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Father Todd will be on sabbatical May, June and July (returning in August). In case of a pastoral emergency, please contact Deacon John.
Deadline Approaching: We will be collecting monetary donations to give as a gift to both Bishop Stokes for his retirement/discretionary fund and Bishop-Elect Sally French for vestments and other supplies needed for her new position. If you would like to donate, please contact Donna F. Be sure to indicate to whom you’d like your gift to go to. Deadline to donate is Sunday, 7 May.
Deadline Approaching: This is the last Sunday we will be collecting items for The Shop. Monetary donations are accepted as well!
This Sunday, the Sunday School will be having a Community Clean Up Fundraiser at noon. This is done in conjunction with Gloucester County. The Sunday School will receive $500 from the county for a couple hours of trash pickup in the area. It helps our community look better, and the Sunday School gets needed funds which is a win/win! If you would like to join their efforts, please contact Barb K.
Our own Tal K. will be inducted as an Honorary Canon of Trinity Cathedral on Saturday, 13 May at 3PM! You can read more, or join the livestream here.
Monday’s Centering Prayer and Wednesday’s Holy Eucharist Services will be on hiatus through July.
This week, we conclude our 2 concurrent, 4-week Adult Forum programs:
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. See this week’s script here.
In celebration of the feast of Pentecost, we will be having a Pentecost Potluck! Whip up your favorite dish and bring it Sunday, 28 May following the 10:30 service. Sign Up sheet is in the Lower Level Parish Hall, on the bulletin board, by the coffee machine. Quick and fun craft for all ages to follow. Please contact Sarah T. for questions.
We had a full house for RoVo and Profecy’s end of year concert, this past Sunday! So much so, that we funneled overflow to a livestream in the Parish House! Thank you to everyone who came out!
Matthew Vines
Born March 9, 1990, Vines is an LGBT activist, known for the viral YouTube video “The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality” and his related 2014 book, God and the Gay Christian. In March 2012, Vines delivered a speech in front of a congregation at College Hill United Methodist Church, detailing his belief that “the Bible never directly addresses, and certainly does not condemn, loving, committed same-sex relationships”. The presentation was recorded on video and uploaded to YouTube, where it went viral on social networks. The clip included a detailed treatment of the Bible verses that are generally translated to refer to homosexuality, and in it Vines says that once original languages and context are taken into consideration, some Bible references are more ambiguous than many people realize. Some scholars pointed out that the material in the video was largely not new, but the format made the formerly “fringe” material more accessible to the general public. In the first six months since it was uploaded, the video of the speech had been seen more than 980,000 times on YouTube. Later, Vines founded The Reformation Project, a non-profit organization for seeking greater inclusion of LGBT lay members and clergy in mainstream Christian churches.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Vines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezQjNJUSraY
Come to church this weekend for birthday and anniversary blessings!
May Birthdays
1 Zenaida C
2 Liane C
2 Aaron H
4 Ajia H
7 Ethan R
8 Sandra H
8 Gwen J
9 Hannah G
11 Larry S
12 Ginny G
17 Robert Sch
23 Elizabeth M
25 Tal K
26 Maryann S
30 Sara J
31 Theresa V
31 Petra L
May Anniversaries
7 Kelly & Rich R
23 Trudy & Glenn G
26 Jo-Ann & Chuck T
26 Susan & John H
30 Sandy & Jeremy O
31 Becky & Todd F
Do you have a voice recorder on your phone? That’s all you need to record the Daily Office! Monday through Saturday, morning prayers are posted here and you can help! Commitments long and short are accepted and especially help those who cannot make it in for a service. Contact the office 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: Acts 7:55-60, 1 Peter 2:2-10, John 14:1-14, Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
Lectionary readings for next week: Acts 17:22-31, 1 Peter 3:13-22, John 14:15-21, Psalm 66:7-18, Psalm 67
Please continue in your daily prayers for: Dennis, Marge, Joann, Lou, Jennifer, Cameron, Jane, Richard, Sue, Becky, Bob, Andrea, Heather, Antoinette, Tal, Barbara, Brenda, Neil, Tammy, Walter, Andy, Ruth, Cyril, Jim, Bob, Jimmy, Linda, César, Joan, Ronnie, Sandy
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.
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