Upcoming Events!

• Cherish the Chalice - March 26, 11am
• Turn in Easter Eggs - April 1st
• Flower Donations for Memorials - April 3
• Holy Week and Easter April 6-9th (Full Schedule Below)
• Stepping Out In Faith Kick-off Event - April 16
• Celebration of New - Ministry May 10, 6:30pm

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

• Courtyard Clean-up Success
• Seeking Easter Eggs 
• St. Thomas Receives $10,000 Grant for Gun Violence Prevention!
• Link to register for Pledge Campaign Kickoff
• A Transformed Life ~ The Way of Love in Lent~A Weekly Lenten Journey
• The Gifts Parishioners Would Like To Share With and Through the St. Thomas Community
• Church of the Wild", Book Group Every Other Monday Starting April 17 from 9am to 11am
• Locally Haiti Fundraiser

Courtyard Clean-up Success and a BIG THANK YOU

Thank you to everyone who came out for the courtyard cleanup!

We had a great time seeing everyone and appreciate all the hard work put in to make St Thomas look the way we all see it.

Burns and Rowan were true rockstars!

Seeking Easter Eggs

The Easter Bunnies are planning another Epic Easter Egg Hunt for Easter Sunday. We are asking each family to bring at least 1 dozen filled Easter Eggs for the bunnies to hide. Please drop off your eggs by Sunday 03/02. (If you have any day of you are welcome to bring them. Prior Sunday request is to have a base count)

Please keep in mind that we have multiple children with dietary restrictions and ask that if you are packing eggs yourself to please consider some fun other options. There are biodegradable egg options sold at Target, Amazon, and Walmart. And if you are packing your Easter basket consider using recycled shredded paper, leaves (washed and dried), or reused stuffing from an unused toy.

A few alternatives listed below:

• Toys
• Stickers
• Stamps
• Legos
• Hot-wheels Car

Let's have a great Easter!

Grant for Gun Violence Prevention

Leading With Love in Our Community: Gun Violence Prevention

Saint Thomas has been awarded a $10,000 mini-grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment to distribute free firearm trigger locks to the community!

Gun ownership is an independent risk factor for firearm injury, and households that practice safe gun storage using devices like trigger locks significantly reduce the risk of self-inflicted firearm injury or death.

We’ll be planning distribution events in the near future with plenty of opportunities to volunteer – more information coming soon!

April 16, 2023 Stepping Out in Faith Kickoff

Event Registration - Using Realm

We are kicking off our Spring Pledge Drive - Stepping Out in Faith on April 16th after service!

Please come and enjoy food, fun and friends as we start our pledge drive.

To register online click the register button and enter your information:

You do not have to make an account to register for this event but we recommend making an account to update your contact information, birthday, anniversary, and to even view the full parish directory!

If you need assistance signing up or making your account, find Miriam at Coffee Hour or email Tyler ([email protected]).

A Transformed Life ~ The Way of Love in Lent

A Weekly Lenten Journey

The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into Christ’s life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, you are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Each week, you are invited to reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings.

Our weekly reflections will walk us through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption. These reflections tie the Easter Vigil readings to the seven practices of the Way of Love. Drawing on the ancient practice of setting aside Lent as a period of study and preparation for living as a Christian disciple (known as the catechumenate), these reflections encourage you to reflect on salvation history; walk toward the empty tomb; and embrace the transforming reality of love, life, and liberation. They will lead us to Easter where we will stand with the three women at the empty tomb, we hear the call to go and live that transformed reality.

Miriam Stark will be coordinating a ZOOM reflection group on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 7:30. Please email her at [email protected] if you would like to participate.You also may do these reflections on your own or gather a small group to reflect together at another time.

Schedule for Holy Week and Easter

Maundy Thursday (03/06)

5:00 Holy Week for Families – A Godly Play Story 

5:30 Agape Dinner 

7:00 Holy Eucharist with washing of the feet and stripping of the Altar

9:00 Altar of Repose available for prayer and reflection through 3:00 on 4/7.

Good Friday (03/07)

10:00-3:00 Church open for prayer and reflection

Rite of Reconciliation available by appointment with priest

7:00 Traditional Good Friday Mass with Veneration of the Cross and communion from reserved sacrament

Holy Saturday (03/08)

9:00 Holy Saturday Service

10:00 Flowering the Church

7:00 The Great Easter Vigil follow by the breaking of the Lenten Fast with the Our 8:30

Easter Sunday (03/09)

Easter Feast (Breaking the Easter Fast!)

10:00 Holy Eucharist

11:00 Easter Egg Hunt

The Gifts Parishioners Would Like, With and Through, the St. Thomas Community

The responses to last Sunday’s question, “What gifts have you been blessed with that you are sharing or would be willing to share at St. Thomas,” were again appreciated and quite varied ranging from gifts generating gratitude to very specific offers to use one’s time and talent to the benefit of St. Thomas. Thank you.

Several parishioners felt blessed by the love, compassion, peace, and joy they experience at St. Thomas. Others were grateful for love for and from family, love of faith, an awakening to God, love of the natural world and desire to protect it, forgiveness, and providing deep care to another through love.

It was exciting to see so many offer more specific gifts to St. Thomas. Areas where folks are contributing or wanted to contribute their time and talent included pastoral care, lay reading, ushering, maintaining/growing the garden in the courtyard and other gardening around the church, financial oversight, fund raising, finances, technical support, food preparation, and communications.

Some of you signed your name to your offers of assistance. Thank you. To make sure we are better engaging all those that want to be engaged, we will be following up with some sign-up sheets reflecting the areas folks expressed interest in volunteering.

We are grateful for your active participation in these brief Lenten Sunday surveys. Your responses help us understand what is important to you about St. Thomas and how we can make St. Thomas more meaningful in your life and the life of others.

We would like to hear more from our Zoom members. To that end, Georgina Lucas, from our Vestry and Parish Success Ministry, will attend the post service conversation this Sunday, March 26th, to hear on how St. Thomas blesses you and how we can support and better engage Zoom members. If you would like to have a private or individual conversation with Georgina, please email her at [email protected] to arrange a time for a phone conversation.

Quotes from the most recent survey:

"The gift of love"

"A true love for and from my family"

"The gift of being able to and wanting to help others"

"Gift of connection and community with lots of different people who are currently members and those to don’t attend but are still connected."

"Gift of health and wellness and willing to restore the pastoral care program as lay led"

"Love for the natural world and desire to protect it"

"Community Building"

"Putting energy in the courtyard and growing it with the help of others."

Blessings to all.



STEPPING OUT IN FAITH!

"Church of the Wild" - Book Group

You are invited to participate in a book group this spring!

According to the late “geologian” Thomas Berry… “The divine communicates with us primarily through the language of the natural world.”

In Church of the Wild, Victoria Loorz offers a compelling perspective on how to fall in love again with our natural world, as we increasingly recognize ourselves as part of it. More than a book discussion, we will venture out into nature to live into the beauty of spring and early summer as we slowly savor “how nature invites us into the sacred".

“An absence of a sense of the sacred is the basic flaw in many of our efforts at ecologically or environmentally adjusting our human presence to the natural world. We will not save what we do not love…eventually only our sense of the sacred will save us.” Thomas Berry

We will meet every other Monday, beginning April 17 from 9-11am St Thomas Courtyard in pleasant weather (indoors if not)

Facilitators: Catherine Welch and Nancy Arko

If you are interested in participating, please email [email protected] or [email protected]

Zoom Audio Issues

We are making a concerted effort to improve the quality and consistency of the audio quality for those who attends our ZOOM services. To do that we need help from ZOOM participants. If the audio is not satisfactory, please provide details to the ZOOM Host during and after the services. We need to know exactly what the issues are from no sound, too loud, too quiet, too distorted, whatever you are experiencing. Please type the issue into chat and identify specifically which mic was being used and what part if the service was affected. Thanks!

Evening For Haiti

Inquirers Classes

Learn More About The Episcopal Tradition

On the second Sunday of each month, The Rev. Terri Hobart will lead Inquirers Classes for those who would like to learn more about the beliefs, history, worship, and practices of the Episcopal Church. Each class will cover a different aspect of the Episcopal Church. This series is ideal for those newer to the Episcopal Church, as well as anyone who has questions or would like to deepen their understanding of the Episcopal Tradition. Parishioners are invited to attend the whole series or just classes of particular interest. Those who are considering or who will participate in confirmation or reception should participate in all sessions or schedule a make up, if necessary.

Jenifer Gamber’s Your Faith, Your Life: An Invitation to the Episcopal Church, available online through Church Publishing Incorporated, is recommended as a companion to this series.

Prayer, Spirituality, Mission – Ask about next date!

History and Polity - May 7th

Great Opportunity to Meet Fellow Parishioners

Serve As A Greeter and Usher

We need to build up our Usher ranks! Ushers welcome people to our worship services and manage the offerings and communion process. Would you be willing to in serve once a month. If you are interested in this relational ministry, please contact me at [email protected] for more information and any questions you have. Thank you for considering this opportunity.

Kathi Atkins

Script Program and Other Ways

to Support St.Thomas

Vehicles For Charity

“Vehicles for Charity” is managed by ARC. You go to their website, https://www.vehiclesforcharity.org/, type in St. Thomas Episcopal Church and fill out the online form. 

King Soopers' Script Program

Information coming Soon!

Cherish a Chalice—A Polishing Party

Embrace an ewer

Cherish a chalice

Ponder with a paten

Get chummy with a candlestick

Dear Siblings in Christ—

I could go on—but hearing the groans in the background—I won’t.

We, the St. Thomas family are holding a special party on Sunday, March 26th. A Polishing Party! As you all know, we are in the most holy season of Lent—we are preparing ourselves—and by extension—God’s house for Easter.

We will gather together in the Great Hall immediately following the service to start our party! All supplies will be furnished, including protective wear, i.e., aprons and gloves. Tables will be set-up, supplies laid out and polishing mentors will be available!

You may be saying, “But I’ve never polished silver!” Don’t worry, it’s never to late to start. OR, you may be saying, “I thought I was done polishing silver!” Give it another go, grandmother would be so proud.

Lunch will be “served.” As Sundays are feast days during Lent, it will be hearty!

As a special token of appreciation—at the end of the party there will be homemade Scottish shortbread or a loaf of communion bread (Tina’s special request) to take home.

Sign-ups for Coffee Hour and Flowers

Beginning in September, we would like to resume a regular coffee hour. As such you will find a sign-up sheet by the church door. We encourage you to find a partner and sign -up to host a coffee hour. All that is required is to come a few minutes early to make the coffee (instructions are provided) and help tidy up after coffee hour. Providing a snack is optional.

There is also a sign-up sheet to provide flowers for the altar. You have the options of making a donations so that we can order flowers or you can provide them. If you would like to donate flowers in memory or honor of someone, please email the office and we will include that in the weekly bulletin. 

None of This Would Be Possible Without Your Financial Support!

Thank You!

We Make Church Together

Many Hands Make Light Work



How can you help?

What gifts do you have to offer?

Office Hours

Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00 - 3:00