THE EPISTLE:

July 10, 2025

VBS Compassion Camp–Changing the World with Lovingkindness

July 14-18!



Registration for St. Thomas' 2025 VBS is still open. We will be Changing the World with Lovingkindness at Compassion Camp from 9am until 12pm next week (July 14-18). Register rising pre-K through 5th graders through this online VBS registration link. Limited nursery slots are available; nursery for non-parishioners is $25 for the week unless a parent/guardian is a VBS volunteer.

We need lots of volunteers to lead the way in demonstrating lovingkindness and hospitality for VBS.  Sign-up online to HELP HERE . Questions? Contact our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth, at children@stthomashuntsville.org.

Mom's Group TONIGHT

July 10 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

TOMORROW, Friday, July 11 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, July 12

9 AM-3 PM, Parish Hall

Please join us this weekend, Saturday, July 12, 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

Backpacks are Still Needed!

Backpacks and school supplies will soon be distributed for elementary and middle school children, focusing on Challenger, Mountain Gap, and Weatherly students. 

Last year we handed out 80 backpacks, and we would like to provide 100 this year, but we are STILL BEHIND last year’s collections. Please consider donating 1 or 2 or 10 BACKPACKS to this very important Ministry. You can purchase a backpack appropriate for elementary and middle school age children and place it in the Little Red Wagon in Information Hall or just drop it by the church office during the work week. And if you would rather not shop for a backpack, we welcome any monetary donations. Please make checks or digital donations to St. Thomas, earmarked for “Backpack Program” in the memo line and we will do the shopping for you!

And we're happy to report that we have all the school supplies we need this year. What we are in serious need of is BACKPACKS. So please only purchase and donate backpacks or give your monetary donation to help our Local & National Outreach team pick up the backpacks that are needed this year! Thank you!

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MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK: Intergenerational Outreach Events for this year's Backpack Ministry, beginning Sunday, July 20!

Sunday, July 20, we will have an intergenerational activity during our Christian Formation between the 8am and the 10:30am Eucharists. Everyone is invited to gather after breakfast in the Parish Hall to help set up and fill our 100 backpacks with school supplies. Please plan on joining your church family in this important Outreach project!

And you are also encouraged you to participate in distributing the backpacks this year, if you'd like to do so! Backpacks will be handed out in the church parking lot on Thursday, July 24 and Friday the 25. The positive feedback from the recipients last year was heartwarming. If you'd like to help with the distribution, or if you have any questions about the Backpack Ministry, please contact Debbie Harriman at 256-509-6606 with any questions.

Donations can be given this Sunday or in the Church Office

Please continue to pray for the people of Central Texas and around the country who lost loved ones and who are continuing to search for the missing following the terrible July 4th flash flooding along the Guadalupe River. Fr. Donavan has already begun sending monetary donations from his Discretionary Fund to the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas and to several other organizations currently on the ground working in Kerr County. If you would like to make a contribution, you can drop off your donation in the church office or in the offering plate this Sunday at St. Thomas. Once collected, Fr. Donavan will ensure that all donations are sent out immediately to rescue and relief groups working in Central Texas. Please be sure to write "Texas Flood Relief" in the memo line of your check or on the front of the envelope.

LOBSTERFEST 2025!

This year's Lobsterfest 5K Registration is OPEN! Register TODAY!

Registration for the Lobsterfest 5k is OPEN! Register at an early bird rate until August 1st on Run Sign Up. CLICK HERE to register NOW!

You can also CLICK HERE.

All proceeds go to Local Outreach and the Honduras Medical Mission. Support the cause by donating below. 

UPCOMING

Sisters in Faith

New Date: Wednesday, July 23

Sisters in Faith will meet Wednesday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m. for fellowship with the program beginning at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall. If you liked the quick quizzes we used to take in magazines back-in-the-day, you’ll love this month’s program. Jenna Pirani will share a presentation she recently gave at an education conference on Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies framework (see description below) which she promises will have us laughing as we learn more about ourselves and each other. Please have your smartphone handy for the quick assessment. 

Gretchen writes, “We all face two kinds of expectations—outer expectations (meet deadlines, answer a request from a friend) and inner expectations (keep a New Year’s resolution, start meditating).” Your unique response to expectations determines your Tendency, which in turn helps harness your strengths and cultivate a better understanding of your friends. Discover how knowing your Tendency can help you make better decisions, meet deadlines, fulfill promises to yourself, and engage positively with others.

St. Thomas is going out to the Ballgame August 31st

Our annual outing to cheer on the Huntsville Trash Pandas has been set for Sunday afternoon, August 31st! And once again, not only will we be cheering on the Trash Pandas, we will also be cheering on our very own St. Thomas Choir as they sing the National Anthem that evening! So put the date on your calendar and look for more information in the coming weeks!

ONGOING

Help Recycle - Adopt a Month

The Creation Care Committee desperately needs your help with the church recycling.

We are looking for individuals or families who have recycling at their home, who will commit to one week a month of recycling on behalf of the church.

This means emptying four bins from the church into your home recycling bin once a month.

Look for the sign up sheet on the bulletin board in Information Hall.

Questions? Contact Richard Williams at 256-426-3429 or rbwilliams67gmail.com.

Training for DOK

Ladies, if you are searching for more in your spiritual life, your prayer life and are seeking more connections with God and His people (that's all of us!) then we encourage you to consider the Daughters of the King (DOK).

DOK will begin a training program of six weekly sessions of discernment for those interested in learning more about DOK. Beginning Aug. 24 through Sept. 28 from

6–7:30 p.m. We will explain what DOK is and how it can enrich your life. There will be study, reflection and discussion.

If this interests you, please come join us and consider joining our order. Commitment to membership is after all our sessions. Please come August 24 to learn more! For information contact Barbara Meyer at bmeyer2944@gmail.com or ask any DOK member- we all wear our DOK crosses so we are easy to identify!

The Bailey Cove Farmers' Market is up and running!

Check it out this weekend and sign up to volunteer.

The Bailey Cove Farmers' Market at St. Thomas is here! But we can’t make this year's biggest Farmers' Market work without you! Please volunteer to help this year by signing up on the poster on the bulletin board in Information Hall. We sincerely appreciate your willingness to help out! Then start making your Farmers' Market grocery list!

Free Yoga Class

Saturdays on the Lawn

at BCFM at 9 AM 

St. Thomas will offer free yoga classes this summer as part of its Bailey Cove Farmers' Market! Bring your own mat and move your body outdoors for 50 minutes. All classes will be beginner friendly. Participants must be able to stand and sit on the ground unaided. Wear comfortable, moveable clothing. Babies, kids, newbies, all are welcome.

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org