St. Thomas Tidings - January 12, 2023 Edition
Today we commemorate Aelred of Rievaulx, Monastic and Theologian (1167). Here is the collect for the day: Grant to your people, Almighty God, a spirit of mutual affection; that, following the example of your servant Aelred of Rievaulx, we might know the love of Christ in loving one another; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Last Call for Square Dance Reservations: Our St. Thomas Square Dance is this Saturday, January 14, from 5-7pm. No experience or partner is necessary. RSVPs for dinner close TONIGHT, January 12, but you can come to the dance without a dinner reservation. 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!
Men’s Breakfast This Saturday: 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.
2023 Offering Envelopes: The envelopes are available for pickup in the church narthex. Please pick up your envelopes to save us the cost of mailing them. Of course, if you have a good reason to need them mailed or delivered, please let us know! We appreciate your financial support of our community.
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. Their January newsletter is attached for your information.
Organ Concert January 24: As advertised in “The Principal,” the newsletter of the American Guild of Organists, Long Beach Chapter, “Our next event will be the Members’ Recital taking place on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, at 7:00pm, at St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church. Special thanks to William Henderson, who is hosting the event, and also to our four performers: Kyle Black, Patricia Hannifan, Emily Lacina, and Russell Litchfield.”
Annual Meeting February 5: Our Annual Meeting is Sunday, February 5. We will accept the 2023 budget, elect two new members of the Bishop’s Committee, elect alternates to Diocesan Convention, and hear about what we did in 2022 and what is planned for 2023. As we have done before, we will have one service at 9am and then hold the meeting immediately afterwards, so the 8:00 congregation doesn’t need to come back for the meeting. We will have a potluck brunch, so please bring something to share as we meet. See you then!
Annual Reports are Due: If you are the head of a ministry or group, your report for the annual meeting is due! Please submit your report to the church office by January 21 (a little later than stated in the Canterbury Tales), preferably via email so it’s easier to format the Annual Meeting booklet. Thanks for your help!
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
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.