Lent Meditation from Jennifer Fletcher | St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Practically from birth, my life was shaped around the core notion that I should be perfect in everything I undertook - the perfect daughter, student, teacher, mother, nurse, friend. I believed I should never make a mistake at home, at work, even at play.

A few decades ago, while working in Community Education at Columbus Regional Healthcare, I got to know a behavioral therapist whose consistent programmatic theme was “Stop SHOULDING on yourself.” WOW; what a concept!

So, I tried; I really did. Did I succeed? No; a very emphatic no. Much of my life is still affected, or I might say afflicted, by the word “should.” But, as slowly as a glacier, I am letting go of SHOULD and replacing it with WILL.

Letting go of something so deeply engrained is a yeoman’s task. But our Baptismal Covenant does not say “I should, with God’s help;” it says “I WILL, with God’s help.” During this holy season, I will not SHOULD on myself. I will earnestly aspire to let go and let God guide my path toward becoming the perfectly imperfect human I am intended to be.

- Jennifer Fletcher

Tags: Voices

We are a church of loving, committed and searching Christians who value diversity and cherish the gifts of young and old alike. We welcome ALL God’s children into our sacramental community, respecting the dignity of every person as we are called to a ministry of reconciliation and inclusion. You are welcome here as God’s own.

Like the apostle Thomas, we encounter the risen Christ in our lives together and find ourselves transformed.

We invite you to worship, learn, and serve with us!

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We know finding a church can be hard. We were all new to St. Thomas once, so let us tell you a little about ourselves.

We are named for the apostle Thomas, whose life was changed when he encountered the risen Christ. His confession of faith, “My Lord and my God,” is printed above our altar.

Like Thomas, we encounter the risen Christ in our life together and find our lives transformed. We invite you to worship, learn, and serve with us.

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St. Thomas was founded in 1958 and is a congregation of about 400-600 people. A few folks have been here for a long time, but a lot of us are newcomers! Some of us grew up as Episcopalians, some of us came from other Christian traditions, and some of us have no religious background at all!

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It is easy to join St. Thomas as a member. Just tell us you want to belong, and we'll enroll you as a baptized member of the congregation. If you've never been baptized, contact Rev. Grace to schedule a time for Holy Baptism. We look forward to being in touch with you.

Contact Patty in the church office at [email protected] with questions.

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St. Thomas is Crossing Many Thresholds

• Entering new spaces

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Rolling Out the Welcome Mat: St. Thomas 2024 Ministry Offerings

Each August, we invite parishioners to sign up for different ways to learn and serve together through our annual Ministry Offering. This online form lists many ways to serve and participate, and they all have to do with welcome!

How might you help St. Thomas extend our welcome in the coming year?

Click here for the 2024-2025 Ministry Sign-Up Form.

When the Nave and Chapel of St. Thomas were dedicated in 1972, the congregation knew they had built a space for more than themselves.

They did this for future members of St. Thomas. This did this for the wider community. They did this for us and for all who will come after us.

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