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Greetings!
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.
St. Thomas has a great respect for both the rich liturgical heritage of the church and for living the message of social justice proclaimed by Jesus Christ. Whether you are young or old, gay or straight, single, married or in a relationship, female or male, poor or wealthy, you are welcome at St. Thomas just as you are...a child of God and an inheritor of God's grace. |
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Sermons
 | | The Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity |
For more videos from the Parish, including all sermons dating back to March 2011, visit the Parish YouTube Homepage!
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The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
On Sunday, 7 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (affectionately known as "Fleas' Sunday") will be celebrated at St. Thomas. At the 10:30am High Mass; bring your pets to receive a special blessing. All [properly leashed or contained] pets are welcome!
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Spring Cleaning in the Fall
Please join us on Saturday, 20 October for a Parish Paint and Cleaning Day! Our annual spring event had to be postponed this year because of critical volunteers taking early vacations. Now that the summer heat is lifting, it's time to lift up our shirtsleeves and get the parish ready for the many holidays ahead of us. If you can help clean our beautiful new windows in the chapels and transept, put a fresh coat of paint on the small parish hall, or give the sanctuary a good dusting, vacuuming, and mopping, please join us! Donuts and coffee will be available in the morning, and pizza for lunch. We'll start at 9am (10am in the Damien Chapel, after Low Mass), but feel free to come by whenever it is convenient for you. There will be plenty to do! If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Ken Koonce, People's Warden (kkoonce@roadrunner.com/323-856-5844)
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We thank the following 40 households who registered their Ralph's card to benefit St. Thomas and shopped at Ralph's between 1 June 2012 and 31 August 2012. This quarter's contribution of $132.25 makes the total contributed by Ralph's since October 2007 to be $3,572.45!
Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, Heather Amaral, Josh Brown, Kelly Casey, Efrain Cisneros, Scott Crowell,
Evelyn Davis, Lloyd Davis, Scott Dickson, Howard Gaass, Chris Gable, Jane Heitz, Laurence Jackson, Walter Johnson, Taffia Kennedy, James Kennett, Ken Koonce, Bruce Larson, Andrew Miller, Robert Miller, Sandra Minott, Sarah Myers, Paul Norwood, Carolyn Olman, Susan Peacock, Janice Quanbeck, Charles Rumsey, Susan Schomburg, Amy Steelman, Thomas Thanangadan, Reece Thomson, Richard Francis Tracz, Joseph Warren, Janet West, David Wildman, Cynthia Williams.
Every time these people use their Ralph's card during checkout, the company contributes a percentage to the church (NOTE: You must use a physical card; entering your phone number at checkout does NOT benefit the Parish). If you shop at Ralph's and would like to help the church, simply register your card in five, easy steps:
1. Go to www.ralphs.com and sign in (or sign up if it's your first time).
2. Click on "My Account"
3. Click on "Community Rewards"
4. Search for "84981" (without quotes)
5. Click on St. Thomas the Apostle.
This will not affect your Ralph's Rewards that you already receive; this is an additional benefit.
Thank you for shopping at Ralph's for St. Thomas!
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Stewardship Reflection
Reflection #3
St. Matthew 22:15-22
Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's...
Anger, fear, resentment, envy, guilt, worry. Many of us have these strong feelings about money and frequently don't talk about it at all. Jesus spoke about money all the time, asking us to examine its power so we can give our faith and our lives over to God. When I was asked to write about the story of Jesus and the coin, I decided to bring it to Transmission, my Manhattan house-church community of people in their 20s and 30s.
We gathered in a small uptown apartment, ate dinner, sang "Be Thou My Vision," and began exploring St. Matthew 22:15-22 with our hands at three stations. People circled the word or phrase that jumped out at them on a printout of this passage. I brought a pile of coins from around the world with the instructions: "Touch the coins. Pick them up. What images do they have? What value do they communicate? What do these coins evoke for you?" On another table there was a bowl of uncooked rice, each grain representing $100, which we placed in piles representing how much we pledge and give away annually, have in savings, owe to credit cards, spend on monthly rent, and on entertainment and socializing.
Next, a woman read the Matthew passage out loud. I reflected on how this text resonates with my own life. I do not resent paying taxes to Caesar and would gladly pay more for free healthcare and other public services. My work with Faith House Manhattan, a start-up interfaith community, means I give much of my time to God, but sometimes I feel like I have traded financial security for the freedom to do innovative, grassroots ministry. I wrestle with the specter of scarcity, even though we always manage to pay our rent, bills, and give money to God. I am still learning to trust in God's abundance.
A man read the passage again and each person shared. A public school teacher shared that many of her children in the Bronx are orphans because their parents got sick without healthcare and died. A young professional said he grew to resent obligatory giving to church as a teenager and now gives away almost nothing. He wonders how to overcome his resentment and give again. An artist, who tithed from his first allowance as a child through college, said he now struggles to give ten percent, but hopes to again someday.
We each prayed for the person to our left as a deep acknowledgement that each of us had been heard. The evening ended with song and laughter. Our time together-reflecting on Jesus' words about money, sharing, and listening to each other-took the edge off and helped us leave wanting to give God "the things that are God's."
Ms. Bowie Snodgrass, M.Div.
Executive Director, Faith House Manhattan, Diocese of New York
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The Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity
Lections
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22
Psalm 124
St. James 5:13-end
St. Mark 9:38-end
Celebrant & Preacher
Fr. Ian Elliott Davies
Deacon
Choir Master
Mr. James Keltner
Organist
Mr. Jeffrey Parola
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Organ Project
We are excited to announce that the Vestry is engaging Weston Harris to renovate and rebuild the great St. Thomas organ. Weston, who built this organ nearly 25 years ago, will take on this three-year project beginning in the new year. During this project, a portion of the organ will be playable at all times. This will allow Masses and services to continue with organ throughout the year. Financing is pending.
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AIDS Walk
Donations are being accepted through 7 October for AIDS Walk Los Angeles. You may give your donation to Christopher Rose or turn it in to the Parish Office. Checks should be made payable to "AIDS Walk Los Angles" or"A.P.L.A."
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On This Day in
Christian History
On this day in 929, King Wenceslas, ruler and patron saint of Czechoslovakia was martyred at the hands of his brother. During his brief reign as king, Wenceslas sought peace with surrounding nations, reformed the judicial system, and showed particular concern for his country's poor. Wenceslas is the subject of the popular St. Stephen's Day Carol, "Good King Wenceslas". The hymn tells a story of Wenceslas braving harsh winter weather to give alms to a poor peasant.
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Please join us for many Parish activities. Here's a sampling of upcoming events - a full list is available online
8 October
Parish Office Closed
13 October @ 7:30am
Homeless Feeding & Outreach
17 October @ 7:30pm
Vestry Meeting
20 October @ 10:30am
Newcomer Orientation Series
22 October @ 9:30am
County-USC AIDS Clinic Feeding Program
27 October @ 7:30am
Homeless Feeding & Outreach
27 October @ 5:00pm LASchola sings the Mass
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ePrayer
Prayer is at the center of our worship and binds us together as a community of faith. This week we commenced our electronic prayer chain email. A list of persons on the prayer list is sent weekly.
The prayer chain email is an opt-in list only - it will not be sent unless you sign up for it. If you'd like to be on this distribution list, please update your profile (please use link at the bottom of the email, customized with your email) or contact the office.
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