We are pleased to announce that there is a plan to welcome Fr. Ian Elliott Davies back to his Parish ministry at St. Thomas the Apostle.

This plan has been the subject of numerous meetings and has been agreed to by Fr. Davies, his doctors, his parents, a majority of the Vestry, the Diocese and our Bishop.  The plan will be implemented under the auspices and direction of Bishop Mary D. Glasspool.

Fr. Davies will return on September 01 at half-time.  Please contact the office to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Father.   The Clergy ROTA for September is published below.

On September 30, 2011 at 7:30pm we will have a Parish wide Service of Reconciliation with Fr. Davies Celebrating and Bishop Mary D. Glasspool preaching.

We thank you for your patience, love and support of Fr. Davies, your Vestry and Officers, your Bishop and your Parish during this time.

John Bunyan was born in 1628 near Bedford, in the agricultural midlands of England. He was the son of a tinker (a maker and mender of metal pots). He had little schooling. During the English Civil War, he served in the Parliamentary Army. He underwent a period of acute spiritual anxiety, and finally found peace in a Baptist congregation. He became a lay preacher, while earning his living as a tinker.

After the Restoration in 1660, Bunyan (under suspicion for having fought on the anti-Anglican side) was ordered to preach no more, and, since he refused to desist, he was several times sentenced to jail, where he spent his time studying, preaching to his fellow prisoners, and writing. His first substantial work was an autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. This was followed by other works, of which by far the most read and most loved is The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which is to Come, usually called Pilgrim's Progress. The work recounts in allegorical form the experience of a person (called Christian), from his his first awareness of his sinfulness and spiritual need, to his personal conversion to Christ, to his walk as a believer. He is shown as a pilgrim in this world on his way to the "Celestial City," which will be his true home forever.

The work was an immediate sensation, and its popularity endured. For a century and more thereafter, there were many English-speaking Christians who were thoroughly familiar with only two books, The Bible and Pilgrim's Progess.

John Bunyan is remembered on August 29 each year.

Written by James Keiffer 

Date & Time:

Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 5:00pm

Please join us for a reception with light refreshments immediately following the Mass in the parish hall and meet the LASchola singers.

Fr. William Ledbetter

Sermon

Fr. William Ledbetter 

Deacon

The Rev. Walter S. Johnson

We are well underway with Phase II of the Acoustics Project.

Major construction is ahead of schedule with all of the walls demolished and replaced with the new windows.  The finishing work of waterproofing, acoustic sealing and insulation will occur next week.

A Frequently Asked Question guide  (4 pages) has been put together that outlines the major construction project that will start shortly at St. Thomas to remedy the Acoustics issues at the Church.