Hello faith family! Sunday, December 12, 2021 is the Third Sunday in Advent. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)
• Sundays at 5:00 p.m. – Advent service in-person with precautions and online at YouTube. (Advent 1 booklet)
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Sunday, December 19, 2021 – Children’s Christmas pageant, during the 10:30 a.m. service
• Sunday, December 19, 2021- St. Thomas’s cookie exchange following the 10:30 a.m. service
• Friday, December 24, 2021- Christmas Eve services at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• Saturday, December 25, 2021 – Christmas Day worship at 10 a.m.
• Sunday, December 26, 2021 “normal” 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday services

The Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Hello faith family! Sunday, December 5, 2021 is the Second Sunday in Advent. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)
• Sundays at 5:00 p.m. – Advent service in-person with precautions and online at YouTube. (Advent 1 booklet)
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Sunday, December 19, 2021 – Children’s Christmas pageant, during the 10:30 a.m. service
• Sunday, December 19, 2021- St. Thomas’s cookie exchange following the 10:30 a.m. service
• Friday, December 24, 2021- Christmas Eve services at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.
• Saturday, December 25, 2021 – Christmas Day worship at 10 a.m.
• Sunday, December 26, 2021 “normal” 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday services

The Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Hello faith family! Sunday, November 28, 2021 is the First Sunday in Advent. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Next week, November 28, 2-21 begins our Advent season and we add a Sunday Advent Service at 5 p.m.; a unique experience each week.

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries under the tent in the courtyard.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)
• Sundays from 10:30-11 a.m., Communion at the Curb is 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!
• Sundays at 5:00 p.m. – Advent service in-person with precautions and online at YouTube.
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.

The Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Hello faith family! Sunday, November 21, 2021 is the Last Sunday after Pentecost. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Next week, November 28, 2-21 begins our Advent season and we add a Sunday Advent Service at 5 p.m.; a unique experience each week.

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries under the tent in the courtyard.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)
• Sundays from 10:30-11 a.m., Communion at the Curb is 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!
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion, live on our YouTube channel and in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.

The Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Dear friends,

The Vestry did a periodic review of our COVID-19 precautions yesterday and directed the Senior Warden and me to send a letter to the parish to keep everyone in the loop as to what we are doing to keep everyone safe. 

Today marks 19 months since we began the new normal of COVID precautions. In that time, a few of us have been sick, many of us have rearranged and postponed parts of our lives, and all of us have been looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Conditions are in some ways much better now than even a few months ago. Many people have been vaccinated and the other precautions we have learned to follow have done much to keep the most vulnerable among us – children and those with chronic illnesses – from becoming ill.

We commend all those who have kept St Thomas’s going and kept St. Thomas’s safe. If it were possible to know when the first COVID-free day will come, we might be able to ask you to hold on just until then, but we do not yet know when or if that day will arrive. And so, for now, we can only ask everyone to remain diligent. The Vestry reviews its COVID safety
measures periodically, and will revise them – to ease or tighten them – as conditions dictate.

As a reminder, these are the policies that are in place:
• Mask-wearing is mandatory for those over the age of 2 years who have not been fully vaccinated and is strongly encouraged for those who have been.
• We encourage everyone who is able to receive any of the available COVID-19 immunizations to do so.
• Maintenance of a minimum distance of 3 feet between those not in routine household contact is recommended whenever possible.
• The use of hand sanitizer before receiving Communion is recommended.
• The distribution of Communion wine in any form is suspended.

If you have questions about any of these precautions or how they affect you and your family, please contact the church office. We are fortunate to have several people with clinical and public health training in the parish. Any of them will be glad to speak with you about the trends in COVID-19 rates and what they mean for us locally.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Howell Sasser, Rector
Connie Cooper, Senior Warden

Hello faith family! Sunday, November 14, 2021 is the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries under the tent in the courtyard.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)
• Sundays from 10:30-11 a.m., Communion at the Curb is 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!
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion, live on our YouTube channel and in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.

The Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Hello faith family! Sunday, November 7, 2021 is the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries under the tent in the courtyard.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)
• Sundays from 10:30-11 a.m., Communion at the Curb is 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!
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion, live on our YouTube channel and in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.

Have you caught any of Fr. Howie and Fr. Jim’s phenomenal  “Beatitudes- Conversations of Blessings” podcast?.  If not, what are you waiting for?  Every Friday, they bring a new episode full of thought provoking insight and each week they bring in a new special guest to provide even more angles.  Visit the website for more info, and to catch up on any episodes you may have missed! https://beatitudes.online/podcast-series

The new Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Hello faith family! Sunday, October 24, 2021 is the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries under the tent in the courtyard.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)Sundays from 10:30-11 a.m., Communion at the Curb is 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!
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion, live on our YouTube channel and in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.

Have you caught any of Fr. Howie and Fr. Jim’s phenomenal  “Beatitudes- Conversations of Blessings” podcast?.  If not, what are you waiting for?  Every Friday, they bring a new episode full of thought provoking insight and each week they bring in a new special guest to provide even more angles.  Visit the website for more info, and to catch up on any episodes you may have missed! https://beatitudes.online/podcast-series

The new Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Hello faith family! Sunday, October 17, 2021 is the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

You might want to read through The Worship Booklets this week as there are some subtle differences this week that incorporate Adult Education’s recent study of Celtic Spirituality. This should be a lovely service. But don’t worry; it’s back to the familiar traditions next week. Worship Booklets: 8:00 a.m. booklet (8:00 a.m. booklet in large print) and 10:30 a.m. booklet (10:30 a.m. booklet in large print)

Worship this week:

• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries under the tent in the courtyard.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)Sundays from 10:30-11 a.m., Communion at the Curb is 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!
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion, live on our YouTube channel and in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.

Have you caught any of Fr. Howie and Fr. Jim’s phenomenal  “Beatitudes- Conversations of Blessings” podcast?.  If not, what are you waiting for?  Every Friday, they bring a new episode full of thought provoking insight and each week they bring in a new special guest to provide even more angles.  Visit the website for more info, and to catch up on any episodes you may have missed! https://beatitudes.online/podcast-series

The new Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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

Hello faith family! Sunday, October 10, 2021 is the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Services are held in-person with precautions and online via our YouTube channel. Please do not hesitate to contact the office or Fr. Howie with any questions or concerns about these options. We are listening to the experts and considering how to best keep our faith family safe during this pandemic.

Worship this week:

• Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 2 p.m. – Bob Bennett funeral in-person with precautions and Live on our YouTube channel.
• Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 2 p.m. – Blessing of the Animals in the Grove.
• Sundays at 8:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite I spoken, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (8:00 booklet)
• Sundays at 9 a.m. – Youth Confirmation in the Undercroft.
• Sundays at 10:15 a.m. – Children’s Ministries under the tent in the courtyard.
• Sundays at 10:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music, in-person with precautions and online on our YouTube channel (10:30 booklet)Sundays from 10:30-11 a.m., Communion at the Curb is 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!
• Wednesday at noon – Intercessory Prayer with Holy Communion, live on our YouTube channel and in-person with precautions. Here is the accompanying booklet.
• Thursday at 7 p.m. – Compline Evening Prayer with Deacon Cecily, live via Zoom. Here is the accompanying booklet.

Have you caught any of Fr. Howie and Fr. Jim’s phenomenal  “Beatitudes- Conversations of Blessings” podcast?.  If not, what are you waiting for?  Every Friday, they bring a new episode full of thought provoking insight and each week they bring in a new special guest to provide even more angles.  Visit the website for more info, and to catch up on any episodes you may have missed! https://beatitudes.online/podcast-series

The new Forward Day by Day booklets are available. Please feel free to stop into the lobby for a copy, or let me know if you’d like one mailed out to you!  There are plenty in both large and small print.

In this strange pandemic 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 information.

If you have anything to add to the Parish calendar or the Carpenter’s Helper newsletter, please email the office at StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com.

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.

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