St. Thomas Tidings - January 19, 2023 Edition
Today we commemorate Wulfstan of Worcester, Bishop (1095). Here is the collect for the day: Almighty God, whose only-begotten Son led captivity captive and gave gifts to your people: Multiply among us faithful pastors, who, like your holy bishop Wulfstan, will give courage to those who are oppressed and held in bondage; and bring us all, we pray, into the true freedom of your Kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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!
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 am 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!
Candle Blessing January 29: February 2 is the Feast of the Presentation, also known as Candlemas. We celebrate the day when Jesus was presented in the temple and recognized by Simeon as “the light to enlighten the nations.” We won’t have a special service on February 2, but we will bless candles on January 29 during both services so you can bring the light of church into your homes.
Preliminary Grant Meeting: The Bishop’s Committee plans to submit several grants this year to help with our fundraising. On Wednesday, February 1, starting at 6pm, we are having a meeting to talk about researching and writing grants. Please contact Shelley Arnold (shelleyarnold1@aol.com) if you are interested in coming, so that we can provide a simple supper while talking. Note that coming to this meeting does not constitute a full commitment to the grant finding and writing process – it just means you are willing to help with ideas. Thanks for your interest in keeping St. Thomas going!
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.”
Day by Day: The February-April edition of Day by Day, the daily devotional booklet, has arrived and is available in the narthex. Please come pick one up if you enjoy using the booklet.
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.
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.
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 Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Psalms for Morning Prayer - January 23-27, 2023
Psalms for Evening Prayer - January 23-27, 2023
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.