St. Thomas Tidings - December 29, 2022 Edition
Today is the feast of our patron saint, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr (1170). Here is the collect for the day: O God, our strength and our salvation, you called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the gospel; through Jesus Christ, the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
One Service January 1: Remember that we have one service at 9:00 this coming Sunday as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name. It will be a mostly spoken service with a few Christmas carols to sing. The service will be livestreamed, barring internet issues.
Holiday Closures: The church office will be closed December 30 and January 2 for the New Year’s holiday. As always, Mother Sharon will be available by cell phone for pastoral emergencies. Stay safe and enjoy the holidays!
2023 Offering Envelopes: The envelopes have arrived in the church office and are being processed for your use. They will be available for pickup at the beginning of January. We appreciate your financial support of our community.
Advent Food Drive: Our annual Advent Food Drive is nearing its end. Please bring your box or bag of staples (rice, beans, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, etc.) to church on January 1 or January 8. We will get the food where it needs to go! Please remember to check the expiration dates before you bring your donations, as food banks are not allowed to distribute food that is past its expiration date.
Men’s Breakfast January 14: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, January 14. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Square Dance January 14: Shoreline Squares, our renters, are pleased to invite us to a square dance in Crosby Hall on Saturday, January 14, from 5-7pm. No experience or partner necessary! You can use this link https://shorelinesquares.com/?page_id=623 to RSVP and let us know if you will attend only the dance or if you want to stay for a simple supper afterward. You will also receive a coupon for discounted square dance lessons when they start a beginners’ class. The dance is free and open to all. Because everyone will be dancing with everyone else, vaccination status will be checked at the door. See you there!
A New Website is Coming!: We are moving into the 21st Century with a new, more user-friendly, and more capable website. Look for our new name and the unveiling soon! For now, keep using our old site: https://saintthomas.ladiocese.org/
Crosby Hall Update: We are still looking for suggestions and ideas for a new “welcome center” in Crosby Hall that can also serve as a drinks station for hall events. If you have such a unit, or would like to consider making or buying one, please contact Mother Sharon.
Grant Writer Needed: It is no secret that we need to raise money for much-needed repairs to our physical plant. We will start a capital campaign, but we also want to pursue other means of getting money. If you, or someone you know, has experience in finding grant opportunities and writing grants, please let Allen Stout or Mother Sharon know.
Online Usher Needed: We have one person who is currently serving as our online usher at the 10:15 service, but we need at least one more. You would log into the service online while being in the pew, post a welcoming comment, and keep an eye out for prayer requests in the comments section. During the Prayers of the People, you would speak out loud any prayer requests received, so that the whole community is aware of them. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, please talk with Mother Sharon.
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
Bulletin for The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Psalms for Morning Prayer - January 2-6
Psalms for Evening Prayer - January 2-6
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 http://episcopalnews.ladiocese.org/ 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.