The Choir of St. Thomas will present a special service of Scripture and Music on Sunday, April 10 at 6:00 PM to continue our Holy Week offerings. "A Choral Meditation on the Passion of Christ," is a relatively new form in the grand scheme of things. Similar to an Advent Service of Lessons and Carols, scripture readings are interspersed with carols, hymns, anthems, and motets. The service was designed in 1985 by the Dean of Chapel, the Rev. Andrew Macintosh, and the Organist, George Guest. The students of Cambridge University are not present during Holy Week, so service was designed for the St. John’s College community to reflect on the mysteries of this key part of the Christian story beforehand.

Hallelujah Chorus for Easter Morning

Members of the congregation at both services are invited to come up and join the choir to sing Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Scores are available in advance on the bulletin board outside the music office, or you can just grab one on Easter morning.

If you need to “brush up” on your part, you can go to this link or join us on Wednesday evening, April 13 at 7:15 in the Nave.

https://youtu.be/7YaGwI7GjlA

Daughters of the King

Daughters of the King is an international order of women who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, share our vision to know Jesus Christ, to make Him known to others, and to reflect God’s love throughout the world. 

We meet after the 10:30 service on the 4^th Sunday of the month. All women are invited to our meetings if they are interested in learning more about Daughters of the King.

One of the ongoing ministries of the Daughters of the King is to help a local Department of Human Resources with donations of diapers, both for children and adults, wipes, and other much-needed items. On March 27^th, members gathered the supplies collected from members of the group as well as members of the parish for delivery the next week. As always, the DHR Director was so grateful as there is more need than the agency can supply.

Habitat House

Thanks to everyone who took the time to put prayers and wishes on the studs for our next Habitat House! Those studs are already formed into the walls of our new house at 6221 Maywick Street, Huntsville. 

St. Thomas has helped build at least 2 other houses in this neighborhood and this will be our 26th house here in Madison County. We will raise these walls on April 23. As usual, we are working with 5 other churches. Raising the walls is always an exciting day. Hope you can come help. 

For information, call Elouisa or Al Stokes at 256-539-2058.

Easter Flowers

Easter flower dedication envelopes are in the pews if you’d like to make a donation in memory of or in thanksgiving for someone special. It’s a wonderful way to both beautify our church and honor a loved one at the same time. 

Please leave envelopes on the offertory plate or in the church office. 

All memorials must be received in the office before, Tuesday, April 12.

Holy Week Primer

Wednesday, April 13 - 6:00 PM Taizé Eucharist

Taizé prayer is a mixture of repetitive chants, Scripture readings, short spoken prayer, and periods of silence. Meditative in nature, a Taizé prayer service provides a place to "be still and know that I am God."

Thursday, April 14 - Maundy Thursday at 6 PM 

Maundy Thursday is the name given to the day on which Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples, known as the Last Supper. In remembrance of how Jesus humbled himself and washed the feet of the disciples, foot washing will be available for those who wish to participate as a powerful reminder of how we are called. We will conclude our service with the Stripping of the Altar as a powerful visual reminder and transition into the starkness of our Good Friday liturgy.

Friday, April 15 - Good Friday

7 AM Stations of the Cross

Noon The Liturgy of Good Friday

6:00 P.M. The Liturgy of Good Friday

Good Friday is the day when the church commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a day of fasting and special acts of discipline and self-denial. We begin the day with the Stations of the Cross at 7 a.m. Our noon and 6:00 P.M. liturgy include Luke's account of the Passion gospel, intercessions known as the solemn collects (dating from ancient Rome). Music will include a soloist and a cellist. Members of the vestry will carry a cross in at the end of the service to lean against the altar. 

Saturday, April 16 - Holy Saturday

8 PM Easter Vigil

 We begin in the courtyard with the lighting of the Easter Fire and process to the Nave to hear the story that defines us, participate in the Great Cacophony, and our first celebration of the Easter season. Please join us in the Great Cacophony by bringing a bell or noise maker. Immediately following the service join us for

champagne and chocolate.

Sunday, April 17 - Easter Day

8:00 A.M. and 10:30 AM Easter Services

Easter is the celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It bears witness to God's enduring promise of eternal life. As the climax of Holy Week, Easter is a time of hope and assurance and our entrance into the Great 50 days of Easter. We have guests brass musicians that will begin a special prelude at 7:40 A.M. and 10:10 A.M. 

There will be incense as usual. Don’t forget Easter Brunch immediately following the 8:00 A.M. service.

Blood Drive

A belated, but heartfelt thank you to all who participated in the March blood drive. Thank you to those who gave blood, those who tried to give blood, those who prepared sandwiches, and those who helped set up. We delivered 31 pints of life-giving blood! The folks at LifeSouth were delighted. They mentioned especially the amazing hospitality shown by everyone at St. Thomas. Way to go, St. Thomas.

The next blood drive is on September 11, 2022. Please mark your calendars.

Thanks so much!