The Weekly Draft

St. Thomas' Episcopal Church

March 14, 2024

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The Fifth Sunday in Lent 10 am Bulletin March 17, 2024

Quarterly Safety Committee Meeting

 St. Thomas’ newly-formed Safety Committee will hold its quarterly meeting in the Library on Sunday, March 17th at 9 o’clock. We will review the plan for some coming material upgrades to our campus. Should you have a safety concern or suggestion, please reach out to: our Jr. Warden Tom Shevlin, Laura Reitan, Edy Nicolas, Mike Evanoff, or Bill Barns. 

Music list for Sunday, March 10: Eternal Lord of love, Old 124th;

The Great Creator, Tallis’ Ordinal; Lord Jesus Sun of Righteousness, Cornhill;

Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah, Cum Rhondda

Choral and organ offerings include works by  Dupré, Brahms, Boyce, and Gibbons.



A trio of women’s voices offers a setting of the text Drop, drop slow tears by Phineas Fletcher. The name ‘Phineas Fletcher’ may be familiar to you as the grandson of the Biblical Aaron, or the Harry Potter character involved with the trading of invisibility cloaks. Alas, the Phineas Fletcher related to this morning’s motet is the English priest and poet, 1582-1650, who left a great body of works, including the text Drop, drop slow tears. The text is set to a hymn tune by Orlando Gibbons, Song 46, published in 1623. Vaughan Williams was the first to bring the text and tune together in the English Hymnal. It is a remarkably beautiful setting of Fletcher’s text:

Drop, drop, slow tears, and bathe those beauteous feet,

which brought from heaven the news and Prince of Peace.

Cease not, wet eyes, his mercies to entreat;

to cry for vengeance sin doth never cease.

In your deep floods drown all my faults and fears;

nor let his eye see sin, but through my tears.

Youth Ministry

St. Thomas’ offers sacramental rites (Baptism, Communion Basics, Confirmation), Feasting on the Word for Grades 1-5, Truthseekers class for Grades 6-12, guild apprenticeship ("Behind the Scenes"), and fun activities throughout the school year. The nursery is staffed at both Sunday services during the school year. For an overview of our youth program, check out the website. Go to Formation > Youth Ministry.

Truthseekers' class for grades 6-12 will meet next on Sunday, March 17, at 9am in the Founders' room.

Adult Formation

Women of the Word meet on Thursday mornings at 9:30 in the Founders Room.

We will be using a new devotional book “Move” by local author Amy Scott. The devotions are based on Joshua.



Please contact Julie Songster for information, 727-420-6839. 

Men's Bible Study - Wednesdays 7:30am

A *new* Men's Bible Study will be beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 21. We will be studying the book of Exodus.

A copy of The Story of God: Exodus edited by Christopher J. H. Wright will be our guide and you can pick up a copy wherever you like to buy books. As always, if the cost of the book would prohibit you from attending a copy can be made available to you at no cost.

Pastoral Care

Healing Prayer is offered at the 10am Sunday service, and occasionally at 8am. After communion you are invited to come to the back of the church and receive a confidential healing prayer from a trained parishioner. Prayer ministers share the heart of Jesus’s love and care, and are guided by the Holy Spirit to listen, love, and pray into your prayer requests for physical, emotional and/or spiritual needs. Intercessory prayers for others can also be given. If you have any questions about the healing prayer ministry or feel called to serve, please call Joan Barns, 757 567-5488, or email [email protected].

Annual Meeting In Case You Missed It: Sabbatical Planning

         In the Episcopal Church a Rector is entitled to a three-month sabbatical after serving a parish for seven years. We at St. Thomas’ have been blessed to have Fr. Ryan as our Rector for longer than that and you will undoubtedly agree that he is deserving of a time to reenergize and replenish his spiritual reservoirs. In the summer 2025 we plan to provide him and his family such an opportunity. This will be a time for rest and renewal, physically, emotionally, and relationally. For now, there are three things for you to know about what’s on the horizon:

(1) We have established a sabbatical Planning Committee. The members include Pam Holley, Mary Clark, and Bill Barns. Our main effort will be to: shape expectations; promote understanding; and plan for success. We will hold events to mark the beginning and conclusion of Fr. Ryan’s time away also.

(2) Fr. Ryan is applying for an Eli Lilly Corporation Grant, which is a substantial financial award intended to offset some of the expenses both for him and St. Thomas’. That submission is due in March and the gift will be awarded in August. And finally,

(3) This is a tremendously important time in a priest’s life as well as that of the parish’s. So, will you please begin to pray about this? We love Fr. Ryan and all the Whitleys and we want this to be a time of joy for them; and we also want this to be an impactful milestone in Ryan’s call to serve God.

         There will be much more to follow as the plan unfolds, so please feel free to reach out to any member of this committee if you have a question or suggestion.   We will provide updates to keep you informed.

Outreach/Mission

Background on the Kairos ministry. “Kairos” in Greek means God’s special time.

Since the 70’s twice a year there is a team of 35 lay & clergy volunteers that enter prisons around the world sharing this special time with the inmates from Thursday to Sunday.



I have been blessed to be involved in this amazing ministry for over 20 years.

The team meets for six Saturdays prior for the Holy Spirit to help each of us to empty ourselves of self so that we may become one body.

There are many who only know of God, though when you have the opportunity to experience His grace and unconditional love; (maybe for the first time) it can be a live changing. That my friends is what a Kairos weekends is all about.

The residents (inmate) may never see the other side of the barb wire fence; hence forever being controlled by the prison system. However, there is one thing the correctional officer’s can’s take away, and that is the freedom and peace that can reside in your heart from having a loving relationship with our Lord & Savior.

On behalf of all the teams that will be serving this year, please hold us all in your prayers.

St. Thomas Mission Trip to La Clinica Nueva,

San Francisco de Orica, Honduras, May 11-18

We now have 14 people going on the mission trip in May and are very excited. Please watch the Draft for ways to support the mission team and the clinic. Bins will be in the back of the sanctuary.

Mission Trip Schedule

• Sunday, April 21, 5:00pm– Planning Session 3

• Wednesday, May 8, 7:00pm – Packing Night

• Friday, May 10 – Leaders depart (Rick, Grace, & Russ)

• Saturday, May 11 – Group departs

• Saturday, May 18 – Group Returns

Thanks to all who have been so generous in their support of Mercy Keepers! Your donations of food, drink and clothing mean so much to those that need our help.

If you wish to donate your items of need, please place your contributions in the baskets, in the rear of the sanctuary, near the baptismal font.

Thank you for using your BOGOs in your support of this St. Thomas' ministry.

Black Bags for Lenten Season:

It's a good time to clean out your closet and help others! Pat and Dave Bernfeld have supplied large, black garbage bags in which to place the clothes and shoes our church members no longer need. These bags can be found on the church's welcome table. As you clean out your closets, and as the Lenten season comes to a close, please consider Mercy Keepers for your donation. Please place your smaller donation bags at the rear of the church, close to the baskets used for the Mercy Keepers collection of food. If you have a larger bag, or multiple bags, please bring them to the church office. Your donated bag will be delivered to Mercy Keepers. For more information about the Black Bag Lenten Project...40 days and 40 items, refer to a separate article in the Weekly Draft. Thank you!