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THE EPISTLE:
August 3, 2023
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Blessing of the Backpacks is THIS SUNDAY, August 6th, during the 10:30am Children's Moment!
Join us for our annual Blessing of the Backpack this Sunday, August 6th, during the Children's Moment at the 10:30am Holy Eucharist! All children and teachers are invited to come up to the front of the church with their backpacks and school bags for a special blessing from Fr. Donavan.
Backpack tags will be available at all three Sunday worship services.
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RALLY DAY IS NEXT SUNDAY, August 13th! Jazz Eucharist, Parish Lunch, Ministry Fair & FUN!
St. Thomas RALLY DAY - ONE, BIG, EXCITING, FUN FILLED, FALL KICK-OFF is NEXT SUNDAY, August 13th! That morning, we will have a Jazz Eucharist lead by the Josh Couts Trio with our own Melanie Payne at the usual 10:30am worship time! The Jazz Eucharist will be followed immediately by a Parish Luncheon, supplied by our Barbecue Bandits, and while everyone is enjoying lunch, all of our parish ministries will be set up around the Parish Hall for our annual Ministry Fair! And for kids and families, we will have an outdoor picnic area set up on the southside of campus, complete with a Bouncy House for little kids, a Waterslide for children, young and old, and a Velcro Wall for our older youth! It's all a great way to celebrate and kick-off of our Fall program year at St. Thomas, enjoy our church family, and INVITE FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO JOIN US AND SEE WHAT MAKES ST. THOMAS THE INCREDIBLE CHURCH COMMUNITY WE ARE!!!
So please join us next Sunday morning, August 13th, for St. Thomas RALLY DAY, and start reaching out and inviting your friends to join us now!
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Pre-Rally Day Clean Up on August 12th!
With Rally Day fast approaching, we are hoping to "straighten up" the church grounds with a little clean up. Please join us on Saturday August 12th at 7:30am to pull weeds and put down pine straw, etc. On the same morning we will also need some help setting up for Farmers Market. So if you are an early riser, please join us at 6:45am to help set up tents, tables, and chairs for the Farmers Market.
Please let our Junior Warden, Ted Evans, know if you will able to help out by clicking HERE!
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Extra Help needed for Rally Day Outdoor Activities
The Children's and Youth Ministries need your help for Rally Day on Sunday, August 13! We are looking for responsible adults who can help make sure our young parishioners are playing safely on the bouncy house, water slide, and velcro wall. There are two shifts available: 11:30am-1:00p and 1:00p-2:30p. Email our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth Bestor (children@stthomashuntsville.org), if you are interested in helping out.
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Fr. Donavan will wrap up his Celtic Christianity Sunday School Class this Sunday!
Join Fr. Donavan as he concludes his summer Sunday morning Christian Formation class on Celtic Spirituality and early Irish Christianity, this Sunday beginning at 9:30am in the Parish Hall.
For this week's final class, Donavan will give us a few final glimpses of his own personal pilgrimage in important Celtic Christian sites, like Glendalough in Ireland and the Isle of Iona in Scotland. He will then open up the floor for questions and discussions about early Celtic Christianity and how it is similar to as well as different from more modern understandings of "Celtic Spirituality."
Be sure to join Fr. Donavan this Sunday, August 6th, at 9:30am in the Parish Hall!
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Sunday night Dinners following the 5pm "Laid Back" Sunday Eucharist shifting to once a month
St. Thomas' "Laid Back" 5pm Sunday worship service is here to stay, but we are making a change to our Sunday evening dinner offering to once a month, beginning this Sunday, August 6th. After this Sunday, as the days get shorter and the Fall season approaches, dinner will be offered only on the FIRST SUNDAY of each and every month, August 6th, September 3rd, October 1st, November 5th, and December 3rd. Our special "Come As You Are" Holy Eucharist will continue every Sunday, with 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 Sunday Evening Holy Eucharist at St. Thomas.
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Young Adult Pub Theology is this Monday!
Join us Monday, August 7, as we kick-off Young Adult Pub Theology at Old Black Bear in Madison (212 Main St, Madison, AL 35758) from 6-7:30PM. We will now have Young Adult Pub Theology on the first Monday of every month. This month we will use the time to catch up and consider topics we would like to address in the coming year! If you have any questions, please email Ranie at associate@stthomashuntsville.org.
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ST. THOMAS BLOOD DRIVE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2023
7:40 AM – 1:30 PM
So many people are in need and St. Thomas is always willing to help.
Thank you for your kindness and generosity.
Tell your friends! They may be ready to give, too!
Link to sign-up online: CLICK HERE
All donors will receive a $20 gift card.
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St. Thomas now has a VENMO account for easier online giving!
Forget your checkbook or cash and want to contribute to St. Thomas? Consider using our brand new VENMO account! If you have a VENMO account, you can now look for our new VENMO QR code (included here!) in the church and parish hall, or simply search on your VENMO app for @StThomasHsv. And please help the Finance Office by being sure to note where your contribution should go in the "What's it for?" line (e.g., breakfast, supper, donation, pledge, baseball game, Clergy Discretionary account, etc.).
And THANK YOU to Gail Perna and members of our Finance Committee for doing the hard work to bring the ease of VENMO to St. Thomas!
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Jonathan Daniels Group Pilgrimage August 11 & 12
You are invited to join St. Thomas as we go down Hayneville, Alabama and participate in the Jonathan Daniels and Martyrs of Alabama Pilgrimage! Participating in this event inspires us as individuals and as a parish community to carry on the work of building the beloved community. If we have enough members of the parish interested in going, we will leave on the evening of Friday, August 11 and have dinner followed by a brief Eucharist to center ourselves before a full day of events on August 12. If you would like to know more please click here for more information or to register for the event. If you would like to know more about the event, have questions, or are interested in going please email Ranie at associate@stthomashuntsville.org.
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St. Thomas Music Programs are back this month!
Rehearsals for Adult Choir, Bell Choir and Treble Choirs are resuming August 16!
New members are always welcome.
Come sing and ring with us! Find rehearsal dates and times here:
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Treble Choir Minors (Grade Pre-K — 2) will rehearse Sunday afternoons 3:30-4:15 Starting August 20.
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Treble Choir Majors (Grade 2 – 8) will rehearse Wednesday afternoons 4:30 – 5:30
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Bell Choir will rehearse Wednesday evenings 6:00 – 6:45
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Adult Choir will rehearse Wednesday evenings 7:00 – 8:45
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Joyful Noise rehearses as needed, usually on Saturday morning the day before a JN service.
Contact Kathy Heim music@stthomashuntsville.org for information about Treble & Adult Choirs.
Contact Donna Clark clarkdf@aol.com for information about Bell Choir.
Contact John Hanson johnspacecadet31@gmail.com for information about Joyful Noise.
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...and THANK YOU for the music!
Many thanks to our choir members Marlene Brown, Beth Cantrell, Dana Clark, Peigi Leach, Byron Purves & Family, Andy Sheppard, and Michael Werner for providing special music for our 10:30 Eucharist services during the months of July and August while the choir was on break.
And thanks to Dan Miller for volunteering to provide music for 8:00 services in July, and to Dan and Ryan Erwin as well as our Deacon Jeannie Randall for playing for our 5:00 pm services.
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All women of St. Thomas are invited to join the Daughters of the King! Find out more on August 24th
If you are searching for more in your spiritual life, more in your prayer life, more in your connection with God and His people (that’s all of us), then I encourage you to consider Daughters of the King. We are beginning a training program of discernment to become a Daughter starting August 24th through September 28th. These will be six sessions from 6pm to 7:30 in which we will discuss what The Daughters of the King is about and how it can enrich your life. There will be time for study, reflection, and discussion for community building. If this interests you, come join us on Thursday August 24th and see what we’re all about.
For further questions, ask me or anyone wearing the cross. Blessings, Barbara Meyer at bmeyer2944@gmail.com.
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Choral Evensong set for the Eve of the Feast of the Holy Cross
The St. Thomas Choir, with Fr. Donavan officiating and preaching, will present a special service of Choral Evensong on Wednesday, September 13, to commemorate the Eve of the Feast of the Holy Cross. More information about this special service is coming soon!
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Lobsterfest 5K Early Bird Registration OPEN NOW!
It's the 30th anniversary of Lobsterfest at St. Thomas, and we want YOU to join us for the SHELL-ABRATION! Early bird (and best price) registration for the Lobsterfest 5k is now open. We have a NEW time and NEW swag this year...but still donate ALL proceeds to local and international outreach. Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 4 at 3:00 p.m. The race is family-friendly, with runners and walkers of all levels welcome. With your race entry, you'll receive a cool sweatshirt to keep you warm all winter long. We look forward to seeing you at the Lobsterfest 5K this year! To sign-up NOW click HERE!
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August St. Thomas Book Club
After a great discussion about our book last month, we are ready to do it again with The Midnight Library by Matthew Hagg. Please join us on August 14 at 10 a.m. in the Parlor. Everyone is invited whether you have read the book or not. See you there, Elouisa Stokes 256-604-8669.
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Bring diapers for the DoK Diaper Drive!
The Summer Diaper Drive sponsored by Daughters of the King is here! Diapers aren’t fun or cute, but they are crucial to children going into Foster Care or adults being cared for by the state. Please help! There is a box in Information Hall for collecting diapers and wipes.
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The Bailey Cove Farmers Market at St. Thomas is open every Saturday!
The Bailey Cove Farmers Market at St. Thomas is open from 8am to 12pm every Saturday all summer long through September 2nd!
And you can help! Sign up to volunteer for 'Set up' and 'Take down' 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!
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Habitat for Humanity Work Opportunities
We are making great strides on our two houses this year. We are working on insulation and painting. However, there are a lot of inspections which will change plans each week, so please call Elouisa before you go as we may be working on the houses at 3126 Andros Drive or at the warehouse 300 Pratt Avenue on Saturday. Lunch will be served about 11 a.m. Elouisa's number is 256-604-8669.
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Caregivers Support Group
If you or someone you know is or has been a caregiver for a loved one, we have a Caregivers Support Group at St. Thomas. This group wants to be a community support for caregivers and we welcome anyone who needs that resource whether or not a parishioner here. We have a volunteer licensed therapist, Jane Allgood, as group facilitator. We meet every other Wednesday from 1 until 2:30 pm in the Crossroads Room. If you are interested just show up then. If you have any questions about the group, call or email Mona Parker: 256-599-9942, mona.s.parker@gmail.com
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Don't forget, St. Thomas has a NEW mailing address
The Post Office incoming mail manager wants to remind everyone that ALL mail sent to St. Thomas must have the church name on it. To avoid delay, our Post Office Box number (14509) must also be used. If you send an envelope to our finance office, here’s what it should include: St. Thomas Episcopal Church: attention Finance, P.O. Box 14509, Huntsville, AL 35815.
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AT A GLANCE: July 27 - August 2 | |
St. Thomas July 30th trip to the Trash Pandas Game! | |
St. Thomas Youth Breakfast Team for Sunday, July 30th | | | | |
