The Weekly Draft

St. Thomas' Episcopal Church

August 8, 2024

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Bulletin for Sunday - August 11, 2024

The Capital Campaign Committee has been actively working with the Vestry since January 2024 to identify, scope, price and source money for the many deferred maintenance issues to be addressed by St. Thomas’ First Capital Campaign. Once the Committee identified and quantified the Church’s needs, the Committee and the Vestry were able to identify existing funds for some projects.  Although we are not asking for pledges or donations at this time, St. Thomas’ has already received gifts from a few members which has allowed us to address some of the more urgent needs this year. These projects are already underway or have been completed but are included here to be thorough and transparent.

· Updating our Organ to foster congregational singing, a youth choir, and community performances

· Exterior Refresh of the Campus: repaving the parking lot; restoring the landmark sign; landscaping the front triangle; refreshing the Curry Garden to bring it back to glory; refreshing the outdoor chapel landscaping and installing new benches; replacing the galvanized water pipes that connect us to city water; roof replacement and repairs; painting the exterior of Church and School by 2028

· Updating Interior spaces: replacing the parish hall and guild room floors; refreshing the kitchen to address overdue maintenance issues; right sizing the nursery; creating a media/gaming youth room; upgrading the Founders and Guild Rooms with easy to move tables, built in beverage stations and user-friendly media capabilities; updating all bathrooms, including providing ADA compliance; repaving the Rectory driveway

· Machinery Modernization: replacing the elevator in the original Canterbury School building; installing electronic entry to the Church campus; computer upgrades and replacements; air conditioner replacements

Please mark your calendar for our First Impressions meeting on Sunday, November 3 following the 10 a.m. service. This meeting is an important step to shape the Campaign. We welcome your prayers for this important undertaking for the future of St. Thomas’.



Ann Leavine

Chair, Capital Campaign Committee

Annleavine@yahoo.com

Sandwich Sunday - This Sunday: August 11

Due to Hurricane Debbie's visit last Sunday's sandwich making was moved to this coming Sunday. Come join us between the 8am and 10am services to make 200 sandwiches to feed the hungry in St. Petersburg. Robin Taylor of Isaiah's Place will distribute the sandwiches through this ministry.

Choir Rehearsals to Start

Choir to resume Thursday, August 15 at 7 PM in the choir room.  Whether you are a seasoned choir member, or haven't sung with us in a number of years, we welcome you!  If you have never been part of the group, I would love to schedule a time to meet and chat, and also to hear you sing; it can be a simple hymn.  Nothing stressful.  All I will be listening to is your range and ability to pitch-match.  If you are not a musician, but you know someone who might be, please pass along the information.  Choir members do not have to be members of St. Thomas' to join in this ministry.  Music ministries have, for hundreds of years, been a way of involving non-church members into the life of the church, and for some, it is their first step into becoming members of the faith.  Please email me for more information or see our posters with QR link to full descriptions on our Facebook page. 

Ordination - Mark Your Calendar



David and Beth Gould invite you to join them, on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 2pm at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, St. Petersburg when David will be ordained. This exciting service marks his entry into the transitional diaconate. David is so grateful for the outpouring of love and support he has received from the parish community of St. Thomas' during his discernment. David and Beth enjoy being members of this church so much!  

David will continue to serve as Chaplain at Canterbury School of Florida and once he is ordained a deacon he will also begin serving at another church in our diocese for six months.

Sunday, August 25, 2024, 4:30 p.m.

Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament Evening Prayer and Benediction

All are invited to attend the annual gathering of our St. Nonna Ward of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. We will gather at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 25 in the Church for Evening Prayer and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by a celebratory meal out. If you are a member of the Confraternity, you are especially invited. If you are not a member, but are interested, please join us as well. We will be talking more about how the Confraternity supports St. Thomas’ in prayer and what it means to be a member. 

Looking for Choral Singers

One of my favourite hymn tunes, Christe sanctorum, "Father, we praise thee, now the night is over" first appeared in the Episcopal Hymnal 1940 with the harmonization by Ralph Vaughan Williams.  The Latin text was originally intended for use at a nighttime office at either midnight or cock-crow, but now is often used at Matins in the season of Pentecost. The tune comes to use from a Paris antiphoner from 1681. 

"'Tis the gift to be simple" is another song of the American folk vernacular coming from the Shaker community in the 1840s.  While most people today would know the tune and text, its popularity really came about in 1944 when Aaron Copland used it for his ballet Appalachian Spring.  Copland set many American tunes and bridged the world of classical and popular arts. 

A very special treat, this week's voluntary at the offertory is presented by our own parishioner and staff singer, Luis Quixtan who will play an arrangement of "Morning has broken" on flute.  The tune name, Bunessan, is a Gaelic melody which became popular in the 1970s by Cat Stevens, but has also made its way into our H1982 as hymn number 8.  

~Jordan

August 18

Last chance to be part of the Open Chancel Summer Choir*.  Anyone singer who would like to join us for a quick-learn, simple choral anthem is invited to join us on the following Sundays at 9:15 am in the choir room. 

*To sign-up for either the Open Chancel Summer Choir please contact me at: JordanM@StThomasStPete.org

Music for Sunday, August 11, 2024:

Voluntary, Meditation from Thaïs, Jules Massenet

Hymn #1, Father, we praise thee, Christe sanctorum

Gradual #554, Tis the gift to be simple, Simple Gifts

Offertory, Morning Has Broken, arr. Don Michael Dicie,

featuring Luis Quixtan on flute

Communion WLP #763, As we gather at your table, Raquel

Hymn #569, God the Omnipotent, Russia

Voluntary, Dialogue- Recessional, John Lee

News from the Farm

A HUGE THANK YOU!

Hello St. Thomas' Men's Club!

"Thank you" doesn't seem to do justice to how much we appreciate all the hard work you put in on Saturday! It would have taken us weeks to accomplish these tasks! 

We'll keep you updated on how the mounds come together so you can see the ultimate fruits of your labor. And please stop by anytime to check on things!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Peace,

Martha

News from the Diocese

Cursillo #150

"The Light of the World"

September 12-15, 2024

Cursillo (Cur–SEE'–yo) is a Spanish word meaning “short course”. This phrase literally means a short course of lectures in Christian living, but it is not intended to simply refer to a course of instruction (lectures). This is a renewal movement in the Episcopal Church. If you are interested in attending the upcoming weekend in September and would like more information please click the button below. De Colores!

Youth Ministry

St. Thomas’ offers the sacramental rites of baptism, communion, and confirmation. Our programs for youth include: Feasting on the Word (grades 1-5) and Truthseekers (grades 6-12) as well as fun activities throughout the school year. The nursery is staffed at both Sunday services during the school year. For an overview of our youth programs, check out the website.

If you are interested in joining St. Thomas' outstanding team of educators in the fall, let Fr. Ryan know. Happy summer, all!

Truthseekers, Feasting on the Word, and our Nursery will reconvene on Sept. 8

Adult Formation

Men's Bible Study

Wednesdays 7:30 am

We are in the midst of studying Exodus.

Come join us.

Please contact Fr. Ryan for information, 727-896-9641

Women of the Word

Thursdays 9:15 am

OFF FOR SUMMER

October 3 - Reconvene

Please contact Joan Barns for information, 757-567-5488

Pastoral Care

Healing Prayer with the imposition of holy oil is offered at the 10am Sunday service, and occasionally at 8am. After communion you are invited to come to the back of the church and receive a confidential healing prayer from a trained parishioner. Prayer ministers share the heart of Jesus’s love and care, and are guided by the Holy Spirit to listen, love, and pray into your prayer requests for physical, emotional and/or spiritual needs. Intercessory prayers for others can also be given. If you have any questions about the healing prayer ministry or feel called to serve, please call Joan Barns 757 567-5488 or email joanmbarns@gmail.com.

Outreach

Our Next Giving Plate Sunday: August 18

Any cash collected in the plate offering on the third Sunday of each month goes to a designated outreach ministry.

The outreach ministry designated for

August is:

Pack-a-Snack.

St. Thomas' sponsors a Pack-a-Snack program that supplies weekend nutrition to qualified students at North Shore Elementary, our Pinellas County School partner. These students receive daily weekday nutrition as they qualify for complimentary breakfast and lunch at school. Last year we had 48 students that we supported throughout the school year.

FAST is an interfaith social justice campaign in Pinellas County that works on affordable housing, clean water, and criminal justice reform. Click on the FAST logo to learn more about this St. Thomas' outreach initiative.

"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give.

I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare." -C.S. Lewis

The Festive Meal

Please join us on Saturday, Sept 28, 2024 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the parish hall for the return of The Festive Meal. We will need table hosts to select their table theme and decorate. For more details and to sign up as a table host please speak with any stewardship committee member. We need one more table host. Please contact Linda Sordan if interested, lsordan5@gmail.com.

Sabbatical / Renewal Leave Planning

St. Thomas’ Vestry and our Sabbatical Planning Committee are using Dr. Robert C. Saler’s exceptional work, Planning Sabbaticals: A Guide For Congregations And Their Pastors (Chalice Press, 2019), to inform our planning and management of Fr. Ryan’s summer 2025 sabbatical leave. We invite you to stay tuned for periodic planning updates. Please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of the Sabbatical Planning Committee with questions: Mary Clark 832-332-5339, Pam Holley 727-481-4990, or Bill Barns 757-646-5146. Read more by clicking the button below.

Jonathan Myrick Daniels was a native of New Hampshire who had a crisis of faith and then a profound conversion on Easter Day 1962 at the Church of the Advent, Boston. Afterward he entered seminary. Partway through, he left seminary to work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma. Daniels was jailed on August 14 for joining a picket line but quickly released. He walked with others to a small store. As 16 year old Ruby Sales, walking with Daniels, reached the top step of the entrance, a man with a gun appeared, cursing her. Daniels stepped in front of Ruby to shield her. As a result, he was killed by a blast from the man's gun. Daniels wrote, "The faith with which I went to Selma has not changed: it has grown...I began to know in my bones and sinews that I had been truly baptized into the Lord's death and resurrection...with them, the black men and white men, with all life, in him whose Name is above all the names that the races and nations shout...We are indelibly and unspeakably one."

[Feast Day: August 14]

Our Mission: Making a difference for others, because God is making a difference for us.