St. Thomas Tidings: December 5, 2024
Today in our calendar of saints we commemorate Clement of Alexandria, Priest and Theologian (c. 210). Here is the collect for the day: O God of unsearchable wisdom, you gave your servant Clement grace to understand and teach the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, the source of all truth: Grant to your church the same grace to discern your Word wherever truth is found; through Jesus Christ our unfailing light, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Apologies for the Christmas Error in the CT: The wrong days were published for the Christmas services, although the service times were correct. Our services are Tuesday, December 24 at 6:30pm, and Wednesday, December 25 at 9:00am. Sometimes the copy-and-paste gremlin sneaks in an error that no one notices. Thanks to everyone who pointed out the error.
Family Leave: I will be away this Sunday, December 8 due to my brother-in-law’s memorial service. The Rev. Gary Commins will preach and preside at both services. Father Michael Fincher will cover pastoral care through the weekend of December 8. – Mother Sharon
Advent Wreath Lighting: We start each service in Advent with the lighting of the Advent wreath and a short liturgy led by members of our community. If you’d like to participate, please sign up in the narthex. It’s short and easy and lets everyone who wants to have a chance at leading our liturgy.
Annual Reports: With the New Year rapidly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about our Annual Meeting. In preparation for the Annual Meeting, we will need to produce the Annual Report. All persons responsible for a ministry program or group (you know who you are) should submit written reports of the year’s activities to the church office no later than Sunday, January 19. Reports need to be in Word or Word-compatible format and emailed to stlb47@verizon.net. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Veterans’ Ministry Work Party and Christmas Delivery: We’re planning Christmas baskets for our Veterans at Cabrillo Village. There’s a work party Tuesday, December 10 at 11:30am to make up the baskets. Everyone is welcome to help – no prior experience needed! The items will be delivered December 18 from 1-3pm. Please see Rosemary Sissons for more information.
Men’s Breakfast Saturday, December 14: Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Taizé Service December 18: Please come to the sanctuary Wednesday, December 18, for our monthly Taizé service. We will meet at 6:15 for a brief time of prayer, scripture, chanting, and silence. You are welcome to bring a friend who will enjoy a simple meditative service. Please note that this month we’re meeting on the THIRD Wednesday, not the second, due to Mother Sharon’s schedule.
Pledge Campaign: Our pledge campaign has officially ended, and the Vicar and Bishop’s Committee will now begin preparing our 2025 budget. If you haven’t yet turned in a pledge card, there’s still time. And if you regularly give but don’t pledge, please consider turning in a card so we can add your planned donations into our projected income. Thanks for your help!
Christmas Flowers: The Altar Guild always does a wonderful job decorating our sanctuary for Christmas. If you’d like to make a Christmas flower donation, please be sure it’s at the church no later than December 19, so that we can print the tributes for our loved ones in the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bulletins. Thanks for your help!
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.