THE EPISTLE:

February 6, 2025

Mom's Group TONIGHT

February 6 at 6:30 PM

Mom's Group is a special ministry that is dedicated to women who have children at home ages 0-18. The monthly Mom's Group is a time to come together as mothers with young children to support one another, share in the love and laughter, and help each other through the challenges and struggles that motherhood brings. Being a mom is not always easy, so one night a month we come together to ask the good Lord for patience and strength and to lean on one another in this shared experience. Please bring a mom friend! Contact Audrey Cain at audreysherkin@gmail.com for more info.

Praying the Rosary with

Fr. Donavan returns TOMORROW, Friday, February 7 at 12:05 pm

Each prayer session lasts around half an hour and includes the reading of each scripture passage for the five decades of either the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, or Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. If you’ve never prayed the Rosary before, we always have Rosary beads available, as well as written directions to help you fully participate in this meaningful, scriptural, and contemplative prayer practice

Scrapbookers and Crafters Event

THIS Saturday, February 8

9 AM-3 PM, Parish Hall

Please join us February 8 from 9-3 for fellowship and to work on your scrapbooking or crafting projects. Lunch will be provided. Contact Rebekah Callahan at 256-603-0219 if you plan to attend.

Annual Super Bowl Event

THIS Weekend

February 8-9

The BBQ Bandits are firing up the smoker for the annual Super Bowl event supporting First Stop. This year’s Super Bowl is this weekend and we'll have your meals ready for pickup Saturday and Sunday. The website will be available this week for online orders CLICK HERE or visit https://st-thomas-bbq-bandits.square.site. There will also be a link on the church website. Please email us at stthomasbbq@gmail.com to get included if you are not already on our distribution list!

Book Club: West With Giraffes: A Novel by Lynda Rutledge

February 10 at 10 AM

The St. Thomas Book Club will meet Monday, February 10. We will discuss Lynda Rutledge's West With Giraffes. We meet in the Parlor at 10 am and everyone is invited. The St. Thomas Book Club meets every second Monday of the month. Call Elouisa Stokes at 256-604-8669 for more information.

Building and Grounds Meeting in Conference Room

February 11 at 6 PM

St. Thomas will have a building and grounds meeting on February 11 and then going forward on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The meeting will be in the Conference room at 6PM. Please contact David Hattaway at dahstthomas2023@gmail.com with any questions.

Phi Kappa Alpha Appreciation Dinner, February 15th: SIGN UP THIS SUNDAY

We will be having a Pot-luck dinner to thank the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity for their help with Lobsterfest 31 on Saturday February 15, 2025. The dinner will be from 2-5pm and we have the parish hall from 12-6pm.

There will be 70 people for the dinner, so we need your favorite pot-luck dish as a side. The St. Thomas BBQ Bandits will smoke Pork Butts and Chickens for the dinner. A signup sheet for volunteers to make food for the dinner has been posted in Information Hall.

We need volunteers to help with setup and clean up on Saturday for the dinner. If you have any questions, contact Tom Perry (256) 348-4313 perrytbne@aol.com.

Happening #86

March 7-9

St. John's in Decatur, AL

Attention all youth grades 10 - 12, Happening 86 is March 7-9 @ St John’s Episcopal Church.

Happening is a peer-led weekend retreat where young people encounter the living Christ as expressed in the traditions of the Episcopal church. 

For more information and instructions on registration contact Jeannie. She will be available during the Christian formation time Sunday morning. You can also click the image to register. Deadline for registration is Feb. 15. 

Join the women of St. Thomas and the whole Diocese and register for the Diocesan Women's Retreat. Simply click the image below, scan the QR code, or visit https://www.dioala.org to register.

St. Thomas Blood Drive

Sunday, February 16

7:30am - 1:30pm

Our St. Thomas blood drive is coming soon. It is a holiday weekend, so some of our frequent donors may be out of town. If you are in town and are able, please sign up either online HERE or on Sunday in Information Hall. 

One donation can literally save as many as three lives!

Silver Saints Presents: You've Got Mail Thursday, February 20

Since February is our Valentine Month we have for Silver Saints Movie Matinee, a light, happy, delightful movie for the mood. We are offering the movie; You’ve Got Mail with Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan, a romantic comedy of two people in an online romance who are unaware they are also business rivals. We will show this feel-good movie Thursday, February 20 at 1:00 PM in the St. Thomas Parish Hall.

As always, the Silver Saints Movie Matinee offers fun and fellowship with our parishioners and visitors with free movies and a social time with those we love. Snacks and beverages are available, and we will provide transportation if you wish. We offer comfortable seating and a break half way through the movie. Call Jack or Becky Stokes at 256-881-4748 or the church office for planning purposes. Please call a day ahead if you will need a ride with us. A rewarding afternoon awaits you. Please come join us.

Register for the St. Thomas Parish Retreat

March 7-9 Camp McDowell

Parish Retreat 2025

Join us for March 7-9 for our Parish Retreat at Camp McDowell! We have lots of fun planned-- canoeing, hiking, art, farm activities-- and plenty of social time on Saturday. We will close our weekend together with Eucharist on Sunday, March 9. You are welcome to come both nights, one night, or just for the day on Saturday, March 8.  Click this LINK HERE to register you (and your group). The registration deadline is February 28.  Please note that while using your Realm account would help speed up the registration process, an account is not required to register for Parish Retreat. A limited number of paper registrations will be available in Information Hall. 

An individual room is for 1-2 people while a family room is for 3-4 people. Be sure to sign up for meals after you select your room type. St. Thomas will cook hamburgers and hot dogs for those interested on Friday night. Saturday and Sunday meals will be through Camp McDowell. In the "Memo" section, please indicate if you would like to share a room and/or cabin with someone, need a mobility accessible room, or need gluten-free meals.  

Contact Deacon Jeannie regarding financial assistance to attend retreat. Contact Laura Beth Bestor or Scott Moore if you have questions regarding registration. 

New Adult Christian Formation Class

Credo: What the Creeds say today & where they come from 

This year, 2025, is the 1,700th Anniversary of one of the most important parts of our Christian worship each and every Sunday, the Nicene Creed. In this new class, led by Fr. Donavan, we will take a deep dive into both the Nicene and the Apostles Creed, seeking to better understand what the Creeds actually profess and the where and why they were developed for the early church in the first place.  Find out about the early controversies and heresies which brought about the need for creeds and the inevitable further controversies and divisions the creeds caused in the Western and Eastern Church. Join Fr. Donavan in the Parish Hall at 9:30am this Sunday!

Interested in the Medical Mission to Honduras?

Calling all Missioners! 

Honduras Medical Mission March 22-29

There is still time to inquire and sign-up for persons interested in being a part of the 2025 Medical mission trip to Honduras, which is March 22 - 29, 2025. We are looking for folks in the medical and dental field, as well as folk who are handy with a hammer and a paintbrush. We also need people who can count (pill packers). Also looking for people and those who like working with children. In other words, if you have an interest, we will find you a job! The ability to speak Spanish is a plus but not a requirement or necessity. If you are interested let Jeannie Randall, Brett Tomlin, or Tracy Ganem know.

Earth Prayer Gathering

this Sunday,

February 9, at 3:30 PM



Creation Care’s Earth Prayer gathering continues this Sunday February 2nd at 3:30 pm in the Parlor. As well as Holy Scripture, we will be hearing from modern writer John Philip Newell. Join us for this time of quiet prayer for Earth, our planet home. Questions ? Contact Belinda Greenaway at belinda223@gmail.com.

Sunday "Come As You Are" Eucharist

"Come As You Are"

5pm Holy Eucharist

This Sunday, and every Sunday, at 5pm in the Nave, you are invited to the "Come As You Are" Holy Eucharist at St. Thomas. The 5pm Holy Eucharist features joyful hymns from the Alleluia III hymnal, special gospel music chosen by our amazing pianist and organist, Sam Wright, and casual sermons preached from the floor. The next Sunday Supper is March 2, 2025. 

Volunteers Needed for Sunday Morning Refreshments



February is full but we still need a few more individuals or families to help to keep the refreshments coming on Sundays following the 10:30 am service. Bring homemade or store-bought sweet treats for a Sunday so that we can spend a few minutes gathering after worship. Please sign up using the poster in Information Hall. Instructions are in a manilla envelope under the signup sheet. Thank you for helping us keep this vital part of our parish thriving!

Children's and Youth's Ministry every Sunday at St. Thomas

Now you can find out the regularly scheduled Children and Youth Sunday School offerings by simply clicking the link below. You can also find both Adult and Treble Choir rehearsal times and times for Bell Choir rehearsals with just a simple click of the button below!

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org