Adult formation continues this week! Join us on Sunday, 19 July, at 10am as Jonathan Wilson countinues a four-week online series on Light in the East: Exploring the Wide World of the First Christians. The Jesus movement has always called believers from diverse nations and cultures. Yet sometimes Americans imagine that the church’s diversity is the work of modern missionaries. Join us in a four-part historical series as we uncover the original “bigness” of our faith by exploring the surprisingly vast world of Jesus and his early followers. See the bibliography of suggested reading.

Care of the soul and care of the planet are imperative to our lives as people of faith. In Just an Proper Use: A Small Study in Eco-Spirituality, we will talk about ways that we can practice the “Just and Proper Use of Creation” in our daily lives and work. We will also learn how St. Francis and St. Hildegard of Bingen are inspirations for us in the modern day in the care of our beautiful world, and how our actions can and do impact others. Our Deacon Intern, Jeannie Marcucci, will lead this two-week class following Jonathan’s. You can download a copy of the booklet or email or call the church office if you would like us to mail you a paper copy. Then stay tuned to study with Jeannie on 9 and 16 August. (Dates subject to change depending on our schedule adjusting to re-opening the campus! Adult Formation will remain online.)

Sunday School for children at St. Thomas’ is taking the summer off, as is our normal rhythm. However, the Diocese of New Jersey is continuing to offer an online option: if you have little ones, check it out!

Kitchen of Hope’s mission of combating food insecurity is more important than ever during this time of mass unemployment. Therefore we will be offering food distributions on two different Saturdays in July: the second and the fourth (11 July and 25 July). Volunteers are needed but you must sign up with Vivian H. and come only during your assigned shift so that we may continue to comply with state and Diocesan guidelines on social distancing!

Need some more encouragement in this unsettling time? See weekly sermons from Bishop Stokes!

---

The Stay Safe Committee has submitted its report to the Diocese, so the conversation around parameters for re-opening the campus of St. Thomas’ has begun! If you didn’t catch them last week, you can still watch the training video (about 30 minutes) and/or the video with instructions for communion (about 4 minutes), both provided by our Diocese.

---

AnnaMarie Wilson would like to thank everyone for their cards and good wishes in celebration of her 90th birthday.

St. Thomas’ is hosting another American Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, 22 July, from 2pm to 7pm. In order to maintain safe and appropriate social distancing, appointments are required: last month people were turned away because the schedule was full. For an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or go to RedCrossBlood.org with sponsor code “st. thomas glassboro”.

New Jersey Together is gathering more than 300 people from across the state to to ratify a non-partisan agenda focused on racial equity and criminal justice. Our Bishop and the Diocese of NJ have played a significant role in this effort. The group is laying the groundwork for a virtual action in August with 1,000+ across the state. Their desire is for at least five people from St. Thomas’ to join their planning team on July 27th. All you need to do is register at http://www.njtogether.org/july27

Camp CrossRoads is an Episcopal/Lutheran camp serving the Diocese of New Jersey and the Diocese of Newark. This year they are offering week-long “virtual camps” for younger children (Completed grades K-5, 13-17 July, 10am-noon), middle schoolers (Completed grades 6-8, 27 -31 July, 10am-noon), and high schoolers (19-25 July). Learn more at https://www.crossroadsretreat.com/summer-2020/

Announcements for the bulletin or parish email are due into the office by noon on Wednesday of each week. You can email them to office@stthomasglassboro.org or call the office at 856-881-9144. Announcements are subject to editing due to limited space.

Lectionary readings for this week: Genesis 28:10-19a, Psalm 139: 1-11, 22-23, Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

Lectionary readings for next week: Genesis 29:15-28, Psalm 105:1-11, 45b, Romans 8:26-39, Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

Please continue in your daily prayers for: Dennis, Marge, Brad, Joann, Ruth, Medical Personnel threatened, sickened, and dying from their service to patients with Covid-19, Joan, Steven, Tracy, Sofia, Bobby, Mary, Andrea, Nancy, Tamara, Ginny, Donna, Bob, Sandy, Joe, Freidel-Kramer Family

 

 

 

Jazz: Songs of Resilience and Strength
“Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from [jazz]. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.” The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Watch this concert series from a parish in Seattle live on Youtube every Friday in July at 9:30pm. Or view the concerts archived at this playlist.

• 7/17: Nichole Walters Quartet
• 7/24: Stephanie Porter Quartet
• 7/31: Jeremy Bacon Quartet