St. Thomas Tidings: April 27, 2023 Edition
Today we commemorate Zita of Tuscany, Worker of Charity (1271). Here is the collect for the day: Merciful God, who has given to us all things necessary for life and godliness: Grant that we, like your servant Zita, may be faithful in the exercise of our duties, and that, whatever you give us to do, we may do it heartily to you for the honor and glory of your Name; through him who has called us to virtue, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
Easter Lily Adoption: We still have a few Easter lilies waiting to go to good homes. Please take one home after service on Sunday if you would like to have one.
Capital Campaign Kickoff: We will formally kick off our capital campaign this Sunday. Letters will be sent to everyone in our community, and to many friends and former community members who still love St. Thomas. Allen Stout and Shelley Arnold will be at both services to answer any questions you may have, and the three of us are always available for questions as they arise. We know a capital campaign is not anyone’s favorite topic, but it’s a necessary fact of life for us as we try to keep our buildings repaired. The organ campaign was such a success that we know we can make this work!
Clergy Conference May 1-3: Both Father Michael and I will be at Clergy Conference in Riverside from the afternoon of May 1 through the afternoon of May 3. There will be no Morning Prayer on Tuesday or Wednesday, and no Evening Prayer on Tuesday. Please keep all the clergy of the diocese in your prayers as we meet for continuing education and fellowship.
Substitute Organist at 10:15: We continue to welcome Pat Johnston at our 10:15 services while Bill Henderson recovers from surgery. He is doing well – please continue to keep him in your prayers.
Reminder of May “Raise the Roof” Events: We hope you have marked your calendars for the following events: Bunco, Friday May 5, 5:30-8:30pm (rsvp to Sue Williams at kyliesgrammy@yahoo.com); Coronation Tea Saturday, May 13, 11:00am-2:00pm (rsvp to Jane Gordon-Topper by May 3 at jngt@verizon.net); Boot Sale Saturday May 20, 8:00am-1:00pm (rsvp to Andrea Utzman at apqueen02@aol.com). Additional information was in the April Canterbury Tales and is also available from Sue, Jane, and Andrea.
Men’s Breakfast May 13: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, May 13. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Day by Day: The May-July 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.
The New Website is Here!: We are proud to announce that our new website is up and running. Please bookmark the new URL: stthomascanterbury.org and use it from now on. More information about our site and its contents will appear in a separate email.
Are You Interested in Genealogy?: Questing Heirs, one of our newer community groups, invites us to visit their meetings and explore our heritage. They meet the third Sunday of every month at 2pm in Larkin Hall.
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.