PLEASE SEE THE ONLINE CHURCH CALENDAR PAGE FOR ADDITIONAL CHURCH DATES AND ACTIVITIES THAT MAY NOT BE COVERED IN THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENTS 

___________________________________________________

In order to ensure the solemnity of our church services, we request that all cell phones be turned off before the service begins. Thank you for your consideration!  

*Note: The Craft Group will not be meeting until after the first of the year.

**Sunday’s Loose Plate Offering will be collected for the RECTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND. Please help Fr. John assist those in need in our parish & community. Checks may be made out to St. Thomas (memo: “Rector’s Discretionary fund”) and placed in today’s offering plate. Thank you for your generosity and caring for those who are in need – especially with the holiday season approaching.

VESTRY NOMINATIONS 
We are in the process of taking names for Vestry nominations. Please obtain nomination forms from the Church Office and permission from the person you are nominating. Fill out the form and return to the office.

Qualifications for the Vestry are as follows:

1] Confirmed member of the parish 18 years or older.

2] One who has for the previous year been faithful in corporate worship, working, praying, and giving for the Spread of the Kingdom of God.

Our annual Parish Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 18, 2009 in the Parish Hall after our 10:30 am service. Vestry elections will take place at that time.

Christmas Angel Program:

This year, Santa has asked us to help with some very special children. The 2008 Christmas Angels are from Eustis Head Start. The Head Start Program is for low-income preschool children ages 3 – 5. The Eustis Program supports 106 children. I visited their campus and was amazed by the education, love and hope these children were given. Because there are so many children, this year I will place a very large box in the Parish Hall. In the box, please place gifts and clothing for the Angels. The wish list includes (but is not limited to): trucks, footballs, transformers, dolls, puzzles, stuffed animals, blocks, Spiderman, cars, Lego’s, Barbie’s, Hannah Montana, Mr. Potato Head. The clothing sizes range from 4t – 7 and children’s shoe sizes from 9-13. After you place your gift in the box, please take an angel tag home with you! On the last day of school, Santa will hand out the gifts at the school. The children take the gifts home and place them under the tree until Christmas morning. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions, Leslie Waters 669-2973. The

UTO Sunday 
Sunday, Nov. 23rd, will be United Thank Offering Day. UTO is a ministry of the Episcopal Church through which members give daily thanks by placing offerings in a box or envelope. Monies collected are used to support missions & ministry. Please take the time to express your thanks. Last year, $712.27 was raised at St. Thomas. Blue UTO Boxes are still available and envelopes will be provided on UTO Sunday.Deadline to bring your gifts is December 15th. Merry Christmas!

ST THOMAS PLAYERS EVENT:
On Friday, Nov. 21st, St. Thomas Players is sponsoring a FUNDRAISER SPAGHETTI DINNER. This will take place in conjunction with FRIDAY CLASSIC MOVIE NIGHT (one week early because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.) There will be a raffle and a 50/50 drawing. Tickets for the dinner are $6. For more details, Contact Charlotte Jardine at 735-3819 or Beth Fisher at 735-7503

LENTEN MEDITATION BOOKLET 
Thanks to all who responded affirmatively to the invitation to write a reflection for the 2009 Lenten Meditation Booklet. As previously stated, we need 46 reflections, one for each day in Lent and 6 for Holy Week meditations. It is our prayer that the booklet will be a source for meaningful spiritual reflection during our individual Lenten journeys. Will you share in this gift to your parish family? Volunteers are needed. Please sign the Lenten Meditation Sheet on the Parish Hall bulletin Board, contact Kay at 383-5565 or kaysterama@aol.com.

Thanksgiving Baskets
This year we would like to fill at least 10 food baskets for a complete Thanksgiving dinner for needy families in our community. To ensure that the baskets are uniform, there will be sign-up sheets in the Parish Hall for the items requested for each basket. We also need money donations to purchase the baskets and the turkeys. Please make your check payable to St. Thomas earmarked, “Thanksgiving Baskets.”
Items should be delivered to the Parish Hall during the week of Mon., Nov. 17th – Sun., Nov. 23rd. Please do not deliver items before those dates because the Parish Hall will be busy with the Bazaar (Nov. 8) and Bishop Hugo’s Visitation (Nov. 16th.)
Janet Clarke will be overseeing this project with the help of members of the E.C.W. If you have any questions, please call her at 728-0929. Please help with this vital ministry to the needy.

Calendars for Seamen’s Church Institute Among the many services provided by the Seamen’s Church Institute is the distribution of calendars to seafarers entering several of our ports. As the Rev. Andy Moore, Director of S.C.E. says, “It is so easy for a seafarer to lose track of time and his connection to those of us on land. A calendar helps link them to events at home and enables them to create a diary of their travels.” At this time of the year, many of us receive calendars from various organizations, more than we can use. As in the past, Janet Clarke is collecting them to mail to S.C.E. If you have any that you can spare, whether pocket-sized, or large calendars, please give them to Janet or bring them into the office. She will see to it that they are mailed to S.C.I.
  

Mommie & Me Group: 
Friday Mornings from 10-11:30 AM – Meet in the Nursery & Follow the signs. This will be a terrific mother/child bonding time! See Holly Newby for details.

Wednesday Teaching Series! 

The Wednesday evening service and C.S. Lewis program resumes this week. We will have a healing service in the church at 5:30 followed by the program with Fr. John in the Parish Hall at 6 PM. Bring your own meal to eat if you wish.

 

Sunday Evening Services:  St. Thomas Church holds a 5:00 PM worship service on Sundays for anyone who may not be able to attend one of our Sunday morning worship services.  The evening service features live Christian music & youth participation - readings, singing, preaching & skits. ALL ARE INVITED !

 

Hearts & Hands Ministries:

Please continue to bring food contributions, especially peanut butter. Monetary contributions are also accepted. If you would like to assist on bagging or distribution day see Bette Dufour for schedules. Hearts & Hands serves this entire community.

Coffee Hour & Fellowship Hour Hosts Needed:
If you would like to host a Sunday (after either service) and provide the goodies – or make a monetary donation to provide snacks – please contact Janet Gizelt, our fellowship coordinator, at 483-3292 and she will answer your questions and offer you her assistance.

It’s TIME to SHOP at our THRIFT SHOP

We have FANTASTIC merchandise. Shop Hours are Thurs. & Fri. 9 AM – 3 PM and Sat. 9 AM – Noon.  Please stop by the shop.  See if this is a ministry that might suit you! Phone Bernice Nolan at 343-0996 with any questions. We are now accepting your donations – bring them to the shop while we are open or drop them off on the side porch of the Church Office. Please try to send them in quality condition, clean and without wrinkles.

*Note: The Thrift Shop will be closed this month on Nov. 27th, 28th, and 29th for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

QUIET DAY – December 6th

The women of the parish are invited for a Quiet Day on Dec. 6 from 9:30AM-2PM in the Parish Hall. There will be 3 meditations on the theme, “Living into the Eternal Life” led by Janet Clarke. Morning Prayer is at 9:30a followed by a break. Meditations are at 10AM, 11AM and 1PM. Light lunch is provided at noon, following Noonday Prayer. Please sign up on the sheet provided in the Parish Hall or call the office at 357-4358.

DEADLINE REMINDER:

Newsletter Articles - on the 15th (of prior month)

Sunday Bulletin articles/announcements - Noon on Wednesday

Please call the church office (352) 357-4358 with any questions.