Fall Back!

Daylight Savings Time ends this Saturday. Turn your clocks back one hour before bed and enjoy some much-needed rest.

Dear St. Thomas’,

This Tuesday we will mark a monumental and sad milestone in our history.

I’m speaking, of course, of what would have been the 93rd annual Ham & Oyster supper at St. Thomas’, canceled due to the coronavirus.

For 92 years, nothing stopped us from sharing this quirky meal with our community: and our community appreciated it. We have been receiving numerous emails and phone calls asking after it.

What began as a fund-raiser has grown and changed over time. Oysters and other ingredients have gotten more expensive. Lives have gotten busier, requiring some adjustments to how we make our pies. Inflation has taken a bite out of our profits. But what hasn’t changed is the camaraderie and joy of accomplishing something big and difficult together.

This whole year, I think, has been something big and difficult. We share that experience with nearly every community around the world. We are still in the midst of it. Yet whether the chore is padding oysters, making pepper hash, or caring for one another in the midst of a pandemic, we are up to the task. God’s Holy Spirit enables us to do every necessary thing. Following Jesus’ example (on the cross!) we are able to capture every challenge and opportunity and to turn them into opportunities to proclaim God’s overflowing love.

This Sunday will be a great day as we celebrate the Feast of All Saints together. We have two baptisms scheduled for Sunday: two more souls to commit to Christ and to recognize as part of our St. Thomas’ family. We may not be used to seeing baptisms outdoors: neither are we used to canceling Ham & Oyster. But while we tweak the details, the underlying traditions of faithfulness to God and to one another remain firmly intact.

Even if the weather turns nasty and we have to delay the rite yet again, we will continue forward in faith that God is present and active at St. Thomas’, using every interruption to interject more of God’s power and love into our lives and, through us, into the world around us.

Faithfully,

Todd+

• Saturday, 4.30pm: Adult Formation Online
• Saturday, 6.00pm: Holy Eucharist in the Nave (limited capacity)
• Sunday, 8.00am: Online Morning Prayer with Sermon
• Sunday, 9.00am: Online Sunday School by St. Thomas’!
• Sunday, 10.30am: Holy Eucharist Outdoors at St. Thomas’
• Sunday, 6.00pm: Online Sunday School & Game Night 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, rain or shine)
• Wednesday, 7.00pm: Bible Study with Bishop Stokes

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

Bishop Curry and Forward Day by Day invite you to participate with Episcopalians across our country as we pray during this election season. Using the traditional model of the novena, a nine-day period of focused prayer, they offer guidance from the BCP for your prayers as we approach a contentious election and its aftermath. Whatever the results, we can pray for the unity and wellbeing of our nation, our world, and all its inhabitants. See the brief video. Download the prayer guide. Or sign up to follow on social media or receive nine daily emails.

Why do we come to church?

It is not to earn God’s approval. It is not to earn the approval of our fellow believers. It is definitely not to show off my fancy new clothes.

We come to church to worship: to be in God’s presence and to encourage one another as we seek to live faithful lives of discipleship.

Last week, as we prepared to worship together, the rain was falling and a cool breeze was blowing. I saw at least one family drive into St. Thomas’, take note of the weather, and drive away, back home. That was a correct response.

Other persons and families decided they were adequately dressed, comfortable under their umbrellas, and enjoying the beauty of a rainy day. That was also a correct response.

Our liturgies, both indoor and outdoor, are schedule to happen “rain or shine.” That does not mean you have to brave any kind of weather in order to be there. That just means that if you decide you need to be there, someone will be there to meet you.

During any season, and especially during the coming winter, please use your own discretion about when to come to church – and when to join us on-line via Zoom or a recording instead. Any of these choices is good and right. St. Thomas’ offers all these things so that you can make the choice that is right for you and your family.

We come to church not to get our ticket punched, but to be empowered and encouraged to live out our faith in the week to come. Come when you can do so without endangering your health. Stay home when you cannot. God is already with you, wherever you are.

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.