St. Thomas Tidings: November 14, 2024
Today in our calendar of saints we commemorate the Consecration of Samuel Seabury (1784). Here is the collect for the day: We give you thanks, O Lord our God, for your goodness in bestowing upon this church the gift of the episcopate; and we pray that, joined together in unity with our bishops and nourished by your holy sacraments, we may proclaim the Gospel of redemption with apostolic zeal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Veterans Outreach: Please come to the work party TODAY at 11am to make the Thanksgiving bags for our veterans at Cabrillo Village. Many hands make light work! Delivery to Cabrillo Village will take place on Tuesday, November 19 at 1:30pm. If you’d like to help, or if you have any questions, please contact Rosemary Sissons at 562-818-3911.
Sue Williams Memorial Eucharist: Sue’s memorial Eucharist and reception is Saturday, November 16 at 11:00am, with a reception to follow in Crosby Hall. Please continue to keep Sue’s family in your prayers as they prepare for her service.
Holiday Fair Preparations: Thank you to everyone who has signed up to bring something to sell, or spend an hour working the fair, or both. If you are bringing crafts or baked goods to sell, PLEASE price them before you bring them. We don’t have enough workers signed up to be able to price things as they come in, and we don’t want to price your goods too low after you have worked so hard on them. See you at the Fair!
“Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan” Evensong: We are invited to join with our St. Gregory’s siblings for a special Evensong this Sunday, November 17 at 4pm. This service acknowledges bot the debt that the Episcopal Church has to the Scottish Church (since it was the Scottish Church that ordained the first American bishop), and the desire of the Scottish people to hold onto their heritage and clan tartans when that was denied them under English rule. Everyone, Scottish or not, is invited to wear or bring a token of their heritage to the service to be blessed. Afterwards we’ll enjoy a festive reception and admire everyone’s family history. St. Gregory’s is at 6201 E. Willow St. See you there!
Thanksgiving Eve Service: Please come to our annual Thanksgiving Eve service with the “Blessing of the Buns” on Wednesday, November 27 at 7pm. Our siblings from St. Gregory’s will join us, and we’ll have pie and hot chocolate afterwards. Bring your buns or any other reasonable token of your Thanksgiving beast to be blessed during the service. Let’s all start the holiday weekend out right by giving thanks for our community and what we’ve received.
Our Pledge Campaign Continues: Our pledge campaign officially wraps up with our blessing of the pledge cards on November 24. This date allows us to have a full month preparing the 2025 budget so it can be reviewed by the Bishop’s Committee before the annual meeting. However, if you need extra time before you submit your pledge, please take it – and please speak with Allen Stout or Mother Sharon if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration of how you can support St. Thomas’ mission and ministries.
Family Leave: I will be away on Sunday, December 8 due to my brother-in-law’s memorial service. The Rev. Gary Commins will preach and preside at both services. I will work my usual schedule the week of December 1 and then leave for Sacramento. Father Michael Fincher will cover pastoral care through the weekend of December 8. – 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.