St. Thomas Tidings: October 24, 2024
There is no special commemoration today in the calendar of saints. The collect for the day is the collect from this past Sunday: Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Heinlein For Heroes Book Drive: Each year we collect new and gently-used science fiction and fantasy books for use on military bases and in VA hospitals. Please bring your books and leave them in the narthex between now and November 10, when we will bless the books at our service celebrating our veterans before we give the books to the Heinlein Society for distribution.
Celebratory Service: We are invited to St. Wilfrid’s Women’s Priesthood 50th Anniversary Celebratory Service this Sunday, October 27 at 5:00pm. The service has been designed by women and will be led by women, including the Rev. Karen Maurer, the Rev. Kay Sylvester, the Rev. Laura Siriani, and the women of the St. Wilfrid’s Choir. St. Wilfrid’s is at 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach.
Daylight Savings Time Ends November 3: Coming early to church is great, but waiting in the parking lot for an hour is much less fun! Daylight Savings Time ends at 2am on Sunday, November 3. Be sure to set your clocks BACK before you go to bed (assuming you have any clocks that don’t automatically update) and enjoy that extra hour of sleep.
All Saints Necrology: As is our custom, we will read the names of our beloved dead at both services on November 3, our observance of All Saints. Please write your names in the notebook in the narthex, or email them to the church office, by this Sunday, October 27.
Chorale Concert November 3: The Long Beach Chorale loves St. Thomas as a performance space, especially for a cappella music. On Sunday, November 3 at 4:00pm, they will be performing a concert of sacred and secular Renaissance music. What a glorious way to celebrate All Saints Sunday! Tickets are $40 for adults and $15 for students, and there is a “pay what you can” option for folks who can’t afford the full price. For more information visit the Chorale web page at https://longbeachchorale.org ; tickets are at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=lbco
Off-Cycle Sabbath: Normally my Sabbath day is Friday. However, because I will be working on November 8 for diocesan convention, I will take my Sabbath on Thursday, November 7. I will do Morning Prayer and send out the usual Thursday emails, and then I will be unavailable. The rest of the normal Thursday work will be done on Friday before I go to convention. Thanks for your understanding. – Mother Sharon
Men’s Breakfast Saturday, November 9: Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship.
Taizé Service November 13: Please come to the sanctuary Wednesday, November 13, for our monthly Taizé service. We will meet at 6:15 for a brief time of prayer, scripture, chanting, and silence. You are welcome to bring a friend who will enjoy a simple meditative service.
Veterans Outreach: St. Thomas was recently given an entire closet-full of donations for our Veterans Ministry to give to our friends at Cabrillo Village. There is a work party on November 14 from 11am-1:30pm in Larkin Hall to make up as many Thanksgiving packages as possible. 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.
Our Pledge Campaign Continues: Next week you will receive your letter from Mother Sharon and a pledge card. We continue to offer our weekly meditations along with the Tidings, and we hope they are useful as we all continue to pray about what we can offer St. Thomas in the coming year. We will bless the pledge cards on November 24, so please do what you can to return your card by that day. Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration of how you can support St. Thomas’ mission and ministries.
38th Annual Brass Rubbing Event at St. Luke’s: We are invited to join our St. Luke’s siblings at “Cassidy Castle” for their annual Brass Rubbing Event. Learn about medieval times with docent-led talks, and create a piece of art for yourself or a loved one. The event runs October 15-November 9 (closed Sunday and Monday). Cost is $10 per person. For more information go to www.brassrubbing.org; for reservations and more information, email brass.rubbing.lb@gmail.com
Holiday Fair Preparations: Our annual Holiday Fair and Bake Sale is Saturday, November 23 – which means it’s not too early to start advertising our event to your friends and neighbors! We also need your help in providing baked goods and other treats to sell, and working the event itself (setup, cleanup, manning the sale table). Signup sheets are in the narthex.
Day by Day: The November 2024-January 2025 edition of Day by Day, the daily devotional booklet, has arrived and is available in the narthex. Please come pick one up if you enjoy using the booklet. We will also mail or deliver one to you if you can’t get to church – just let the church office know.
News for St. Thomas Delegates and Alternates to Convention: Hotel room and meal reservations are now open on the diocesan website for the November 8-9 convention. Please go to the Diocesan Convention page at https://diocesela.org/convention/meals-and-lodging/ to reserve your meals and room.
Convention Movie Screening Open to All: The film “The Philadelphia Eleven,” a documentary about the first women ordained in the Episcopal Church, will be shown Friday, November 8 as part of Diocesan Convention in Riverside. Attendance is not limited to delegates and alternates – everyone in the diocese is invited to attend! A dinner option is also available. For more information, please see the “Call to Convention” page at https://diocesela.org/news/call-to-the-2024-diocesan-convention/
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.