St. Thomas Tidings: June 20, 2024
There is no special commemoration on the calendar of saints today. Our collect for the day is the collect from this past Sunday: Keep, O Lord, your household the church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Directory Update: We’re getting ready to put out a new edition of our community directory. A draft copy will be in the narthex the weekends of June 16 and 23 (and during the week as well!). Please check your information to make sure it’s correct, including address, email and phone number, birthdays, and anniversaries. We do our best to make the directory as complete and error-free as possible, and we appreciate your help.
Time Away: Mother Sharon and Mike are taking the opportunity to get away for a couple of days this week. They’ll be away Thursday after Morning Prayer through Saturday early afternoon. The Tidings and other regular emails will go out as scheduled. Please call Father Michael if any pastoral emergencies occur. Mother Sharon will handle all regular business and emails when she’s back.
Canterbury Tales Update: We will have a combined July-August edition which will come out in late June, due to various vacation schedules. If you want or need an article in the CT for July or August, please be sure you get it to Bill Henderson by June 25.
Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium: Our annual Dodgers game is Friday, September 6 at 7:00pm. Sue Williams has graciously volunteered to coordinate our order this year. You need to sign up in the narthex with your name, email address, and number of tickets, and give Sue your money, NO LATER THAN July 18 so that we can get the order to the diocese. Tickets are $35 and will be distributed to your email address when they are received by the diocese. You will need to show the ticket on your phone at the stadium.
Independence Day Closures: The church office will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for the Independence Day holiday. There will be no Morning or Evening Prayer that day.
Communion Update: We are continuing to try out our new model of receiving communion, where those who wish to receive by intinction receive first, and then those who wish to drink from the chalice. We are continuing to fine-tune the process, and also see how we might use this model at the altar rail. Please let Mother Sharon or Sue Williams know of any comments or ideas on how to continue to make communion flow smoothly.
Livestream Help Wanted: As noted in the Canterbury Tales, we need one or two people who are willing to step up and learn the livestreaming system so that we can remain online. We don’t want to deprive our livestreaming siblings of the services they rely on! If you are interested, please speak with John or 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 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.