St. Thomas Tidings: May 9, 2024
Today is the feast of the Ascension. Here is the collect for the day: Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Ascension Day Service: Our Ascension Day Service is TONIGHT at 7:00pm. We have held joint Ascension Day services for the past two years with our siblings from St. Luke’s and St. Gregory’s, and this year St. Gregory’s will be hosting the service. St. Gregory’s is at 6201 E Willow St, Long Beach. We look forward to seeing you, either in person or online.
Men’s Breakfast May 11: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, May 11. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Mother’s Day is May 12: As is our custom, we will have small treats available for all women at both services on May 12. There will also be special food for coffee hour. Thanks to our Hospitality Committee for making the day special for everyone!
Taizé Service May 15: Please come to the sanctuary next Wednesday, May 15, for our monthly Taizé service. We will meet at 6:15 for a brief time of prayer, scripture, song, and silence. You are welcome to bring a friend who will enjoy a simple meditative service.
Supporting Local Veterans: We are starting a new ministry with veterans at Century Village. We’ll be providing hygiene kits for ten veterans, and there are opportunities to buy items, make baskets, write notes, and help with expenses. The information meeting was last Monday, but you are welcome to donate supplies, to sign up for delivering supplies to the village, and to assist in other ways. The next meeting is Monday, May 20 at 4pm in Larkin Hall; you can also contact Shelley Arnold and Rosemary Sissons for more information.
Communion Experiments: Last Sunday we served communion first to those who wish to receive by intinction, and then to those who wish to drink from the chalice. It worked well, so we’ll continue to do this for the next several weeks. Please let Mother Sharon or Sue Williams know of any comments or ideas on how to continue to make communion flow smoothly.
Dodger Night Coordinator: The annual Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium is in September, but it’s already time to get ready for signups! We need a coordinator for St. Thomas who is willing to take ticket signups, collect the money, send in the order, and then distribute the tickets via email when they arrive. If you are willing to help with this, please talk with Mother Sharon.
Music at 4 May 19: We are invited to join our St. Gregory’s siblings for Choral Evensong on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, beginning at 4pm. A reception will follow.
“Mass in the Grass” June 2: Our annual picnic with St. Gregory’s will be Sunday, June 2 at 10:15am at El Dorado Park. We will have our usual 8:00 service at St. Thomas, and then join with our siblings for the 10:15 service. Please note that this year the picnic will be a potluck, and St Gregory’s asks us to RSVP for lunch and sign up to bring something. Details on food needed are in the May Canterbury Tales; please RSVP to the St. Gregory’s office no later than May 26. Of course the service is free and open to all, with no need to RSVP if you plan to stay only for the service. See you there!
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.