THE EPISTLE:

May 18, 2023

The Feast of the Ascension

Special LOBSTERFEST 101 Informational Session THIS SUNDAY from 9:30am-10:15am

This Sunday, May 21st, join Tom Perry and this year's Lobsterfest King & Queen, Mike and Laura Beth Bestor, for a special Lobsterfest 101 informational session during the Christian Formation hour in the Parish Hall. If you are new to St. Thomas or if you've never had a chance to help out with our Annual Lobsterfest, this will lay everything out for you and help you see where you might lend a hand and help! We will be describing the various committees that make up Lobsterfest, and current or past Chairs of the committees will provide an overview that will include a general description of committee work, chair responsibilities, and volunteer needs.  Lobsterfest 2023 on November 11th will be here before we know it, and in order to make it the most successful Lobsterfest ever, we need all the hands and hearts we can get! Come learn all about it and how you can help at Lobsterfest 101, from 9:15-10:15am, this Sunday in the Parish Hall!

CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL:

FINAL SUNDAY BEFORE SUMMER BREAK!

This Sunday, May 21st, is our last Children's Sunday School at 9:30am before we take a break for June and July.  Come make prayer flags and pick up a "Flat Thomas" to take with you on your summer travels! The Children's Moment will continue at the 10:30am service.  

No nursery on Sunday, May 28 (Pentecost) or Sunday, June 4.

Pool Party to celebrate our Children & Youth Ministries: THIS SUNDAY!

The St. Thomas Children's and Youth Ministries invite all children, youth, and their families to celebrate the end of the Sunday School year with a pool party and pizza on Sunday, May 21 from 3:30pm-6:30pm. Join us at the pool and clubhouse across the street at 700 Marina Park Drive, Huntsville 35803. In order to help us plan for food, please let our Children's Ministry Coordinator (Laura Beth Bestor, children@stthomashuntsville.org) or our Youth Ministries Activities Coordinator (Noah Bowen, bowennoah13@gmail.com) know if you and your family are coming.

St. Thomas' Green Mountain Eucharist & Parish Picnic for Pentecost Sunday is almost here!

St. Thomas will worship on top of Green Mountain again on Pentecost Sunday, May 28th! It will be a great way to kick off summer and to gather the entire parish family together for worship and a community picnic! This will be our ONE MORNING SERVICE on Pentecost Sunday and it will be offered in the pavilion at the Nature Center on top of Green Mountain. The pavilion is easily accessible to all, with the beauty of nature all around us, and we will celebrate with the music of a Jazz Eucharist arranged by our own Kathy Heim.

This year, St. Thomas is again providing fried chicken with all the “fix-ins," so you do not need to bring a thing! Just wear something RED to celebrate the day and dress comfortably. Aside from bug spray and a possible camp chair (if you have one), there are a large number of picnic tables available to make everyone feel at home. 

Again, will only offer the 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist that morning on Green Mountain in order to bring the whole family together, but we will also offer the "Laid Back" Holy Eucharist at 5pm that afternoon in the Church.

Make sure you have May 28th, Pentecost Sunday, on your calendar, for our annual Mountain Top Worship Service & Parish Picnic!

"St. Thomas Presents: A Night of Jazz" NEXT SATURDAY!

The 'St. Thomas Presents' concert series is returning on Saturday, May 27th, at 7pm, with “A Night of Jazz,” with the Steve Motz Quartet, featuring the Josh Couts Trio! The music will feature the tenor saxophone of Steve Motz and the Jazz guitar of Josh Couts backed by Kevin Sledge on acoustic bass, and Roger “Rudy” Rudolph on drums.  In addition to performing the works of renowned jazz artists such as Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and Grant Green, the group will perform several Josh Couts own compositions from his recently released album Everything Green.  If you enjoy straight ahead jazz music, you won’t want to miss this.

Join us for "A Night of Jazz" at St. Thomas on Saturday, May 27 at 7:00pm! 

The Bailey Cove Farmers Market at St. Thomas is now open every Saturday!

The Bailey Cove Farmers Market at St. Thomas kicked off on Saturday, May 6th, and is now open from 8am to 12pm every Saturday all summer long through September 2nd!

And you can help! Sign up to volunteer with the St. Thomas Farmers Market Committee any weekend in Information Hall.  Or, if you'd like to assist, call Kim Cantrell at (256)508-2363, and she will give you all the info.



Hope to see you at the Farmers Market THIS SATURDAY at St. Thomas!

CAMP COSMOS VBS REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Sign up to Volunteer THIS SUNDAY!

The St. Thomas Children's Ministry can't wait for the upcoming launch of Camp Cosmos Vacation Bible School! Join us from 9am until noon the week of July 10-14 as we explore the wonders of God!

Register rising pre-K through 5^th graders online by clicking this REGISTRATION LINK; paper registration forms are available in Information Hall. All friends and family are welcome. There will also be limited nursery slots available for those not yet in school, with preference given to volunteer and parishioner families.  As always, we will need volunteers to teach; help prep crafts and snacks; decorate; and lead games and crafts.  Please contact our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth Bestor, at children@stthomashuntsville.org if you would like to volunteer or if you have questions.

Summer Adult Christian Formation: RADICAL WELCOME BOOK STUDY

Join us on Sundays this June for the new Summer Adult Formation Book Study in Conference Room I, as we dive into a book that promises to take us on a "step by step journey of discovery into what radical welcome is and how it can work," Radical Welcome by Stephanie Spellers. "Stephanie offers us a blueprint for planned growth, change, and mission." Now, it is as important as ever for us here at St. Thomas to understand our unique identity in South Huntsville and how we are poised to engage with our growing neighborhood. You can purchase the book through the church for $20 on Amazon (please purchase the 15th Anniversary Revised Edition). If you have any questions email Ranie at HERE.

SAVE THE DATE: Golden Girls & Boys Luncheon on June 10th!

Our Parish is excited to honor our eighty and ninety-somethings on Saturday, June 10 at 11:30 with a luncheon in the Parish Hall.  If you or your spouse are 80 or over, you are the honoree: no cooking or baking or salad-making. You are our guests! We will have ham and side salads, cake, and lots of conversation with lots of people we haven’t seen in ages.

Remember, this is a parish-wide party; those of us who can’t claim Golden status yet are encouraged and invited to attend. (The only difference is that we do the salad-making to share with the honorees: green salads, potato salads, fruit salads, deviled eggs, dips and spreads, nuts and olives, cheese and crackers. All are welcome.) If you can't attend but would like to honor these cherished members of our church, feel free to make a salad and drop it off in the Parish Hall!

The "Laid Back" Sunday Evening Eucharist & Supper is Back! Every Sunday at 5pm!

Join us for our 'come-as-you-are' Holy Eucharist every Sunday evening at 5pm in the Nave! This informal, shorter worship service is slightly different from our Sunday morning Eucharists, with guitar music, a homily from the floor, and a more laid-back feel. All ages are encouraged to come and participate, and don't forget to invite your friends and neighbors! After each worship service, join us for a simple supper and fellowship in the Parish Hall. St. Thomas is very excited to bring back the Sunday evening Eucharist again, every Sunday at 5pm!

AT A GLANCE: May 11 - May 17

Sunday Children's Chapel (...future Altar Guild Training!)

Choral Evensong on the Eve of Ascension Day!

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org