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THE EPISTLE:
October 12th, 2023
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Are you NEW to St. Thomas?
This Sunday is Newcomers Sunday!
This Sunday we will be especially attentive to our Newcomers! Everyone is encouraged to wear a name tag, take note of folks you don’t know, and introduce yourself! If you have been around a while, take the initiative to show a relative newcomer our building and introduce them to our various wings. This Sunday is a reminder to all of us to welcome those new to our parish community and show them a little bit of extra attention.
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Annual Stewardship Campaign
THIS ONE IS FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!
RATED IRS*
If you are invested in an IRA, you may want to consider making your pledge through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). This distribution is made from your yearly required distribution, which makes it tax free. The distribution must be sent directly from your financial institution to St. Thomas. Talk with your financial planner to further investigate this option and CLICK here for the IRS Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) for more information.
If this QCD is how you choose to make your pledge to St. Thomas, please indicate on your pledge card the amount and the month in which the church can expect to receive the distribution. You may CLICK this link for a pledge card or email the Finance office at finance@stthomashuntsville.org.
*For those 70½ and older
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Little Free Pantry
We continue to serve our neighbors in need with gifts from you, Outreach Funds, and our community outside this parish. Our volunteers are witnessing many days where people in the community are not just taking things from the pantry, but also putting in many needed items. We are grateful as this is what we had hoped; that it would become something the community could participate in with us.
We would like to ask that when you are able, please pick up extra food items at the grocery store and drop them off in the Little Red Wagon in Information Hall.
Thank you!
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Election of Delegates for 2024 Diocesan Convention: Please sign up now!
If you are interested in being a delegate for next year's 193rd Diocesan Convention for the Diocese of Alabama, February 8th-10th, in Montgomery, now is the time to give us your name. In the coming weeks, we will elect a slate of 5 delegates plus alternates for the next year's convention. If you would like to represent St. Thomas, please send your name to
Carey McIntyre at communications@stthomashuntsville.org.
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Cold Weather Collection
Cold Weather Collection New or gently used adult sizes only, please Blankets Sleeping Bags Coats/Jackets Toboggans Gloves/Socks Sweat Shirts/Pants Thermal Underwear Warm Scarves All donated items will be distributed through First Stop. Place donated items in the marked bin in Information Hall
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Bishop Glenda Curry visits St. Thomas next Sunday, October 22nd
Bishop Glenda Curry will be with us at St. Thomas at both the 8am and the 10:30am Holy Eucharist on Sunday, October 22nd, 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 Fr. Donavan's Confirmation class.
This year for Bishop Curry's visit, we are planning a special, celebratory breakfast, beginning immediately following the 8am Eucharist, to welcome Bishop Curry and to honor our confirmands and new and reaffirmed members. At 9:45am, Bishop Curry will address the confirmands in the Parish Hall, and everyone is invited to attend. There will also be a light reception after the 10:30am Eucharist.
Please plan on welcoming Bishop Curry and celebrating our 30 newly confirmed, received, and reaffirmed youth and adults NEXT SUNDAY, October 22nd!
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Pumpkin Carve and Paint Event for Youth on October 22nd
Youth grades 5th and up are invited to pick a pumpkin to decorate. Join us after church from 12:15-1:45 and enjoy lunch while you decorate.
For information contact Dcn. Jeannie at jrann228@gmail.com
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All Hallows' Eve Holy Eucharist
and Trunk or Treat Oct. 29
It's that time of year when all the ghosts, ghoulies, long-leggity beasties and those things that go bump in the night come out to party! Join us at 5pm on Sunday, October 29 for a special All Hallows' Eve Eucharist before we adjourn to the Parish Hall for supper. Afterwards, we will go to the parking lot for Trunk-or-Treat. If you plan to decorate your trunk, please contact our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth, at children@stthomashuntsville.org
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All Saints' Sunday
Nov. 5th
Sunday, November 5th is All Saints' Sunday. Our custom is to read the names and ring the bell for those family members who have died within the last year. If you have a loved one whose name you'd like to include, please email the our Communications Coordinator, Carey McIntyre at communications@stthomashuntsville.org by October 29th.
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Silver Saints Presents:
On Golden Pond
Oct. 19th
Mark your calendars! It is time for our October 2023 movie party. Please come join us for your Silver Saints Matinee Movie in the St. Thomas Parish Hall on THURSDAY, October 19 at 1:00 PM. Our movie this month is the great, classic movie, On Golden Pond, with Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda. This is a movie about aging and family relationships told on a New England lake. Loving lessons will be learned. You really want to catch this one.
As many already know, the Silver Saints Matinee Movie offers fun and fellowship for our parishioners and neighborhood visitors with no fee and classic stories. We offer snacks and beverages, and we will even provide transportation if you wish. We offer comfortable seating and a break half way through the movie. Call Jack or Becky Stokes at 256-881-4748 or the Church Office at 256-880-0247 for more information. Please call a day ahead if you will need a ride. A wonderful afternoon will be even better with you there
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Lobsterfest Update
The webstore is now open! Click here to pre-order your lobsters, BBQ, soups, casseroles, and desserts!
Lobsterline is available from 10am-3pm, Monday through Friday by calling the church office at 256-880-0248. Menu flyers are available at the volunteer desk or in Information Hall for you to share with your friends.
Lobsterfest volunteer sign-up sheets are on the Information Hall bulletin board. If you have any questions about where you can get plugged in, please email Mike and Laura Beth Bestor at malbb12@gmail.com
Don't forget to purchase your Lobsterware in Information Hall on Sunday mornings! We've got magnets, long sleeve t-shirts and a few short sleeve t-shirts available. You can also pre-order food at these times.
We are collecting old newspapers for the eat-in portion of Lobsterfest day. Drop them off at the volunteer desk from 10am-3pm, Monday-Friday.
Be sure to follow Lobsterfest at St. Thomas on Facebook and St. Thomas Lobsterfest on Instagram! Help get the word out to the Greater Huntsville community by liking, sharing, and commenting on our Lobsterfest posts on social media
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Lobsterfest 5K
It's the 30th anniversary of Lobsterfest at St. Thomas, and we want YOU to join us for the SHELL-ABRATION! Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 4 at 3:00 p.m. The race is family-friendly. Runners and walkers of all levels are welcome. With your race entry, you'll receive a cool sweatshirt to keep you warm all winter long. To sign-up NOW click HERE!
If you can't make the run/walk in person, you may order a sweatshirt for a minimum donation of $30 to the Lobsterfest 5k through mid-October. See Jenna or Lloyd for this option.
Let's have a great showing of parishioners at this wonderful community event; sign up TODAY to walk, run or sponsor the Lobsterfest 5K!
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Fr. Donavan's Adult Christian Formation
Fr Donavan's new Christian Formation class, "Remembering & Refreshing our Faith" resumes this Sunday, October 8th. This class is focusing on the the primary foundations of our spirituality and faith, as Christians and as Episcopalians in the Anglican Communion. We will look at the Bible, the Creeds, the historical 39 Articles of the Anglican Reformation, and the present Catechism in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. If you're new to the Episcopal Church or if you just want to revisit the history and teachings of the church, this is a great class for you. Within our weekly conversation, Fr. Donavan will lay out church history, how the Anglican idea of "Via Media" continues to attempt to hold us together, and what we do (or don't do) within our liturgy and worship! Come join Fr. Donavan at 9:30am in the Parish Hall for "Remembering & Refreshing our Faith."
This Sunday class is meant to go deeper than our monthly "Newcomer 1 & 2" classes, while being a bit lighter than our present Confirmation class on Sunday afternoons.
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Children and Youth Christian Formation Information
St. Thomas' Children and Youth Christian Formation classes are now underway every Sunday! We offer five different Sunday school classes for our children and youth!
Pre-K - 1st grade: Godly Play- Renee' Redfield - Hiers 4
2nd grade-3rd grade: Love First- Laura Beth Bestor - Hiers 2 (new room)
4th grade-5th grade: Thou Art- Kathie Clayton & Lila Powell - Hiers 6
6th grade-7th grade: My Faith, My Life- Sonya Carrier & Jane Allgood - Hiers 5
8th grade- 12th grade: Science & Religion with the Rev. Jeannie Randall; Confirmation Classes starting Sept. 3 with the Rev. Ranie Neislar - Youth Room
Contact our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth Bestor, at children@stthomashuntsville.org or our Youth Ministries Coordinator, The Rev. Jeannie Randall at jrann228@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to help out with this important aspect of our ministries.
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Adult Christian Formation Classes EVERY SUNDAY!
In the Conference Room at 9:30am, the Adult Formation Book Study will continue the book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. Evans knows firsthand how a relationship with the Bible can be as real and as complicated as a relationship with a family member or close friend. In Inspired, Evans explores contradictions and questions from her own experiences with the Bible, including:
- If the Bible was supposed to explain the mysteries of life, why does it leave the reader with so many questions?
- What does it mean to be chosen by God?
- To what degree did the Holy Spirit guide the preservation of these narratives, and is there something sacred to be uncovered beneath all these human fingerprints?
- If the Bible has given voice to the oppressed, why is it also used as justification by their oppressors?
If you are interested in joining us we will be ordering books this coming week to purchase through the church for $10. Please email Ranie at associate@stthomashuntsville.org.
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"Come As You Are" Sunday Eucharist
St. Thomas' "Come as You Are" 5pm Sunday worship service is here to stay, but we have made a change to our Sunday evening dinner offering. Dinner will now be offered only on the FIRST SUNDAY of each month, which includes November 5th and December 3rd. Our special "Come As You Are" Holy Eucharist will continue every Sunday, with simple hymns from the Alleluia III hymnal, good sermons preached from the floor, and Holy Communion. Come as you are and invite a friend to join you for the 5pm Evening Holy Eucharist EVERY SUNDAY at St. Thomas.
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Tuesday Nights at St. Thomas!
Join us Tuesday nights in Conference Room 2 from 6-7:30PM, as we dive into Paul’s Letter to the Romans!
Many of our Christian beliefs are deeply formed by this sacred text from the New Testament. Bring a Bible, something to eat and drink, and come prepared to enjoy fellowship and learn "What Saint Paul is saying to the Romans" and what it means for modern-day disciples! Mtr. Ranie will be leading the class. If you have any questions please email her at associate@stthomashuntsville.org.
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At A Glance: October 5 - October 11
Moms' Group, Acolyte Training, Blessing of the Animals
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