St. Thomas Tidings: March 16, 2023 Edition
There is no saint appointed for today, but we are “borrowing” St. Patrick from tomorrow’s celebration. Here is the collect for the day: Almighty God, in your providence you chose your servant Patrick to be the apostle to the Irish people, to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of you: Grant us so to walk in that way that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
“Could you not watch one hour with me?” We plan to have our usual vigil from 9:00pm Maundy Thursday until 10:00am on Good Friday in the St. Thomas sanctuary. You are invited to spend an hour (or however much time you have) in prayer and meditation, suspended in time between the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and the crucifixion. There is a signup sheet in the St. Thomas narthex, and you can also sign up via email at stlb47@verizon.net. Please sign up by April 2, so that we can adjust and publish the schedule according to how many people sign up. We need at least two people in the church at all times, for safety’s sake. If you have any questions, please email the St. Thomas office.
Stations of the Cross: Diane Silk is leading Stations of the Cross every Friday in Lent at noon. No reservation is necessary – just show up at church and enjoy this traditional Lenten service.
Palm Sunday Readers: It’s that time again – we need about fifteen readers at each service for our Palm Sunday Passion narrative. Most of the parts are one or two lines, and you can read them from your seat in the congregation. There’s a signup sheet in the narthex for both services – please sign up and take a part in this most important service.
Upcoming Concert: The Long Beach Chorale and Chamber Orchestra present “Music of Transcendence,” featuring the Faure Requiem, on Saturday, April 1 at 7pm and Sunday, April 2 at 4pm. Concerts are at Grace First Presbyterian Church, 3955 N. Studebaker Road, Long Beach. Come spend some time with prayerful music and enhance your Palm Sunday weekend experience. Ticket information is here: https://longbeachchorale.networkforgood.com/events/49679-faur-requiem
Spring Bake and Craft Sale: Our spring sale will be Sunday, April 2, between 9am and noon. Yes, it’s Palm Sunday – but we hope to draw in some people from the surrounding churches with our outstanding baked goods and crafts. The usual signup sheet to bring items is in the narthex, and we also need people to sign up to cover the table during the 10:15 service. Thanks in advance for your help.
Lenten Book Study: Our Lenten book study, “When Did We See You?”, has begun, but each class is relatively independent of the others, so you can still join in if you want. The class will run Wednesday nights through April 19 (except the Wednesday of Holy Week) from 6:30 to 8:00pm. Please RSVP to the church office (stlb47@verizon.net) if you plan to attend, so we know how many copies of readings to make.
Soup and Stations at St. Gregory’s: On each of the Thursdays in March (2nd, 16th, 23rd, and 30th), St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church will host a soup supper beginning at 6:00 PM. Following supper, we will have the opportunity to explore different versions of the Stations of the Cross. Note that a different version will be presented each week for your reflective experience. There will NOT be a Soup Supper or Stations on March 9 because of work on the St. Gregory’s parking lot. St. Gregory’s is at 6201 E Willow St.
Helping Women: In honor of Women’s History Month, we will be collecting personal hygiene items for the Women’s Shelter of Long Beach, which has been helping women and children since 1977. More information will be in the Canterbury Tales on specific items needed; please only donate the items on the list. There will be a collection box in the narthex for donated items. Thank you, Wendy, for the wonderful service project idea!
Lenten Pilgrim Bags: There are still a few Lenten Pilgrim Bags left. If you would like one, you can pick one up in the narthex on Sunday.
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