St. Thomas' Tidings
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
WELCOME all who enter these doors, especially those who enter for the first time or after a long absence. May this place be like home to you!
All are welcome to receive the Bread and Wine at this altar.
AVAILABILITY:
The Rector is available Tuesdays-Friday
The office is open these hours:
Monday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tuesday – Thursday 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.
The Church is open for prayer
most days until 4 p.m.
PEOPLE are available in the Chapel during Holy Communion to pray with you about any need or thanksgiving.
HELP! You don’t have to arrange flowers, but could you water them once or twice a month? It takes less than an hour, much less if there are two of you, and not only does it keep the Church looking lovelier, but it saves money on purchasing flowers. The Flower Guild is stretched a bit thin at the moment and would wlecome YOUR help. Of course we always welcome “arrangers” as well. Please speak to JoAnne Ryan, Anne Ayers, Sarah Aley, Tiffany Andrews, Rosalee Glass, or Corallie Murray, if you can spare a half hour or so. THANK you!
Corallie Murray
CONNECTING WITH TEENS St. Thomas’ has recently struck up a friendship with the teens and adult mentors at The Rig, an after-school gathering place on Elm Street for senior high school students. We have been supporting them with donations of paper supplies and snacks. Some of the teens have volunteered with us when it is St. Thomas’ turn to prepare and serve at the Soup Kitchen in Rockland. We expect to be having further exchange activities between us in the months to come. The St. Thomas’ Outreach Coalition would like for our parish community to be able to donate a small tub of snacks to The Rig every Tuesday. To that end, we are asking for snack contributions. We are putting a large plastic container marked “for The Rig” on the counter in the St. Thomas’ kitchen. We hope that when any of us are shopping, we might pick up a few healthy snacks for the snack tub; for example, fresh fruit, tortilla chips, nuts, popcorn, baked treats, or granola bars. We can bring them any time during the week, and on Tuesday afternoons someone will deliver them to The Rig. Thanks, everyone
HOLY WOMEN, HOLY MEN
May 7: Harriet Starr Cannon, Religious, 1896, was the founder of the Community of St. Mary (1865) of which she was the first superior. Their apostolate began with nursing but over the years it has included schools, hospitals, orphanages and retreat houses. May 8: Dame Julian of Norwich, c. 1417, is known for her Revelations of Divine Love, her interpretation of visions she received during an illness. She retired to a cell attached to St. Julian at Norwich where she lived for the rest of her life, meditating on the meaning of these visions. Her conclusion was that Love was its meaning and her book is a tender and beautiful exposition of God’s eternal and all embracing love, showing how his charity toward the human race is exhibited in the Passion. He says, I can make all things well; I will make all things well; I shall make all things well; and thou can see for thyself that all manner of things shall be well. May 9: Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, 389, one of the Capadocian Fathers, was one of the great theologians of his era and with his friend Basil fought against the Arian heresy. Against his Basil forced him to become Bishop Sama in order in this fight. but it was a hateful place and caused a rift between them. The Emperor Theodosius entered and expelled the Arian bishop and clergy and Gregory was elected bishop of Constantinople when, on a rainy day, a ray of sunshine picked out Gregory in the church of Hagia Sophia. May 10: Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Prophetic Witness, was a Count of the Holy Roman Empire. He supported the Bohemian Brethren and gave them shelter on his estate. This group became the Moravian Church with world wide missions including in this country. He was an early supporter of ecumenism and in the Pennsylvania Synods tried to bring various Protestant sects together. He died in 1760. – Sue Voorhies