THE EPISTLE:

October 31, 2024

Lobsterfest 5K 2024 is THIS Saturday! Registration deadline is TODAY, Oct. 31!

This Saturday, November 2 at 8:00 am is the Lobsterfest 5K Run/Walk! The race is family-friendly, with runners and walkers of all levels welcome. CLICK HERE to register TODAY!

COME ON ST. THOMAS! SELL, SELL, SELL!!!!

Parishioners of St. Thomas, we need you to place your orders for Lobsterfest and the Parish Dinner this week, if you can! Also, encourage your family, friends and co-workers to place an order for Lobsterfest 31 now, as well! Use the link below or visit lobstersrock.com, and order today!

Bake Sale and Desserts

by the Slice

BATTER UP! We are in the home stretch for Lobsterfest and it’s time for our wonderful bakers to get out the mixing bowls and don their aprons. This is a Baker’s Choice year, so make your favorite recipe. Desserts by the Slice will only be selling sliced cakes and pies, but the Bake Sale can’t wait to see the variety of items you’ll provide! Please bring your goodies to the church on Friday, November 8, between 3-5 PM or on Lobsterfest morning before 9:15. Remember to package bake sale goods in clear containers or covered with clear plastic wrap. Some ribbon, a bow or decorative tag always adds a special touch. For Bake Sale questions contact Nancy Teasdale at 256 651-1449. For Dessert by the Slice questions contact Debbie Harriman at 256 509-6606.

And Don't Forget to Register for the Lobsterfest Parish Dinner NOW!

Join us for our annual Lobsterfest Parish Dinner on Sunday, November 10, immediately after the 10:00am Holy Eucharist! We will celebrate together the conclusion of Lobsterfest 2024! 

Lobster entrees are $28 and chicken entrees are $15. Reservations are required since space is limited in the Parish Hall, so register by clicking HERE before 5 pm Monday, November 4.

*Please note that you will need to complete two separate online transactions if your party wants both chicken and lobster entrees. There will also be a sign-up sheet available on the Lobsterfest volunteer board.

Pray the Rosary with Fr. Donavan, TOMORROW, the Feast of All Saints, November 1st

The St. Thomas Rosary Prayer Group is now gathers every other Friday in the church at 12:05pm to pray the Rosary. 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, as well as written directions to help you fully participate in this meaningful, scriptural, and contemplative prayer practice.

All Saints' Sunday is THIS SUNDAY at St. Thomas: Remembering all the Saints, known & unknown, in the church 

This Sunday, November 3rd, St. Thomas will be celebrating the Feast of All Saints. Our custom on this Sunday every year is to read the names of each member of our parish who has died since the Feast of All Saints last year and to ring a bell after each name in remembrance of those who are now at rest with God. The names will be read at all three Eucharists this Sunday, and at the 10:30am Eucharist, we will have special Requiem Mass settings written by our own Director of Music, Kathy Heim, sung by our choir throughout the worship service. The Feast of All Saints is one of the most important festival days on the Christian Church calendar each year, so please plan on joining us at St. Thomas for this special Sunday of remembrance and celebration of the all the saints, both known and unknown.

"Come As You Are"

5pm Holy Eucharist & Italian Night Dinner THIS SUNDAY,

November 3rd

This Sunday, and every Sunday, we have our "Come As You Are" Holy Eucharist. Our 5pm parishioners find this Sunday evening worship service meets their needs or schedules better than our morning worship. The 5pm Holy Eucharist features joyful hymns from the Alleluia III hymnal, gospel music chosen by Sam Wright, and casual mini-sermons preached from the floor.

Italian Night is planned for the Sunday Supper THIS ALL SAINTS' SUNDAY, November 3. Baked Ziti will be provided by the coordinators, and they ask that folks bring accompaniments for the entree. You can sign up by emailing or texting either one of the coordinators, Carolyn Seaman by clicking HERE or Rebekah Callahan by clicking HERE for more information. Everyone is welcome whether or not they worship with us or contribute to the meal. Join us for fellowship and conversation.

Burritt on the Mountain

Sacred Harp Singing,

November 4th

There will be a nighttime Sacred Harp singing on Monday November the 4th at 6:30 pm at the old Madison Church at Burritt on the Mountain. Sacred Harp singing is part of America’s oldest distinct music tradition, the singing convention. Although the first Sacred Harp was published in 1844, it has roots in earlier American tune books going as far back as 1764. There’s no charge to attend a singing convention; it’s not a concert, so just come and sing! Come join with our St Thomas parish family in singing together in the old time way."

ELECTION DAY EUCHARIST NOVEMBER 5th at 6PM

On Election Day this year, St. Thomas will be opening up the church at 6pm to offer a simple, quiet celebration of the Holy Eucharist with special prayers for our nation. This chance to come pray inside the church on the evening of Election Day, to hear the Word of God, and to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion is meant to provide anyone who needs it a place of peace and respite. Celebratory "I Voted" stickers are very welcome, but please do not bring or wear things that specifically promote or identify political parties or candidates. On that night inside our church, let us come together as we always do, as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and mutual members of our St. Thomas family. All are welcome.

Lobsterfest Sunday, is NEXT SUNDAY, November 10th! One morning Eucharist only at 10am, followed by Parish Dinner!

The Sunday following Lobsterfest has been declared "Lobsterfest Sunday" here at St. Thomas. It is a time to come together after the hard work of a successful Lobsterfest to offer thanks, to worship, and to enjoy fellowship together!

This year, we will again have ONE EUCHARIST at 10:00am on Lobsterfest Sunday. Immediately following our worship together, we will gather as a church family in the Parish Hall for a special Lobsterfest Sunday Parish Dinner.

There will be a 5pm Holy Eucharist that Sunday afternoon.

Stewardship Campaign 2024 Update!



St. Thomas is blessed in so many ways and none more so than your generous financial support. As of Ingathering Sunday, October 20th, we have received a total of 147 pledges totaling $692,000.

We are in the process of winding down our campaign for 2025 and soon will begin the preparation of a budget for next year. If you haven’t had a chance to turn in your pledge card, there is still time! Additional pledge cards are available in the church office and in the Narthex. At your earliest convenience, please complete and return it to the finance office or place in the offering plate. OR YOU CAN STILL FILL OUT YOUR PLEDGE CARD ONLINE! Get caught up with your pledge for 2025 by clicking the button below now!

2024 Election of St. Thomas Delegates for Diocesan Convention

If you are interested in being a delegate for next year's 194th Diocesan Convention for the Diocese of Alabama, January 30-February 1, right here in NE Alabama in the city of Decatur, now is the time to give us your name. In the coming weeks, St. Thomas will need to elect a slate of 5 delegates plus alternates for the next year's convention. If you would like to represent St. Thomas at convention next year, please send your name to our Communication Director, Carey McIntyre, by clicking HERE.

Thursday Evening Book Study on William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist, continues NEXT WEEK, November 7th

Fr. Donavan will continue his book study on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 bestseller, The Exorcist on Thursday, November 7th, at 6pm in Conference Room 1

If you’ve never read the book before, this is a unique opportunity to do so with the full support and spiritual guidance of a priest. And if you have read the book and maybe watched the 1973 film, this will be a chance to revisit it within a deep conversation on Christian faith, struggles with doubt, and encounters with spiritual evil.

Please note that this conversation is about the BOOK and not the MOVIE, though comparisons and reflections on the film will certainly come up in the discussion. Finally, due to the disturbing and mature content, this book study is for adults only. Please do not bring children.

For those without key fobs to access the office entrance to the church campus, please enter through the main Narthex entrance to the church, which will be open from 5:45pm to 6:15pm each Thursday evening.

Sing with the Choir for Lessons and Carols on December 11

As in the past, we’d like to invite additional voices to join the choir for our Advent Lessons and Carols Service on December 11 at 6:00 pm. Let Miss Kathy know if you’d like to join us. Rehearsals will be in the choir room on Wednesday evenings 7:45 – 8:30.

Class on the BCP led by Mtr. Katie continues this Sunday

Join Mtr. Katie in the Parish Hall this Sunday to hear about her love for our Book of Common Prayer and to learn about using the Prayer Book along with online tools for personal prayer and Bible reading in an ever-ancient, ever-new tradition practiced around the world: the Daily Office! If you own a Book of Common Prayer, please bring it with you (we will have extras)!

Don't miss this Adult Christian Formation class with our newest priest, Mtr. Katie Kirk-Costas, this Sunday at 9:30am in the Parish Hall!

Sunday Book Study with Fr. Donavan continues THIS SUNDAY: Seculosity by David Zahl

The vast number of polls, studies, and reports say that religion in America is continuing to decline. But is religion and faith for Americans really going away, or is it just being REPLACED by other attempts to bring purpose and meaning to our lives? Join Fr. Donavan for a new book study during the Christian Formation hour in Conference Room 1, beginning at 9:30 AM each Sunday through the end of November, on the book, “Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance became our New Religion and What to Do About it”. The book’s author, David Zahl, is on the staff for Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, and has written numerous books on Culture, Religion, and Faith. The book is available on Amazon for $12 and there is assistance available if you need help purchasing a copy. Just let Fr. Donavan know by emailing him HERE. Come join Fr. Donavan this Sunday at 9:30 AM in what will be a conversation concerning our Christian faith and perhaps the greatest struggle it is facing in the 21st century.

Info on regular programs and rehearsals at ST. Thomas are now just a click away!

Now you can find out the regularly scheduled Children and Youth Sunday School offerings by simply clicking the link below. You can also find both Adult and Treble Choir rehearsal times and times for Bell Choir rehearsals with just a simple click of the button below! Give it a try this week!

Watercolor of St. Thomas

LAST CHANCE IN 2024 FOR NOTECARDS

If you've been thinking I'll look at those cards next week," you are about to run out of weeks! Susan Smith will be taking a final set of 2024 orders for the watercolor note cards painted by a friend of hers. More than 250 cards have been requested already, so they are obviously very appealing. Susan will be in Information Hall between services on Sunday, November 3, for the last time this calendar year. Cards-and-envelopes are $1 each this year, guaranteed to increase next year to finance a larger donation to First Stop's program providing services for homeless individuals. Cash is the preferred method of payment. Questions (but not late orders!)? Susan can be reached at 256-503-0695.

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org