gmacdonald(at)st-thomaschurch.com
JULY 2010
PENTECOST
*AUCTION UPDATE - *$19,600 *so far*. We'll have a final result for you at the conclusion of our special Republic of Doyle prize package. Stay tuned!
GUEST MUSICIANS DURING JULY - During the month of July we are delighted to welcome back to St. Thomas' two special musicians: On Sunday July 4 we welcome Alex Dinn to our 10:30am service. He will contribute three songs to our worship at that time. Alex is a well know musician and recording artist and has led in both Alpha worship and our annual New Year's Eve U2 services in the past.On Sunday July 11th @ 10:30am we will have Mike Minor leading in worship. Mike is an MA student in English at MUN. He and his wife Stephanie have been part of our congregation for the past several years. Mike last lead in worship last summer and we are delighted to have him back leading again.On Sunday evening July 18 @ 7-8pm Alex Dinn will return to offer his "Soul Set". He will perform a set of songs, both originals and cover versions of well known songs, that speak of our universal spiritual quest for God and meaning in our lives. "Soul Set" will be free of charge and performed in the chancel of St. Thomas' Church. Spread the word and bring a friend!
SUMMER MEMORIAL SERVICES will be held at the Anglican cemeteries in St. John’s on the following dates: Kenmount Road Cemetery, Wednesday, July 14th, 7:30pm and Forest Road Cemetery, Wednesday, July 21st, 7:30pm. PLEASE BE SURE YOU GIVE YOUR CEMETERY DONATION THROUGH THE CHURCH OFFICE OR THE COLLECTION PLATE SO OUR PARISH WILL BE "CREDITED". THESE FUNDS ARE ALLOTTED TOWARDS OUR ANNUAL ASSESSMENT WHICH IS $3,360 FOR 2010. St. Thomas’ does not receive credit for donations given at the Memorial Service. Cemetery envelopes can be found at the back of the church on either side of the font, up until the completion of the Memorial services. Please remember, if you give at the Memorial Service the Cemetery Committee will be responsible for your receipt (please include your full address!)
SUNDAY EVENINGS IN THE SUMMER: Due to a combination of poor turnout and clergy summer holidays, Vestry has decided to discontinue the Sunday evening services for the summer. Sundays @ 7pm will continue until the final evening of "Spiced Alpha" on July 4 and then stop after that. The Worship Committee will reassess the Sunday evening service in September and make a recommendation to Vestry regarding its future at that time. If you have any thoughts regarding what you would like to see and would be willing to support on Sunday evenings at St. Thomas', please contact Ki Adams (Chair of Worship). Please pray about this and speak to others who may have attended in the past. We are very open to different ideas and want to meet people's worship and faith needs.
The Easy Listener System has been reconnected. If you experience any difficulty, please speak to one of the sidespersons on duty. Thank you.
SUNDAY SCHOOL for the month of July will begin on July 11th and run until late August.
SUMMER CAMP AT CIRCLE SQUARE RANCH, MANUELS! Register online now for our Overnight and Day Camps, at www.csranch.ca/manuels or by calling the office at 781-5330. Volunteer staff needed for anytime from July 5th to August 28th.
PRAYER BOOKS DEDICATED JULY 25: On the fourth Sunday of the month, when we normally use the Book of Common Prayer at the 10:30am service, we will be dedicating 200 new BCPs to be used in worship beginning that day. They will be given in honour of the faithful members of St. Thomas’ from 1836-2011, in recognition that we follow in the footsteps of the saints who walked before us, and in thanksgiving to God for a heritage of faith that we can walk in today. Older BCPs in good shape, that we will no longer need, will be offered to other parishes in the diocese.
FALL FAIR CANDY STALL: Hard to believe it’s time to start reminding parishioners of our need of ingredients for fudge, and volunteers who would be willing to make fudge for our very popular Candy Stall! The ingredients needed are as follows: butterscotch, white, dark, and milk chocolate chips; cherries; light and dark raisins; fine coconut, white mini marshmallows, evaporated milk (not 2%), brown sugar and gelatin. Please mark "Candy Stall" on the bags and leave at the church office or call Effie Sullivan at 576-4780. Thank you for your generous support over the years–-that is why our candy stall has such a great reputation!
All Ladies Welcome to a Special Supper Event featuring 'Christmas in July for Single Moms' hosted by Hillgate Joys Christian Fellowship on Tuesday, July 20, 7:15 pm at the Ramada Hotel. It will be an evening of fun, fellowship and relaxation over supper..so make plans to attend. A $12 charge for supper for all ladies not single moms and no charge for single moms with children ages 0 to 18 years. Reservations required...contact Jean Hill at 364-2219. Looking forward to seeing you!
WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader & deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - 4 'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - 4 'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - 7 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - 7 'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet) 'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - 7 'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - 6 My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - 6 "Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine - 5 'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - 4 'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - 4 'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - 8
And the final one: The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'
St. Paul writes about the three great virtues of faith, hope and love (1 Cor 13). He says that "the greatest of these is love" because love is the only thing we take with us from life on earth into heaven. The apostle John records the commandment of Jesus to 'love one another' because it is only when Christians love one another that the world will see that we are His disciples (Jn 13:33-35). So...My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ( 1 Jn 3:18). Have a love-filled July!
For Your Information
• For the comfort of all worshipers, St. Thomas’ is a scent-free facility.
• Washrooms are located in the Garrison Room (through the sacristy Door at the left front of the church and down the stairs) and in the hall (through the Breezeway Door at the right front of the church).
• You are invited to our parish coffee hour, which takes place in the Auditorium every Sunday, immediately after the 10:30am service. Just follow the crowd through the Breezeway Door.
• A prayer station is located behind the organ during communion.
• All baptized persons who receive Holy Communion in their own church are welcome to receive at the Lord’s Table here at St. Thomas’. There are communion stations at the altar, as well as at the back of the church.