us in helping to make sure those who wish to be present for worship can do so with the least risk possible.

For the present, our weekly schedule will remain the same: Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. and Wednesday at noon. All services will continue to be live-streamed. Some details of our routine will look a bit different. Numbers will be limited and safety precautions like masks and hand sanitizing will be firmly in place. Look for another communication in the next week to give more information and answer some frequently asked questions.

And so, friends, we approach the end of the summer with a lot to show for the odd “in-between” days we have been passing through. I hope your summer has been restful and that, like me, you are ready for some new beginnings. May God shower you with every spiritual blessing as we move toward what is yet to be.

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

Author Archives: Joy Lynam