Dear St. Thomas’,

This Sunday marks the completion of the main part of our pledge campaign. Very many of you have already made generous pledges to support the mission and ministry of St. Thomas’ in 2021. For those of you who have not done so yet, it’s not too late! You can download the form here and send it in. Or, if you attend church in person this weekend, you’ll find that same form on the back of the worship bulletin.

Our goal this year is to encourage “100% participation.” We don’t invite only some families to celebrate the Eucharist. We don’t invite only some persons to pray. We don’t think Bible reading is just for the scholars. It’s not just Deacons who carry out service activities. Neither do we invite just certain persons to give of themselves financially. All of these things are involved in that peculiar way of life we call “Christian” and I invite you to take part.

I felt a ray of hope this week with the announcements of two (so far) vaccines showing good effectiveness against the coronavirus. That’s amazing! That’s also a great analogy.

A vaccine, you probably know, teaches the body how to defend itself against a deadly disease by introducing the body to a weakened, or already dead, form of the foreign body. That way our bodies can learn how to defend themselves and be prepared when the real thing comes along.

A vaccine is like a little taste of death: not enough to hurt, but enough to learn from. All sorts of Christian disciplines can feel like little deaths, little losses, as we learn to let go of our own preferences and adhere to God’s direction instead. Fasting, giving, serving, praying: all of these are little surrenders, little deaths to self, that help us to learn and prepare to make the bigger surrender to God’s work in our lives when the time comes.

Physical vaccination brings freedom from being subject to the physical disease. Spiritual disciplines bring freedom from the ways of spiritual death. As I look around, I see the financial and economic captivity in which I, and many of my neighbors, live. Giving of my finances is like a vaccination, teaching me how to live freely, even as I practice good stewardship of the resources that have come my way.

That is a freedom to which we invite 100% participation. This vaccine is for everyone.

Faithfully,

Todd+

St. Thomas’ was there for me when…

In July, 2003, we had our first encounter with the St. Thomas’ community: our son had died, hundreds responded at his service at St. Mark’s – but while there was a large sanctuary, the Parish Hall was small. We knew the Rector at St. Thomas’. The members there went out of their way (as ever) to clear out Yard Sale goods and set up and serve all of us and those hundreds for a funeral reception luncheon (after the interment at Manahath) at St. Thomas’ Parish Hall, working with and welcoming St. Mark’s people who helped. There have been so many times since.

(This story was written on the back of a pledge card, to be shared with the parish.)

• Saturday, 4.30pm: Adult Formation Online
• Saturday, 6.00pm: Holy Eucharist in the Nave (limited capacity: RSVP here)
• Sunday, 8.00am: Online Morning Prayer with Sermon
• Sunday, 9.00am: Online Sunday School for pre-school to pre-teens
• Sunday, 10.30am: Holy Eucharist Outdoors at St. Thomas’
• Sunday, 6.00pm: Online Sunday School for Teens
  contact Dan O. for connection details
• Sunday, all day: Holy Eucharist at St. Thomas’ (recorded)

• Daily Morning Prayer (Monday through Saturday)
• Monday, 4pm: Centering Prayer
• Tuesday, Noon: Coffee Hour
• Wednesday, 5.30pm: Holy Eucharist (outdoors at Lych Gate, rain or shine)
• Wednesday, 7.00pm: Bible Study with Bishop Stokes

Online events hosted by St. Thomas’ are accessed via Zoom: instructions here.

Our own Donna F. was made an Honorary Canon of Trinity Cathedral at our (long-delayed) Diocesan Convocation this past weekend! In doing so, the Diocese is recognizing the extensive, consistent, generous service Donna has offered to our Diocese, including to St. Thomas’. Congratulations to Canon Donna for a well-deserved honor!

Rachael O. was busy this week, helping St. Thomas’ and all our local Episcopal Churches represent our care on campus at Rowan University. Due to Rachael’s leadership, TEC@RU was present for “Consent Week,” which reflects our baptismal covenant’s concern for the dignity of every human being. Then we had a TEC@RU-sponsored “Netflix Party” where we watched an episode of “Queer Eye” that centered around a Lutheran parish in Philadelphia, and talked about all kinds of important theological issues we saw reflected. Thank you Rachael, a freshman at Rowan, for stepping up to represent the Episcopal Church and show the love of Christ in the midst of the strangest academic semester in 100 years!

Washington National Cathedral and the National Institute for Civil Discourse invite you to hear from two of America’s most respected religious leaders on how we find a way forward healing our divisions through faith and compassion.

Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, 11:00am ET

Featuring:

• The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church
• Dr. Russell Moore, Executive Director of the Ethics & Religious Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention
• Hosted by Krista Tippett, broadcaster and host of On Being

As the nation gives thanks for the enduring strength of our democracy, we invite you to draw inspiration and practical tips on how to engage our neighbors with dignity and respect.

This online event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Join the Diocese of New Jersey and Episcopal Community Services at an online Summit on Building and Equipping the Beloved Community on Saturday, 12 December, from 10-11.30am. Register at bit.ly/ECSSumit.

A few services at St. Thomas’ have begun meeting in our beautiful nave once again. Saturday nights we celebrate the Eucharist at 6pm. Unfortunately, seating is limited to 12 pews with a maximum of two people per pew as we continue practice social distancing.

What this means is that, if we’re full, anyone else who shows up must be turned away. That’s a difficult and disappointing thing to do.

To try to minimize disappointments, we are trying out a system of RSVP’s. If you would like to attend the Saturday night service, please find the link to RSVP over on the St. Thomas’ website.

If the RSVP’s are already full, please know that we record these services and post them on the website (usually by the next morning) for all to see.

We miss being together in larger numbers. But this pandemic isn’t going away in the next few months. Until then, we strive to follow Jesus’ example in our love for one another.

Thanksgiving is next week: a holiday that we for many of us centers around meals with extended family. The CDC recommends reconsidering that practice this year. The same technologies that we have used to be present to one another this season (especially telephones and computers) are suggested for re-connecting with family in safe ways.

If you do choose to travel or to be with people from outside your own household over Thanksgiving, please consider refraining from coming to church for the following week: skipping in-person church one week is all it takes to get in the recommended two-week quarantine! Join us online instead: 8am via Zoom!

Online isn’t as good as live, either for family or for church, but this, too, is how we love one another in this season.

During this season of coronavirus infections, when attending events on campus at St. Thomas’, please demonstrate your love for your friends and neighbors by:

1. Wearing a mask (covering both mouth and nose)
2. Remaining six feet apart from anyone you don’t live with
3. Refraining from touching, hugging and shaking hands – even during the Peace
4. There will be no singing
5. Service bulletins you have touched must be taken home
6. After the service everyone must disperse with no lingering
7. No sharing of common objects such as pens, paper, etc.