St. Thomas Tidings: May 25, 2023 Edition
Today we commemorate Bede, Priest and Historian (735). Here is the collect for the day: Almighty God, who has enriched your church with the learning and holiness of your servant Bede: Grant us to find in Scripture and disciplined prayer the image of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and to fashion our lives according to his likeness, to the glory of your great Name and to the benefit of your holy church; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost is this Sunday: We will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday. We don’t have any baptisms scheduled, but we will renew our baptismal covenant and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. You’re invited to wear red! We will also have a prayer for all those who gave their lives in service to our country.
Memorial Day Closure: The church office will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day.
Memorial Service for Eva Gordon: Eva Gordon’s memorial service is Saturday, June 3, at 1:00pm. A reception will follow. Please let Jane Gordon-Topper know if you plan to attend.
Mass in the Grass June 4: On Trinity Sunday we will have our usual 8:00 service at St. Thomas, and then join St. Gregory’s for our Mass in the Grass and Picnic at El Dorado Park at 10:15. The map for the event is attached. St. Gregory’s is providing the picnic, so please call or email the St. Gregory’s office to RSVP (info@stgregoryschurch.com, 562-420-1311). Please RSVP by May 29.
Men’s Breakfast June 10: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, June 10. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Concert Invitation: Long Beach Chorale cordially invites you to the Aquarium of the Pacific for a “Celebration of the Seas” concert on Sunday, June 11. Doors open at 6:30pm and the concert starts at 7pm. It’s a family-friendly concert featuring music ranging from Disney to pop to traditional. Ticket information is on the Aquarium webpage (https://tickets.aquariumofpacific.org/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=CHORALE23&c=LBC23) See you there!
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.
Capital Campaign Kickoff: 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.