eNews
23 January 2015


 

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 Second Sunday of Epiphany
The Second Sunday of Epiphany

 

To see more sermons and services go to our YouTube Page!

The 2015 Vestry

   

We congratulate and thank the following Parishioners who will make up the Vestry for St. Thomas in 2015.

 

Mr. John Bollard, Rector's Warden

Mr. Randy Oglesby, People's Warden

Mr. Bradford Chambers, Treasurer

Mr. Stephen Kemp, Clerk

 

Ms. Brit Bjurstrom

Ms. Debby Driscoll

Ms. Julie Heimark

Mr. Robert Jones

Ms. Leslie Kaplan

Ms. Taffia Kennedy

Mr. Ben Pratt

 

Approved minutes from Vestry Meetings and Annual Parish Meeting packets are available on the website.

Canon Davies, Guest at Temple Israel Event, Featured on KTLA

   

CLICK HERE to see the KTLA interview with Canon Davies and other religious leaders about the Dr. Martin Luther King celebration at Temple Israel.
 

St. Thomas Concert Series

   

The St. Thomas Concert Series presents its second concert of the season: THE GREATS GREATLY GROUNDED, on Sunday, 8 Feburary 2015, at 1:30pm in the church. St. Thomas' Organist/Choirmaster, Jeffrey Parola, plays the St. Thomas Memorial Organ in an organ recital of works by Bach, Elgar, Messiaen, Mathias, and Widor, with interspersed humorous, dramatic readings of criticisms of, and by, the composers featured. While most of the composers on this program are considered to be "great" in hindsight, they all were subject to criticism in their day, and they, too, were often harshly critical of other artists. It will be an afternoon of great music humanized with humor. 

 

Ash Wednesday    

On Ash Wednesday, 18 Feburary 2015, the Parish Church will offer three Masses with Imposition of Ashes. Two Low Masses will take place at 8am and noon, and a High Mass will take place at 7:30pm. All are strongly encouraged to avail themselves of one of these major fasting day Masses.

Sign-up Sheets

 

2015 Sign-up Sheets for Coffee Hour, Flowers, and Lamps are in the Large Parish Hall. There are several vacancies in February. Please sign up today!


An Update from Dr. Challoner
   

After weeks of training and simulated exercises with the Center for Domestic Preparedness under FEMA and the Dept. of Homeland Security, Dr. Kathryn Challoner will be deployed to Africa on 22 January to fight the Ebola outbreak. Some have asked how they can help. Dr. Challoner suggests:

  1. Prayers always!
  2. If you are a qualified Health Care provider - consider going
  3. If you can afford a donation, send a check with "Medical Mission Fund" in the memo section to:

The Third Order Society of St. Francis

PO Box 121

Rahway, NJ 07065

 

A committee of dedicated tertiaries are overseeing this fund which has three aims:

  1. A scholarship fund for Liberians in the Health Care sciences to enable them to help their country and on-going medical trauma symposiums.
  2. To support Phebe Hospital - an Episcopal Lutheran hospital in rural Liberia.
  3. An Ebola orphan home (new project). 
Big Sunday

   

Looking for a way to help the community? Big Sunday offers more than 1500 ways you can help! Click on the image below to download the flyer.

 


   

On Christmas Day 1864, when The Rev. Elias Birdsall, age 34, read morning prayer for 10 people gathered in L.A.'s Odd Fellows Hall, he most likely never dreamed that then-frontier town of about 5,000 people would grow to become the nation's second largest metropolitan region, with some 18 million residents today.

 

Since that Christmas morning, services have continued every week for the past 150 years, and the congregation - named for St. Athanasius, the 4th-century Bishop of Alexandria - today remains a vibrant center of prayer and service at the heart of our Cathedral Center of St. Paul. It is the oldest continuing Protestant congregation in Southern California.

 

In the spirit of The Rev. Elias Birdsall's original 1865 lecture series, the Diocese of Los Angeles presents the following lectures:

 

CATHEDRAL CENTER:

JERUSALEM EPIPHANIES: CHURCHES FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE CONSULTATION 

Friday, 23 January, noon

Midday Tri-Faith Prayer Service

 

Saturday, 24 January, 10am-3pm

Symposium, Lunch, Workshops

 

HISTORIANS' WEEKEND: THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Friday, 27 February, 6pm

Reception, Dinner, Video Preview

 

Saturday, 28 February, 10am-3pm

Symposium, Lunch, Workshops

 

CAMPBELL HALL:

CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH-LEADERSHIP FORUM WITH THE PRESIDING BISHOP*

Tuesday, 24 March, 11am

 

*Ticketed event co-sponsored by The Episcopal Church. Viewing site (open admission) at the Cathedral Center.

The Guibord Center Presents:
"Trouble in Families: 
The Abrahamic Texts, 
A Panel Discussion"

   

 

 

All families have difficulties. The Guibord Center strives to "turn religion inside out" with a panel discussion shedding light on some of the difficult and troubling texts regarding families. Three faith leaders, representing the major Abrahamic traditions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, will speak from authority about these passages. 

 

WHEN:

Sunday, 25 January 2015, 3-5pm


 

WHERE:

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

540 S. Commonwealth Ave. Los Angeles, 90020


 

WHO:

The Rev. Dr. Scott Colglazier, Moderator

First Congregational Church, Los Angeles

 

The Very Rev. John Bakas

Dean, St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral 

 

Imam Jihad Turk

President, Bayan Claremont Islamic Graduate School

 

Rabbi Suzanne Singer

Temple Beth El, Riverside


 

RSVP:

CLICK HERE to RSVP 

In This Issue
The Conversion of St. Paul

 

Lections

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 67
Acts 9:1-22
St. Matthew 19:27-end

Celebrant & Preacher

Canon Ian Elliott Davies

 

Deacon 

Dea. Walter S. Johnson

 

Organist/Choir Mstr

Mr. Jeffrey Parola
Sunday's Music

 

Prelude

"Nimrod" from Enigma Variations
by Edward Elgar
(1857-1934)


Offertory

O For a Closer Walk with God
by C.V. Stanford
(1852-1924)

Postlude

Salmo XIX
by Benedetto Marcello
(1686-1739)
Vestry Retreat 

   

On 13-15 February, the Clergy and Vestry will be attending the Vestry Retreat at Serra Retreat Center in Malibu. During this time, the following Celebrants have been assigned:

 

Friday, 13 Feb.

NO MASS

 

Saturday, 14 Feb.

10am - Fr. Stuart

5pm - Mo. Baker

 

Sunday, 15 Feb.

8am & 10:30am - 

Mo. Baker

Automatic Payments

   

You may now make automatic monthly payments to St. Thomas via PayPal! this is an easy way to remember pledge and Capital Campaign payments. Visit the WEBSITE. Click "Donate" on the right side and follow the instructions. Make sure to check the box "Make This Recurring" in order to make it recur monthly.

 

   

We thank the 24 households (down from 42 last quarter) who shopped at Ralph's between 1 September and 30 November and registered their rewards card to support St. Thomas. This quarter's contribution of $102.43 makes the total contributed by Ralph's since October 2007 to be $4,833.39! Every time these Parishioners use their Ralph's card at checkout, the company contributes a percentage to the Parish (NOTE: You must use a physical card; entering your phone number at checkout does NOT benefit the Parish). To confirm that you are one of the 24 households contributing, look at the bottom of your next receipt. It should say that Ralph's is making a donation to St. Thomas on your behalf. To make sure that your grocery purchases benefit St. Thomas:

  1. go to  Ralphs.com
  2. sign in (or sign up if it's your first time)
  3. click on "My Account"
  4. click on "Community Rewards"
  5. Search for "84981" without the quotes or "Saint Thomas the Apostle".

Thanks for shopping at Ralph's for St. Thomas!

Books Available!

   

St. Thomas is clearing out needed storage space and has a number of books available to those interested. The bookcases are located in the basement, just outside the Choir Room door. Please help yourself. Any remaining books will be donated to a local thrift store at the end of January.

Chambers of Commerce   


 

As a member of the Hollywood and West Hollywood Chambers of Commerce, all members of the church are welcome to avail themselves of info and events! Click below for the two websites:


 

HOLLYWOOD
 

 

WEST HOLLYWOOD 

On This Day in 
Christian History 

   

On this day in 1786 John Carroll, who would become America's first Roman Catholic Bishop, founded the Catholic academy that is now Georgetown University.

Coming Soon...

 

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

 

 

24 January @ 7:30am

Homeless Feeding & Outreach


 

24 January @ 5:00pm
LASchola sings Latin Vigil Mass

26 January @ 10:00am 

County-USC AIDS Clinic Feeding Program 

 

13-15 February
Vestry Retreat


 

14 February @ 7:30am

Homeless Feeding & Outreach


 

16 February

Parish Office Closed 

21 February @ 10:30am 

Newcomer Orientation Series 

Parking at St. Thomas

   

Regardless of what the signs read, parking on Gardner Street is now allowed on Sundays unrestricted between 7am and 1pm. There is no two-hour time limit! 

 

If you receive a ticket, contest the ticket by filling out the form found CLICKING HERE! Contact the Office if you have any issues.

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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