On Thursday, 4 July St. Martin's Guild is organizing a potluck and fireworks outing! At 6:30pm Parishioners should arrive with their favorite dish at 3001 Dell Ave. in Venice. By 9pm, the group will have walked to Marina Beach (0.3 mile away) to enjoy the 4th of July Fireworks Celebration of Marina del Rey! At 9pm explosions will be shot from a barge across the marina's main channel for twenty minutes. You may also listen to synchronized music on 88.9FM as well. See Maty Wolfe for more details.

In the December 2, 2011 e-Newsletter, the Vestry announced the launch of the Organ Project whose goal was to renovate, and potentially complete, the St. Thomas Organ. As many will recall, the St. Thomas Organ was built between 1988 and 1990 and was, in many respects, a memorial to the dozens of parishioners and others in the community affected by AIDS during the 1980's - a number of whom are interred in the walls of our Church.  There were limited funds to build the organ at the time, so many pre-existing parts that had a good amount of remaining life were used with the plan to replace them within 10 to 15 years. After lasting more than 20 years, the Vestry finally decided to shut the Organ down in late 2011 for safety reasons. For the first six months of 2012, St. Thomas relied on a piano to accompany the Choir during the Sunday High Mass.

After several months with a piano, the Vestry retained the original builder of the St. Thomas Organ, Weston Harris, to see if he could create an "Interim Organ" so that at least a portion of the Organ could be safely used during the Sunday High Mass. Fortunately, Mr. Harris was able to bypass trouble areas of the Organ and reconfigure the rest so that approximately one-third of the St. Thomas Organ could be used. While the "Interim Organ" is a temporary solution and supports basic congregational singing, it is not a substitute for the complete Organ rebuild that was announced in 2011, but should have been completed years ago. Accordingly, with the support and approval of the Diocese, St. Thomas has applied for a construction line of credit (secured by its property) that will help fund the initiation of the Organ Project. Also, after a lengthy investigation and bidding process, St. Thomas has hired Mr. Harris to renovate and complete the St. Thomas Organ.

Besides the Organ Project, the Vestry is considering embarking on a number of other projects, some of which have been previously considered, but delayed for many years. These additional projects under consideration include:

• Re-leading of the stained glass windows in the main Church:
• Completion of the masonry detail on the exterior of the main Church
• Implementing the existing plan for enclosing the Courtyard with decorative wrought iron gates that compliment the main Church
• Air conditioning/heating for the main Church
• Upgrading video equipment to expand the St. Thomas Video Ministry

To help determine the feasibility of moving forward with some or all of these projects, the Vestry has retained an experienced church consultant, Richard Felton, who will help guide St. Thomas through the process of determining how best to proceed. To that end, the Vestry is organizing a Parish meeting to: (1) provide information regarding the potential projects referenced above to the Parish; and (2) obtain input from the Parish regarding these projects. To ensure the greatest possible participation in the meeting, there will be two opportunities for parishioners to meet and discuss the projects referenced above.  

If you have any questions regarding the Organ Project, the additional projects listed above, or the upcoming Parish meetings, please see any member of the Vestry. 

The Bible has been viewed as a misogynist text that treats women as property, sanctions their abuse, promotes their subordination, and proclaims the impossible standard of virgin mother.

How has the Bible been used to prevent women's flourishing, and how might a more historically informed and theologically aware reading recover the Bible as an inspirational resource for both women and men?

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences, combines historical-critical rigor, literary-critical sensitivity, and a frequent dash of humor with a commitment to eliminating anti-Jewish, sexist, and homophobic theologies. 

For more information and to RSVP, please CLICK HERE

This Sunday, Bethlehem Hand Crafts will be selling items made from olive wood from the Holy Land, which are featured each year at the Annual Diocesan Convention. For more information on Feras' work, please visit his WEBSITE

From 24 June through 4 July Fr. Davies will be on holiday in Great Britain celebrating his mother's 70th birthday and his parents' 50th wedding anniversary. During this time, Frs. Gary London & Mark D. Stuart will be available for the Masses and pastoral needs.

Calling all singers, dancers, actors, instrumentalists, jugglers, comedians, etc. The first annual Family Follies is looking for all interested Parishioners who want to share their talents with the rest of the church on the fun-filled evening of Saturday, 29 June at 7pm. All ages are welcome! No talent too small! Contact Jim Keltner for more information. Do not hide your talents under a bush!