THE EPISTLE:

August 1, 2024

Our New Associate Priest, the Rev. Katie Kirk has arrived & will preach THIS SUNDAY!

We are thrilled to welcome the Rev. Katie Kirk to St. Thomas as our new Associate Priest! Mtr. Katie's first Sunday is THIS SUNDAY, August 4th, and she will preach at all three Eucharists that day. Plan for a special breakfast "Meet and Greet" with Mtr. Katie after the 8am Eucharist this Sunday, a welcome reception in the Parish Hall immediately following the 10:30 Eucharist, and dinner with Mtr. Katie following the 5pm Eucharist. Name tags will be available for the next three Sundays to help Mtr. Katie get to know us. Please pick one up at any entrance to the church this Sunday and be sure to wear it.

Mtr. Katie is an Alabama native and a graduate of Auburn, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Philosophy. She received her Master's of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, with an Anglican Studies diploma from Berkeley Divinity School. Mtr. Katie was ordained as a priest earlier this year at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Birmingham, and she finished her work as the Interim Global Relations and Networking Officer for the wider Episcopal Church last week.

St. Thomas is very excited to welcome Mtr. Katie to our church community!

"Come As You Are"

5pm Holy Eucharist

and Dinner

THIS Sunday, August 4

This Sunday, and every Sunday, we have our "Come As You Are" Holy Eucharist. Our 5pm Holy Eucharist features joyful hymns from the Alleluia III hymnal and gospel music chosen by our skilled keyboard master, Sam Wright. We also have good sermons preached from the floor. Come as you are and invite a friend to join you for the 5pm Holy Eucharist at St. Thomas.

All Choirs return this month! Kickoff party THIS Sunday, August 4

The choirs are returning this month! 

Look for us up behind the altar on Sunday morning at the 10:30 service.

This Sunday afternoon, August 4, is our Children's Choirs kickoff pool party at Miss Kathy's House 1917 Lynnbrook Dr SW from 2-4pm. All kids PK - grade 8 and their families are invited!

Treble Choir - Grades 2-8 (4:30-5:15)

Adult Choir - Grades 9- Adult (7:30-8:45) rehearsals resume on Wednesday August 7.

Bell Choir - Resumes rehearsals on Wednesday, August 14 6:00-6:50.

Sunday Evening Gospel Choir - Rehearse just before each Sunday's 5pm service.

If there's enough interest, we'll bring back a choir for the younger kids PK-Grade 2 on Sunday afternoons (3:45-4:15), starting after Rally Day.

All of our choirs would be delighted to welcome new members. Contact Miss Kathy at music@stthomashuntsville.org for more information!

Annual Parish Outing to Trash Pandas Game August 11

It's time to start purchasing our seats for our annual parish outing to a Rocket City Trash Pandas baseball game. Join us on August 11 to help show the Rocket City some St. Thomas spirit as our choir sings the National Anthem before the Trash Pandas take on the Birmingham Barons. First pitch is at 4:05 pm at Toyota Field. If we have at least 50 in our group, we will become candidates for someone from our party to throw the first pitch, so buy your tickets early. Purchase your ticket(s) online directly by clicking on this link. There is a deadline of August 10, 2pm CST to purchase tickets. Financial assistance is available by contacting Fr. Donavan or Deacon Jeannie. If there is enough interest, we will take the church bus to the Trash Pandas game. For help ordering tickets or if you're interested in riding the bus, contact the church office at 256-880-0247 or email Laura Beth (children@stthomashuntsville.org).

St. Thomas' Rally Day Sunday is less than a month away, so SAVE THE DATE NOW for Sunday, August 18th! This year, for Rally Day, we will have ONE MORNING EUCHARIST at 10 AM to bring our church family together, with special Southern Gospel Music, lead by our Choir, our talented Gospel pianist, Sam Wright, and special musical guests! After worship, we will have a Parish lunch in the Parish Hall, where our Ministry Fair will be on display for the upcoming Fall season. And for children and families, we will have a big water slide, a smaller water slide/bouncy house combo, and a 2-station sports inflatable. We need responsible adults who can help make sure our young parishioners and friends are playing safely on the water slides and bouncy house. There are two shifts available: 11:30-1:00 and 1:00-2:30pm. Email our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth, (children@stthomashuntsville.org) if you can help.

Choral Evensong for the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thursday, August 15th

The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on the church calendar every year on August 15th. This year, on Thursday, August 15th, at 6pm, St. Thomas will celebrate this important Feast Day of the Mother of Jesus with a special Choral Evensong, led by the St. Thomas Choir. Classic pieces from Richard Ayleward and Sergei Rachmaninoff will be offered, as well as compositions of the Phos Hilaron, Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis from the St. Thomas Evening Service, composed by our own Director of Music, Katherine Heim! Fr. Donavan will officiate and will offer a short homily. 

Please mark your calendar for August 15th and join us for this special Choral Evensong for the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Nave.

Stewardship of Creation

Needs Your Help!

We are trying to recycle what we can from our activities at St Thomas. There are 4 recycling bins around the building that need regular emptying. We invite those who have recycling pick-up services at their homes to sign up on a rotating basis to take the contents from the bins at the church and take them home to recycle. One bin contains mixed materials and needs emptying weekly; the other bins are mainly paper and will need checking every two weeks. For more information, contact Richard Williams rbwilliams67@gmail.com. Look for sign up sheets in Information Hall. You can also contact Belinda Greenaway at Belinda223@gmail.com, Stewardship of Creation Committee Chair.

2024 Lobsterfest Season is Here!

The 2024 Lobsterfest season kicked off in June, with David Hattaway and Tom Perry chaired as co-Kings. This year's Lobsterfest offers a variety of opportunities for everyone, featuring both Drive Through and Eat-in options.

Several committees play a crucial role in making Lobsterfest a success. If you're interested in leading one of these committees, please contact David Hattaway at (256) 337-0973 or hattaway.david@gmail.com, or Tom Perry at (256) 348-4313 or perrytbne@aol.com. You can also reach out to any member of the steering committee. There's a book in the Information Hall that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the committee chairs, and past chairs are available to provide guidance.

The committees include BBQ, Lobster Alley, Lobster Rolls, Parish Dinner, Kitchen (Preparation and Serving), Bake Sales, Soup & Savories, Concessions, Meal Distribution, Music Tent, Children's Activities, Artisans/Crafters, Event Set-Up, Parish Hall Clean-up, T-Shirts, Decorations, and Parking.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat: Sod will be laid if you help on Saturday, August 3rd. We begin at 8 a.m. and should be finished by 11.Call Elouisa Stokes for more information at 256-604-8669.

Directions to 215 Lake Drive: Take Meridian north toward Drake State and turn left on McDonnell Ave. Take a left on N Plymouth Road and Lake Drive is on the left.

St. Thomas Book Club

How to Walk Away

by Katherine Center

August 12

We all had a great talk about India last meeting and are looking for another meeting on August 12. This month's book is How to Walk Away, by Katherine Center. Hope to see you at 10 a.m. in the church Parlor. Call Elouisa Stokes at 256-604-8669. for more information. We'd like to see you even if you have not read the book.

The Bailey Cove

Farmer's Market

Please come out this weekend, support our local farmers, and get a taste of all our Farmer's Market at St. Thomas has to offer! If you'd like to help, we still need volunteers for set up and take down throughout out the season! You can volunteer to help by signing up on the poster on the bulletin board in Information Hall. We sincerely appreciate your willingness to support and help our Bailey Cove Farmers Market!! Start making your Farmers Market grocery list now!

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org