Parish Weekly May 1, 2026

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.

Rector's Notes

Easter Practices: Sharing Thanksgivings

As you might notice when you read the Parish Weekly, I more often than not share an Attitude of Gratitude. It is a core value of mine to practice gratitude, to say thank

you, and offer thanksgivings in our life together. Offering thanks and notes of gratitude communicates that we see each other, we notice, and take no one for granted.

When people feel known and that they belong, it cultivates a community of love

and grace that can really make a difference in the world. So, I encourage you to

submit a note of gratitude or thanksgiving to be included in our Parish Weekly.

The deadline for submissions each week is Tuesday at Noon; please email them to communications@stthomasrochester.org.

Please join me in giving thanks for St. Thomas' Choir as they enhance our worship

of God throughout the program year. Thank you for your time and for sharing your

gifts with us. A special thanks to Rhonda Wright for her leadership as our Choir

Director and Organist.

If you are looking for some good prayers of thanksgiving, I encourage you to look

at the following in The Book of Common Prayer: The General Thanksgiving, page 836; Thanksgiving for National Life, page 838; Thanksgiving for Social Order: For the

Diversity of Races and Cultures, page 840.

Faithfully,

Amma Leslie+

Mark Your Calendars

Spring Cleanup, Sunday, May 3, following service (see details below)
Fiber Arts Ministry, Tuesday, May 5, 1:30-3:00 pm, Lounge

Click to View All Upcoming Events Listed in the Parish Calendar

Click to View the Prayers for Public Policy and Witness

Worship Ministry

Altar Flowers

If you appreciate the beauty of altar flowers,

have an occasion to give thanks for, wish to celebrate a special event, or want to honor
a loved one, consider sponsoring flowers for our weekly worship services. There are many available dates in the coming months for you to make a donation.

Signing up is easy and fast! Call the Parish

Office at 585.442.3544 or click the link below. For more details, contact Vicky Rupley at vrupley@gmail.com or 585.233.2546.

Click to Sign Up for Altar Flowers

Fiber Ministry

May Meeting

St. Thomas' Fiber Ministry will meet on Tuesday,
May 5, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm in the Lounge to discuss upcoming fall projects. We have connected with the

Mary Cariola Center and have gathered information about their current needs. They are especially looking for lap robes for individuals in wheelchairs; however, we plan to create hats, scarves, and mittens for the winter months. Please bring any projects you are working on and join us for conversation and refreshments.

The Fiber Ministry would also like to remind the parish that prayer shawls are available for anyone who is ill or undergoing treatment. Recipients do not need to be parishioners. For more information, please contact either co-chair, Jan Gates at ladygates47@gmail.com or Carol Oldenburg at oldenburg.carol@gmail.com.

Property Commission News

Volunteers Needed for Spring Window Cleanup

Come chip in to spruce up the church's interior
and exterior windows for spring this Sunday, May 3. Cleanup volunteers will meet in the Lower Hall following the service, where paper towels and Windex will be distributed to the crew. All are welcome to join in, as many hands will make light work of the effort.

For more details, contact Lisa Hand at lisahand711@gmail.com.

Community Engagement

Brighton Food Cupboard Requests

The Brighton Food Cupboard is a program of Jewish Family Service of Rochester in partnership with the Brighton Central School District and Foodlink. May and June donation needs for the Brighton Food Cupboard include rice and unscented soap.

Drop off your donations in the collection boxes located at each church entrance. Thanks for caring and sharing in the love!

Children and Youth Ministry

God’s House

This week in Sunday School, we will read John

14:1-14. In this passage, Jesus tells the disciples that everyone has a place in God’s house. Through their relationship with Jesus, the disciples have come to know God personally. The lesson this week will focus on spaces and places that are special to us and how we come to know God’s love through our relationships with each other.

Youth Group

This week, the Youth Group will once again participate in the Lasagna Love project.

The youth will prepare ready-to-be-cooked lasagnas for families facing food insecurity
in our local community. Engagement with this project was very successful in December,

and we are excited to be participating again. For more information about Lasagna Love

or Youth Group, please contact either Rev. Lydia at lydia@stthomasrochester.org or

Paula Gitlin at paula@stthomasrochester.org.

Click to Register for Youth and Children's Programs

Diocesan Youth Retreat

This past weekend, two St. Thomas’ Youth Group members, David and Michaela

Brown, along with four youth from other parishes, attended the Diocese of Rochester’s

Youth Retreat at Asbury Retreat Center in Silver Lake, New York. The weekend was

filled with new friendships, spiritual growth, music, games, laughter, and lots of fun!

Activities included scripture exploration skits, the floor is lava, and community building exercises that focused on love of God, neighbor, and self. The weekend concluded

with a Eucharist led by the Youth and Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer. Despite the rain,

a wonderful time was had by all!

For more information about future Diocesan Youth Events, watch this space, and feel

free to contact Rev. Lydia at lydia@stthomasrochester.org.

Children and Youth Ministries Survey

As we prepare for our next program year at St. Thomas’, we are hoping to hear the

needs of the families in our parish. If you are a parent of a child(ren) in our parish,

please fill out the survey below. Thank you in advance for your participation.

Questions, concerns, or further thoughts may be directed to The Rev. Lydia Arnts

at lydia@stthomasrochester.org.

Click to View the Children and Youth Ministry Survey

Attitude of Gratitude

This May marks Deacon Andrea's 50th anniversary

as a cherished member of St. Thomas'. After graduating from college in 1976, Andrea moved

to the Rochester area, and found her spiritual home at St. Thomas'. Known for her energy and warmth, Andrea often shares that the members are her favorite part of the church. Above all, she expresses deep gratitude for the many people she has met and the loving community that has supported her through the years.

If you have thanksgivings to share, please email

Amy Holowczenko, Communication & Reception at communications@stthomasrochester.org.