THE EPISTLE:

October 2, 2025

St. Thomas' Annual Blessing of the Animals for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi,

THIS SUNDAY, Oct. 5, at

3 PM

Please join us on the field across the north parking lot for the annual Blessing of the Animals for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, THIS SUNDAY, October 5, at 3:00 p.m. No matter what type of animal you have – the 4-legged kind, the swimmers, the crawlers and the hoppers – bring ‘em on! Even if you don’t have a pet, you are invited. It is a fun celebration of all God’s creatures and one of the church's most beloved saints, St. Francis. Don’t miss it! Be sure to bring your lawn chairs or blankets.

Eco-Spirituality Retreat THIS Saturday, October 4, 
9 AM–1 PM

Join us for this experiential retreat with William Thiele, PhD. We will practice Mary Oliver’s poem "When I am Among the Trees" in real time and learn truths of contemplative living from the nature beings all around us after an experience of entering the inner sanctuary through centering prayer. Practices include periods of guided walking meditation in nature and sacred circle sharing of what we experience. Bring a sack lunch and walking shoes for the Aldridge Creek Greenway.  

There is no fee to register but we ask for a suggested donation of $25. Checks should be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church with Eco-spirituality in the memo line. They can be dropped off in the church office or mailed to PO Box 14509, Huntsville, AL 35815. REGISTER HERE.

This experiential retreat is open to all from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, October 4, with check-in at 8:30 a.m. There is no registration fee but we ask for a suggested donation of $25. Rain date is Saturday, October 11. CLICK HERE for more information.

Join us for Sunday Supper

THIS SUNDAY, October 5, after the 5pm Eucharist:

SIGN UP TODAY!

We are excited for another Sunday Supper of THIS Sunday, October 5, after the 5:00 p.m. Eucharist. We are having taco soup and dessert! There are a few opportunities to help with dinner and bring something. Checkout the signup genius link to see how you can help with dinner!

Please help us make sure there's enough for everyone by signing up on the Sign-up Genius with link below, or text or call Carolyn Seaman at 256-797-4616 if you haven’t signed up yet.

If you'd like to join us please sign up HERE.

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Compline Online,

Mondays at 8 PM

with Dcn. Jeannie

Looking for a new prayer opportunity and a way to center yourself in prayer each week? Beginning THIS UPCOMING Monday, October 6 at 8 PM, you’re invited to join Dcn. Jeannie online for Compline. Compline is a brief evening prayer service and a peaceful way to set your week with intention and to end your day with a sense of completion and stillness.

The service lasts just 15 minutes and can be accessed on St. Thomas’ Facebook page. You simply need a Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and to turn to pg. 127.

It will be LIVE every Monday at 8 PM.

Please contact jrann228@gmail.com or the front office for more information.

New Adult Christian Formation THIS SUNDAY

with Mtr. Katie:

Collects and Prayers

Where do all those little prayers come from in the Sunday morning liturgy? What is a "collect," and how are "collects" different from other prayers? Join Mtr. Katie in the Parish Hall this Sunday at 9:30 AM for a new series on the Collects in the Book of Common Prayer. Bring your BCP if you have one, but we will also use a digital BCP on the big screen!

New Sunday morning Book Study with Fr. Donavan begins this Sunday: Supernatural-What the Bible teaches about the unseen world & why it matters

Join Fr. Donavan this Sunday in Conference Rm. 1 for the introduction of a new book study just in time for the month of October, Supernatural by Michael S. Heiser! This book takes on the strange and sometimes avoided passages of the Old and New Testament. It isn't that these passages from the Bible are avoided or passed over by preachers because they about hot-button issues or hard to understand, they are avoided because they are about the supernatural and what Heiser refers to as "the unseen world." Find out what the Bible actually has to tell us about the strange and the supernatural, and how what the Bible has to say about the "unseen world" actually matters today for our world and our deeper understanding of our faith.

The audio version of the book Supernatural can be checked out through the online Huntsville Public Library App Hoopla, or you can purchase a Kindle version of the book through Amazon for only $5.99.

Join Fr. Donavan THIS SUNDAY at 9:30 AM in Conference Rm. 1!

Help Build Beds!

October 19, 2–5 PM

Sign-up TODAY!

St. Thomas has just a little over two weeks to give 40-50 children in Huntsville a bed to sleep in at night rather than sleeping on the floor or a couch! No woodworking skills are necessary, just a desire to help children in need. 

This is a great event to share with the family as we need help with many aspects. Teens can help with the bed building process, and children can help create no-sew pillows. Laura Beth Bestor will be aiding the children with making these items. Please contact Laura Beth HERE if you plan to attend with kids.

The Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed build is Sunday, October 19 from 2-5 p.m. at their warehouse at 6000 Technology Drive. Directions will be sent to the volunteers prior to the project. 

Sign up sheets are available at the church office or contact George Harriman at 256-509-6666 or georgeharriman51@gmail.com. If you cannot attend but would like to contribute in another way, twin bedding sets and pillows are needed. These can be purchased online at major retailers such as Amazon or Walmart. Please drop them off at the church office, or bring them along if you are attending the bed build. 

Monetary donations made out to “SHP Huntsville AL” can be sent to the church or dropped off at the church office. Thank you in advance for your support.

Creation Care Project: Donate before Oct. 5th!



St Thomas has an exciting opportunity to contribute to the Eric Obermann Linear Forest along Aldridge Creek Greenway. We have been invited by Stuart Obermann to raise funds to plant trees and shrubbery on City land at the back of St Thomas Church. They will provide much needed natural habitat, be a way to replace a few of the many lost trees in Huntsville, and provide much needed shade for members of our community who exercise along the Greenway.

This project will be done with the Friends of Trees Organization, the Eric Obermann Foundation, and the City of Huntsville Green Team. The goal is to raise funds for about 20 trees. A good sized sapling costs around $250 and The Friends of Trees with the Eric Obermann Foundation have offered to match up to $3000 of what we raise!

The planting will be done by the City of Huntsville Green Team who will choose and purchase the trees and then come and plant them.

How to Donate

To make a donation to this important project make checks payable to St Thomas and with “Creation Care-Trees” in the memo line, or place cash in an envelope marked “Creation Care-Trees”. To donate via Realm CLICK HERE or use the QR code above.

To donate in honor of someone please write their name on the donation envelope or contact Belinda Greenaway with 'Tree Project' in the subject line. Contact Belinda Greenaway HERE Or Brett Byford HERE with questions.

“Trees give us hope and the courage to persevere even in the harshest of conditions.” Eric Obermann Foundation

UPCOMING

Holy Hike at Blevins Gap

Saturday, October 11 at 9 AM

Our next Holy Hike will be at the Blevins Gap Preserve on Saturday, Oct 11th at 9am.

We’ll hike sections of both the Certain and West Bluff trails to a spot with some spectacular views of the valley below (you can barely see St. Thomas from the top). The first half-mile has some uphill hiking, but after that it’s very flat. You may want to bring a snack and something to drink, as well as a hiking stick or trekking poles.

We’ll meet at the Blevins Gap Trailhead (3470 Cecil Ashburn Dr SE, Huntsville, AL 35802). There is a portable toilet near the trailhead. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Byford at brettbyford59@gmail.com or 256.808.5776.

Bishop Glenda Curry visits St. Thomas on

Sunday, October 28

Bishop Glenda Curry will be with us at St. Thomas at both the 8 a.m. and the 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist on Sunday, October 28, to preach and to offer the sacrament of Confirmation. The Bishop will also receive new members into the Episcopal Church and reaffirm the faith of the St. Thomas members who have been attending Sunday's Adult Confirmation class.

This year for Bishop Curry's visit we are again planning a special, celebratory breakfast, beginning immediately following the 8 a.m. Eucharist to welcome Bishop Curry and to honor our confirmands and new and reaffirmed members. At 9:45 a.m., Bishop Curry will be invited to address the church in the Parish Hall, and everyone is encouraged to attend. There will also be a light reception after the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist.

Please plan on welcoming Bishop Curry and celebrating our newly confirmed, received, and reaffirmed adults on Sunday, October 28!

LOBSTERFEST 32

Volunteers for Lobsterfest Needed

WE NEED YOU FOR LOBSTERFEST 32

Sign-Up in the Narthex

With Lobsterfest 101 under our belt, it is offically Lobsterfest season at St. Thomas! Don't forget that volunteer sign-up sheets for the many different aspects of Lobsterfest are in the Narthex for you to let us know when you'll be able to take a shift between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to help make Lobsterfest 32 a success! 

Not able to help on Lobsterfest Day November 8?  You can help our Bake Sale Committee led by Kathie Clayton, Kelly Evans, Gwen Monroe, & Martha Wilson, by baking cookies, bars, cakes, and pies or provide an item or two for Soups and Savories led by Frances Steel. Contact Frances Steel HERE if you're interested in helping with soups and savories or Martha Wilson HERE to contribute to the bake sale.

Stop by Information Hall on Sundays to purchase your Lobsterfest t-shirt and pick-up yard signs or stickers to update a previous yard sign.  

We are excited to announce that the St. Thomas Children's Ministry is presenting the first ever Kids' Makers Market at St. Thomas Lobsterfest. Young artisans are invited to sell their self-made goods—creative art, slime, jewelry, knit/crochet, soaps, candles, birdhouses, woodwork items, etc., in 2 hour timeslots from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The church will provide the tent, table, and chairs. The young artisans get to keep their earnings. 

There are no booth fees, but application via THIS LINK or by the QR code in the attached flyer by October 29 is a MUST. Please share this with folks that might find this interesting and view THIS PDF for all the info!

Artisan Fair at Lobsterfest

Update for

St. Thomas Creates at Lobsterfest

St. Thomas Creates is ready to receive your art and craft donations. Please bring them to the Volunteer’s desk just inside the office door. There are stickers for you to mark the price and your name, and a form to accompany your donation(s) at the desk. All items will be kept in a secure room until Lobsterfest. We will continue to receive your creations until November 7th.

Thank you for donating your time and talent to St. Thomas Creates. All proceeds go directly to Lobsterfest. 

Please contact Donna Clark donnadfclark@gmail.com or Maggie Hall at Maggie.carter.hall@gmail.com

All proceeds go to Local Outreach and the Honduras Medical Mission. Support the cause by donating below. You can also CLICK HERE.

Registration for the Lobsterfest 5k is OPEN! CLICK HERE to register NOW!

ONGOING

Pray the Rosary TOMORROW,

Friday, October 3

12:05 PM

Join us to Pray the Rosary tomorrow and every other Friday at 12:05 p.m. Each prayer session lasts around half an hour and includes the reading of each scripture passage for the five decades of either the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, or Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. If you’ve never prayed the Rosary before, we always have Rosary beads available, and written directions to help you fully participate in this meaningful, scriptural, and contemplative prayer practice.

Treble Choir Rehearsals Continue through Fall!

The Treble Choir sings approximately once a month at the 10:30 a.m. worship service and our special services this year will include Lessons and Carols and Christmas Eve. All children in 2nd-8th Grades are invited to join! Bring a friend!

The Treble Choir schedule is available HERE and is posted on the bulletin board leading to Hiers Hall, the choir bulletin board in Hudson Hall, and the St. Thomas Website. Rehearsals are Sunday afternoons 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Please email Miss Kathy at music@stthomashuntsville.org for details!

Join the St. Thomas Adult Choir

You don't have to be a kid to sing! The St. Thomas adult choir is returning after the summer and welcoming new members. Click HERE to see and hear the St. Thomas choir practicing their anthem for this Sunday.

Children's Sunday School continues this Sunday at 9:30am-10:15am! Join us in Hiers Hall as we gear up for a year of faith, love, and fun! 

Godly Play class for Pre-K through 1st graders is led by Renee' Redfield in Hiers 4. 

Storymakers for 2nd and 3rd graders is by Nichole Hargrove in Hiers 6. 

Thou Art class for 4th through 6th graders led by Laura Beth Bestor in Hiers.  

Our nursery is open from 7:45 a.m.-12 p.m. on Sundays for those younger than Pre-K. We have our Play'n'Worship curriculum available for those in the nursery to enjoy on Sunday mornings. Contact our Children's Ministry Coordinator via email at children@stthomashuntsville.org.

Do you have questions about the Bible? Have you wondered about what everything in the Book of Common Prayer means? Come to Youth Sunday School to try and answer those questions and more! 7-12th graders meet during formation time in the Youth Room at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday to talk about Covenants in the Bible!

7-12th Graders! Weekly EYC (Episcopal Youth Community) has RETURNED. EYC meets Sunday evenings from 6-8 p.m. Got Questions? Contact our Youth Minister, Ethan Evans, HERE for more information.

NO EYC THIS SUNDAY,

OCTOBER 5TH. EYC RETURNS ON SUNDAY OCT. 12

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org