St. Thomas Tidings: February 24, 2023 Edition
Today we commemorate Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr (156). Here is the collect for the day: O God, the maker of heaven and earth, you gave your venerable servant, the holy and gentle Polycarp, the boldness to confess Jesus Christ as King and Savior and the steadfastness to die for his faith: Give us grace, following his example, to share the cup of Christ and to rise to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Stations of the Cross: Diane Silk will lead Stations of the Cross every Friday in Lent at noon, beginning February 24. No reservation is necessary – just show up at church and enjoy this traditional Lenten service.
Lenten Book Study Begins March 1: Our Lenten book study, “When Did We See You?”, will look at theological writing in modern science fiction and fantasy books. The class will run Wednesday nights from March 1 through April 19 (except the Wednesday of Holy Week) from 6:30 to 8:00pm. Please RSVP to the church office (stlb47@verizon.net) if you plan to attend, so we know how many copies of readings to make. More information is in the February Canterbury Tales, and flyers are in the narthex if you want to share one with a friend.
Soup and Stations at St. Gregory’s: On each of the Thursdays in March (2nd, 16th, 23rd, and 30th), St. Gregory’s will host a soup supper beginning at 6:00 PM. Following supper, we will have the opportunity to explore different versions of the Stations of the Cross. Note that a different version will be presented each week for your reflective experience. There will NOT be a Soup Supper or Stations on March 9 because of work on the St. Gregory’s parking lot. St. Gregory’s is at 6201 E Willow St.
Helping Women: In honor of Women’s History Month, we will be collecting personal hygiene items for the Women’s Shelter of Long Beach, which has been helping women and children since 1977. More information will be in the Canterbury Tales on specific items needed; please only donate the items on the list. There will be a collection box in the narthex for donated items. Thank you, Wendy, for the wonderful service project idea!
Spring Forward: Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 12. Be sure to set your clocks forward before you go to bed on March 11.
Lenten Pilgrim Bags: There are still a few Lenten Pilgrim Bags left. If you would like one, you can pick one up in the narthex on Sunday.
Check Out the Garden: Cathy Khoury has been working with Eureka Montessori to revitalize the garden beds in the back of the church. She and Petra have selected plants, and the preschoolers have helped to put them in the ground. We look forward to working with the preschool as they learn about gardening and enjoy the fruits of their labors. Thank you, Cathy, for getting the gardens going again!
The New Website is Here!: We are proud to announce that our new website is up and running. Please bookmark the new URL: stthomascanterbury.org and use it from now on. More information about our site and its contents will appear in a separate email.
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 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.