It’s time to think about Easter 2023 flowers. It is a St. Thomas’s tradition to decorate the sanctuary with heavenly bounties of fresh florals. I can almost smell them now. A list of dedications is printed in the back of the Easter bulletin to share all of our Thanksgivings and Memorials with our faith family.

If you would like to make a dedication, you may our giving page and complete this donation form. You may choose to mail it in or drop by the office (if I’m not in, please leave it in the box on the front of the office door). I will have extra forms available on the bulletin board in the lobby. The suggested donation is $40, however, all gifts are deeply appreciated. Please let me know if you have any questions. Please mail it back, or bring it to the parish office no later than Saturday, April 1, 2023. 

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

This year we will be accepting flower dedications, but it will be a bit different.  Your Memorial or Thank offering will go towards outdoor plantings.  One reason for this change is due to the pandemic; with less people attending in-person worship, filling the building with flowers for only one day wouldn’t serve the majority.  With plantings outside, everyone will have the opportunity to visit on their own time, and the beauty will grow throughout the season.  A secondary reason is to be kinder to the environment. 

You will still see lovely flowers around the altar on Easter 2021, either in person or on YouTube, but it will be less lavish than in past years.  However, when you visit the church building throughout the season, please take time to admire the outdoor plantings, and know that they represent some of our Thanksgivings and Memorials: Matthew 6:21:  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If you would like to make a dedication, you may do so directly using our online donation form.  Or, you may use this printable dedication form.  You may choose to mail it in or drop by the office (if I’m not in, please leave it in the box on the front of the office door).  I will have extra forms available on the bulletin board in the lobby.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this change.

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

In the traditional Eastern Orthodox icon of Easter (called the Harrowing of Hell), Jesus is shown retrieving the souls of the faithful who lived and died before his life, death, and resurrection. The scene has been laid out differently by icon writers through the centuries, but one element is always the same. Jesus is grasping those he saves by the wrist or hand, but those being saved remain limp, seemingly unable to assist in their own salvation.

In this season of Easter, we the followers of Jesus come face to face with the power of God acting for us, and in us, and through us. As the body of Christ in the world, the Church proclaims God’s will that none should be lost. In kind words and gentle actions, we do our part to raise up those who feel lost and alone. And make no mistake, through the days and years of our lives, each of us is by turns the rescuer and the rescued.

As we greet Easter 2020 in an unfamiliar way this year, it seems all the more important to be reminded that each one of us is a beloved child of God, a beloved member of St Thomas’s, a rescuer, and one for whom the promised rescue of God is assured. As we do what we can to keep everyone healthy, we also keep everyone in our prayers. I have been greatly encouraged by the stories I hear of on-line Sunday School and Zoom coffee meet-ups and one-on-one telephone check-ins. These are all evidence of the hands of Jesus still at work. I encourage everyone to continue to hold others close in spirit.

May the blessing of new Easter life be with you every day. And until we can gather again to give thanks to God – be well.

Yours in Christ,
Father Howie
The Reverend Dr. Howell C. Sasser, Jr., Rector