A group within our parish has been working hard to put together a youth and children’s worship and Sunday school program for this unprecedented season of Covid-19, and create a solid structure to carry us forward into the future.  We are asking for your input.

Adults and youth ages 12 and up — we need your input on the future of Children’s and Youth Ministries at St. Thomas’s during the pandemic and beyond! Please take our survey by Friday, Sep. 25, 2020. Your opinion and ideas are wanted! 

Not to be too corny, but it’s true: the children are our future. A Sunday school program is important to fostering that future. Youth can not only learn about God and the faith, but they also find mentors, meet friends, form good habits, and foster a feeling that they are loved and valued members of our faith family.

This survey is not only for adults, but also for youth ages 12+. It will help to build a program where our kids can explore the biblical stories, and connect God’s story to their own.  Even if you have no children, and zero interest in teaching- your viewpoint is important!  It takes less than 5 minutes.  Please take this survey to help grow and strengthen our faith family!

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

Happy Ninth Sunday after Pentecost on this August 2, 2020!

I pray this note finds you and your family well and safe. And, I pray that my efforts to provide these weekly resources each week have been helpful to you in some small way this spring and summer. I have enjoyed thinking of you all and praying for your well-being as I prepared them each week. 

This week, we are invited to gratefully wonder about God’s generosity. We are reminded that nothing can make God cease to love and provide for us. In the gospel, Jesus has compassion on those who hunger and feeds them with five loaves and two fish. 

Here are a few kid-friendly versions of this week’s gospel, several hands-on activities on the theme of our role in implementing God’s generosity and a short reflection that I found inspiring. Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone from preschooler to tween to teen to adult.

This Sunday, I will also host my last weekly Zoom gathering for the summer from 11:00 a.m. to noon.  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 link to the Zoom gathering can be obtained by emailing me at belmar43@aol.com. (It is the one 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.

Blessings,
Ms. Belinda, Children’s Ministries

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.Amen.

Happy Saturday before The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost on Sunday, July 26, 2020!  I pray this note finds you and your family well and safe. And, I pray that my efforts to provide these weekly resources each week have been helpful to you in some small way.  

This week, we are invited to “see” the kingdom of heaven as important, good, and to be shared. In today’s scripture passage,  Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven by sharing several parables with us.

To this email, I have attached a few kid-friendly versions of this week’s gospel and several hands-on activities on the theme of the treasure of God’s kingdom. Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone from preschooler to tween to teen to adult.   

For the next two Sundays, I will also host a weekly Zoom gathering each Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon.  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 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.

Blessings,
Ms. Belinda, Children’s Ministries

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Happy Saturday, July 19, 2020, before The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost!  

I pray this note finds you and your family well and safe. And, I pray that my efforts to provide these weekly resources each week have been helpful to you in some small way.  

This week, we are invited to cultivate an awareness of both weeds and wheat, recognizing and accepting ourselves and others with compassion. In the gospel, Jesus teaches that the weeds and the wheat live side-by-side until the harvest. I take this as a reminder that we have to accept the bad with the good, while having faith that God’s love will win out in the end.

I have provided a few kid-friendly versions of this week’s gospel, several hands-on activities on the themes of compassion, acceptance and mercy. Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone from preschooler to tween to teen to adult.   

For the next three Sundays, I will also host a weekly Zoom gathering each Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon.  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.

Blessings,
Ms. Belinda, Children’s Ministries

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

It’s the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost!  I pray this note finds you and your family well and safe. 

This week, we are invited to become the rich soil in which the word of God becomes abundant harvest. In the gospel, Jesus describes his ministry through the parable of the seeds and their various responses. 

This week, a few kid-friendly versions of this week’s gospel, several hands-on activities on the theme of God’s kingdom and the abundant harvest it represents, and a reflection activity that might be appropriate for the more contemplative among us is provided.  Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone from preschooler to tween to teen to adult.  One of the suggested music videos brings back wonderful memories of walking down the aisle to my groom 27 years ago.  See if you can guess which one!

For the next four Sundays, I will also host a weekly Zoom gathering each Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to noon.  This gathering will be a time for us to share fellowship, prayer and fun. If you have done any planting, gardening or harvesting in the past few weeks, bring us a sample, a picture or a story to share.  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, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Happy Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – July 5, 2020!  I pray this note finds you and your family well and safe. 

This week, we will explore the promise that when we surrender to God’s righteousness we find a place of rest for our souls. In the gospel, Jesus offers rest to all who long for relief from their burdens. We are encouraged by the promise that God is walking beside us each step of the way. 

Here are a kid-friendly version of this week’s gospel, several hands-on activities that correspond to this week’s gospel, and a reflection activity that might be appropriate for the contemplative among us.  Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone.   

For the next five 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

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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.

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.

Children’s Ministry continues for the next 8 weeks through the end of July 2020!⁠
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For the next eight weeks, Ms Belinda will host a weekly Zoom gathering each Sunday from 11:00 AM to noon. ⁠
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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 link to the Zoom gathering can be obtained by emailing belmar43@aol.com. We hope to see as many of you there as possible! .⁠
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ALL are Welcome!⁠

Ms. Belinda, Children’s Ministries

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 what it means to be a follower of Jesus, by sharing in the story of Jesus summoning the Twelve and sending them out to share the good news of the gospel. In the same way, Jesus invites us to become his disciples, sharing the good news and bringing wholeness to a broken world, starting with those closest to us. 

To this email, I have attached a kid-friendly version of this week’s Old Testament reading, a guided reading of this week’s gospel,  and other activities that correspond to this week’s lectionary. Please use what works for you and your family. There is something for everyone.   

For the next eight weeks, I will also host a weekly Zoom gathering each Sunday from 11:00 AM 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 obained by emailing me at belmar43@aol.com. 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

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.