Covid-19-Archive

STO: The Third Sunday after Pentecost, 21 June 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for the Third Sunday After Pentecost, 21 June 2020:

Resources for Sunday School for Children

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Morning Prayer

Sermon Only

Conversation for the Diocese of NJ: America’s shameful sin of racism



From the Anti-Racism Committe of the Diocese of New Jersey

The impetus for America to finally react to 400 years of racial injustice was to witness a white man’s abuse of privilege, abuse of law enforcement power, and dehumanized regard for the sacred breath of a black man. It’s the continuation of a shameful sin and a shameful history. Black people who were never accused of any crime lost their lives to lynching (3,446 documented, but likely many more) but no cell phone videos recorded the murders. It is time for true repentance and real change. Please join conversations in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey in the next few days to pray, listen, learn, repent, and commit to action for racial justice.

Let’s talk about America’s shameful sin of racism. Let’s listen to black people tell their experiences in the land of liberty and justice for all. Let’s pray for guidance and talk about what needs to be done. Members of the Diocese of New Jersey Anti-Racism Team will lead open discussions on the current racial injustice crisis. Register to connect to the zoom discussions.

https://bit.ly/ARCSundayAfternoon 2:00 – 3:30 PM, Sunday, June 7

https://bit.ly/ARCSundayEvening 8:00 – 9:30 PM, Sunday, June 7

https://bit.ly/ARCMondayAfternoon 4:00 – 5:30 PM, Monday, June 8

STO: Easter 6, 17 May 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, 17 May 2020:

Resources for Sunday School for Children

Morning Prayer with Sermon

STO: Easter 5, 10 May 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, 10 May 2020:

Resources for Sunday School for Children

Morning Prayer with Sermon

The St. Thomas’ Psalm 119 Project has finished!

STO: Easter 4, 3 May 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, 3 May 2020:

Resources for Sunday School for Children

Morning Prayer with Sermon

The St. Thomas’ Psalm 119 Project has finished!

STO: Easter 3, 26 April 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for the Third Sunday of Easter, 26 April 2020:

Resources for Sunday School for Children

Resources about the Enneagram for Adult Formation:

  • Tests:
  • Books:
    • The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
    • The Sacred Enneagram by Chris Heuertz
    • The Modern Enneagram by Kacie Berghoef and Melanie Bell
    • The Enneagram: a Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert
  • Music:
    Sleeping at Last wrote a song for each type, meant more for entertainment than anything else, and they are not only beautiful but very well thought-out. He even has a podcast with episodes where he discusses the process of creating them.
  • Last week’s forum

Morning Prayer with Sermon

The St. Thomas’ Psalm 119 Project is almost done!

STO: Enneagram, Part 1 of 2



Recording of Adult Formation on Enneagram (1/2) Led by Aviva F. on 19 April 2020.

Resources about the Enneagram for Adult Formation:

  • Tests:
  • Books:
    • The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
    • The Sacred Enneagram by Chris Heuertz
    • The Modern Enneagram by Kacie Berghoef and Melanie Bell
    • The Enneagram: a Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert
  • Music:
    Sleeping at Last wrote a song for each type, meant more for entertainment than anything else, and they are not only beautiful but very well thought-out. He even has a podcast with episodes where he discusses the process of creating them.

STO: Easter 2, 19 April 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for the Second Sunday of Easter, 19 April 2020:

Resources about the Enneagram for Adult Formation:

  • Tests:
  • Books:
    • The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
    • The Sacred Enneagram by Chris Heuertz
    • The Modern Enneagram by Kacie Berghoef and Melanie Bell
    • The Enneagram: a Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert
  • Music:
    Sleeping at Last wrote a song for each type, meant more for entertainment than anything else, and they are not only beautiful but very well thought-out. He even has a podcast with episodes where he discusses the process of creating them.

Morning Prayer with Sermon

Need your help:

Resources for Holy Week at Home: Easter Sunday, 12 April 2020



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The entire service, pre-recorded, is at the bottom of this post.
Separate resources for celebrating the service at home are above it.
This service will be celebrated live online at 10am on Easter Sunday.

E-Bulletins
Available here (or here)

Opening Hymn

That Easter Day with Joy was Bright by the St. Thomas’ Choir

Gloria

Gloria en excelsis by the St. Thomas’ Choir

Second Canticle (replacement)

Jesus is Lord of All the Earth by the St. Thomas’ Choir

Sermon

by the Rev. Todd Foster, Rector

Closing Hymn

Jesus Christ is Risen Today by the St. Thomas’ Choir

Entire Service

STO: Easter Sunday, 12 April 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for Easter Sunday, 12 April:

Other Notable Worship Opportunities

A Special Message

Need your help:

STO: Friday, 3 April 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for Friday, 3 April:

  • 7.30pm: Stations of the Cross
    To join via the Internet, click here
  • 9.00pm: Compline with St. Stephen’s, Mullica Hill
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here:
    https://zoom.us/j/2171113792
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 217 111 3792
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592
  • Check your mail for the Parish Newsletter
  • Take a moment to call one another on the phone!
  • Enjoy a hymn played by our own Bryan A-W!

Plus Daily:

Need your help:

STO: Thursday, 2 April 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for Thursday, 2 April:

  • 6.00pm: Book Group (re-scheduled)
  • 9.00pm: Compline with St. Stephen’s, Mullica Hill
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here:
    https://zoom.us/j/2171113792
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 217 111 3792
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592

Plus Daily:

Need your help:

STO: Wednesday, 1 April 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for Wednesday, 1 April:

  • 6.30pm: Prayer in the Evening
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here:
    https://zoom.us/j/6676782042
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 667 678 2042
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592
  • Bible Study with the Bishop
    Register here
  • 9.00pm: Compline with St. Stephen’s, Mullica Hill
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here:
    https://zoom.us/j/2171113792
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 217 111 3792
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592

Plus Daily:

Need your help:

STO: Tuesday, 31 March 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for Tuesday, 31 March:

  • Noon: Coffee Hour convened by Jo-Ann T.
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/6676782042
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 667 678 2042
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592
  • 6.30pm: Small Group Study convened by Cole B.
  • 9.00pm: Compline with St. Stephen’s, Mullica Hill
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/2171113792
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 217 111 3792
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592

Plus Daily on our website:

STO: Sunday, 29 March 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for Sunday, 29 March:

Invitation to Prayer in Solidarity



Invitation to Prayer in Solidarity Wednesday, March 25 Noon

Bishop Stokes invites everyone in the Diocese to join with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters and Christians worldwide in a moment of prayerful solidarity, saying the Lord’s Prayer simultaneously tomorrow at noon.

The invitation began with a statement issued by Pope Francis:

“I invite all the Heads of Churches and the leaders of all the Christian Communities, together with all the Christians of the various Confessions, to invoke the Most High, Almighty God, reciting contemporaneously the prayer that Jesus our lord taught us. I invite all, therefore, to do so several times a day, but, all together, to recite the Our Father, Wednesday, March 25, at midday – all together.”

Read more…

St. Thomas’ Update: 24 March 2020



Dear St. Thomas’,

Tomorrow, 24 March, is the Feast of the Annunciation. We commemorate the day when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that God was about to do something new and unexpected in the world, and that Mary had a critical part to play in that new work of God.

How does a young girl, practically a child, feel when she’s told that she will become pregnant and bear a child? How does one respond to that? Can you imagine the anxiety? What if her family doesn’t believe her about where that baby came from? Would you believe her?

The past two weeks have been full of newness and wonder — and not a little anxiety. But if we can be calm and engage with our fear, perhaps we will learn new things about our faith, about our world, and about our God’s love for us. May God give us the courage and the faith to answer as Mary did: Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me as you have said.

Faithfully,

Todd+

News

Three things I want to be sure you know:

  1. In last Friday’s Good News in the Garden State, our Bishop indicating, among other things, that our buildings will remain closed at least until 1 May, including Holy Week and Easter. At no time before then should there ever be more than ten of us gathered for any reason. He is explicitly ruling out outdoor events or other occasions when we might choose to gather. The reason is that by remaining apart, we are “loving our neighbor” (our families, one another, our communities) in a very real way by avoiding spreading a virus that is killing thousands of people. As we do so, we are reaching back to our roots in “Desert Spirituality”: the early Christians who sought deserted places to sharpen their hunger for God. That is our opportunity in this season!
  2. Last Saturday, Governor Murphy issued a statewide “Stay at Home” order. The deaths aren’t lining up in South Jersey the way they are in New York or in Italy. This order is designed to minimize that eventuality.
  3. Bishop Stokes issued an additional letter in response to the Governor’s order. It answers questions about how we are to comply with that order.

Something you can do

Here is a tangible way you can help during this time of national crisis. The Birth Center needs masks. There is a dangerous shortage of face masks at the hospital where The Birth Center transfers laboring women with complications, and The Birth Center has never needed mouth and nose protection for low-risk laboring women, so they have none. And there are none available for purchase.

They would like to stay healthy and keep working. Here’s how you can help:

  • If you have extra masks at home, donate them. A person at home doesn’t need a mask as much as a medical professional.
  • If you have hepa vacuum bags (the cloth kind with many layers) or elastic, you can donate that for others to make masks.
  • Make masks with materials from your house, or with materials that others donate.

Digging around your home looking for fabrics and materials? The New York Post reports that a recent study showed vacuum cleaner bags offer 86 percent protection against the smallest particles tested, followed by dish towels at 73 percent, a cotton-blend T-shirt at 70 percent and an antimicrobial pillowcase at 68 percent. If you’re sewing your own mask, test it—if water seeps through it or the inside gets wet, it’s not effective.

Here are patterns and instructions for two styles of masks:

Patterns and Instructions can be found here:

And Pattern 2 has a Tutorial on You Tube if you want to see someone making it in action.

If you have items you would like to donate, or if you would like to make masks but don’t have materials, contact Becky Foster to arrange a drop-off or pick-up which would involve social distancing. If you need help getting in touch with Becky, you can leave a message at the church office (office@stthomasglassboro.org or 856.881.9144).

Easter Flower Memorials

Have you spoken to Leslie Medynec about your Easter Flower Memorials? This weekend is the deadline to do so: any memorials submitted after Sunday will not be in the Holy Week bulletins! If you don’t know how to contact Leslie, leave a message the church office (office@stthomasglassboro.org or 856.881.9144) and we’ll connect you!

Check the website!

Check the St. Thomas’ website daily for updated information about staying connected to our parish community!

Let us pray.

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p. 832)

Make Masks for The Birth Center



Here is a tangible way you can help during this time of national crisis. The Birth Center needs masks. There is a dangerous shortage of face masks at the hospital where The Birth Center transfers laboring women with complications, and The Birth Center has never needed mouth and nose protection for low-risk laboring women, so they have none. And there are none available for purchase.

They would like to stay healthy and keep working. Here’s how you can help:

  • If you have extra masks at home, donate them. A person at home doesn’t need a mask as much as a medical professional.
  • If you have hepa vacuum bags (the cloth kind with many layers) or elastic, you can donate that for others to make masks.
  • Make masks with materials from your house, or with materials that others donate.

Digging around your home looking for fabrics and materials? The New York Post reports that a recent study showed vacuum cleaner bags offer 86 percent protection against the smallest particles tested, followed by dish towels at 73 percent, a cotton-blend T-shirt at 70 percent and an antimicrobial pillowcase at 68 percent. If you’re sewing your own mask, test it—if water seeps through it or the inside gets wet, it’s not effective.

Here are patterns and instructions for two styles of masks:

Patterns and Instructions can be found here:

And Pattern 2 has a Tutorial on You Tube if you want to see someone making it in action.

If you have items you would like to donate, or if you would like to make masks but don’t have materials, contact Becky Foster to arrange a drop-off or pick-up which would involve social distancing. If you need help getting in touch with Becky, you can leave a message at the church office (office@stthomasglassboro.org or 856.881.9144).

STO: Sunday, 22 March 2020



Saint Thomas’ Online for Sunday, 22 March:

  • 8.00am: Morning Prayer with Sermon(pre-recorded)
  • 9.00am: Sunday School for children
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/6676782042
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 667 678 2042
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592
  • 10.00am: Adult Formation
    See instructions above for joining.
  • 11.15am: Holy Eucharist with Spiritual Communion
    at the  Washington National Cathedral

STO: Saturday, 20 March



Saint Thomas’ Online for Saturday, 20 March:

  • 4.30pm: Adult Formation
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/6676782042
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 667 678 2042
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592
  • 5.30pm: Evening Prayer with Sermon
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/6676782042
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 667 678 2042Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592
  • 7.00pm: Alcoholics Anonymous
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/528974628
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 528 974 628
    Alternate phone numbers: (312)626-6799 or (301)715-8592

Plus Daily:

Update from Bishop Stokes



Dear Friends,

With careful discernment, paying attention to our Presiding Bishop, our Governor, and federal bodies, Bishop Stokes has advised us that church gatherings are prohibited at least until 1 May 2020. Outside gatherings and off-campus gatherings, including during Holy Week and Easter, are not permitted. Bishop Stokes writes, “It is vitally important for us all to recognize that the steps we are being asked to take as a society and as a church are for the sake of the love of our neighbors – all of our neighbors.”

Bishop Stokes goes on to reflect on the Desert Tradition of early Christianity and the invitation we have received, unbidden, to explore aspects of that tradition in our sudden isolation.

See Bishop Stokes’ entire communication here and click the “Subscribe” button to receive weekly communications from the Diocese first-hand.

The news of continuing closure is sobering but not unexpected.

St. Thomas’ is committed to continuing to be a community of worship and mutual care, even during our sojourn in the desert. Please keep an eye on our homepage and keep in touch in with one another. Now is the time for our love for God and each other to shine forth, be fanned into flame, that we may see the Holy Spirit doing something new among us!

Faithfully,

Todd+

Wednesday Bible Study with Bishop Stokes



As we continually seek new ways to be Church in community with each other during these challenging times, you are invited to join an online bible study with Bishop Stokes.  This bible study will take place via Zoom web conference every Wednesday at 7 PM until further notice.

Tonight we’ll explore the upcoming week’s Gospel reading—this week is John 9—the man born blind from birth. “Who sinned?  This man or his parents?” Studying the text in light of the current pandemic could lead to a rich conversation and study,

We have set up these recurring weekly meetings through Wednesday, May 27.  Registration is required, but you can register all the way up to and even during any meeting.  Please note that you can join by cellphone (or even landline) – internet access is not required.

To register for any or all of these bible studies:

  • Click here:  http://bit.ly/StokesBibleStudy
  • Where it says “Please choose only one meeting to attend,” that doesn’t mean you can only attend one meeting.  It means you need to register separately for each meeting you want to attend, so we can keep a more accurate head count of how many people to expect at each meeting.
  • From that drop-down menu of dates, pick the date of the meeting for which you want to register
  • Include your name and email information as requested, check the box to prove you’re not a robot, and click “Register”
  • A confirmation screen will appear, and there will be a link allowing you to add the meeting to your calendar if you so desire
  • If so desired, hit the “back” button and repeat the process for each meeting you want to attend.

After registering each time, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting – including instructions for joining by phone.  You can access this same link at any time to register again for an upcoming session.  We look forward to having you join us as we explore God’s Word together.

n.b. The previously scheduled Evening Prayer and Bible Study at 6.30pm will be replaced by a brief check-in and prayer “In the Early Evening” (BCP 139). Then we will join the Bishop’s forum before 7pm. Please register separately for the Bishop’s forum! No registration is required for the St. Thomas’ meeting.

Update: 17 March 2020



Dear St. Thomas’,

What a week it has been! We have all received an abundance of information, much of it conflicting. The news around the world doesn’t match up with our lived experience, and the lack of hard data means even the experts are only guessing. It’s hard to take it all seriously when I don’t yet personally know someone who is dangerously ill from this virus.

However, yesterday, Monday, I heard a similar message coming from the White House and Governor Murphy: now is the time when we can make a difference and save lives. Due to its long incubation period, most people don’t know they’re infected until long after they’ve begun spreading the virus to others. Many people will have mild cases that don’t seem bad at all: but the effect of spreading that mild case to another person could be deadly.

My prayer is that the skeptics are right, this will blow over, and we’ll feel silly for having made a big deal out of it. Evidence from other countries suggests that won’t be the case. The situation remains very fluid and my plan is to take these isolation guidelines very seriously until health experts tell me it is safe to do otherwise.

For me that means avoiding being around people (other than those I live with) as much as possible. I do this not only for my own sake and the sake of my immediate family, but for the sake of every person I might come into contact with in the future and accidentally infect before I ever knew I was sick!

In the meantime, St. Thomas’ continues to be a community of worship and mutual care. What does that look like this week?

In consultation with many of you, we are working out a schedule of online events. Links for these events will be found at www.stthomasglassboro.org.

Daily:

Tuesday:

  • 6.30pm: Small Group Study continues online!

Wednesday:

  • 6.30pm: Bible Study, followed by Evening Prayer about 7.30pm.
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/777304867
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 777 304 867

Thursday:

  • 7.30pm: Vestry meeting

Thursday & Friday:

  • Phone Tree
    We will try to make contact this week with everyone at St. Thomas’. If you get a call from someone checking in, let them know how you’re doing and how you’re staying connected with St. Thomas’. If you have a few minutes, offer to make a call or two from their list. Many hands make light work and joyful conversations!

Saturday:

  • 4.30pm: Adult formation: Psalms, followed by a brief form of Evening Prayer.
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/480151251
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 480 151 251

Sunday:

  • 9:00am: Sunday School for children
    To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/897315461
    To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 897 315 461
  • 10:00am: Sunday School for adults
    (same connect info as Sunday School for children)
  • 11:00am: Holy Eucharist with a pre-recorded service at www.stthomasglassboro.org

Matters remain fluid and this schedule is subject to amendment. But this is our direction for St. Thomas’ this week as we continue to live out our vocation as the body of Christ in this time and place.

God’s blessings be upon each of you: take care of yourselves and each other. Be gentle, be kind, be faithful to the disciplines of this season. May you continue to observe a Holy Lent.

Faithfully,

Todd+

 

Let us pray.
O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p. 832)
 

Sunday, 9am: Adult Formation



St. Thomas' in early spring!

Join us for a discussion on Sunday morning at 9am led by Dr. Barbara Cadogan about the Covid-19 Virus! We will be meeting online using an app called “Zoom” that works on your computer or smartphone. If you don’t have access to the Internet, you can also use any telephone to call in. Directions are below:

Topic: Sunday School
Time: Mar 15, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Services Canceled



Buildings Closed!

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I just sent you an email this morning — and it is sadly out of date. At this time in our life together, much is happening in small spans of time.

Our Bishop, in consultation with clergy from across the Diocese, has declared that church buildings shall be closed until at least Palm Sunday.

Please hear this: the churches of the Diocese of New Jersey are not closed. But the church buildings are.

Please do not come to the St. Thomas’ campus unless you are helping with Kitchen of Hope tomorrow or performing some other essential service. There will be no public worship services, no public formation activities, certainly no meals or coffee hours. Stay home, eat healthy foods, wash your hands with soap and water.

Fortunately for us, the church is not just, or even primarily, the buildings. The church is a community of people. At times like this, we are called more than ever to be the people of God. We do that by looking out for one another. Checking in with one another. Calming one another’s anxieties. And seeing to one another’s necessities.

We will do this in a variety of ways over the next three weeks. The way we’re going to get started is this:

1. A phone tree will be constructed whereby we can check in with one another. I encourage you to make additional phone calls as you are moved by the Spirit. Let’s talk to one another and hear what’s going on in each other’s lives! Make some phone calls and also be ready to receive some phone calls!

2. Vestry member Sarah Ternay has begun assembling a protocol for providing basic essentials to people who might end up quarantined or sick at home. More information will be forthcoming.

3. Online worship opportunities, including the Holy Eucharist and live video-conferenced celebrations of the Daily Office (with an option to phone in), will be available starting Sunday. Keep an eye on the St. Thomas’ website and your email for more information.

We “practice” our faith all the time. This is the season to bring it into action. Now is the time when the Holy Spirit is threatening to shine out from us in power: providing comfort, expressing solidarity, and, in service, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

God willing, I’ll see you in person for a joyous reunion on Palm Sunday. Until then, I hope to see you online!

Faithfully,

Todd+

 

Let us pray.

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, p. 280)