St. Thomas Tidings: June 29, 2023 Edition
Today is the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. Here is the collect for the day: Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Travel Plans: Mother Sharon and Mike will be away June 29-July 1. Father Michael will be available for any pastoral emergencies during those days.
July 4 Holiday: The office will be open on Monday, July 3, and then closed July 4 for the holiday. There will be no Morning or Evening Prayer on July 4.
Men’s Breakfast July 8: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, July 8. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium: 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.
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 invited your friends to evenings of barbecue, music, and fun.
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!
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 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.