Code Purple is a program administered by Friendship House to provide a warm dinner and overnight shelter for our homeless friends when overnight temperatures drop to 20 degrees Fahrenheit or less. The location rotates among five churches in Newark, Delaware and St. Thomas’s is proud to be among them. Please watch for updates when the forecast calls for cold temperatures. Volunteers will be needed. Thank you for your consideration.
Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, November 20, 2023
Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,
Monday, November 20, 2023 is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room where we serve “a midday hot meal with dignity, to those in need in the Greater Newark Delaware area.” Guests at Hope are now “dining in”, so we have 2 different short shifts for which you can volunteer. The setup and cooking shift goes from 10 – 11:45 a.m. The serving and cleanup shift goes from 11:45 – 1:30 p.m.
IF you’d like to help, please bring a ball cap and an apron. We would LOVE to see you! All of this takes place at Kingswood Methodist Church kitchen on Marrows Road in Brookside Park. It is a team effort, lots of fun and it makes you feel so good to feed people who really appreciate it.
Please volunteer for the things we need for the meal and to volunteers. If you are donating one of those items, THANK YOU! You can bring it to St. Thomas’s, Monday – Thursday from 9 – noon, OR when you come to church on Sunday! Please put it in the kitchen and mark it for “HOPE DINING ROOM”. If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, give me a call, text or email and I will pick it up at your house.
MANY Blessings to you ALL,
Madeline Johnson
Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, October 16, 2023
Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,
Monday, October 16, 2023, is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room where we serve “a midday hot meal with dignity, to those in need in the Greater Newark Delaware area.” Guests at Hope are now “dining in”, so we have 2 different shifts for which you can volunteer. The setup and cooking shift goes from 10 – 11:45 a.m. The serving and cleanup shift goes from 11:45 – 1:30 p.m.
If you’d like to help, please bring an apron and a ball cap. We would LOVE to see you! All of this takes place at the Kingswood Methodist Church kitchen on Marrows Rd. in Brookside Park. It is a team effort, lots of fun and it makes you feel SO good to feed people who really appreciate it. Below, you will find a link to the items we need for the meal.
Please volunteer for the things we need for the meal and to volunteers. If you are donating one of those items, THANK YOU! You can bring it to St. Thomas’s, Monday – Thursday from 9 – noon, OR when you come to church on Sunday! Please put it in the kitchen and mark it for “HOPE DINING ROOM”.
BLESSINGS to you ALL,
Madeline Johnson
Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, September 18, 2023
Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,
Monday, September 18, 2023, is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room. Guests at Hope are “dining in”, so we have 2 different short shifts for which you can volunteer. The first one is the set-up and cooking shift from 10 – 11:45 a.m. The serving and cleanup shift goes from 11:45 – 1:30 p.m.
If you would like to help, please bring an apron and a ball cap. We would LOVE to see you! All of this takes place at Kingswood Methodist church kitchen on Marrows Road in Brookside Park. It is a team effort, lots of fun and it makes you feel so good to feed people who really appreciate it.
Please volunteer for the things we need for the meal and to volunteers. If you are donating one of these items, THANK YOU! You can bring it to St. Thomas, Monday – Thursday from 9 – noon, OR you can bring it when you come to church on Sunday! If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, give me a call or text and I will pick it up at your door.
We don’t need to ask for cookies this month, because Father Howie is making his famous secret-recipe cake for dessert for our guests! THANK YOU, Father Howie!
Blessings to you ALL,
Madeline Johnson
Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, August 21, 2023
Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,
Monday, August 21, 2023, is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room. Guests at Hope are now “dining in” so we have 2 different short shifts for which you can volunteer. The set-up and cooking shift goes from 10 AM – 11:45. The serving and clean up shift goes from 11:45 – 1:30.
If you’d like to help, please bring an apron and a ball cap. We would LOVE to see you!
All of this takes place at Kingswood Methodist Church kitchen on Marrows Road in Brookside Park. It is a team effort, lots of fun and it makes you feel so good to feed people who really appreciate it.
Please volunteer for the things we need for the meal and for volunteers we need to carry this out. If you are donating one of those items, THANK YOU! You can bring it to St. Thomas’s, Monday – Thursday from 9 – noon, OR when you come to church on Sunday! If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, give me a call or an email and I will pick it up at your house.
BLESSINGS to you all,
Madeline Johnson mad1240@comcast.net
Transportation ministry is recruiting a dispatcher
St. Thomas’s transportation ministry is recruiting a dispatcher. This ministry is an established and important one. They provide transportation for parishioners needing help getting to and from doctor’s appointments, Sunday services, and other important errands. This can be such a blessing to those in our faith family who have loved and cared for us in other seasons.
We are looking for someone to step in as a coordinator. There is already an established group of volunteers to do the driving (though we always welcome more). This person would bring together the drivers and those needing rides.
If this is something you feel you could help with, please reply to this email or reach out to Fr. Howie.
And, if you are in need of rides, do not hesitate to let us know!
Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, July 17, 2023
Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,
Monday, July 17, 2023 is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room, serves a mid-day hot meal to those in need in the Greater Newark area.
We have a full roster of helpers this month, so I don’t need to ask! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
We do, however, need just a few items for the meal. Please volunteer for the things we need for the meal and for volunteers we need to carry this out. If you are donating your time or an item for the meal, THANK YOU!!!
If you are donating one of those items, you can bring it to St. Thomas’s, Monday – Thursday from 9 – noon, OR when you come to church on Sunday? Please mark your item and leave it on the counter in the kitchen. Sally Price will be heading up the team this July 2023.
Helpers, don’t forget your ball caps and aprons. All of this takes place at Kingswood Methodist Church on Marrows Road in Brookside Park. It is a team effort, lots of fun and it makes you feel so good to feed people who really appreciate it.
MANY Blessings to you ALL,
Madeline Johnson
Need Volunteers for Code Orange
What is the opposite of Code Purple? It’s Code Orange. Friendship House (the agency that administers the Empowerment Center and runs Code Purple) is expecting a warmer than normal summer. In an effort to keep our homeless friends safe from the heat, they have come up with an idea: it will be called Code Orange.
IF the heat index is predicted to be 95 or above, they will call a Code Orange. It will have a permanent host church at Calvary Baptist Church, but will need volunteers from all of the churches! The duties will be light: sit in an air conditioned place and serve cool things like ice water and popsicles etc., assist the Friendship House supervisor, as needed. Help with set up and clean up.
The shifts will be:
M – F 10:30 – 1:30 (the Empowerment Center will be available for the guests, after 1:30).
Saturday 10:30 – 1:30 and 1:30 – 4:30
Sunday 11:30 – 1:30 and 1:30 – 4:30
St. Thomas’s will provide volunteers for the 4th Code Orange on the 8th, 12th etc. There are 3 churches who will assist with Code Orange before we are needed. We will need 2 volunteers for each shift on whatever day we are needed.
If you aren’t thoroughly confused yet, send me a text or an email and let me know if you’d be willing to help. Since we don’t know dates yet, if you are on the list, know that you can’t be expected to commit far ahead, just let me know if you are willing to be notified.
MANY Blessings to each of you,
Madeline Johnson
Hope Dining Room volunteers needed Monday, June19, 2023
Dear Families of St. Thomas’s and St. Nicholas,
Monday, June 19, 202, is our opportunity to serve at Hope Dining Room. Guests at Hope, are now “dining in”, so we have 2 different short shifts for which you can volunteer. The first shift, setup and cooking, goes from 10 – 11:45 a.m. The second shift, serving and cleanup, goes from 11:45 – 1:30 p.m.
IF you’d like to help, please bring an apron and a ball cap. We would LOVE to see you! All of this takes place at Kingswood Methodist Church on Marrows Road in Brookside Park. It is a team effort, lots of fun and it makes you feel so good to feed people who really appreciate it.
Please volunteer for the things we need for the meal and for volunteers we need to carry this out. If you are donating your time, or an item for the meal, THANK YOU!!!
You can bring items we need for the meal to St. Thomas’s on Monday – Thursday from 9 AM – noon. If that doesn’t fit into your schedule, give me a call or text and I will pick it up at your house.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACA72AAAFF2-hope36
BLESSINGS to ALL,
Madeline Johnson
Property Care Volunteer Tree
The Property Ministry is hoping to expand opportunities to help care for our grounds to the whole church. Many of the routine tasks that need to be performed do not require special skills or complex tools. We have placed a Property Care Board in the Foyer. There will be a seasonal list of tasks along with a Tree and Leaves. Remember that we care for the property directly around St. Thomas’s, the Grove next to St. Thomas’s as well as our cemetery next to “Old St. Thomas’s”.
If you are interested in helping or perform a task on the list or if you notice something else that needs to be done. Take a leaf and write the task on the leaf. You can take the leaf home with you to remind you of the task. Once the task is completed you can add your name to the leaf and place it on the tree to celebrate a job well done. Seasonally we will empty the tree and put a new list on the board as well as recognize those who have contributed noted efforts. The more tasks we can take care of ourselves, the less we have to pay outside professionals. This is an opportunity for you and your family or for a couple of church friends to take on some tasks when it is convenient for you. A couple of hours here or there by lots of hands can make or church home more inviting. The yard waste bins are located in the back by the dumpster. They are typically emptied on Mondays.
If there are tasks you would like to help with, but do not know what to do, do not have the tools necessary, or need multiple people to help with the task to make it safe or easier, just contact the Property Ministry at stthomasproperty@googlegroups.com. If you plan on taking on any of the bigger tasks we would appreciate you letting us know so that we can either help out, focus our own energies elsewhere or avoid hiring professionals for the job.
The Property Ministry typically meets the first Thursday of each month at noon in the Parish Hall. All are welcome. If you can take care of your home, you can help to take care of our church home. If there are items that you think should be on our list or if you notice issues around the building please let us know.
Also note that the Girl Scout Troop 719 has adopted the two quarter circle flower beds in the courtyard. They will take care of planting those beds.
I pray that Jesus walks with all of you.
Sue Houghton