Parish Email for Friday, 31 March 2023

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Palm Sunday – Normal weekend schedule

Holy Monday – 7pm – Holy Eucharist (nave)

Holy Tuesday – 7pm – Holy Eucharist (nave)

Holy Wednesday – 7pm – Holy Eucharist (nave)

Maundy Thursday – 7pm – (nave)

Maundy Thursday Garden Watch – 8pm-midnight (nave)

Good Friday – 12pm (nave)

Good Friday – 7pm (nave)

Great Vigil of Easter – 6pm – (Outdoors)

Easter Sunday (Rite I) – 8am – Holy Eucharist (nave)

Easter Sunday – 10:30am – Holy Eucharist (Parish Hall)

 

Easter Memorial Flowers are due by this Sunday, 2 April.  Email Donna F. at dlfesq@aol.com if you want the same as last year, or if you want a change or are putting in a new memorial/thanksgiving.  Free will offerings will be taken when you can, we just ask for the  memorial/thanksgiving by Sunday.


Palm Sunday will be celebrated at all three services this weekend! Saturday (5.30pm) and Sunday early (8am) will take place in the nave without a procession. The main service on Sunday (10.30am) will begin in the Parish Hall with the blessing of the Palms, process to the Lych Gate, and then process into the nave. If you attend the 10.30am service but find walking difficult, you are welcome to begin seated in the Lych gate or in the nave, and we will catch up to you!


This Sunday, we continue the Adult Forum series “The Way of Love.”  Led by Deacon John and promoted by Bishop Curry, this program ties the Easter Vigil readings to the seven practices of the Way of Love.  Each week lessons will be introduced, via video provided in the newsletter, and explored.  Weekly videos can also be viewed on the Adult Forum page of the website.

The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption.

Session Six / WORSHIP: The Gathering of God’s People (Zephaniah 3:12-20)

The Way of Love will be on hiatus from 9 April through 7 May.  Join us for the last  session of this program on 14 May.


Stations of the Cross, convened by Sara J. will take place every Friday in Lent at 7pm.


The week following Easter, 2 concurrent, 4-week Adult Forum programs will be offered!

Are you interested in a practical conversation about the Basics of Bible Study? (This is part of our ongoing “ABCD’s of the Faith” series.) Join us for a 4-part conversation on the four Sundays following Easter (16 April-7 May), at 9am in the Parish Hall, followed by Coffee Hour.

In celebration of Campus Pride Month, join us for the Adult Formation offering, Hearts Unbound.  The overwhelming message of the Bible, in story after story, is that of God’s radical love and welcome. Every time we think we know who’s in and who’s out, God does something to challenge those assumptions, to unbind our hearts and minds from old ways of understanding, and to draw the circle ever wider.  We will be exploring 4 new stories, setup in a fun, informal reader’s theater – no costumes or props!  Readers needed!  Contact Sarah T. for questions/more info.  Starting 16 April at 9 AM in the Lower Level Parish Hall.


Diocese notified of successful canonical consent process for next bishop.  Read the announcement here.


The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) is continuing its work to prepare The Episcopal Church for the election of the 28th Presiding Bishop at General Convention in 2024. To that end they are releasing three essays this month to help inform the church about the ministry of the Presiding Bishop.  Read the third and final essay regarding The Basic Timeline and Steps of the Nominating and Election Processes here.  You can also read the first essay here and the second here.


There will be no Sunday School on Easter (9 April).


St. Thomas’ has overflowed two tables for the Bishop’s Farewell gala featuring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry as our keynote speaker! If you’re interested in attending this special event on Sunday, 21 May, at 5pm, please let Donna F. know within the next week so we can see whether we need to reserve an entire third table!


Come support St. Thomas’ own talented Bobby K. in Stockton University’s rendition of And Then There Were None located at the Stockton Performing Arts Center (101 Vera King Farris Drive, Suite K-144 Galloway, NJ 08205).


Come to church this weekend for birthday and anniversary blessings!

April Birthdays

3       Holly D.
5       Bob S.
7       Rachael O.
16      Aviva F.
17      Jeffrey G.
18      Freda P.
19      Dominic K.
24      Sarah A.-W.
28      Ian D.
30      Sid D.

April Anniversaries

29      Jim G. & Zenaida C.


Spring is here!  The Garden Ministry meets on Wednesday evenings, at 7:00pm, by the Meditation Garden, to enjoy fellowship and prayer as we work to maintain our beautiful campus!  Everyone of all abilities, ages, experience levels, are welcome!  Water will be provided for drinking and for the plants!  Contact Donna F. at dlfesq@aol.com for more info.

Interested in joining a new ministry but don’t know where to start?  Every week, a different group will be highlighted at the end of the newsletter.  Information about meetings, what they do in the church or community, contact info and more!  If you have content you want to share about your ministry, send it to announcements@stthomasglassboro.org to be featured in an upcoming newsletter.


Lectionary readings for this week:  Passion/Palm Sunday – Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:14-27:66, Psalm 31:9-16

Lectionary readings for next week:  Easter Sunday – Acts 10:34-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-18, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

Please continue in your daily prayers for: Dennis, Marge, Joann, Lou, Jennifer, Cameron, Jane, Richard, Bea, Sue, John, Becky, Terryon, Bob, Mary Esther, Braelynn, Jeffrey, Sam, Brian, Bill, Heather, Stacey, Antoinette


Announcements for the parish email are due via email by noon on Wednesday of each week. You can email them to announcements@stthomasglassboro.org

The church calendar can be seen at https://www.stthomasglassboro.org/calendar/ for a list of upcoming events. Please help us keep it current (and avoid hurt feelings) by sending updates to the church office (office@stthomasglassboro.org).

Are you serving in liturgy? Check the rota!

Prayer requests can be sent to prayer@stthomasglassboro.org

Watch our livestream here Saturdays at 5:30pm and Sundays at 8am & 10:30am!

Full-text of the liturgy is available at  https://www.sharedprayers.net

 

Spring at St. Thomas’

  • Holy Eucharist (Nave – now with music!): Saturdays, 5:30pm
  • Holy Eucharist in the Nave – Rite I (Nave):  Sundays, 8am
  • Adult Formation (Parish Hall):  Sundays, 9am
  • Children’s Sunday School (Parish Hall):  Sundays, 9am
  • Coffee Hour (Parish Hall): Sundays, 10am
  • Holy Eucharist (Parish Hall): Sundays, 10:30am
  • Centering Prayer (Nave): Mondays at 4pm (also on Zoom)
  • Holy Eucharist at Lych Gate (most times):  Wednesdays, 5:30pm

 

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