St. Thomas Tidings: August 3, 2023 Edition
Today we commemorate Joanna, Mary, and Salome, Myrrh-Bearing Women. Here is the collect for the day: Almighty God, who revealed the resurrection of your Son to Joanna, Mary, and Salome as they faithfully came bearing myrrh to his tomb: Grant that we too may perceive the presence of the risen Lord in the midst of pain and fear, and go forth proclaiming his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Day by Day: The August-October 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 Feast of the Transfiguration: The Transfiguration is one of the few days in the church calendar that takes precedence of the regular cycle of lessons. This year the feast falls on August 6, a Sunday, so we’ll be celebrating in style! Please come to church and enjoy one of the feasts we don’t usually get to celebrate.
Blessing of the Backpacks August 6: Our annual Blessing of the Backpacks and Briefcases will be held at both services on August 6. Please bring any school supplies you have collected for Long Beach students so they can be blessed before delivery. If you are a student, educator, or administrator, you are also invited to bring your laptop, backpack, briefcase, or other token of your work and study so you and it can be blessed as well.
Community Forum August 6: The Rev. Canon Susan Russell will be speaking at St. Luke’s at 3:00pm as part of the Long Beach Pride Weekend. Canon Russell is a founding member of the Human Rights Campaign Religious Council and has served on numerous councils in the wider church. She is currently a member of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and also chairs the Task Force on LGBTQ+ Inclusion.
Additional Pride Events: The Long Beach Pride Parade is Sunday, August 6. St. Luke’s is sponsoring a walking group and encourages folks from all the Long Beach churches to join in. For more information and to register to be part of the group, please either contact Ignacio Castor at 562-900-5821 or click on the following link: https://forms.gle/9ADosV6aRot7BLc7A
Men’s Breakfast August 12: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, August 12. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Barbecue August 19: Dave and Rosemary Sissons are opening their back yard for an evening of fun and good food. Reservations are required; there is a signup sheet in the narthex. Please come enjoy a social evening of food and fellowship.
Musical Instruments Wanted: Do you have an unused instrument in reasonable repair? Would you like to brighten the lives of students who can’t afford to purchase their own instrument? Or give an instrument to a veteran or other person in need? If so, please consider making a donation, either instrumental or monetary, to the Collage Instrument Donation Program. Collage is dedicated to helping musicians have instruments and a place to play them, and is a non-profit organization, so your donations are tax-deductible. You can find out more about the program at https://www.collageartculture.org/instrument-donations-student-programs To make a donation or find out specific donation details, email richard@collageartculture.org
Raise the Roof Reminders: We have events planned through the rest of the year, and we hope you have your calendars marked to take advantage of our concerts, BBQs, and other events. And please be thinking about what you might do as a fun event next year. If there’s something you like to do and would like to share, chances are others in our community will enjoy it too. It doesn’t have to be elaborate to be fun! If you have any questions or ideas, please speak with Shelley Arnold or Mother Sharon.
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.