Logo and sketch
Weekly E-Newsletter
Week Ending
May 08, 2009 
Dear Parishioner  

St. Thomas the Apostle is an Episcopal Parish in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.  We are called by God to be a holy place where love is found, where all are named and where hearts are freed to change the world.
In This Issue
Rogation Sunday
Prayers for Mother Guibord
Meet the Vestry: Evelyn Davis
Weekly Services
Sixth Sunday of Easter Homily
Sunday's Lections
Newcomer Orientation
St. Martin's Guild
Mother Knows Best
Minutes available online
Rogation Sunday, May 17
 
GardenWhen poet and priest George Herbert wrote The Country Parson in 17th century England, he noted that processions to bless the parish farm lands were a harmless old country custom. Little wonder then, that in the United States, where parishes are not geographical units, the idea of beating their bounds, demarcating borders by walking along them on the days leading up to the Feast of the Ascension, fell into disuse.
 
Rogation Sunday and the Rogation Days (from the Latin rogare, meaning to ask), times of special prayer and petition in Eastertide, have languished.
In recent years there have been attempts to revive Rogation Sunday, the 6th Sunday of Easter, as an environmental festival, broadening the idea to celebrate creation wherever one's parish is located. Rogation Days have seemed to many to be the Church calendar's equivalent of Earth Day (April 22) or World Environment Day (June 5).

Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that your gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper all who labor to gather them, that we, who are constantly receiving good things from your hand, may always give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 
By:  The Rev. Phina Borgeson who writes about science and the environment for Episcopal Life Media.
Prayers for Rev. Gwynne Guibord
 
Gwynne GuibordReverend Canon Dr. Gwynne Guibord, who was ordained while serving as Assistant Priest of St. Thomas has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and underwent successful surgergy last week.  She is now home recovering.
 
"I was witness to a steady stream of healing.  In this past week I have stood witness as my beloved Gwynne was held in your prayers, wrapped in your love, remembered in the prayers services of a dozen or more of your different faith families around the world.
Some of you on the other side of the globe trekked to holy places to pray for her.  Some of you made the journey to special houses of prayers.  Some of you simply stopped for a moment to bow your head or to smile gently. It all made a different - such a wonderful difference. Healing is a miracle we all participate in together, one that is humbling and far beyond our grasp. It springs from love. I cannot begin to thank you all for your kindness - for your love.
Lo and Mo. Gwynne"

Please continue to keep Mother Guibord and her partner Dr. Lo Sprague in your prayers.
Meet the Vestry:  Evelyn Davis
 
 
EvelynEvelyn first came to St. Thomas as a substitute singer and then was invited to join the choir. Not much later, she decided to make St. Thomas her church home and was confirmed here.  She continues to sing with the choir; serves on the Vestry and is chair of the Music Stewardship Committee; and a member of the Public Relations Committee.
 
An avid volunteer, Evelyn is on the board of the Watts Towers Arts Center and the Los Angles Municipal Art Gallery (Barnsdall Art Gallery). Her daughter, Imani Tolliver is a manager with the Buena Park Cultural Affairs Department and a published poet, and her son David Tolliver is a loan officer in the housing industry. Evelyn has been the advertising director at the Autry National Center for the past 10 years.
Welcome Henry Joseph Jamrok
 
Henry Joseph Jamrock
Jamroks
 
Henry Joseph Jamrok

Born 5/11/2009
9:17am
7lbs. 4oz.
Drug free, Organic and Free Range!
Healthy baby boy & healthy mama!
 
 
Congratulations & God Bless to the Jamroks!
General Convention Volunteers needed
 
The General Convention of the Episcopal Church will be held in Anaheim, CA July 8-17.  Each congregation in the Diocese is expected to provide volunteers.  St. Thomas has been asked to provide a minimum of 10 volunteers.  Forms will be available at the back of the Church on Sunday and must be submitted via the Office.
 
To learn more about the convention, follow this link.
 
UbuntuThe Ubuntu logo of the 76th General Convention was adapted from a design submitted in a contest, sponsored by the Joint Standing Committee on Planning & Arrangements.  The winning design was submitted by the Rev'd Paul Fromberg, Interim Rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa Church, San Francisco, California, a member of the Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts. The Trinitarian design depicts God the Creator in the bright center, God the Son in the cross formed by the longitude and latitude lines and God the Holy Spirit, swirling around the Father and the Son.  The swirl is comprised of dancing figures, male and female, with faces of many colors, who symbolize the interconnectedness of humanity.

The word Ubuntu is spelled out in a font especially created for General Convention by Mel Ahlborn, President of the Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts, together with a quotation from the Gospel of John.
Services
 
MASSES & DAILY OFFICES
Sundays
7:30 AM  -  Morning Prayer
8:00 AM  -  Low Mass
9:45 AM  -  Rosary
10:30AM -  High Mass with Choir - Childcare Available
4:30 PM  -  Evening Prayer
 
Monday - Friday
7:30 AM -  Morning Prayer
8:00 AM -  Low Mass
6:30 PM -  Evening Prayer
7:00 PM -  Low Mass (Tuesday only)
 
Saturday
10:00AM -  Low Mass
5:00 PM  -  Vigil Mass with Gregorian Chant
6:30 PM  -  Compline 
  
RECONCILIATION - CONFESSIONS
Tuesday 6:00 PM  -  Preceding Mass 
 
Many additional activities occur each week at St. Thomas the Apostle.  See the calendar for more!
 
We hope to see you soon!
 
Blessings from
 
St. Thomas the Apostle
Sixth Sunday of Easter Homily
Episcopal Church Welcomes You

The homily this Sunday will be delivered by Associate Rector Fr. Mark D. Stuart. 
 
Fr. Stuart
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Celebrant: 

The Rev. Fr. Mark D. Stuart

 Deacon:
The Rev. Mr. Walter S. Johnson 

Readings:

Acts 10.44-end
Psalm 98
1 John 5.1-6
John 15.9-17
Ministry Fair
The annual ministry fair will be held after mass this Sunday, May 17, 2009. 
 
This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about all of the ministries of St. Thomas and participate with those that interest or inspire you.
 
Join us!
 
No Doubt: May 29
Doubt
Come one, come all to St. Thomas the Apostle's Movie Night.  An opportunity to see the thought-provoking movie, Doubt, discuss it with your friends and eat lots of popcorn!   What could be better than a little intellectual stimulation mixed with conviviality?  All are welcome - parishioners, friends of parishioners, children of parishioners, pets of parishioners, et al.  We've even got a big screen!  Mark your calendars for May 29th at 7:30pm.
Pot Luck
There will be Potluck following the 10:30 Mass on May 24, 2009. Please sign up on Bulletin board in the large Parish Hall. Hope to see you there!
Get Oriented
If you are interested in becoming a member of  St. Thomas, or if you are already a Parishioner and wish to learn more about St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, the American Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communication, please consider attending the Newcomer Orientation Session from 10:30am to noon on Saturday, May 16.  This session begins with an historical discussion in the Damien Chapel and ends with a tour of the Church.  The tour and discussion includes informaton about our Liturgy, Christian sybbols, practices and faith.
St. Martin's Guild
The St. Martin's Guild is coming back just in time for summer!
 
Summer events for Parishioners, which include a tour of historic downtown, a trip to Catalina Island, and Sunset Junction, are being made. This is a great opportunity for fellowship, and other ideas are being welcomed.
 
Please see Marty Wolfe during the next few weeks at coffee hour if you have any suggestions.
 
More details about the events listed above will follow in the next few weeks
Mother Knows Best
Interesting facts about
St. Thomas the Apostle
 
Doubt
St. Thomas was one of (if not the) first churches in Los Angeles to allow interment of ashes in the walls.
Minutes
The minutes from the Vestry Meetings of St. Thomas the Apostle are now available on the St. Thomas the Apostle website.  Click here to get the minutes. (Or goto the "Wardens & Vestry" page and click on "Minutes.")
 
 Each month after the Vestry approves the prior months minutes they will be posted in PDF format.
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List!
 
Shopping
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Donations
to St.
Thomas!
 
Do you shop online?  If you shop at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, eBay.com...or any of thousands of companies - they will contribute up to 30% of your purchase to St. Thomas the Apostle at no additional cost to you.
 
It's easy - goto GoodShop.com (www.goodshop.com) and in the box "Who Do You Support" put in "St. Thomas the Apostle." Click on the St. Thomas located in Hollywood, CA.  Then click on your store - and follow the link "Goodshop this Store."  For St. Thomas to receive donations, you must click through to the store from this site.
 
Goodshop