St. Thomas Tidings: March 30, 2023 Edition
There is no special commemoration in the calendar of saints today. The collect for today is the collect from this past Sunday: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
LAST CALL for Soup and Stations at St. Gregory’s: This is the final night for “Soup and Stations” at St. Gregory’s. Supper starts at 6:00pm, and then everyone will go to the church for Stations of the Cross. St. Gregory’s is at 6201 E Willow St. in Long Beach.
Palm Sunday Reminder: We will start both services on Palm Sunday on the patio and process into the church. Please come a bit early so you can take part in the procession!
Spring Bake and Craft Sale This Sunday!: Thank you to everyone who has signed up to help with the Bake and Craft Sale this Sunday. The church will be open at 7am on Sunday for you to bring your items. Please keep telling your friends and neighbors about our sale.
Concert This Weekend: 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
Easter Floral Donations: The Altar Guild and their helpers always do a wonderful job of decorating the church for Easter. Donation envelopes are available in the pews; you can also send an email to the office with your tributes (in memory of, in honor of, in thanksgiving for…). If you want your tributes listed in the Easter bulletins, we need your information no later than Tuesday, April 4. Thank you for your help in making our church glorious for Easter.
“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.
Men’s Breakfast April 8: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, April 8. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
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.