Wednesday Night Dinners Return!

Friends,

When peple talk about what they have missed most during the pandemic, Wednesday dinner is always high on the list. I've always felt that much of the spiritual depth and power of St. Thomas came from the strong sense of community and care created around those tables.

I'm delighted to share that the wait is over! Vestry agreed at their meeting on Monday night that it was time to begin sharing meals together.

Our first meal will be the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper sponsored by St. Thomas Youth and Young Adults on Tuesday, March 1. Dinner is from 5:30 to 6:15, with entertainment from 6:15 to 6:45. Denny's "Scenic Overlook" session for the Journey Groups follows at 7 in the library or online. Donations for this event will support our Youth and Young Adult pilgrimage to General Convention and Washington, DC later this year. Sign up here! If you prefer to pick up pancake mix on Sunday, you can let youth know that here.

Then on Wednesday, March 9, we will resume serving regular Wednesday dinners. To help us plan well, reservations will be needed by midnight on Monday night. You can register here and pay what you can online. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:15. After 6:15, meals will be in "to go" boxes on the buffet. Children will leave at 6:15 for their activities. Youth and adult activities begin at 6:30.

For now, we are still wearing masks indoors. The overwhelming majority of responses in last week's survey agreed that we need to keep wearing masks until our community is no longer experiencing high or sustained spread, or until guidance from our bishop changes. For dinners, for now, we'll remove masks to eat and put them back on when we are not eating. This is part of bearing with one another in love. Hopefully conditions in our community will continue to improve at a rapid pace.

A clergy colleague once joked that Wednesday night church is the "Southern Sabbath." He wasn't wrong. Gathering together - and letting Seth do the cooking one night - does bless us with rest, fellowship, and joy. Sign up and join in if you can!

Blessings,
Grace

Our usual schedule will be -

• Evening Prayer and Eucharist at 5:30.
• Dinner served in the parish hall from 5:30 to 6:15. After 6:15, to-go plates will be available on the buffet.
• Nursery open from 6 to 8:30.
• Episcokids from 6:15 to 7:15 in the Outreach Center.
• Prayers around tables at 6:20.
• Youth and adult programming at 6:30.
• Choir from 6:45 to 8:00 in the choir room.

Make a reservation and join us! An entrée with two sides will be served from the kitchen, with vegetarian or gluten-free options available by reservation. Menus will be posted one month at a time. To reduce lines and crowding, water, cutlery, bread, and dessert will be on tables. Tea or other drinks will be on the buffet. To help us plan adequately and reduce waste, reservations will be required. Meals will be served on a “pay what you can” basis, with a suggested amount of $7.50 per adult, $5 per child, and $25 per family. Pay online when you make your reservation. We want everyone to participate regardless of ability to pay. You can make a reservation and/or pay for one week up to one month at a time. Deadline for reservations is Monday at midnight.

MAKE RESERVATIONS HERE