The Words of St. Thomas February 2018 Saint Thomas Episcopal Church A nurturing community with open minds and hearts. The Mission of St. Thomas is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. Inside This Issue Meetings & Announcements P. 2, 3, 6, 7 Volunteers/Lay Leaders P. 4 Youth News P. 5 Worship Schedule Sunday 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 10:00 am Holy Eucharist 2nd & 4th Sundays 2:30 pm Holy Eucharist Magnolia Springs Tuesday 7 am Holy Eucharist Thursday 12:15pm Healing & Eucharist St. Thomas Episcopal Church 9616 Westport Road, Louisville, KY 40241 (502) 425-3727 stthomaslouky@gmail.com www.stthomaslouky.org Words from our Rector I have an obsession, which possibly should also be a confession I LOVE planners and calendars. I LOVE color coding and organizing. I spend way too much money trying to find the perfect system. Last year I tried to go all digital. I really do care about the environment. I really do want things to be right at my finger tips, but it didn t work. Well sometimes it worked, but often it didn t. Then I tried to go back to a paper calendar but it only had blank spaces and not times to put things in so sometimes I double booked. One of the things I realized was that my schedule, or lack thereof, was controlling me. I was trying to fit too many things into space that wouldn t work; I was forgetful; and, I was putting some things that were important aside to make it work. And there were other things I was squeezing in you know catch as catch can. When I was ordained there was a number of vows I made to proclaim by word and deed the Good News of Jesus Christ, to fashion my life in accordance of its precepts, to love and serve all the people among whom I work, to nourish Christ s people, to be diligent in the reading and studying of Holy Scripture, and to persist in a life of prayer. Oh yeah, and to also take time off. I take these vows very seriously and at the end of 2017 I did a personal inventory reflected on the past year. My dream for this year is to be less hectic, to be more present, to forget less and love more, and to carve out intentional time for all those things I vowed to do. The three big fit in as I can areas were personal private prayer, study, and personal care. So now I m scheduling that time in each week as well. This year I got a beautiful paper planner that I can personalize to suit my needs. I have both the big spaces in the calendar to make notes as well as an hour by hour each day. What does that mean for you, the community I love and serve? Well, ultimately I pray it means I will be a better priest. Practically it will mean when we set up times to gather either individually or as groups I may ask, how much time do you need? This isn t a trick question this is so I plan enough time for you and don t feel rushed to move from one place to another not being fully present. So be honest!! It also means I am going to schedule time for prayer, study, and exercise. Hold me to it. continued on page 2
PUB THEOLOGY 6:30pm, Tuesday, February 6 What does it mean to keep a holy Lent? Does Lent even matter any more? Join the discussion at Pub Theology. Held on the first Tuesday of each month, all adults are welcome at Pub Theology as we discuss issues relevant to our life as Christians in the modern world (and enjoy some food and beverages). Meet us at Molly Malone s, 933 Baxter Ave. WORDS FROM OUR RECTOR continued Do I believe this is going to work perfectly? Nope that is not how a church runs, but it does give me some guiding principles. At the end of each week I will prayerfully reflect on the week and see how and where I need to make adjustments. My schedule will be fluid as the rhythms of the church have different needs, but I pray this intentionality will help me to be a calmer more present priest. Just Katherine + SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER February 13, 5:30 7:00 pm Shrove Tuesday Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Whatever you choose to call it, come to Robison Fellowship Hall and join the Youth Group of St. Thomas on February 13 for a pancake supper! In addition to pancakes, we'll have breakfast casseroles and other tasty fare. Supper will be served from 5:30 until 7:00 pm. Everyone is invited, so bring your family, friends, and neighbors! Donations will be accepted at the door to benefit Kentucky Refugee Ministries. ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES Church services with imposition of ashes will be held at St. Thomas on Wednesday, February 14, at 7:00 am and 12:00 pm. JANUARY & FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS Dennis Lausterer 01/01 Ann Hodges 01/02 Tom Pitsenberger 01/03 Mary Stuart Price 01/06 Sheri Boling 01/14 Amya Petty 01/19 Robert Williamson 01/20 Robert Valvano 01/29 Judy Grimsley 01/30 Kay Jungbert 02/01 Kathryn Vauthrin 02/03 Alice Montgomery 02/06 Ed Parker 02/07 Margaret Ward 02/07 Carrie Pitsenberger 02/14 Eric Boling 02/18 JANUARY & FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES Mary & Ed Parker 01/08 Marsha & Harvey Roberts 01/17 Marjorie & Charles Hurley 01/28 Dorothy & Sam Black 02/06 Linda & Lenny Baltra 02/11 Bryan & Beverly Gottfried 02/20 Do we have your birthday and anniversary info? Contact the church office stthomaslouky@gmail.com 2
AROUND ST. THOMAS CHANGES TO THE VESTRY Thank you to Bob Valvano and Judy Gradl for their three years of service on the Vestry. These three years have required strong leadership and we are grateful they helped to provide that. The Vestry has been listening to the voice of God and to the needs and wants of the people of St. Thomas; it hasn't always been easy but Bob, Judy, and all those who have served during these years have done so always with the future of St. Thomas and the mission and ministry of God as their focus. Welcome to the vestry Don Brady and Bill Beam. The strength and faithfulness of our vestry continues with your willingness to serve. Congratulations to Earl Trevor, elected Senior Warden, Meranda Phiillips Junior Warden, Evelyn Mudd, Clerk, and Sheri Boling, Treasurer. Thank you also to Jennifer Lausterer for her willingness to serve as Assistant Treasurer. Kevin Link continues to offer his leadership. Finally thank you to Caroline Link who agreed to serve one more year as our secretary. GET INVOLVED! I know, I know you hear that all the time and probably sometimes think to yourself, Well I d get more involved if I could figure out a way to get more hours in the day or more days in the week. I suspect we all understand that feeling all too well, but still we do get involved. On Sundays over the next few months we will be highlighting different ways to get involved at St. Thomas, with the opportunity to sign up on that very day. But you don t have to wait for a particular day. If you see something you d like to try, speak up try it. If you like it, it may be the perfect ministry for you and one you will find transformative. If you don t, try something else. Our community is growing and there is plenty of room for everyone to be involved. And everything and everyone is trainable! This month, lets think about our Sunday ministries ushers, altar guild, acolytes, chalice bearers, lectors, choir, tellers, and coffee hour hosts be ready to give one of them a try! TWO NEW NAMES During the annual meeting there were two (well many but particularly two) very exciting announcements. First the Fellowship Hall will from this time forward be known as The Robison Fellowship Hall. Linn Robison left St. Thomas a large unrestricted gift and, after much prayerful discernment and conversation, the vestry voted to disburse the funds in the following way: Half was put into the endowment fund, a little more than a third was put into a holding account to be used if necessary for the general operating budget, and $20,000.00 was put into a fund for the maintenance and repair of the Fellowship Hall. The vestry further voted to continue to fund this account by placing 10% of the net quarterly profit made from rentals in this fund. The chapel space behind the altar which is used for small gatherings of worship, particularly the Tuesday morning 7 am Eucharist and the Thursday 12:15 Eucharist with healing, will be named The Rev. Anne Vouga Chapel. Why name spaces and buildings? Naming spaces and buildings honors those who have given monetarily. It also honors those who have been instrumental in leadership and vision. Linn Robison left a large part of her estate to our community trusting that we would be good stewards of her gift. She loved St. Thomas, the community that we are, and she strongly believed we would continue to grow and enrich the community surrounding us. The vestry believes this honors her gift and her intention. The Rev. Anne Vouga, when the new organ was put in many years ago, envisioned a space that could be used for smaller gatherings which would allow those who were there to feel connected to one another. This space has been used consistently for a year for the two above mentioned services, and there are plans to continue to use it for other gatherings. In the coming months we will have two services to dedicate these spaces. PHOTOGRAPHERS AND SHUTTERBUGS Have you taken any pictures around St. Thomas lately? Would you be willing to take pictures in the future? We would love to have photos of Sunday services, special events, meetings, celebrations, etc., for use in St. Thomas newsletters and for the church archives. Next time you are here, get out those cameras and cellphones! Submit photos to the church office at stthomsalouky@gmail.com 3
THOSE SERVING THIS MONTH February 2018 Acolytes Want to be an acolyte? Contact Katherine+ Feb 11 Nickoli Reed Lectors Feb 4 Ethan Moore, Lanier Siewertsen, Stephen Dennison, Alan Ferguson Feb 11 Meranda Phillips, Kevin Link, Caroline Link, Bob Valvano Feb 18 Meranda Phillips, Lynne Shultz, Kathy Webster, Bill Beam Feb 25 Meranda Phillips, Judy Gradl, Sam Boling, Steve Rauh Chalice Bearers Feb 4 Chuck Warnick, Steve Rauh Feb 11 Tina Link, Kevin Link Feb 18 Cathy Webster, Brenda Strange Feb 25 Suzie Bowling, John Strange Altar Guild Feb 4 Julea Lawson, Carolyn Warnick Feb 11 Kathy Webster, Linda Baltra Feb 18 Margaret Ward, Barbara Trevor Feb 25 Alice Montgomery, Jennifer Lausterer Ushers Feb 4 Stephen Dennison, Kevin Foster Feb 11 Bob Valvano, Mary Stuart Price Feb 18 Bob Biggs, Bill Beam Feb 25 Sam Boling, Steve Rauh Tellers Feb 4 Bill Gaunt, Lanier Siewertsen Feb 11 Kathy Webster, Tina Link Feb 18 Mary Stuart Price, Suzy Bowling Feb 25 Kevin Foster, Lynne Schulz Coffee Circles (Sunday Fellowship) Feb 4 Evelyn Mudd, Nancy Henderson, Susie Kirkland, Brenda Strange, Pat Heitz Feb 11 Jeanie Fridell, Penny Hayden, Barbara & Earl Trevor, Feb 18 Janelle Foster, Sheri Boling, Judy Gradl, Susan Johnson Feb 25 Donna Donovan, Bob & Darlene Valvano, Suzy Bowling Thanks to all who serve our church each week we could not do all our good work without you! If you are interested in serving your church on Sundays, talk with Just Katherine+ 4
On Saturday, January 20, St. Thomas hosted the Diocese of Kentucky second annual Bishop s Ball. This event is planned and hosted by the Youth Council of the Diocese. Two of our members, Josh Ferguson and Caroline Doyle are leaders of the council and were primarily instrumental in putting together this fun filled evening. Over 50 youth and adults filled Robison Fellowship Hall to dance, put together care packages for The Youth attend a candle-lit compline service in Vouga Chapel Healing Place (the youth s choice of service projects), play games, attend midnight compline in Vouga Chapel, and then join us for worship on Sunday morning. 5
HELPING OUR NEIGHBORS EACM Thanks to all St. Thomas parishioners who keep the needs of Eastern Area Communities in mind all year through. Your donations of food and other items make a big difference in the lives of the people served by EACM. Donations for the EACM food pantry are always needed and items in high demand include peanut butter, pasta, canned vegetables and fruit, and canned meat, including tuna. Lately, our neighbors at EACM are in particular need of the following items: disposable diapers (all sizes needed; more urgent need for the larger sizes), jelly, toiletries, dry beans, pancake mix, instant oatmeal. If you can help with any of these items, please bring your donations to St. Thomas. BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION At St. Thomas, we collect Box Tops for Education all year long. There is a bucket on the table in the narthex for you to put your box tops in. Donna Donovan makes sure they get to Zachary Taylor Elementary School. The Box Tops program is extremely valuable to our neighbors at Zachary Taylor, and the staff and teachers are so appreciative of the contributions you make. You might be surprised at how many products you use at home have a Box Tops for Education coupon on them. Before throwing away boxes, cartons, cans, and other food containers, be sure to check for the pink Box Tops coupon. Clip it off and bring it to St. Thomas! LENT MADNESS 2018 The Saintly Smackdown is Back! By now you ve heard that Ash Wednesday and Valentine s Day coincide this year. The real Lenten love, however, kicks off the next day on February 15. Why? Because for the ninth year running, people of faith are gearing up for Lent Madness, the beloved saintly smackdown! With its unique blend of competition, learning, and humor, Lent Madness allows participants to be inspired by the ways in which God has worked through the lives of saintly souls across generations and cultures. Throughout Lent, thirty-two saints will do battle to win the coveted Golden Halo. Based loosely on the NCAA basketball tournament of a similar name, this online devotion pits saints against one another in a bracket as voters choose their favorites throughout this penitential season. Here s how to participate: on the weekdays of Lent, information is posted on our website about two different saints. Each pairing remains open for 24 hours as participants read about and then vote to determine which saint moves on to the next round. Sixteen saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch. This year Lent Madness features an intriguing slate of saints ancient and modern, Biblical and ecclesiastical. 2018 heavyweights include John the Evangelist, Margaret of Scotland, Richard Hooker, Katharina von Bora, and the apostles Peter and Paul. The full bracket is online at the Lent Madness website http://www.lentmadness.org. A limited number of brackets will be available in the narthex. 6
PRAYER IN ACTION DAYS KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES The Kentucky Council of Churches is hosting Prayer in Action Days on Tuesdays at the State Capitol during this year s General Assembly to pray for government officials and act on behalf of Kentucky s most vulnerable citizens. The kick-off event was held on January 9th. Subsequent gatherings will begin at 9:30 a.m. The Prayer in Action events were very successful last year, and people have requested that we continue them in 2018, said Rev. Dr. Don Gillett, Executive Director of the Council. We will pray for our governor and legislators, and call them to a higher moral agenda that puts the well-being of Kentucky s people first. Each event will include prayer, education on issues, and a call to action. We want to engage religious leaders and their congregants in direct justice advocacy. Each Prayer in Action event will focus on a different social issue. The KCC chooses the issues based on policy statements approved by all eleven of the Council s denominational members. The membership includes Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations. The Council works with other state advocacy groups and coalitions on these issues, and many of them have committed to support the Prayer in Action Days. The remainder of the 2018 Schedule is: Feb 6 Worker s Rights & Fair Wages, Room 129 Feb 13 Environment/Energy, Room 131 Feb 20 Gun Violence, Room 129 Feb 27 Smoke-Free Tomorrow, Room 171 Mar 6 Death Penalty, Room 129 Mar 20Responsible Lending, Room 129 All Prayer in Action events are interfaith and open to the public and media. For more information contact the Kentucky Council of Churches at KCC@kycouncilofchurches.org or call 859-269- 7715. AROUND OUR DIOCESE BRENNAN LECTURE SERIES March 2-3 Register now for the 2018 Brennan Lecture entitled "Church Leadership in a New Missionary Age." The event will be facilitated by the Rt. Rev. Charles "Andy" Doyle at St. Matthew's Church, 330 N. Hubbards Ln. on March 2-3. Doyle is the ninth and current bishop of the Dioceseof Texas, and he is author of such works as Church: A Generous Community Amplified for the Future (2015) and Jesus Heist (2017). To register, visit: episcopalky.org LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE February 17 The Diocese will host a Congregational Leadership Conference (formerly known as the "Wardens and Treasurers" conference) at Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green on Feb. 17, 10 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. CT. This free diocesan event is open to all vestry members (new and experienced), treasurers, stewardship chairs, clergy, audit committee members, and any other congregational leaders interested in this opportunity to share, discover, and learn best practices for the health and growth of our congregations. The conference will include plenary sessions for all congregational leadership in the morning, and four breakout workshop components in the afternoon. More information and registration forms are on the diocesan website at: episcopalky.org EACM SPRING FUNDRAISER March 3rd, 6:30 pm Founders Union, UofL Shelby Campus Under the Bigtop: An Evening Out for EACM Raffle tickets for three great prizes are now available for only $10: 1st prize: $1500.00 Cash; 2nd prize: $500.00 Amazon Gift Card; 3rd prize: $250.00 Fresh Market Gift Card For more information about sponsorship or tickets, please email Julie Richardson, the Development Manager at jrichardson@eacmonline.org. 7
St. Thomas Episcopal Church 9616 Westport Road Louisville, Kentucky 40241 Submit Articles for The Words of St. Thomas stthomaslouky@gmail.com Feb 4 Feb 6 WHAT S HAPPENING THIS MONTH? Youth serve breakfast at Cathedral followed by Escape Louisville Pub Theology 6:30 pm, Molly Malone s on Baxter Ave. Feb 11 Louisville Area Youth 6:00 pm at St. Thomas Feb 13 Shrove Tuesday Pancake supper 5:30 7:00 pm Feb 14 Ash Wednesday Services at 7 am & 12 pm Remember to pray for St. Thomas Church and our community every day! For pastoral emergencies any time: (502) 526-6413 Church Office Hours Monday Closed Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am-2pm Wednesday 10am-2pm 8