Parish Weekly November 7, 2024

Mission: St. Thomas' Episcopal Church is a welcoming spiritual community dedicated to following the teachings of Christ Jesus. We grow through learning, celebrate joyful worship, and serve our neighbors.

Vision: We open hearts and minds to create community in Christ.

Briefly Noted

Do you contribute information or submit articles for the Parish Weekly?

To ensure your content is included in the newsletter, please email your news to Patty Corvaia at pattyc@stthomasrochester.org no later than Tuesday at 9 a.m.

A Note from the Rector

"Prayers and Thanksgivings"

Our Book of Common Prayers holds so many meaningful prayers for various circumstances and situations. I recommend them to you and invite you to view "Prayers and Thanksgivings" on page 810.

Here is one that I am particularly fond of:  

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease, that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Rural Migrant Ministry’s Harvest Justice Dinner

St. Thomas' has several seats still available for next Friday, November 15 at the Rural Migrant Ministry’s Harvest Justice Dinner. I would love St. Thomas' to have full representation. The schedule for the evening is Mocktail Hour from 6 to 7 p.m.

Dinner by Episcopal Senior Life Catering and Honoree Program is from 7 to 9 p.m. The event will be held at Asbury First Methodist at 1050 East Ave.

Please email me at leslie@stthomasrochester.org by Monday, November 11 at noon if you are interested in attending. 

Your faithful prayer partner, 

Amma Leslie+

The Stewardship Team Thanks You!

Many thanks to all who participated and/or pledged during our annual Stewardship campaign over the past five weeks. Your generosity and thoughtfulness are in the true spirit of this year's Walk in Love theme! 

If you haven't yet pledged for the upcoming year, there's still time. You can pledge online here!

Attitude of Gratitude

Thank you to...

• Our Parish Connections Ministry Team and our Stewardship Ministry for a wonderful and festive celebration on All Saints' Sunday. It was a great time of fellowship and for being part of the story of the beloved saints of God. 
• Lissa Grunert for leading the Youth Group on Sunday. We are grateful that you shared your teacher super-powers to connect with our youth and build on ways we can Walk in Love. 
• John Kapusta for sharing your music gifts with us on Sunday during the choir anthem. It was a lovely addition to the joy and celebration on the feast of All Saints'. 

Advent Outreach:

Toys and Christmas Foods Collections

St. Thomas’ is collecting new toys and Christmas foods for families served by the Southwest Area Neighborhood (SWAN), a Rochester neighborhood organization that provides emergency services including food, rent, and home repairs.

If you would like to contribute:

• Pick up a toy slip (for ages infant through 16) at the Advent Outreach table after the service.
• Donate groceries for Christmas food bags: fully-cooked ham (canned or plastic-wrapped), stuffing mix, muffin mix, instant mashed potatoes and canned goods ( vegetables, fruit, and cranberry sauce).
• If you would like to make a financial contribution instead, use this link or mail a check to the church (made out to St. Thomas’ with “Advent Outreach” on the memo line).

Please bring your donations to the church by Sunday, December 8. There are two red bins, one near the church office and one in the Lower Hall, for donations that are dropped off during the week. Please put hams in the refrigerator in the Lower Hall kitchen.

Questions? Contact Linda Coleman by email at lcoleman122@gmail.com or call/text (585) 313-3164.

Creation Care Book Discussion

It's been a productive few weeks for Creation Care and the Episcopal Church, with Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer speaking at the Rochester Climate March and our church's Creation Care Ministry featured during our Stewardship campaign.

We'd like to build on that momentum by announcing a book discussion group open to anyone in the parish who is interested. We will be reading "Saving Us" by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist who is also an evangelical Christian. The book covers global warming basics and spends many of its pages discussing how to talk about it to the less-than-convinced. 

There will be three sessions, with the first on December 5. If you're interested in participating, contact Allen Blair at allen_blair@urmc.rochester.edu. We look forward to having you read with us!

Reminder:

Leaf Raking and Gardening Helpers Needed

We're looking for volunteers for our annual leaf pick up and for fall garden clean up.

We’ll meet with our rakes, tarps, clippers, gardening tools and leaf blowers in hand on Saturday November 16 starting at 9:30 a.m. (Sunday afternoon available if needed). Companionship, coffee, cider, and apple cider doughnuts will be provided!

Community Engagement News

In November and December, we're collecting peanut butter, jelly, and hot cereals for the Brighton Food Cupboard

Let's help people be healthy and toasty warm!

In-Gathering Celebration Highlights

In celebration of the In-Gathering of Pledges, a luncheon of homemade soup, breads, and desserts was held after the worship service last Sunday. Some photos of the event are below!

Financial Information

Weekly Financial Report 11/07/24

Budget Pledges Year to date: $324,074.02

Actual Pledge Payments Year to date: $286,122.92

Year to Date Financial Report to 11/07/24

Year to date Revenue: $547,826.39

Year to date Expense $600,088.17

Net loss to date: ($ 52,261.78)

We're Hiring!

St. Thomas’, Rochester is seeking an Associate Priest who will share in the sacramental, pastoral, and priestly ministry and life of the church. 

Do you know someone who may be interested in this ministry opportunity? Please share the attached job description with them!

Leadership Accepting Nominees for 2025 Vestry

The Wardens will be accepting nominations for the 2025-2028 Vestry until November 22. Serving on St. Thomas’ Vestry is an enriching experience and can be considered a rewarding part of your stewardship within our parish! The Vestry, in partnership with the wardens and rector, have a fiduciary responsibility, and are accountable for protecting the vision and mission of our parish.

Full details of Vestry duties can be found here. If you feel called to leadership at

St. Thomas’ through vestry service, or have questions, please contact Vicky Rupley at vrmail@rochester.rr.com or at (585) 233-2546.

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church of Rochester, New York stands behind the “Racism is a Public Health Crisis” declaration by the Greater Rochester NY Black Agenda Group. As a community of faith and followers of Jesus Christ we believe that every person is continually made in the image of God beautifully and wonderfully. We are committed to do the hard work of love. We are dedicated to the practice of growing and learning how to know and love our neighbors as we seek to create community. We hold the hope that love does win through forgiveness, kindness, and transformation. We desire to be a people who work for the equity of all. We work to acknowledge our complicity and part in racism, and we are committed to work together to tackle injustice in our life, in our church, in our community and in the world. We are proud to stand with the Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group and its declaration that “Racism is a Public Health Crisis".