Wednesday Word: Beginning Anew | St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Friends,

Several flowering bushes on the church campus are blooming. I'm sure they are all an encore variety, bred to bloom in fall as well as spring. While I love fall leaves in November, I am enjoying these signs of new life.

St. Thomas feels like an encore azalea at the moment. We bloomed several times this year already - the excitement of regathering, the delight of singing again, the joy of Wonderful Wednesdays and Journey Groups.

And now, as we approach Advent, we are blooming again. The return of coffee and fellowship time on Sundays is a real treat. We will soon celebrate confirmation of youth and adults. I hope you are planning to join us for a Carol Service and Party on December 19 and for Christmas Eve services at 4, 8, and 10:30.

This Sunday, November 14, we kick off our Beginning Anew 2022 pledge campaign. As our ministries are Beginning Anew, we are also Beginning Anew in our witness to the community. On Sunday we will unveil a new website and logo designed to help us share St. Thomas more widely. New name tags with our new logo will be in your pledge packets. Pick up a clip for your name tag, keep it in your car, and wear it whenever you are here to help us all get reacquainted.

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In addition to pledges of support for St. Thomas in 2022, we also invite pledges or gifts to our Continuing Faithfulness capital fund. We anticipate significant repair to roofs and HVAC systems will be needed over the next few years. As part of our stewardship of our facilities, we are building up this fund to prepare to address these needs as they arise.

Our wardens will speak for just a few minutes after the 8:30 and 10:30 services this week to introduce both giving opportunities and invite your support. Seth is baking cookies as a gift for those who are able to stay.

Thank you for your Continuing Faithfulness in so many ways. Join us as we Begin Anew.

Grace

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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!

Learn More

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.

I'm New

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!

Who We Are

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.

Joining St. Thomas

We are grateful for God’s provision through all who give to St. Thomas.

Click here to give!

Click here if you would like to log in to ACS before you give

For a one-time gift, you will be asked to load a form of payment to be debited when you make your gift. You can log in to your St. Thomas Member Portal account to give or view past gifts.

St. Thomas is Crossing Many Thresholds

• Entering new spaces

• Welcoming more people

• Building our staff

• Expanding our service and witness

• Worshiping in new ways

• Following Jesus with joy

Learn more Make a pledge

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.

Learn more. Make a Vision Campaign Pledge.