The Steeple Bell. From the Pastor... Information for the St. Thomas Episcopal Church Family, August Dear Family of God,

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1 The Steeple Bell Information for the St. Thomas Episcopal Church Family, August 2018 Dear Family of God, From the Pastor... I was reading the Forward Day by Day meditation booklet this morning that is available in our tract rack in the main church vestibule. One of the scripture readings for the day is from Romans chapter 14. Verses 7 and 8 caught my attention; We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord s. These verses are used in the Episcopal burial liturgy and are comforting and reassuring words. They tell us that all of us living our lives, and no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, are held and upheld by the powerful and loving arms of God. Therefore, even if we think we are alone we can never be truly alone because God is here and always will be. Further, all of humanity is connected to one another because of our living, eternal God who created everything that is including human beings. Sometimes, when things go wrong in relationships, for instance, there s the temptation and even sinful desire to cut that person out of your life and have nothing more to do with him or her. At first, this may be understandable if great hurt is involved, but the web of connection we all have to each other through God means we must work at getting past whatever has caused a rift. Forgiving others the wrong he or she may have done to us is often hard. Notice that the word giving is in the word forgiving. What can you or I give, or give up to restore a broken relationship? Maybe, you or I will never be bosom buddies again with the one with whom we have a fractured relationship but forgiveness by both parties is the only way to find peace so each one can go on without emotional baggage. Many of us carry emotional baggage in our lives because of things that have happened in a relationship with a family member, a friend, a boss, a co-worker, a neighbor, or in some other professional relationship. No big deal? Here s the problem, though. Unresolved matters in relationships can become triggers to cause upset in another situation totally removed from an original hurt which may have happened a long time ago with someone else. What happens is the inner vulnerable part of you remembers the back then hurt and feels it all over again and often reacts out of proportion to a similar but new and totally different situation. For example, over the top anger may occur. This is why all of us must forgive others by an act of our will. Meaning, we decide to forgive Joe or Jane. (Saying this out loud when alone would be good.) When you do this, you may not feel, emotionally, that you have forgiven Joe or Jane, but believe it or not if you decide to forgive and remind yourself you have done this, then, if a former bad memory comes to the fore your emotions will fall into line with your decision to forgive, and you will be set free of troubling emotions or memories. In other words, you may not ever forget what previously occurred but you will have come to a place of peace about it. Think of the difference it would make in our world if forgiveness was an action practiced by all and not just a concept. It starts with remembering our web of connection to one another and to God. In the peace of Christ, Rev. Shirley +

2 Worship Services: Rev. Shirley s Contact Information: Cell:(734) Home: (734) revshirleymcw@yahoo.com Sunday, 8:00am & 10:00am Holy Eucharist Morning Prayers Services will be on the 2nd and 5th Sundays of each month. Wednesday, 10:30am Holy Eucharist (Sept-May) and Seasonally as Announced The Steeple Bell A monthly publication Christian Education of Children & Youth 10:00am Sundays Adults-Wed 11:00am (Sept-May) and St. Thomas Episcopal Church 2441 Nichols Drive Trenton, MI Web Site: stthomastrenton.org stthomastrenton@gmail.com Seasonally as Announced Ways to Participate Beyond Worship: The head of the Church, Jesus Christ! The Rt. Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr., Bishop of the Diocese of Michigan & Rector of St. Thomas Church If you have an idea for a ministry or a group that you would like the church to be involved in, please speak to Rev. Shirley, and we ll see what we can do to make it happen. The Very Rev. Shirley McWhorter-Vicar Ramona Moyski-Secretary Carol Hoggard-Bookkeeper Barbara Conroy-Music Director Gerald Eory-Custodian Bishop s Committee Invite someone to worship or Bible study with you, and offer to pick them up. If you haven t seen someone in worship lately, give them a call or send a card. Invite a neighbor for coffee and offer to pray with them. Volunteer for a committee. Term expires Jan-2020 Term expires Jan-2021 Mike Krupa (Warden) Cheryl Koerber Gary Sonnenberg Sherry Fegreus Help generate some content for our church s Kathy Zook Scott Abernathy (Warden) social media platforms: Secretary to the Bishop s Committee: Sherry Fegreus Treasurer: Bishop s Committee Facebook: St. Thomas Episcopal Church Group Website: stthomastrenton.org For example, take a picture of something that speaks to you of God and his love and and share it on your favorite social media site (be sure to tag our church). Office Hours Monday 3:30am - 6:00pm Tues- Thurs- 9:00am-1:00pm & 3:30pm-6:00pm Friday 8:00am-4:00pm 2

3 August Birthdays Please don t forget to keep up your financial pledge this summer. The church s expenses don t take a vacation. Helen Kirk, 8th Peter Boylan, 10th Sherry Chapman, 15th Fran Felty, 26th James Kerns, 26th Olivia Tessin, 28th Trenton Food Pantry THRIFT SHOP NEWS!! St. Thomas members work during the month of August. Two workers are needed for each Wednesday from 11:00 2:00 plus two additional workers from 9:30 11:30 on the second Wednesday of the month. There is a sign-up sheet in our church foyer. The Thrift Shop will re-open on August 4th with the same hours Saturdays from 9:00am 12:00pm. The pantry is housed at St. Philip Lutheran Church which is located at 1790 Fort Street (on southbound Fort between King and Harrison). The pantry is open on Wednesdays from 11:00 2:00. Government commodities are also available on the second Wednesday of each month for Trenton residents. For more information contact St. Philip Church at Don t forget our Scrip Program Where do you shop? Home Depot? Macy s? J.C. Penny? Panera Bread? You can purchase gift cards through the scrip program for all of these stores. There is an even longer list of participating stores on the internet at glscript.com or on the hallway bulletin board. Just fill out the form and give it (and your check) to Kimberly Abernathy. She will have the gift cards ready for you the following Sunday. You get the full value of the card- and you help St. Thomas at the same time. We need a monthly update so please remember to inform the office of the condition of the people you have placed on the Sunday Prayer List, especially those that can be removed to make room for others. Thank you. 3

4 St. Thomas History part 4 St. Thomas changes and celebrations Rev. John Melcher became the rector of St. Thomas in Shortly thereafter the St. Thomas Quilters was formed and the St. Thomas Thrift Shop opened. We became known for our delicious St. Patrick s Day Corned Beef dinners. Unfortunately, Rev. Melcher was in a horrible automobile accident in 2005 which led to his eventual retirement. In 2005 St. Thomas became a mission church. In 2007 The Very Rev. Shirley McWhorter was called to be our vicar. Chuck Lippert was golfing at Riverview Highlands on Sunday afternoon, July 8. He was playing the Red course when he made a hole-in-one on hole number 7, it was 152 yards and he used a 5 iron! This year, 2018, we have been celebrating the 175th anniversary of the founding of St. Thomas in several ways. There was a catered dinner for our current members in March. We sponsored a dulcimer concert for the community in April. Bishop Gibbs came for a visitation in May during which he blessed a special plaque and the time capsule which had been buried in the Memorial Garden in 1993 was opened. Inside the capsule there was a copy of the church history book, a copy of the current picture directory, a copy of the installation service for Rev. Craig Chapman, a newspaper article about the 150th celebration, pictures of past and current rectors, and notes and mementos from members of the parish. On May 26th we marched in the Trenton Memorial Day parade. And we created a memory book. It has been a busy and fun time of celebration. OFFICE HOURS During Ramona s vacation For the week of August 6-10 Monday, office closed Tuesday-Thursday, Office 9am-1pm; closed 3-6pm Friday, office closed Although our numbers have fallen since our heyday in 1975 (as is happening at many traditional churches) we remain steadfast St. Thomas supporters. We are a caring, supportive, friendly and welcoming congregation. This is our church family. We invite everyone to join us for worship at 8:00 and 10:00 on Sunday mornings. 4

5 Some News Around the Church! The new owners of Betty Zulkey s home on Trux, Trenton, found a very old picturesque family Bible in the house. They have given it to St. Thomas. We are not sure if it belongs to Betty or to the priest that lived there in the house at one time. The cover of the Bible needs repairing. We need suggestions of what to do with this gift. John Lauer, son of Clint and Lea Lauer, who were active in this congregation in the 50 s, 60 s and 70 s, has sent the printer s copy of a St. Thomas Cookbook (1967) that he found in his Mother's belongings. She died in May, 2018, and his Father in There are recipes in the cookbook from current members or known members here at St. Thomas. We need suggestions of what to do with this gift. Update! Work in the main sanctuary to repair leaks (boiler pipes) under the floor (pew) has been completed. Tiles now have to be put down to replace where the damage was and the carpet in the aisle has to be re-laid. Hopefully, work will be completed in the next few weeks. Write your favorite hymn(s) on the notepad in the church vestibule and they will be sung during the summer. We may use a Eucharistic Prayer from Enriching Our Worship and other prayers for prayers of the people. If you would like to sing a solo or play an instrument during the summer worship, then please speak to Barbara Conroy. Thank You! Adult Choir Adult Choir will resume practice on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7 PM in the Fireplace Room. All are invited to attend, enjoy wonderful fellowship, and sing joyfully to God!

6 The Steeple Bell St. Thomas Episcopal Church 2441 Nichols, Drive at Andover Trenton, Michigan [734] TO: Coming Up This Month: No Choir practice for the Summer All Wednesdays August 6-10 Sunday, 5 th Thursday, 9 th Sunday, 12 th Sunday, 19 th Monday, 20 th Sunday, 26 th 11:00am - Bible Study Ramona Vacation 8:00am & 10:00am H.E. Service Birthday & Scrip 6:30pm BC Meeting 8 am & 10 am Morning Prayer 8 am & 10 am H.E. Service Healing & Scrip Steeplebell deadline 8:00am & 10:00am H.E. Service Morning Prayers Services will be on the 2 nd and 5 th (when there is a 5 th ) Sundays of each month.