St. Thomas Tidings: November 29, 2023
Today is the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. Here is the collect for the day: Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give to us, who are called by your Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Advent Wreath Lighting: As is our custom, we begin our Advent services with a brief ceremony where we light the Advent Wreath. If you would like to participate, please sign up in the narthex – there are still plenty of spaces available. Individuals and families are welcome to participate.
Screening of “The Philadelphia Eleven” This Saturday: Christ Church Redondo Beach is showing “The Philadelphia Eleven,” the documentary about the first women ordained in the Episcopal Church, this Saturday beginning at 5pm. The showing will be in the parish hall, and all are welcome. A free-will offering will be taken. Christ Church is at 408 S. Broadway, Redondo Beach. For more information, or to RSVP, contact christrb@aol.com or 310-540-1722.
Men’s Breakfast December 9: All men of the parish and any friends who identify as men are welcome to come to the Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, December 9. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Long Beach Chorale Concerts: As you know, Long Beach Chorale has been using our sanctuary for rehearsals since August. Their holiday concerts are also in our sanctuary on December 9 and 10 at 4:00pm. Tickets are available on their website https://longbeachchorale.org/tickets/ Full-price tickets are $40, but there are also student tickets for $15 and a “pay what you can” option so that no one is left out. Please take advantage of this opportunity to see Long Beach’s best volunteer choir in action.
Christmas Flower Donations: It’s not too early to think about donating for our annual display of poinsettias and Christmas flowers. Envelopes will be available to make donations in honor or memory of friends and loved ones, or in thanksgiving for something in your life. Donations must be received by December 17 to be included in the Christmas bulletins. Thanks for your help!
Advent Lessons & Carols and Dinner: Please come to Advent Lessons & Carols on Sunday, December 17 at 3:00pm, and then stay for a delicious Advent Dinner. The service is, of course, free and open to all; dinner will be $10 and requires a reservation so we know how much food to prepare. You can RSVP in the narthex or by emailing the church office before December 10.
Quilt Raffle: Deborah Wright has made and donated a gorgeous Christmas quilt as a fundraiser. Raffle tickets are $5 and can be purchased through Advent Evensong on December 17. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Advent Dinner; winner need not be present to win.
Pledge Income: Our pledge income is down significantly from our projections at the beginning of the year. If you regularly give or pledge to St. Thomas, you should have received a third-quarter statement in your pledge drive envelope. If you are behind in this year’s pledge, please do your best to catch up by the end of the year, so that we don’t end the year with a deficit. Remember that Mother Sharon and the Bishop’s Committee are always available if you have any concerns or pastoral needs.
Prayer Tree: We are revamping our community prayer tree. A small and dedicated group of people prays for those on our prayer list and are alerted when new prayer needs arise. If you would like to be part of this praying network, please contact Jane Gordon-Topper.
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.