The Draft

Our Weekly E-Newsletter

August 27, 2026

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Bulletin for Sunday - August 30, 2026

Dear People of St. Thomas', 

One of the side effects of focusing on the Old Testament lessons for preaching all summer is that we’ve hardly paid any attention to the others. This coming Sunday, the passage from Romans deserves some attention. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it looks like to put your faith into practice, this passage is providing us a veritable checklist. You could take every clause of this passage and work on just that one thing for a day, a week, a year, a lifetime. This list is who we are called to be in Christ. This list is what we want to find when we go looking for a genuine Christian. This list is how we should be measured by others who are doing the same.

Each week, we come to church for many different reasons. To find a moment’s peace in the midst of a chaotic life. To restore some sense of faith after a long week which tested it. To give thanks and spend time praising God for something good which happened. Out of a sense of duty or obligation. Because mom and dad made me go. To be spiritually fed in the Eucharist. To finally have a chance to cry and pour our heart out to God. To have our souls uplifted by good preaching (hopefully) or inspiring music. And, as so many have pointed out, these are not the total of what the Christian life is. They’re a part of it, to be sure, but it doesn’t start and stop at the west doors. It’s a Christian life to which we’re called, not a Christian hour. That’s where a list like the letter to the Romans provides can be helpful. Maybe you take this lesson home with you this week as you leave church, and maybe you pick one thing from it, just one, to actively work on getting better at this week. Pray for God to grant you what you need in order to practice that (just don’t be surprised when you are then thrown into a trying situation – it’s a bit like praying for patience). If you pick the first one on the list, ask God to give you a chance this week to show genuine love to someone in a meaningful way. Check in with God next week when you come into church and let God know how you did. Maybe you can move on to the next one on the list. Maybe you need to stay with the first one a little while longer.

Moving your faith outside the doors of the church is called Christian maturity. Inside the church is when you learn about it; outside the church is where you practice it. Both are important.

God bless you!

Faithfully,

Fr. Ryan+

PICTURE THIS...

Some of St. Thomas' acolytes joined in last Saturday's Diocesan Acolyte Festival. This was the first time in seven years the festival had been held, with over 160 participants, ending with a eucharistic celebration and the bishop celebrating. There were workshops on Setting the Table, Thurifer Training, Banner Making, and Verging. St. Thomas' will be holding it's own two-hour acolyte training on Saturday, September 5, beginning at 10:00 am.

GIVING PLATE - SEPTEMBER

September Giving Plate: DaySpring

Sunday, September 20

This summer, 241 campers filled DaySpring Camp and Conference Center with laughter, discovery, and the kind of joy that only comes from community rooted in faith. There's something undeniably sacred about this place and we're grateful that young people keep finding real care and life-changing experiences within DaySpring's walls and woods.

As part of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, you are not just caretakers of these 97 acres, planted 44 years ago, you are active partners in a story God is still writing. This land has always been a haven of stillness, kindness, and belonging. But the world around it is shifting fast, and DaySpring is rising to meet the moment.

Join us Sunday, September 13, at the 8am and 10am services, as Executive Director Brad Thompson shares how DaySpring's ministry is expanding to serve our region and our Church in bold new ways.

"DaySpring is uniquely positioned to offer what so many are hungry for stillness, reflection, community, and joy."

Blessing of the Backpacks

Sunday, September 13 - 10:00 AM

Keeping St. Thomas' Healthy

Mondays, 6:00 pm

Come on out for a great hour of stretching, balance improvement, and physical training with our in-residence physical trainer, Alex Hernandez. Classes are every Monday evening, starting August 31 and each class is $10 (buy classes in 4 sessions). Exercise bands cost $5.

Saint John's Bible

Coming in December!

It’s the first fully handwritten, hand-illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery since the invention of the printing press more than 500 years ago.

It took 16 years to complete and even contains references to the attacks of Septemeber 11, 2001, which we commemorate in a few weeks. It was completed in 2011 using traditional materials such as calfskin vellum, gold leaf, and quills. It bridges ancient Benedectine traditions with modern artistic interpretations of Scriptures.

It was used in the investiture of the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, last March, on the Feast of the Annunciation.

The Saint John’s Bible will come to St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in December, to launch our 75th anniversary celebrations.

Commissioned by Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN, the effort was led by Donald Jackson, who was senior scribe to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The exhibition is brought to the parish by the St. Thomas’ Art Project. Several financial donations already have been made to help defray the costs of the project. We invite additional contributions of $250, $100, or $50, designated to the St. Thomas’ Art Project. We accept, with gratitude, gifts of any amount.

For more information, please contact co-chairpersons Gina White, ginabwhite@yahoo.com; or Mary Jane Park, maryjanepark@aol.com

Our Junior Warden, Ted Badger has made a beautiful stand to hold the Saint John's Bible while it is here.

Interested in joining our Choir this Fall? Please contact Jordan Markham: 727-896-9641 or jordanm@stthomasstpete.org.

FELLOWSHIP

Click on the Name to go to the Website Information

Keeping St. Thomas' Healthy

Men's Group and Women's Social Club

Summer Book Club

Virtual Happy Hour

OUTREACH MINISTRIES

Click on the Name to go to the Website Information

AL-ANON

Benison Farm NEW

Dominican Republic Mission Trip

F.A.S.T.

Honduras Mission Trip

KAIROS

MA (Marijuana Anonymous)

Pack-a-Snack

S.T.A.R. NEW

STEWARDSHIP

If you would like to know more about Stewardship or become involved with the Stewardship ministry at St. Thomas', please reach out to our committee chair, Joni James, joni.james@gmail.com or 727-410-3892.

Stewardship Information

Adult Confirmation Classes

Sojourners (Adult Formation) NEW

Wednesday Night Classes NEW

Truthseekers (6th-12th Grades) NEW

Explorers (K-5th Grades) NEW

Nursery

Our Nursery is closed for the Summer and will reopen on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026

Kids and Youth Events at St. Thomas' NEW

Parents Night Out NEW

Teen Confirmation Classes

New Beginnings - Sept 25-27

Register by Sept. 18

Happening - Nov 6-8

Register by Oct 30

PASTORAL CARE

Parish Prayer List

Don't see your birthday or anniversary listed?

Please call the office so we can update our records.

Baseball with the Bishop

Friday, August 28

Join us for a fun night at Tropicana Field on August 28 at 7:10 PM as the Tampa Bay Rays take on their opponent and we gather for Baseball with the Bishop! Come cheer on the Rays with friends, family, and fellow parishioners—and don’t miss the special moment when Bishop Scharf leads the stadium in the 7th inning stretch! $5 of each ticket sold benefits the Episcopal Charities Fund! It’s a great night of baseball, faith, and community. Bring your crew and let’s play ball!

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - August 30

Acolytes (10am): Logan Evanoff (C), Luke Evanoff (T1), Blythe Mitchell (T2).

Audio Visual (10am): Stuart Hine.

Healing Minister (10am): Adrienne Ruga.

Lay Eucharistic Minister (10am): Tom Shevlin.

Lector (8am): Jack Day.

Lectors (10am): Kanika Tomalin (OT), Liz Stiles (NT).

Oblation Bearer (10am): Adrienne Ruga.

Prayers of the People (8am): Jack Day.

Prayers of the People (10am): Peggy Lewis.

Ushers (10am): Henry Woodroffe, Bill Vrooman.

Altar Guild: Laura Labbee, Diane Robinson.

Coffee Hosts: Adrienne Ruga, Laura Reitan.

Collection Counter: Joanna Ritch.

Flower Guild: Molly Goodwill, Pam Hamby, Pam Holley.

God has given us the ability to laugh for a reason. It may seem like a little thing, but laughter is vitally important in the battle against stress, anxiety, fear and worry.

David Pendelton (O-KUH-HA-TAH)

“God’s warrior” is an epithet by which David Pendleton Oakerhater is known among the Cheyenne Indians of Oklahoma. The title is an apt one, for this apostle of Christ to the Cheyenne was originally a soldier who fought against the United States government with warriors of other tribes in the disputes over Indian land rights. Born around the year 1851, by the late 1860s Oakerhater had distinguished himself for bravery and leadership as an officer in an elite corps of Cheyenne fighters. In 1875, after a year of minor uprisings and threats of major violence, he and twenty-seven other warrior leaders were taken prisoner by the U.S. Army, charged with inciting rebellion, and sent to a disused military prison in Florida. Under the influence of a concerned Army captain, who sought to educate the prisoners, Oakerhater and his companions learned English, gave art and archery lessons to the area’s many visitors, and had their first encounter with the Christian faith. The captain’s example, and that of other concerned Christians from as far away as New York, had a profound effect on the young warrior. He was moved to answer the call to transform his leadership in war into a lifelong ministry of peace. With sponsorship from the Diocese of Central New York and financial help from a Mrs. Pendleton of Cincinnati, he and three other prisoners went north to study for the ministry. At his baptism in Syracuse in 1878, he took the name David Pendleton Oakerhater, in honor of his benefactress. Soon after his ordination to the diaconate in 1881, Oakerhater returned to Oklahoma. There, he was instrumental in founding and operating schools and missions, through great personal sacrifice and often in the face of apathy from the church hierarchy and resistance from the government. He continued his ministry of service, education, and pastoral care among his people until his death on August 31, 1931. Half a century before, the young deacon had told his people: “You all know me. You remember when I led you out to war I went first, and what I told you was true. Now I have been away to the East and I have learned about another captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is my leader. He goes first, and all he tells me is true. I come back to my people to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace."

[Feast Day: September 1 ]

This stained glass tribute to The Rev. David Pendelton Oakerhater is in a side chapel at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Oklahoma City, OK.

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