eNews
22 February 2013

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.

Sermons

 

The First Sunday of Lent
The First Sunday of Lent

To view more sermons, go to our 

St. Thomas YouTube page!!!

Stations of the Cross

 

 

 

 

 

Join us TONIGHT and every Friday in Lent following the 7pm Mass for Stations of the Cross!

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those unable to attend might wish to go through the Stations using our YouTube video (LASchola accompanied) created by People's Warden Ken Koonce.

 

Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross

 

Lenten Study Course
 
Every Wednesday in Lent following the 7pm Low Mass, join us in the Rectory for our Lenten Study Course and light soup supper. This year, the course will follow Martin L. Smith's Love Set Free: Meditations on the Passion According to St. John. In this short study of meditations on the Passion according to St. John, participants will explore how, in the Christian mystery, love itself must be crucified and die to be reborn as the grace of communion...as love set free. 

We are still seeking a few volunteers to help with the soup suppers. Please contact John Bollard or Christopher Wagner if you are willing to help.
 St. Thomas the Apostle & 
All Saints Beverly Hills Collaborative Mixer 
 
Join fellow Episcopalians for Evensong followed by dinner at All Saints Beverly Hills Rectory on 3 March 2013 at 5pm in support of the Diocesan GLBT Ministry. Plenty of food will be prepared by their very own Joe Becci and deliciousness is guaranteed! Price for food is $10. RSVP HERE!
 
Join us in April at St. Thomas as we continue this collaboration! Date to be announced. Please contact David Silvas for more details.
 
Videographers Needed
 
St. Thomas records the sermons on video every week for posting on YouTube, Facebook and our website. In two years, we have had 26,000 viewers! It has been a tremendously successful outreach. 7,146 watched last year's Easter High Mass alone!

Here is a comment from a viewer of the December 2012 Christmas Eve Midnight Mass: "Beautiful service. I admit that I drive by this church daily but have never stopped. But after watching this video, I will be attending services. Thank you for this experience and putting this online."

At present, we only have 3 people trained and available to do the recordings and editing. If you have skills as a videographer, and are familiar with Apple's Final Cut editing software, we would greatly appreciate your helping out with this important ministry. If you are unfamiliar, we'd be happy to offer training! Please contact Ken Koonce if you are interested.
Limberlost!
 
At 7pm on Saturday, 9 March LIMBERLOST, the musical-in-progress by Helen Slayton-Hughes and Dana Howell will be presented as a staged reading in the Large Parish Hall with a reception following. Admission is by voluntary contribution to the St. Thomas Facilities fund. Seating is limited. RSVP to [email protected]

They'd love to have you come and give them feedback, and thus help in the development process! AND YES, there will be door prizes, including your very own Limberjack Dancing Man!

Limberlost is based on the classic (1909) novel Girl of the Limberlost by pioneering naturalist Gene Stratton Porter, and on the current wetlands restoration project at the site of the Limberlost Swamp in Indiana.

This musical was chosen by the Fullerton College Playwrights Festival to receive a staged reading in January, and they're happy to report it was lovely! Now, upward and onward!
Easter Flowers
 
Easter Lily If you would like to contribute toward the cost of Easter flowers and decorations, please fill out the pink form, which will be provided in the Order of Service, and return it with your donation to the offering plate of Parish Office no later than Palm Sunday, 24 March 2013. The suggested donation is $25. You may also contribute via PayPal by clicking on the PayPal logo below. Please provide your dedication ("In memory of..." or "In thanksgiving for...") in the special instructions section of you PayPal payment. 
 
Donate  
Fr. Stuart's Contact Information

   

If you wish to contact Fr. Stuart please email him at [email protected]

Today is an Ember Day!
 
In the Western Christian churches, Ember Days are four separate sets of three days within the same week - specifically the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday - that are set aside for fasting, prayers and ordination. It is a time to pray for bishops, priests and deacons, and - more recently - all Christians in their vocation. Some churches make it a common practice - it used to be a universal practice - to ordain persons to the clergy on these days. 
 
The Ember Days take place on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of  "Ember Weeks". There are four Ember Weeks per year:
  • between the second and third Sundays of Advent
  • between the first and second Sundays of Lent
  • between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
  • the week beginning on the Sunday after Holy Cross Day (14th September)

Some claim that the name may come from the Anglo-Saxon ymb-ren - a circuit or revolution; something that recurs, and some claim that the word comes from the German quatember, which is a corruption of the Latin quatuor tempora, meaning "four times." 

 

Today, we pray for our candidates for holy orders (Ms. Shireen Baker, Mr. Steven De Muth), deacon (Dea. Walter S. Johnson), priests (Fr. Ian Elliott Davies, Fr. Gary London, Fr. Mark D. Stuart), and bishops (Bp. J. Jon Bruno, Bp. Diane Bruce, Bp. Mary Glasspool).

In This Issue
Sermons
Stations of the Cross
Lenten Study Course
Limberlost! The Musical
Easter Flowers
Parking Update
Quick Links
The Second Sunday of Lent

 

Lections

Genesis 5:1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27
Philippians 3:17--4:1
St. Luke 13:31-end

Celebrant & Preacher

Fr. Gary London

  

Deacon

Dea. Walter S. Johnson


Choir Master
Mr. James Keltner

Organist
Mr. Jeffrey Parola
LASchola sings William Byrd TOMORROW NIGHT
  

LASchola will be singing William Byrd's Mass for Four Voices at tomorrow's 5pm Latin Vigil Mass.

 

Following the Mass, please join us in the Parish Hall for refreshments and meet the LASchola singers!

 

The LASchola is a small local singing ensemble that performs early music of the Church in the context for which it was written - the Mass. On the fourth Saturday of each month, the LASchola accompanies the weekly Vigil Mass at St. Thomas. To listen to a prior performance, click on the link below:

 

 

HELP WANTED
Parish Hall Painting 
  

On 26-28 February and Saturday, 2 March, the Small Parish Hall, hallway to the women's restroom, and the women's restroom are being painted. New lighting will also be installed. If you can lend a hand, be it only to clean windows or walls prior to painting, help set-up, or just hold a ladder, it would be greatly appreciated. 

 

All of this is being done in preparation for having the floors refinished 11-22 March. The plan, if we meet the schedule, is to give both halls a complete fresh face-lift for Holy Week and Easter brunch. 

 

If you can help please email Ken Koonce

Who Does What?
  

During the Vestry's Retreat a couple of weeks ago, the Vestry appointed chairs of our committees and set goals for the coming year. 

 

For your convenience you may see the our Committee Structure as well as the directory on our website or by CLICKING HERE!

 

If you have an interest in a particular ministry, please contact the person who heads that ministry.

Bake Sale 

   

On Sunday, 10 March (Laetare Sunday) following both the Low & High Masses, the Parish Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham will host a bake sale fundraiser in the Large Parish Hall to raise money for their ministries.

There will be an Easter egg hunt on Easter Day at 9:45am! Kids, bring your own Easter Basket and meet at the gate to the back garden of the Rectory. Please RSVP to David Silvas 

On This Day in 
Christian History 

   

On this day in 1906 itinerant evangelist William J. Seymour arrived in Los Angeles to lead a Holiness Mission. The group grew larger as word spread of its revival meetings and speaking in tongues, and it eventually moved to a rundown building on Azusa Street. The church's revival is often cited as one of the birthplaces of Pentecostalism.

Coming Soon...

 

Please join us for many Parish activities.  Here's a sampling of upcoming events - a full list is available online 

   

23 February @ 7:30am

Homeless Feeding & Outreach


23 February @ 5:00pm

LASchola sings the Mass

 

25 February @ 9:30am

County-USC AIDS Clinic Feeding Program

 

9 March @ 7:30am

Homeless Feeding & Outreach

 

16 March @ 10:30am 

Newcomer Orientation Series 

  

19 March @ 7:30pm

Vestry Meeting  
IMPORTANT: 
New Sunday Parking Hours!

   

PARKING ON GARDNER STREET IS NOW ALLOWED ON SUNDAYS UNRESTRICTED BETWEEN 7AM & 1PM DESPITE THE POSTED PROHIBITIONS! There is no two-hour limit! If a Parishioner receives a ticket for parking on Gardner on a Sunday between 7am and 1pm, please forward it to the Parish Office. Please remember that Saturday Gardner Street parking continues to be prohibited. Gardner Street parking after 1pm on Sunday is also prohibited. We anticipate the new Sunday hours will be especially helpful for choir members, acolytes, and others who desire more time for worship and fellowship. 

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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