St. Thomas Tidings: August 8, 2024
Today in our calendar of saints we commemorate St. Mary the Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the collect for the day: O God, you have taken to yourself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; 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.
Directory Update: Thank you for your help in correcting our directory information. Look for a new edition coming soon.
Broken Loaf Food Pantry: Ingathering is the third Sunday of each month which is next Sunday, August 18.. During the summer months donations are not always as plentiful as they are during the rest of the year. They are in need of protein items (canned tuna, peanut butter, etc,) as well as shelf stable milk products. Don't forget pet food, toothpaste, sanitary products, paper towels and toilet paper. There is a box for Broken Loaf donations in the Narthex.
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. We will also mail or deliver one to you if you can’t get to church – just let the church office know.
Veterans’ Outreach: Our St. Thomas Veterans Outreach mission continues. We filled the “bags” on Friday, July 26 and delivered the goods that afternoon. We took lunch to our veterans again. Updated informational forms for what the veterans would like to receive are in the narthex; please use those updated forms when you shop for supplies. Thanks for your support!
Vacation Reminder: Mother Sharon and Mike are on vacation July 26-August 16. Father Michael will take care of pastoral needs during their vacation. The Reverend Holly Cardone was our supply priest this past Sunday and Gary Commins will supply on the other two Sunday mornings. Please keep Mother Sharon and Mike in your prayers for a safe and restful vacation.
Backpack and School Supply Drive: Our annual school supply drive continues through August 25. Long Beach Family Services greatly appreciates our yearly donations of backpacks and new school supplies for youngsters who can’t afford everything they need for the school year. Keep an eye out for local and online sales, and then bring everything to church on August 25, when we will have our annual Blessing of the Backpacks at both services.
Men’s Breakfast August 10: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, August 10. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Livestream Help Still Wanted: We still need one or two people who are willing to step up and learn the livestreaming system so that we can remain online. After three years of being our livestream coordinator, John Mitchell would like to explore other ministries. We don’t want to deprive our livestreaming siblings of the services they rely on! If you are interested, please speak with John or Mother Sharon. Please note that if we can’t find a volunteer, or several volunteers, we will have to look at hiring someone, and that will strain our already tight budget. Please pray about how you might help keep our shut-in and long-distance community members connected!
Choir Vacation: Our faithful choir is taking its usual break in July and August. We’ll still have music during our 10:15 services, but all the voices will come from the pews. Hearty thanks go to all the members of our small but mighty choir who spend ten months of the year leading our worship with their gifts.
Vacation Info: Mother Sharon and Mike will be on vacation July 26-August 16. Father Michael will take care of pastoral needs during their vacation, and the Reverend Gary Commins will supply again this Sunday morning. Please keep Mother Sharon and Mike in your prayers for a safe and restful vacation.
Communion Update: We are continuing to try out our new model of receiving communion, where those who wish to receive by intinction receive first, and then those who wish to drink from the chalice. We are continuing to fine-tune the process, and also see how we might use this model at the altar rail. Please let Mother Sharon or Sue Williams know of any comments or ideas on how to continue to make communion flow smoothly.
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.