THE EPISTLE:

April 4, 2024

The Thursday of Easter Week

THIS WEEK

Moms' Group TONIGHT, April 4th at 6:30 PM

St. Thomas’ Mom's group ministry for mothers with children ages 0 - 18 is meeting again TONIGHT, Thursday, April 4th, at 6:30pm in the Parish Hall!

The monthly Mom's Group is a time to come together as mothers with young children to support one another, share in the love and laughter, and help each other through the challenges and struggles that motherhood brings. Being a mom is not always easy, so one night a month we come together to ask the good Lord for patience and strength and to lean on one another in this shared experience. Please bring a mom friend!

Contact Audrey Cain at audreysherkin@gmail.com for more info.

THANK YOU, ST. THOMAS, FOR ANOTHER WONDERFUL HOLY WEEK & EASTER!

Thank you to all the amazing hands and hearts who contributed to making this year's Holy Week and Easter Worship & Celebrations absolutely incredible. From the moving music of the Choral Meditation on the Passion on Palm Sunday evening, to the quiet of our Holy Monday and Holy Wednesday Eucharists, through the joy of the Seder Supper on Holy Tuesday, to the Foot Washing & Stripping of the Altar on Maundy Thursday, the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday, the Easter Egg Hunt, Hot Dog Lunch, and Flowering of the Church on Holy Saturday, and all the "Joyful Noise" and Chocolate Strawberries of the Easter Vigil, and, finally, our delicious Easter Brunch and powerful Easter Sunday Eucharists! WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!

Thank you to all our cooks, altar guild members, flower artists, egg hiders, kitchen gurus, rocket scientists & engineer banner hangers, musicians and singers, Vestry members on duty and call, money collectors, and general helping handers! You are all a tremendous blessing! And a special thank you to our dedicated St. Thomas church staff and clergy! We are a truly blessed church family.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The Lord has risen indeed, Alleluia!

Be sure to check out all the amazing photos below and on our church Facebook page! And thank you, Gregg Geis, Audrey Murphy Cain, Carey McIntyre, and Kristi Falco, St. Thomas' photography team extraordinaire!

The Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus & the Shroud of Turin: New Adult Christian Formation class for Easter begins THIS SUNDAY!

The stories in the Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances have fascinated and inspired Christians for centuries. As we continue to celebrate the Great 50 Days of the Easter season, come join Fr. Donavan for a special Easter study of these amazing stories from the New Testament and discuss the deep meaning of bodily resurrection for our Christian faith. Also, we will consider the mysterious Shroud of Turin, and discuss whether or not it is the greatest of Christian relics or the slyest of Medieval frauds! Don’t miss a single session of this intriguing Easter meditation on the resurrected Christ, beginning THIS SUNDAY, April 7th, at 9:30am in the Parish Hall!

"Wisdom & Works" Spring Stewardship Drive kicks off THIS SUNDAY!

As we enter our Spring season of growth here at St. Thomas and in the world around us, we have decided to kick off a second phase of our annual Stewardship drive, Giving for Growth, focused exclusively on WORKS & WISDOM! We will use the month of April this year to encourage everyone at St. Thomas to consider ways that we can all share time, talent, and knowledge to keep our many ministries growing and expanding here at the church.

And for our “WORKS & WISDOM” Spring Stewardship drive this year, we are going to focus on two of our biggest outreach ministries, the summer Bailey Cove Farmers’ Market and this November's Lobsterfest! Have a listen to speakers each Sunday, read special inserts in our Sunday worship bulletins, and reach out to the ministry leaders to get signed up and help! "Giving for Growth" needs all of our works and wisdom, as well as our pledge drives, so consider signing up to help an outreach ministry at St. Thomas this month!

"Come As You Are"

5 PM Holy Eucharist returns THIS SUNDAY, April 7th, with dinner!

St. Thomas' "Come as You Are" 5pm Sunday worship service returns this Sunday, April 7th, with a special dinner immediately following worship! Our 5pm Holy Eucharist features simple hymns from the Alleluia III hymnal, good sermons preached from the floor, and Holy Communion. Come as you are and invite a friend to join you for the 5pm Evening Holy Eucharist at St. Thomas.

Choral Evensong for the Feast of the Annunciation, this Monday, April 8th, at 6 PM

The Feast of the Annunciation, transferred from March 25, is a Holy Day in our church calendar which falls exactly 9 months before Christmas every year. This is the day that commemorates the coming of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary with the astonishing news that she has been chosen to be the God-Bearer. This year St. Thomas will celebrate this important Feast with a Service of Evensong, assisted by the choir. The responses, canticles, and hymns come out of the hymnal and will be sung by choir and congregation, and Fr. Donavan will offer a short homily on the importance of the Blessed Virgin Mary's "Yes" commemorated on this day.

The Magnificat is a setting by William Crotch, S-186 in our hymnal. The Nunc dimittis is a setting by Joseph Barnby from the Hymnal 1940, which is beloved by countless Camp McDowell attendees. The Anthem will be an arrangement of “The Angel Gabriel” by Miss Kathy, sung by a select ensemble from the choir.

Please mark your calendars and join us for this special Evensong at St. Thomas.

The Bailey Cove Farmers Market Opens on Saturday, May 4th! Sign up to Volunteer THIS SUNDAY!

The Bailey Cove Farmers Market at St. Thomas kicks off this year on Saturday, May 4th! But we can’t have it without you! Please volunteer to help this year by signing up on the poster on the bulletin board in Information Hall. We sincerely appreciate your willingness to help out! Then start making your Farmers Market grocery list!

Thank you for signing up and signing into Realm at St. Thomas!

Thank you to everyone who signed in, set up, and added a photo during the 40 days of Lent to St. Thomas’ Realm online service. Our online directory via Realm has expanded and grown exponentially. And thank you to our dedicated members of our Invite, Welcome, and Connect Ministry and our volunteers for their help taking photos and getting our parishioners signed in! If you still need assistance setting up Realm or getting your photo upload, please call the Church Office.

Medical Supply Ministry at Latham Church

St. Thomas is currently directing all medical item donations to Latham Church, located on Weatherly Road. Latham Church operates a Medical Supply Ministry that accepts walkers, wheelchairs, potty chairs, bedside commodes, canes, and crutches. The Medical Supply Ministry is free of charge and requests your help in expanding their inventory. If you have any of these items or if you need them, you can eliminate "the middle man" (St. Thomas), and now go straight to Latham Church!

UPCOMING

Save the Date: Invite, Welcome, Connect Newcomer's Social on Friday, April 12th at 6 PM

The Invite, Welcome, and Connect Committee would like to invite all those who have joined St. Thomas over the last year and a half to a Newcomer's Social Friday, April 12th at 6:00pm. We will gather in the Narthex to share heavy hors d'oeuvres, beverages, dessert, and conversation with members of the St. Thomas clergy, the IWC committee, and other newcomers to the church. We look forward to seeing you there!

Are you NEW to St. Thomas?

Come learn all about our church and our history in our new monthly Newcomers Class! We are really excited to have you here at St. Thomas.

Newcomers 1 will be held at 9:30 a.m. on April 14th. Follow the blue signs leading to the Crossroads Room where we'll meet. This will cover The Episcopal Church from Jesus' death to today.

Newcomers 2 will be held April 28th and we will take a tour of St. Thomas during which you will learn the story of St. Thomas.

Call Elouisa Stokes 256-604-8669 for more information.

St. Thomas Book Club Wednesday, April 15th

St. Thomas Book Club will meet April 15 to discuss The Women by Kristen Hannah. We meet at 10 am in the Library. On May 13 we will discuss Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and on June 16 our book will be Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. You all are welcome even if you have not read the book. Call Elouisa Stokes at 256-604-8669 for more information.

Silver Saints Movie Matinee Presents: The Five People You Meet in Heaven

April 18th at 1:00 pm

We will offer in April, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. This story, starring Jon Voight, Ellen Burstyn, and others, “explores the unexpected mysteries of the afterlife by reminding us what really matters here on Earth.” Come join us in the St. Thomas Parish Hall at 1:00 PM on Thursday, April 18.

The Silver Saints Movie Matinee offers fun and fellowship with free movies. We offer snacks and beverages, and we will even pick you up and return you home if you wish. We have comfortable seating and a half-time break in the movie. Please bring your friends and ask people from our neighborhood. Call Jack or Becky Stokes at 256-881-4748, or the church office at 256-880-0247. Please call 24 hours ahead if you will need a ride. Please come join us.

ONGOING

Sunday Children and Youth Formation at St. Thomas

We offer five different Sunday school classes for our children and youth!

Pre-K - 1st grade: Godly Play- Renee' Redfield - Hiers 4

2nd-3rd grades: Love First- Laura Beth Bestor - Hiers 2

4th-5th grades: Thou Art- Kathie Clayton & Lila Powell - Hiers 6

6th-7th grades: My Faith, My Life- Sonya Carrier & Jane Allgood - Hiers 5

8th-12th grades: Youth Room

Contact our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth Bestor, at children@stthomashuntsville.org if you have questions or would like to help out with this important aspect of our ministries.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat: We are moving fast this year. We have the house under cover and ready to put up the metal flashing, j channel, and siding on the gables and soffits this Saturday. Please come and help. You will probably learn something for your house. We resume work THIS Saturday, April 6th. The house is at 215 Lake Drive.

Directions:

Take Meridian north toward Drake State and turn left on McDonnell Ave. Take a left on N Plymouth Road and Lake Drive is on the left.

We are looking for someone to take over the Habitat for Humanity Coordinator role at St. Thomas. If you are willing to take on this role, please call Elouisa Stokes at 256-604-8669 or contact our Senior Warden, George Harriman, or Fr. Donavan.

New Acolyte Sign-Up Genius is now available!

Calling all youth and children 2^nd grade and older! A new St. Thomas Acolyte Sign-Up Genius is available by clicking here for 2^nd graders and older. We'd appreciate it if you could sign up to serve once a month. If your child(ren) need to be trained or refreshed, feel free to reach out to Deacon Jeannie (jrann228@gmail.com) or me and we will get something scheduled. Contact The Rev. Jeannie Randall at jrann228@gmail.com or our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth Bestor at children@stthomashuntsville.org.