THE EPISTLE:

November 29, 2024

Advent Wreath Making at St. Thomas is THIS SUNDAY,

December 1, at 9:30am

Make plans to join us THIS SUNDAY, December 1, at 9:30am as all ages gather in the Parish Hall to make Advent wreaths for the new Season of Advent. This event will take place during the Christian Formation hour and everyone is encouraged and welcome to help! Please bring live greenery from your home (or neighbors home with permission!) to share so that we have the fullest wreaths. Come join us for this fun and seasonable intergenerational gathering to begin the upcoming season of Advent!

Because of the Advent Making event, there will be no regular adult, youth, or children Sunday School classes this Sunday. The nursery will be available.

Sign up this Sunday to provide gifts for Shellie's Kids this Christmas!

This year St. Thomas is once again partnering with Friends of 400, better known as Shellie's Kids, to provide Christmas gifts to children in the Huntsville area. St. Thomas's goal is to provide 40 children with Christmas gifts. The collection point will be the Library at the front office entrance and all gifts will need to be in by December 8. If you are interested, please stop by the table in the Narthex each Sunday after the 10:30 service for more details or contact Travis Lee at (850)-503-5587 or tlee777790@gmail.com.

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.

Election of St. Thomas Delegates for Diocesan Convention: Your voice is needed!

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, now is the time to give us your name. In the coming weeks, St. Thomas will need to elect a slate of 5 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 our Communication Director, Carey McIntyre, by clicking HERE.

Still having trouble signing into Realm at St. Thomas? Special Tutorial on December 1st

Are you still struggling to get signed into our online connection and directory program, Realm, at St. Thomas? If so, there will be a short Realm tutorial led by Elysa Jones, beginning at 9:30 am in Conference Room 1 THIS SUNDAY, December 1st. Come revisit how to sign in and find your way through this important online church service here at St. Thomas.

"Come As You Are"

5pm Holy Eucharist and Dinner December 1

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.

Dinner is being offered this Sunday, December 1, led by Maggie and Robbie Clark. If you have any questions about dinner,  contact Carolyn Seaman by clicking HERE or Rebekah Callahan by clicking HERE.

Brass Band of Huntsville at St. Thomas next Thursday, December 5th at 7pm!

The Brass Band of Huntsville will present its Christmas concert, Goodness and Light, at 7:00 pm on 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.

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

The St. Thomas Rosary Prayer Group will not meet at its usual time today, Friday, November 29th, but beginning next 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!

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 Thursday, December 5.  

Blessed Are You Among Women:  An Advent Bible Study with Mary, the Mother of God, beginning Sunday, December 8th

Join Fr. Donavan 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, beginning Sunday morning, December 8th, at 9:30am, in the Parish Hall!  

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.

Save the Date: St. Thomas’ Annual Lessons and Carols set for 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. Watch for more information on the special music the choirs will be offering in next week’s edition of the Epistle, and go ahead and invite your friends to join you for this special choral worship service from deep in our Anglican traditions.

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 starting Sunday, December 1st. 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 will be 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!

Memorial Flowers for Christmas: Envelopes in Pews this Sunday!

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.

Check out these Upcoming Events

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.

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!

St. Thomas Youth: Girls Grounded in Grace and the B-Squad

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org