St. Thomas Tidings: February 1, 2024
Today is the feast of Brigid of Kildare, Monastic (c. 523). Here is the collect for the day: O God, whose servant Brigid, kindled with the flame of your love, became a shining light in your church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Day by Day: The February-April edition of Day by Day, the daily devotional booklet, has arrived and is available in the narthex. Please come pick one up if you enjoy using the booklet.
Annual Meeting is This Sunday: As is our custom, we will have one service at 9:00am and then meet in Larkin Hall for our annual meeting. You are welcome to bring a potluck dish to share as we review 2023 and plan for 2024. We will elect new Bishop’s Committee members and our alternates to Diocesan Convention, and pass the 2024 budget. Please plan to attend this meeting as we listen for God’s call in our lives together.
More Info on Convention Alternates: The annual Diocesan Convention is November 8-9 this year. We are entitled to one delegate, who comes from the Bishop’s Committee, but we also need two or three alternates who are willing and able to be available in case of emergency. You may choose whether you attend in person or via Zoom. If you are interested in being nominated, please let Mother Sharon know.
February Canterbury Tales Delayed: Because our Annual Meeting is February 4, we will wait until after the meeting to put out the February CT so that we can include all the Annual Meeting business. Any time-bound announcements are included in the Tidings, as usual.
Lent Book Study Begins February 7: This year we will be reading and using the spiritual practices in A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent, by Christine Valters Paintner. This is a brand-new book and is available from Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org, Broadleaf Books, and Amazon. Each week we will explore a different kind of hunger and a different way to live in the world, using practices such as lectio divina, contemplative walking, journaling, and imaginative prayer. Our study will begin with an introductory session on Wednesday, February 7 from 7-8pm in Larkin Hall. We will then meet weekly at the same time from February 21 through March 27 (we will not meet on Ash Wednesday because of the evening service). If you plan on attending class, please buy the book and read the introduction before the first class. The class will meet in person, but please let Mother Sharon know if you’d like to attend via zoom. A hybrid class is possible, if a bit tricky. We’ll set up zoom if we have enough interest in it.
Men’s Breakfast February 10: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, February 10. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship!
Closet Cleanout February 10: We need to clean out some of our closets and cupboards, especially the area holding all the old paint cans. Please be on campus Saturday morning, February 10, to help clean up our church home. For more information, please contact Shelley Arnold.
Pancake Supper and Talent Show: Our Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper is Tuesday, February 13, from 5-7pm. Dinner is pancakes with the option of adding fruit topping and/or ham, and drinks. Cost of the meal is on the reservation flyer – please fill up your form and return it to the church office by February 8 so we know how much food we need to make. Our Tuesday renters are graciously starting their meeting late to accommodate us, so we will do takeout only beginning at 6:45. And remember that we have our First Annual Talent Show at 7pm, so be sure to stick around for the entertainment! We look forward to seeing you.
Mark Your Calendars: We are starting a new fellowship group, Supper Club. The first meeting is Monday, March 4, from 5-7pm. We will have time for socializing, dinner, and fun and games. There is no cost – bring a friend and come enjoy some St. Thomas fellowship!
St. Patrick’s Party: We’re having a St. Patrick’s Party on Saturday, March 16, from 6-9pm. There will be food! There will be bingo! There will be lots of fun! Further details will be in the Canterbury Tales.
Easter Service Update: The survey responses were overwhelmingly in favor of trying an early morning Easter service in lieu of the Saturday Vigil. So that’s what we’ll do! We will have our usual Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, and then hold services Easter morning at 7:00am and 10:15am. St. Gregory’s will have a Saturday evening Vigil service, so you can go there if you want a Saturday service as well. We hope that any St. Gregory’s folks who want an early morning service will join us! Thank you for your flexibility as we try something new, and we’ll evaluate how well it worked afterwards, as we do with all our experiments.
Service Reminder: All our services stay on our Facebook page so you can view them whenever it’s convenient for you. It’s always better to view a service later in the day than not at all! The link to the page for all our services is here: https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Thomas-of-Canterbury-Episcopal-Church-of-Long-Beach-CA-124554214274325
Share Our Services: Please feel free to share our Morning Prayer and Sunday services. The more people we reach, the better we do at evangelism. People are hungry for what we have to offer, and I encourage you to do your part to share our services with your friends and neighbors. Send them the link when you email them, invite them to join you on Facebook or in person… whatever way works best for you to share what we have to offer.
Episcopal News Updates: The email updates from the diocese are a great way to stay informed about what’s happening all over our six-county diocese. If you want to receive the Episcopal News, visit https://diocesela.org/episcopal-news/contact/ and enter your email address in the box provided.
In Case of Emergency: Notify your priests! With our combined ministry program comes additional coverage for pastoral emergencies. In the event of a hospital stay, illness, death in the family, or other pastoral emergency, please call Mother Sharon on her cell phone (562-833-3393) any day except Friday, her Sabbath day. Father Michael Fincher covers emergencies in both communities on Friday, just as Mother Sharon covers emergencies in both parishes on Monday, Father Michael’s Sabbath. Father Michael’s cell phone is 909-373-6478.