Dear St. Thomas’,
Holy week is nearly upon us!
Thanks to the dedicated work of parish volunteers, most of you should receive worship bulletins covering all of Holy Week in the mail. If you come to worship on-campus, indoors or out, please bring those bulletins with you!
This Sunday we will pass out palms to those who desire them, and then read the entire Passion of Christ, according to Mark. We will let Mark’s story stand on its own, without additional comment.
Our Holy Week schedule is in the box below. One recent addition to it is time for silent prayer in the nave on Good Friday. Some of our Vestry have offered to serve as Safety Coordinators, opening up the church building for those who wish to come and pray silently. Holding to our protocols, each pew will be wiped down with an alcohol wipe between occupants, as we strive to maintain it as a safe space. Some of you haven’t been inside the church building for more than a year now. This is an opportunity to come dwell quietly and connect Jesus’ own suffering with the challenges we have faced this past year.
Finally, our Easter Vigil will look different this year than it has previously. We will meet outdoors on Easter Eve (3 April) at 6pm. We will tell our ancient stories, the stories of who we are as God’s people, around the campfire and our own St. Thomas’ musicians will offer us hymns and songs of praise between stories. If you are able to attend in person, I encourage to you bring a bell (as every year) to ring at the announcement of Jesus’ resurrection. I also invite you to bring a candle that can stand on its own. We will place our candles before the altar to light our twilight Eucharist.
This Easter will look different from any previous Easter. That seems right. The Resurrection is about new life, a different life, unlike that which we have ever experienced before. Now, in this Lenten season, we await God’s work in our lives.
Faithfully,
Todd+
Holy Week and Easter Schedule:
- Palm Sunday (28 March)
- Saturday, 6pm: Holy Eucharist (Nave)
- Sunday, 8am: Holy Eucharist (Parish Hall & Zoom)
- Sunday, 10.30am: Holy Eucharist (Rectory Lawn)
- Holy Monday
- 4pm: Centering Prayer (Zoom)
- 7pm: Evening Prayer (Zoom)
- Holy Tuesday
- 7pm: Evening Prayer (Zoom)
- Holy Wednesday
- 5.30pm: Holy Eucharist (Lychgate)
- 7pm: Lenten Pilgrimage (Zoom)
- Maundy Thursday
- 7pm (Parish Hall & Zoom)
- Good Friday
- Noon to 3pm: Silent Prayer in the Nave
- 7pm (Parish Hall & Zoom)
- Holy Saturday
- 10am: Prayer Office (Lychgate)
- 6pm: The Great Vigil of Easter (Rectory Lawn)
- Easter Sunday
- 8am (Parish Hall & Zoom)
- 10.30am (Rectory Lawn)
-
No Sunday School or Youth Group on Easter Sunday
RSVP’s recommended for all indoor services due to limited seating capacity. Once our carefully arranged seats are filled, all others will be turned away.
Are you looking to begin Holy Week with a quiet retreat? Join our friends at St. Elizabeth’s (Elizabeth, NJ) on Saturday, 27 March, at 9am as their ECW hosts a Lenten Quiet Morning with guest speaker Kimmie Carlos. Register here.
Responding to the tragedy of racially motivated murders in Atlanta, and the ongoing violence and intimidation aimed at Asian Americans, Episcopal Asian Ministries is hosting “Stop Asian Hate,” a gathering of Episcopal Asians and our allies for lament, healing, action and solidarity this Saturday, March 27, 2021 from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Register Here. If you would like to receive updates, events, and news related to Racial Reconciliation and the Episcopal Church, sign up here.
Are you curious about the Foundations of Faith? Then join Father Todd online for a five week course based on videos produced by the Diocese of New Jersey. Beginning next Wednesday, 7 April, at 7pm we will begin each week with a 20-40 minute video, followed by 30-40 minutes of conversation.
Each year the Diocese ECW grants Student Service Awards to graduating seniors and students continuing their college education. We encourage all our qualifying church members to apply for this award. Find instructions and the application here. The deadline to apply is May 1st.
St. Thomas’ is hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive on Tuesday, 4 May, from 2pm-7pm. Sign up online or use sponsor code: St. Thomas Glassboro
The state of New Jersey has open a “pre-registration portal” for residents to sign up to receive vaccination against Covid-19. Sign up at https://covidvaccine.nj.gov/. You might also call around to local hospitals or pharmacies to see if they have openings in their own distributions of the vaccine. One resource suggested by others in our Diocese is the Vaccine Spotter website. It can help you find pharmacies with available appointments. Finally, the Diocese of New Jersey is offering assistance for anyone having difficulty making an appointment.
The CDC has provided guidance for those who have received the Covid-19 vaccine. Some protocols are relaxed among “fully-vaccinated” persons in private settings. For as long as not everyone has access to the vaccine, we will as a parish observe the protocols that keep everyone – including the unvaccinated – safe. This is a matter of justice: we do this in order to be in solidarity with all God’s children.
Announcements for the bulletin or parish email are due into the office by noon on Wednesday of each week. You can email them to office@stthomasglassboro.org or call the office at 856-881-9144. Announcements are subject to editing due to limited space.
Download this week’s bulletin or see the online version.
Lectionary readings for this week: Mark 11:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Mark 14:1-15:47, Psalm 31:9-16
Lectionary readings for next week: Acts 10:34-43, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Mark 16:1-8, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Please continue in your daily prayers for: Dennis, Marge, Joann, Jimmie, John, Bob, Chuck, Andrea, Jimmie, Jerry, Bill, Ben, Joan, Kendon, Gary, Carl, Bill, Jeannie, Zenaida, Kass, Joan, Michael
This Weekend at St. Thomas’
- Friday, 7pm: Stations of the Cross online
- Saturday, 6.00pm: Holy Eucharist in the Nave (limited capacity: RSVP here)
- Sunday, 8.00am: Holy Eucharist in the Parish Hall and on Zoom (limited capacity: RSVP here)
- Sunday, 9.00am: Online Sunday School for pre-school to pre-teens
- Sunday, 10.30am: Holy Eucharist Outdoors at St. Thomas’
- Sunday, afternoon: Holy Eucharist at St. Thomas’ (recorded)
- Sunday, 6.00pm: Youth Group Online
Contact Dan O. for details.
Summit on Building and Equipping the Beloved Community
Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m.
Join us for an engaging forum grounded in sacred scripture that will educate, inspire, and energize all participants for active engagement in the work of building and equipping the “Beloved Community” by addressing the root causes of poverty and injustice.
Register for the Summit on Building and Equipping the Beloved Community
Learn more about Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of New Jersey.
See a calendar of Saints of the Episcopal Church.
Which Saint will you remember today?
See the official St. Thomas’ calendar or a list of upcoming events.
Are you serving in liturgy? Check the rota!
Saturdays, 6pm: Holy Eucharist
in the Nave: limited to 12 pews of up to two people each
Sundays, 8am: Holy Eucharist
in the Parish Hall and online
Sundays, 9am: Sunday School
online: for children
Sundays, 10.30am: Holy Eucharist
outdoors, rain or shine, unless below freezing
Sundays, 6pm: Youth Group
online: for teens
Mondays, 4pm: Centering Prayer online
Tuesdays, 6.30pm: Small Group Bible Study online
Wednesday, 5.30pm: Holy Eucharist
outdoors, rain or shine
Wednesdays, 7.00pm: Lenten Pilgrimage online
Fridays, 7.00pm: Stations of the Cross online
Daily on Weekdays: Morning Prayer
online: recorded
https://www.stthomasglassboro.org/
OFFICE:
office@stthomasglassboro.org
Office telephone:
856-881-9144
Emergency Pastoral Care:
856-881-2841
Call this number if you have a pastoral emergency, such as an alert about an ailing parishioner, a hospital stay, a death in the family, or to request last rites. Leave a message and with a phone number for your call to be returned.