St. Thomas Tidings: February 20, 2025
ST. Thomas Tiding, February 20, 2025
Collect: O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Today, February 20, 2025 is the memorial of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895): He was an escaped slave who became a powerful abolitionist, orator, and writer. Born into slavery in Maryland, Douglass courageously escaped to freedom in the North. He became a prominent voice against slavery, captivating audiences with his eloquent speeches and powerful writings. He dedicated his life to fighting for racial equality and human rights. He advocated for women’s suffrage and championed the cause of social justice. His life mirrored the biblical themes of freedom and deliverance, which is in line with the social justice mission of the Episcopal Church.
2025 Church Wall Calendars: The calendars were donated by Luyben Dilday. There is a small stack in the narthex, and more in the church office. Please feel free to take them and give them to friends or keep them for yourself. They have our church information on them, so they make great evangelism tools.
St Martha’s Guild: Please join us at St. Martha’s Guild. We are a very friendly group that gathers each Tuesday morning. We crochet, knit and handcraft items. We would love to give free lessons in knitting and crocheting. This is also a great opportunity to build community and have a nice chat. We meet Tuesdays in Larkin Hall from 9:30-11:30 am.
Lent is right around the corner beginning March 5, 2025
Lenten Schedule
Shrove Tuesday
Tuesday, March 4 - Pancake Supper 5:00-7:00 pm
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, March 5 - Ashes-to-Go 7:00-9:00 am at the Church Parking Lot.
Stations of the Cross
Noon - Every Friday in Lent including Good Friday
Episcopal Rosary Making - Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 13 - 9:00-10:00 am (between Services) and 11:30am -12:30 pm (after 10:15 service)
Maundy Thursday
Thursday, April 17 - Agape Meal (tbd)
Good Friday
Friday, April; 18 (at St. Gregory’s)
Great Vigil of Easter
Saturday, April 19 – IF there is sufficient interest in having this liturgy
Episcopal Relief & Development is offering Lenten Meditations with deep reflections from Jerusalem Jackson Greer on the divine gifts we find in community. Here are some ways your congregation can participate. Subscribe to daily email meditations Daily email meditations will be delivered to your inbox every day (except Sundays) starting March 5. These emails will include thoughtful questions to inspire your own reflections. Download the full booklet If you don’t want to receive meditations one at a time, you can download the full booklet of meditations at once, print it out or view it digitally at your own pace. This option is great for groups or for making printed versions available to your worshiping community.
March Canterbury Tales: We are in need of articles for the St. Thomas Canterbury Tales publication. Please send all article information to Rick at stlb47@verizon.net or call the Church office. Articles should be submitted no later than noon on Monday, Feb 24.
St. Thomas Tiding: If you have any article/announcement for the tiding please send to Rick at stlb47@verizon.net or call the Church office.
Update on California Fires: If you would like to contribute to the Diocesan relief efforts, you can donate to the One Body & One Spirit fund, which will be used for fire relief: https://diocesela.org/annual-appeal/ Also, Episcopal Relief & Development has established a “Wildfire Response Fund” to help with recovery in our diocese. You can donate to that fund at https://www.episcopalrelief.org/what-you-can-do/give/donate-now/individual-donation/
Diocese offers fire relief grants, resources
The diocesan Appeal has made $104,500 in grants to individuals affected by the recent wildfires. New applications and ongoing contributions are welcomed
The application form for a fire-relief grant is here.
The fire resource page is here.
Prayers for those Besieged by Fire: Episcopal Relief & Development has a number of prayer resources on their webpage. Here is one: Almighty God, who is our strength and our refuge; be with those who are besieged by fire, guide those who evacuate so that they may find care and comfort in a safe place; protect their homes and their pets, their neighbors and their friends, so that they may return home to a loving community. We ask this in the name of Jesus your son, who abides with you and with the Holy Spirit. Amen. For more resources, go to https://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/worship-resources/let-us-pray/wildfire-prayers/
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 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: These 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.
Reminder Church office is open Monday-Friday: If you have any need, Rick Fridrick is in the Church office Monday-Thursday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm and Friday from 9:00 am – Noon. 562-425-4457
Pastoral Care: If you have normal “every day” pastoral concerns, contact Rick in the office, or Allen at (714) 381-5910. But if you have more profound concerns (serious illnesses, deaths in the family, significant problems in coping with life’s challenges, etc.), please feel free to contact Fr. Michael Fincher (Rector at St. Gregory’s). Fr. Michael’s cell phone is (909) 373-6478.
We hope to have a more detailed pastoral care plan soon.
Many blessings,
Rick Fridrick,
Church Office Administrator
St Thomas Of Canterbury Episcopal Church
5306 Arbor Road, Long Beach, CA 90808
stlb47@verizon.net 562-425-4457