St.Thomas Tidings: May 18, 2023 Edition
Today is the Feast of the Ascension, one of the seven principal feasts in the church year. 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 TONIGHT: We are joining with St. Gregory’s and St. Luke’s at 7pm tonight for our second annual Ascension Day service. The bulletin is attached to this email. Please come to St. Luke’s if you can; the service will also be livestreamed on Facebook for those who can’t attend in person. If you don’t see the service on our Facebook page, please go to St. Luke’s page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Lukes-Episcopal-Church/135636233167030
Reminder: This Saturday’s parking lot sale has been cancelled. Stay tuned for more Raise the Roof events.
Garden Party: On Sunday May 21, 2023, from 2-5PM we are invited to gather with the rest of the diocesan community for the annual GLEAM Garden Party at the Episcopal Residence in Pasadena. Join us as we gather in community in the beautiful gardens at the home of our hosts Bishop John Taylor and Canon Kathy O'Connor, make new friends and raise funds to support LGBTQIA+ ministry in the diocese. There is a suggested $30 donation at the door. Door donations of $40 include the first two rounds of Bingo. Door Donations of $50 will include all rounds of Bingo. To RSVP for the garden party please email gleamlainfo@gmail.com. Address and parking details will be sent upon receiving your response.
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. 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 28.
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 coming soon, but you can also let Mother Sharon know if you want tickets. You can also get tickets by going to the Long Beach Chorale Facebook page and finding our concert post: https://www.facebook.com/longbeachchorale See you there!
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!
Day by Day: The May-July 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.
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.