St. Thomas Episcopal Church: News & Stories

Fall Schedule of Events at St. Thomas
The fall semester brings people back from vacations, students back to the community and St. Thomas back up to full speed. This fall is special with our Anniversary Celebration coming up: 70 years as a mission; 50 years as a parish! Here is a list of happenings and new beginnings for this fall.

Sun Aug 17	Adut Forum returns, Sundays @ 9:40am
Sun, Aug 24 & 31	Ownership Sundays
Sun, Aug 31	Four Squares Skate & Pizza (12:00pm)
Thu, Sept 4	Adult Bible Study led by The Rev. Lisa Hines (Thursday evenings)
Sun, Sept 7	Sunday School Starts (9:40am) Commissioning of Sunday School Teachers (10:30am) Families with Young Children Cookout @ Tanglewood (3:30pm)
Fri, Sept 12	Mature Adults starts up again with lunch in the Parish Hall (12:00pm)
Sun, Sept 14	Contemporary Service returns (5:30pm) EYC meets for the 1st time this fall (6:00pm)
Sat & Sun, Sept 20 & 21	Anniversary Celebration

Sun, Nov 2	Fall Harvest Adventure (12:00pm, formerly Fall Fiesta and Riverside Adventure)

Ownership Sundays, August 24 & 31 (9:00am – 12:00pm)
Celebrate the opportunities each of us have as a member of the Body of Christ. Take ownership of St. Thomas' ministries and participate with your church family by signing up to volunteer for more than 20 different ministries from Altar Guild to Acolyting to Families with Young Children to Bible Study to many, many more opportunities. New Ministries are opening this year, like the Adult Bible Study & St. Thomas Green. Check the tables in the Parish Hall on these Sundays.

St. Thomas' Anniversary Celebration
September 20-21
Come celebrate St. Thomas' 70 years of mission and 50 years a parish with a music program, lunch, and walk-a-bout of entire campus, and Sunday services honoring former clergy.

Saturday, September 20
10:30am	Special Music Program Tour of Church Campus
Noon	"Come-and-Go" Luncheon, Ministry Center
Sunday, September 21
8:00am	Holy Eucharist (Rite I)
9:00am	Light Brunch &Visiting, Parish Hall
10:30am	Holy Eucharist (Rite II) Recognitionof Bishops, Clergy & Missioners
11:30am	Light Refreshents under the Gathering Tree

Four Squares Skate & Pizza, Sunday, August 31 (noon –2pm)
Four Squares is back! ... inviting all 5th &6th graders to Arctic Wolf Pen Skate. Parents: Please stay and help plan the year's activities!

Adult Bible Study (Thursday evenings)
Coming in September, Lisa Hines will teach a Bible Study class on Thursday evenings, beginning with a study of the Gospel of Mark, the oldest of the four gospels. If there is sufficient interest, a parallel group will also meet on some weekday morning or afternoon. In exploring the meaning of the text, the group will consider not only the events found in the gospel, but also the context in which the gospel was composed and the ways in which our own context informs how we read the gospel.

Families with Young Children
This group of young families meets (usually) on the First Friday of every month for food, fun and fellowship. Upcoming events include:

Sun, Sept 7 (3:30–5:30): Cookout at Tanglewood Splash Pad, Bryan

Fri, Oct 3: First Friday in Downtown Bryan

Mature Adults Luncheon ...
meets on the 2nd Friday of every month at noon in the Parish Hall. Bring a sack lunch and a friend! Drinks and desserts are provided.

Youth Mission Trip to Heifer Ranch
Heifer International is a world hunger organization known to many through the Heifer Project, a fundraiser that encourages individuals and organizations to purchase livestock for impoverished families as part of a program that promotes economic and environmental sustainability. In early June, Mthr. Lisa and Beth Lawrence took eight young people, ages 12 through 18, to Heifer Ranch, the base of Heifer International in Perryville, Arkansas. In a five day program, the group attended classes and demonstrations (in green gardening, composting, trash and recycling awareness, world poverty and hunger, cottage industries, fair trade markets, and livestock use and care), contributed to ranch operations through service (tree trimming as part of a reforesting project, livestock care, gardening, road building and fence mending), participated in team building and challenge course activities with other group of kids from across the country, and spent a night in the Global Village. The Global Village is a recreation of the housing and living conditions of the poor in various parts of the world. Our young people (and their adult sponsors) were assigned to the Urban Slum and briefly experienced the realities of hunger, unequal distributions of resources, and the struggle required to acquire and prepare even meager rations. The youth look forward to sponsoring a church garage sale in early February with proceeds going to Heifer International.
Eliza Fackler writes, "Heifer Ranch was amazing, and I can't say that enough. Maybe it's because of the people I went with or the unforgettable experiences I had.... I definitely want to go back."
Youth participants included Frances Shelby, Kevin Fox, Jimmy and Eliza Fackler, Tyler Isenhart, Pearce Miller, Thanet Lawrence, and Jacob Altendorf.

Church Pantry needs
   • canned goods,
   • rice,
   • beans, &
   • spaghetti.
Also needed is cash to buy eggs & meat.
Drop off items in the Narthex of the church or add contributions to the plate offerings on Sundays.

Episcopal Relief & Development
urgently needs assistance for Midwest flood victims. For more information, see the press relief Episcopal Relief & Development Responds to Flooding in the Midwest. To make an on-line donation, go to the online donation page.

St. Thomas Vacation Bible Camp: Caring for Creation
What a wonderful, glorious week of faith, fellowship and delicious food! On June 23, St. Thomas stepped into new territory with an evening Vacation Bible Camp. Families gathered for supper, and then the excitement began with great camp songs and puppet plays (by Lisa Hines) that incorporate Bible stories and St. Thomas Green themes of simple living and caring for creation. The children then gathered in age groups for crafts and games that continued to focus on the Camp's theme. … [ photos ]

St. Thomas Green: Tote Bags
Totes emblazoned with the new St. Thomas Green: Stewardship for God's Creation logo (see image) are available for purchase on Sundays, immediately before and after the 10:30 service. But, only a few are still available! This beautiful logo is the work of three parishioners: Janet Fox, Mike Kelly, and Francie Kelly. Show your concern for conservation and the environment and publicize our Church's commitment to the environment by purchasing one or more of these large grocery totes. The totes are 13 x 5.5 x 7 inches and made of heavy canvas, with strong woven handles. The totes are $10.00 for one or $9.00 each when you purchase two or more bags. We expect the first batch of totes to go quickly. To make sure that you receive a tote, you can reserve your bags by emailing or calling the church office. Proceeds from sale of the totes goes to various "green" projects for St. Thomas, including the purchase of compact fluorescent light bulbs, programmable thermostats, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, and community outreach activities.

St. Thomas Green Banner
Quilters are needed to help create a banner featuring the new St. Thomas Green: Stewardship for God's Creation logo. All materials for the banner have been donated, and the Rev. Lisa Hines has volunteered to offer design assistance. If you are willing to help and know how to quilt, please contact Lisa.

St. Thomas Green members gather at Brison Park in College Station to observe the bird life
The seven of us gathered at Brison Park before 8:00am in a light fog. We had the place to ourselves. It was remarkable that we were only a five-minute walk from St. Thomas and a ten-minute walk from Kyle Field. Yet, in this secluded, deep, wooded glen we encountered a myriad of exquisite migrating songbirds. … [ photos ]