The Season of Advent has arrived at St. Thomas and Christmas is coming.

CLICK HERE now to download our full calendar of events for Advent & Christmas at St. Thomas.

THE EPISTLE:

December 4, 2025

Pray the Rosary in Advent

Every Friday beginning tomorrow, December 5

The St. Thomas Rosary Prayer Group will meet every Friday in Advent beginning tomorrow, December 5. The Rosary will be offered each and every Friday during the season of Advent at 12:05 p.m. in the Nave.

Each prayer session lasts around half an hour and, during Advent, includes the reading of each scripture passage for the five decades of the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. And during Advent, our scripture readings for the Joyful Mysteries will be read 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.

Advent Quiet Day

THIS Saturday, December 6

Please join us for a Daughters of the King sponsored Advent Quiet Day for the entire parish.

This year, our Advent Quiet day will offer a promising program entitled, "Aging Well & Dying Prepared." The day will begin with Pat Johnson offering "Spiritual Practices for the Joys of Aging," which will be an interactive program. And we will finish with Mtr. Katie and Fr. Donavan presenting ways we all can better prepare for death and dying, both for our own peace and security, as well as for the benefit of our family. They will tie all of their discussion to the church's teachings on death and burial and provide scripture passages and prayer suggestions connected to the season of Advent.

So please RSVP today and invite others to join you this Saturday, December 6, starting at 8:30 am for coffee and breakfast snacks. Program begins at 9 am and ends by 1:30 pm. Lunch is provided, so please let the church office know you if you plan to attend by clicking HERE.

Exploring Prayer with Icons during Advent

For the season of Advent this year, Fr. Donavan invites you to walk with him through an exploration of the beauty and mystery of Orthodox Christian Iconography. 

Based upon two books written by former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, Fr. Donavan will present one Orthodox icon for us to gaze at and examine each Sunday morning. Next, he will suggest ways in which we might "read" the 2-dimensional forms of the icon in order to help us meditate more upon the Bible stories and saints the icon represents. Finally, we will talk about how each icon might help us to pray. 

We will be exploring two Orthodox icons of Jesus and two Orthodox icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the hope that you will finish each Sunday with a new understanding of how Christian prayer can be expanded and deepened by these beautiful images from the Eastern Church tradition. This Advent class promises to provide both visual and spiritual ways to help you pray during this Advent season, so please don't miss it.

Exploring Prayer with Icons during Advent continues THIS SUNDAY, at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall!

Your pledge is still needed!



St. Thomas is blessed in so many ways and none more so than your generous financial support. As of Wednesday, December 3, we have received a total of 144 pledges totaling $644,328.00, but in order to reach and possibly exceed the number of pledges we received last year, we are still waiting on around 20 pledges to come in!  If you have already pledged, THANK YOU! If you have not, please consider getting your pledge in THIS WEEK!

Additional pledge cards will remain available in the church office and in the Narthex. OR for your convenience, you can simply call the front office and speak with our finance office directly!

OR YOU CAN FILL OUT YOUR PLEDGE CARD ONLINE RIGHT NOW! Get caught up with your pledge for 2026 by clicking the button below and help St. Thomas grow it's ministries in the year ahead! THANK YOU!

Shellie's Kids Gifts

Deadline is THIS SUNDAY, December 7

Thank you to everyone who "adopted" a Shellie's Kids child for Christmas this year!

Be sure to turn in the gifts for your child by THIS SUNDAY, December 7! Drop off your gifts this year in Hiers Hall in the Bailey Cove Farmers Market room.

For more details on gifts for Shellie's Kids contact Travis Lee by clicking HERE.



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

Tis the Season for Giving! Your Blood is Priceless

THIS Sunday, December 7

7:30 AM – 1 PM

St. Thomas friends, our next blood drive is set for Sunday, December 7. Please consider remembering Pearl Harbor Day this year with a gift of life. The cost is only your time. What better gift can you give? There is still time to register and walkups are welcome! Click the link below to save your time slot. 

A Festival of Lessons and Carols, Wednesday, December 10th

6 PM

The Choirs of St. Thomas will present an Advent Service of Nine Lessons and Carols on Wednesday evening, December 10, at 6 p.m. in the Nave. This beautiful choral service is open to the public, so please invite your friends and neighbors! There will be a light reception to follow.

Creation Care Committee Tree Project Update for December 2025

Stuart Obermann and Belinda Greenaway met with Marc Byers, the City Green Team arborist, recently to discuss our tree planting project. Thanks to the fact that we raised more money than expected, we will likely be able to purchase trees of a wider caliber, giving them a better chance of surviving. We are now waiting on Marc Byers to draw up a couple of options for a planting plan. Watch this space for more information as it becomes available, and if you have questions, feel free to send an email to Belinda Greenaway HERE or Brett Byford HERE.

Memorial Flowers for Christmas:

Envelopes are now in the Pews

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 17 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.

Nominations for the St. Thomas Vestry OPEN through

December 28

St. Thomas is preparing to elect four new Vestry members at the upcoming Annual Parish Meeting & Breakfast, set for Sunday, January 11 at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall. If you or someone you know would be interested in serving on the vestry, you can now submit the name in the box marked VESTRY in the Narthex. If you'd like to nominate someone, please be sure to discuss it with that person first to be sure they are willing to serve the three-year term. 

Vestry responsibilities include:

·Attending vestry meetings on the third Tuesday evening of each month.

·Attending a Saturday Vestry Retreat.

·On a rotating basis, two vestry members count the offering and secure the building each Sunday after worship services.

·Vestry members also cook, serve and clean up breakfast on a rotating schedule, one Sunday per month. Each vestry member signs up for breakfast four times a year.

Please prayerfully consider if you, or someone you know, may be called to serve our parish in this important leadership role. Nominations will close Sunday, December 28, and nominations will not be accepted from the floor during the annual parish meeting.

To be nominated for the Vestry, a person must be a confirmed communicant in good-standing, known to the treasurer to be pledging, and a regular participant in the life and worship of the parish.

UPCOMING

St. Thomas Night Presents

Pageant and Dinner

Sunday, December 21 at 6 PM

Make plans to join us for St. Thomas Night Dinner Theater on Sunday, December 21! We'll be celebrating our parish's patron saint with an evening of faith and fun. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. followed by this year's show- "Christmas Snapshots." To help us plan for food and seating, free tickets will be available in Information Hall each Sunday. 

We need helpers- food prep and servers, setup, cleanup, stagehands- to pull the evening off. Check out the sign-up sheet in Information Hall or contact our St. Thomas Night coordinator, Laura Beth Bestor at children@stthomashuntsville.org.

See the Sandhill Crane Migration with a Holy Hike

Saturday, December 13, at 10 AM

Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur

The annual Sandhill Crane Migration is underway! Take a 'Holy Hike' and see them on Saturday, December 13.

Our next Holy Hike will be a trip to see the annual sandhill crane migration at the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur. This will be a shorter walk (a mile or so) with several stops along the way to witness the cranes in action.  

We'll meet at the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 3121 Visitors Center Rd, Decatur, AL 35603 at 10 a.m.  Bring binoculars if you'd like!  Those who'd like to carpool, meet in the South parking lot at 9a.m. on December 13. Contact Brett Byford with any questions at brettbyford59@gmail.com or 256.808.5776.

*Please Note: Dogs are not allowed in the Refuge's observation buildings* 

ONGOING

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

Monday, December 8

10 AM in the Parlor

From the beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe comes another charming and heartwarming tale. A Redbird Christmas, written by Fannie Flagg, invites readers into a small Alabama town where community, kindness, and a touch of holiday magic come together in a story that’s uplifting and full of hope, warmth, and holiday spirit. After a terminal diagnosis, Oswald T. Campbell relocates to the sleepy town of Lost River, Alabama, to spend what he believes is his last Christmas. Expecting solitude, he instead finds friendship, hope, and unexpected joy. At the center of it all is Red, a beloved redbird whose charm brings the town together in surprising ways.

Compline Online

Mondays at 8 PM

with Dcn. Jeannie

Looking for a new prayer opportunity and a way to center yourself in prayer each week? Every Monday at 8 p.m., you’re invited to join Dcn. Jeannie online for Compline. Compline is a brief evening prayer service and a peaceful way to set your week with intention and to end your day with a sense of completion and stillness.

The service lasts just 15 minutes and can be accessed on St. Thomas’ Facebook page. You simply need a Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and to turn to pg. 127.

It will be LIVE every Monday at 8 PM.

Please contact jrann228@gmail.com or the front office for more information.

Morning Prayer at St. Thomas St. Anne's Chapel in Hiers Hall

Thursdays 7 AM

Every Thursday morning, join us for Morning Prayer in St. Anne’s Chapel at the end of Hiers Hall. Simply enter Hiers Hall and follow the hallway all the way to the end. There will be signs directing you. As we seek to expand our options for praying together during the week, we hope to see our early birds and any brave night owls at this service of prayer and Scripture. You don't have to know how to read Morning Prayer; we'll teach you!

Do you have questions about the Bible? Have you wondered about what everything in the Book of Common Prayer means? Come to Youth Sunday School to try and answer those questions and more! 7-12th graders meet during formation time in the Youth Room at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday to talk about Covenants in the Bible!

7-12th Graders! Weekly EYC (Episcopal Youth Community) continues! EYC meets Sunday evenings from 6-8 p.m. Got Questions? Contact our Youth Minister, Ethan Evans, HERE for more information.

Treble Choir

The Treble Choir sings approximately once a month at the 10:30 a.m. worship service and our special services this year will include Lessons and Carols and Christmas Eve. All children in 2nd-8th Grades are invited to join! Bring a friend!

The Treble Choir schedule is available HERE and is posted on the bulletin board leading to Hiers Hall, the choir bulletin board in Hudson Hall, and the St. Thomas Website. Rehearsals are Sunday afternoons 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Please email Miss Kathy at music@stthomashuntsville.org for details!

Join the St. Thomas Adult Choir

You don't have to be a kid to sing! Click HERE to see and hear the St. Thomas choir practicing their anthem for this Sunday.

Children's Sunday School continues this Sunday at 9:30am-10:15am! Join us in Hiers Hall as we share a year of faith, love, and fun! 

Godly Play class for Pre-K through 1st graders is led by Renee' Redfield in Hiers 4. 

Storymakers for 2nd and 3rd graders is by Nichole Hargrove in Hiers 6. 

Thou Art class for 4th through 6th graders led by Laura Beth Bestor in Hiers 2.  

Our nursery is open from 7:45 a.m.-12 p.m. on Sundays for our Pre-K and under children.  We have our Play'n'Worship curriculum available for those in the nursery to enjoy on Sunday mornings. Contact our Children's Ministry Coordinator via email at children@stthomashuntsville.org.

Phone: 256.880.0247

Email: StThomas@stthomashuntsville.org