THE EPISTLE:

December 5, 2024

Brass Band of Huntsville at St. Thomas TONIGHT at 7pm!

The Brass Band of Huntsville is presenting its Christmas concert, Goodness and Light, at 7:00 pm, TONIGHT, Thursday, December 5, in the Nave here at St. Thomas. The concert will feature many Christmas favorites like Silent Night and Good King Wenceslas. The concert is free to the public with a reception will follow. Come join us in the church tonight as we kick off our Advent/Christmas events this year!

The Rosary will be offered in Advent every Friday, beginning, TOMORROW, Dec. 6th

Beginning tomorrow, Friday, December 6th, the Rosary will be offered every Friday during Advent at 12:05pm in the Nave.

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. During Advent, we will follow the scripture readings for the 5 Joyful Mysteries, read by Fr. Donavan from the King James Version of the Bible. 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.

You’re invited to a party,

THIS Saturday, December 7th!

Young families and young adults are invited to a holiday gathering on Saturday, December 7th, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm in the Parish Hall. Heavy hors d'oeuvres, including kid-friendly options, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. We'll have family friendly games and activities. Ugly sweaters and other casual festive attire are encouraged. Please consider bringing a dessert and your adult beverage of choice. Please let Mike and Laura Beth Bestor know if you are coming by emailing them HERE no later than TODAY.  

Blessed Are You Among Women:  An Advent Bible Study with Mary, the Mother of God, begins THIS SUNDAY, December 8th!

Join Fr. Donavan and Mtr. Katie this Advent season for a Bible Study and discussion based on the most important saint of Christian faith, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Together, we will follow the stories of Mary in the Bible, from the appearance of the Angel Gabriel and her joyful singing of the Magnificat, all the way through to the struggles she faced during her Son’s life and death on the Cross and her place as the Mother of the Church after his Resurrection. Don’t miss this special Advent series on Blessed Mary, led by Fr. Donavan and Mtr. Katie, beginning THIS SUNDAY morning, December 8th, at 9:30am, in the Parish Hall!  

Bring your Christmas Gifts for Shellie's Kids by THIS SUNDAY, December 8!

Thank you to everyone who "adopted" a Shellie's Kids child for Christmas this year. THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8th IS THE DEADLINE FOR TURNING IN YOUR GIFTS! Drop off your gifts in the Library at the Front Office. For more details on gifts for Shellie's Kids, contact Travis Lee at (850)-503-5587 or tlee777790@gmail.com.

Thank you, St. Thomas, for helping to make this Christmas season special for those in need in our community!

St. Thomas Book Club

December 9

St. Thomas Book Club will meet on December 9 in the Parlor at 10 a.m. We will discuss Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Marsh by Geraldine Brooks. Marsh tells about the little women's father who served in the Civil War during the story of when Little Women was told. Should be a lively discussion. For more information, call Elouisa Stokes at 256-604-8669.

St. Thomas’ Annual Lessons and Carols, Next Wednesday, December 11th!

The St. Thomas Choirs will again lead our annual Advent service of Nine Lessons and Carols on Wednesday, December 11th, at 6pm. Musical selections include Sergei Rachmaninoff's beloved "Ave Maria," Peter Warlock's "Adam Lay Ybounden," a new carol by Ian Higginson. Our Treble Choir, Adult Choir, and Bell Choir have been working since August on this very special music. Please invite your friends to join you for this special choral worship service from deep in our Anglican traditions.

Advent Wreath Lighting

Sunday Mornings in Advent

During the Advent season, we have families light the Advent wreath in the Nave at the beginning of the morning worship services. Families will need to arrive 15 minutes prior to the service (7:45am or 10:15 am), be willing to read the short passage, and light the candle(s) on the wreath. Interested parties can sign up by using this LINK, the sign-up sheet in Information Hall, clicking the button below, or by contacting Deacon Jeannie or our Children's Ministry Coordinator Laura Beth.

Memorial Flowers for Christmas: Envelopes are in the Pews now!

Christmas flowers are a wonderful way to remember your loved ones. You’ll find Christmas offertory envelopes in the church pews to use for your own memorials or thanksgivings. Simply fill out an envelope and put it in the offering plate or drop it by the church office. We must have your names no later than Wednesday, December 18, in order for them to be included in the Christmas Eve service bulletins. We ask for a minimum donation of $30 to cover the costs of the Christmas arrangements and flowers.

Please look out for the YTD Pledge Statements that will be emailed to the parish tomorrow, Friday, December 6. These statements will only list pledge payments for 2024 and will show your progress as of 12/01/2024. There are 4 Sundays left in December to fulfill your 2024 pledges.

And if you have not yet filled out & turned in your pledge card for 2025, please consider doing so before December 31st. Every pledge counts and is important, and we want to include every pledge in our 2025 Budget Report at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 12th. Thank you!

A Special St. Thomas Night Celebration set for Sunday,

December 22nd!

Save the date-- Sunday, December 22-- to celebrate the Feast of our Patron Saint, St. Thomas the Apostle! 

We will begin this year with our 5pm Sunday Evening Holy Eucharist, observing the prayers and readings for the Feast of St. Thomas, which falls every year on December 21st. Then, following our worship service, we will move from the Nave into the Parish Hall at 6pm for a new St. Thomas Night Dinner Theater, followed by a carol sing-along. Come have dinner, see this year's rendition of Eek! The Musical!, and get in the holiday spirit with a dessert of cookies, hot cocoa, and carols!

To help us plan for the evening, paper tickets will be available for pickup in Information Hall. Please use the corresponding sign-up sheet when picking up your tickets. Also note that those participating in the program do not need a ticket as they will have dinner before the show.  

"A-Thomasing" is a British custom of going door-to-door to beg for alms or food for the winter on St. Thomas' feast day. In the same spirit of helping those in need, we are collecting non-perishable goods as optional admission to St. Thomas Night Dinner Theater.

Make sure you have St. Thomas Night, Sunday, December 22nd, on your calendar, and go ahead and pick up your tickets to our St. Thomas Night Dinner Theater THIS SUNDAY!

St. Thomas Delegates for Diocesan Convention: Deadline is Tomorrow, December 6th at 12 noon

If you are interested in being a delegate for next year's 194th Diocesan Convention for the Diocese of Alabama, January 30-February 1, right here in NE Alabama in the city of Decatur, please turn in your name by TOMORROW, DECEMBER 6TH, AT 12 NOON. St. Thomas needs 6 delegates plus alternates for the next year's convention. If you would like to represent St. Thomas at convention next year, please send your name to Irene HERE now.

New Books of Common Prayer for 2025

St. Thomas recently ordered thirty new Books of Common Prayer and will have them in the pews on January 5, 2025! Our goal is to reduce the length of the bulletins by returning to the use of the red Book of Common Prayer during worship at the beginning of next year. This will reduce the amount of paper, the staff's time, and printing expenses. The church has also made a commitment to the Creation Care Committee to reduce paper and electricity costs and by doing so, be better stewards with our budget and our environment. To offset the expenses of the new books, we are inviting anyone would like to remember or give thanks of a loved one, to make a donation of $25 for a BCP. When you do so, include the name of you are giving the new Prayer Book in remembrance of or thanksgiving for, and we will include their name and yours in one of the new Prayer Books! If you would like to participate, please make your check out to St. Thomas and write "BCP Donation" in the memo line and include with the check a note with the information you'd like included. Thank you, and look for more information on bulletin changes at the beginning of next year!

MNO Rescheduled for NEXT Thursday, December 12th

Mom's Night Out 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

Christmas Events for St. Thomas Youth and Children!

Sat. Dec. 21- St. Thomas Night Dress Rehearsal and Children's Christmas Party- We will have our annual Children's Christmas Party, including lunch, after St. Thomas Night practice.  

Sun. Dec. 22- 6 pm- St. Thomas Night Dinner Theater- The children of St. Thomas will be part of this year's rendition of Eek! The Musical. Those participating in the program will have an earlier dinner in the Youth Room before putting on their costumes. Please let Ms. Laura Beth or Miss Kathy know if your family would like to participate.  

Adults are needed to assist with costuming and food on Saturday and Sunday. Please let our Children's Ministry Coordinator, Laura Beth, know if you are willing to help out by emailing her at children@stthomashuntsville.org.

Looking for a gift to give to the church this Christmas? Make a Donation to our Clergy's Discretionary Accounts

Did you know that St. Thomas receives calls and stop-ins regularly from people in our local community seeking direct assistance for food, rent, and electric bills? It is the church's policy to never give out cash as assistance, but we can and often do call Huntsville Utilities to help with a portion of someone's utility bills, write checks to assist with rent, and give out gift cards to help with food and gas. And our clergy also are approached occasionally by people within our own parish family who need help.

All of this assistance primarily comes from our Clergy's Discretionary Accounts. Clergy Discretionary Accounts, as stated in the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church, are set up to allow clergy to provide direct assistance for the poor and to support church and non-profit local, national, and international organizations seeking assistance for their charitable work and ministries.

Fr. Donavan, Mtr. Katie, and Dcn. Jeannie each have their own discretionary account for these specific reasons and those reasons only. If you'd like to help our clergy have funds to directly support the poor, the sick, those in specific need, and the work of the church in the world, please consider a donation this Advent-Christmas season (or anytime!) to the clergy's discretionary accounts. You can give a donation to one of our clergy's accounts specifically, or you can simply write your check and mark the check and/or envelope as a donation for "Clergy Discretionary Accounts" (make out all checks to St. Thomas) and your donation will be divided equally among St. Thomas' three clergy. Thank you!

Sunday "Come As You Are" Eucharist

"Come As You Are"

5pm Holy Eucharist

This Sunday, and every Sunday, we have our "Come As You Are" Holy Eucharist. Our 5pm parishioners find this Sunday evening worship service meets their needs or schedules better than our morning worship. The 5pm Holy Eucharist features joyful hymns from the Alleluia III hymnal, gospel music chosen by Sam Wright, and casual mini-sermons preached from the floor.

 If you have any questions about dinner, contact Carolyn Seaman by clicking HERE or Rebekah Callahan by clicking HERE.

Info on regular programs and rehearsals at St. Thomas are now just a click away!

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! Give it a try this week!

The Price Family help St. Thomas kick off the Advent Season by lighting first candle of the Advent Wreath

The 11 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study Group celebrates Shirley Kittle's 90th Birthday!

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org