St. Thomas Tidings: July 13, 2023 Edition
There is no special commemoration today on the calendar of saints. The collect for the day is the collect from this past Sunday: O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Dodger Ticket Deadline is This Sunday: Our annual baseball event is Friday, September 1, when the Dodgers host the Braves starting at 7:10pm. If you are interested in attending the game, you MUST sign up NO LATER THAN July 16, as all ticket orders must be turned in by July 18. Tickets are $30; cost does not include parking. Please put your name, your email, and the number of tickets you want on the signup sheet in the narthex, or in an email to stlb47@verizon.net. Your email address is very important; as all Dodgers tickets are now electronic, tickets will be emailed to you, and you will need to show them on your phone at the stadium. If you have any questions, please see Mother Sharon. Thanks for your help in making Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium a success.
Pulpit Swap This Sunday: Even though we’ve been sharing services for over a year, it’s been suggested that it would be a good idea to have Father Michael and Mother Sharon preach and celebrate across town, so that folks in both communities learn more about both clergy and are more comfortable calling on them for pastoral emergencies. Please welcome Father Michael to St. Thomas this Sunday as he preaches and presides. We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to get to know our clergy better.
Blessing of the Backpacks August 6: Our annual Blessing of the Backpacks and Briefcases will be held at both services on August 6. Please bring any school supplies you have collected for Long Beach students so they can be blessed before delivery. If you are a student, educator, or administrator, you are also invited to bring your laptop, backpack, briefcase, or other token of your work and study so you and it can be blessed as well.
Concerts in the Park: Huntington Beach Concert Band is celebrating fifty years of music with its summer concert series on Sundays through August 20. All concerts start at 5pm in Huntington Beach Central Park and are free. Our own Marc Skuster is part of the group, so let’s go out and support him! For more concert information, go to www.hbconcertband.org
Raise the Roof Reminders: Our July Canterbury Tales lists several events planned for the coming months. We hope you find something that appeals to you! Please mark your calendars and invite your friends to evenings of barbecue, music, and fun. There is still room in the calendar for more events, so please let us know when you would like to host a Raise the Roof event.
Capital Campaign: We have begun our capital campaign to “Raise the Roof” and make other needed repairs to our physical plant. You should have received your letter and pledge card by now; please let us know if you did not receive one, or if you would like one to give to a friend or neighbor. If you have questions or concerns, please speak with Allen Stout, Shelley Arnold, or Mother Sharon. We know a capital campaign is not anyone’s favorite topic, but it’s a necessary fact of life for us as we try to keep our buildings repaired. The organ campaign was such a success that we know we can make this work!
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 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.