COMING UP-THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

The Christmas Eve service begins at 5pm. There will not be a Christmas Day liturgy, but there are regular services on December 26 and January 2 at 9am. Church school will not meet on those days.
The Feast of the Epiphany is on January 6. There is no service at St. Thomas' that day. Instead, we will celebrate on January 9 with a special 3 Kings Party following the service. Stay tuned for more details.

COMING UP SATURDAY AND SUNDAY- DEC 18 AND 19

This Saturday is church clean-up day. We will dust, vacuum, and polish. Please bring cans of furniture polish and rags. If you can donate a poinsettia for our Christmas altar, please bring it on Saturday.
Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Advent. We will have a special reception after church that day. There will be gifts for all the children.

COMING UP SUNDAY- DEC. 12

This is the 3rd Sunday of Advent and we will light the pink candle on our wreath. Church school will meet. The gifts for our adopt-a-family program are due this week. Volunteers are needed to help distribute these gifts on Monday. Dec. 20 and Tues. Dec. 21. Please speak to the vicar if you can help out.
There will be a Bishop's Committe meeting this Sunday. We will look at the proposed budget for 2011.
The leak in our steeple has been repaired!! After numerous attempts to find the leak that has repeatedly damaged our ceiling, we believe that the problem has been found and permanently corrected.
Our Christmas Eve service will be at 5 pm and will include some special music.

COMING UP SUNDAY- DEC. 5

This week we will light the 2nd candle on our Advent wreath and hear the story of John the Baptist crying in the wilderness.
The preschool class will meet this week at 9 am along with the other Sunday school classes. All toddlers are welcome.
The gifts for the Wood River Health Services Christmas program are due at the church by December 12- unwrapped. Volunteers are needed to help with the distribution of those gifts. Speak to the vicar if you can help with this project.
The WARM meal will be prepared on Dec. 19. Food donations are needed. Sign up on the list at the church.

COMING UP SUNDAY- NOV. 28

This Sunday marks the first Sunday of Advent. This is a season of expectant waiting and preparation as we look forward to the full arrival of God's kingdom on earth.
We mark the weeks of Advent by lighting candles on the Advent wreath in church. We have wreaths and candles at church for people to take and use in their homes. There are also devotional books for this season.
There will be no church school this week since people are still traveling from their Thanksgiving holiday.
If you would like to take part in our "Adopt-a-Family" program for Christmas, please contact the vicar. We are looking for gift cards for local families in need.

COMING UP SUNDAY- NOV. 21

This is Christ the King Sunday- also known as the last Sunday before Advent. It is a Sunday known for exhilarating readings and triumphant hymns.
Church school will meet and there will be a Liturgy Committee meeting after church.
Our Veteran's Day celebration was a great success. Check at the photos to the right of this article on our Facebook page link.
The Thanksgiving Ecumenical service will be held Sunday, Nov. 21 at St. Thomas' at 7pm (see column to the left of this article).
Our 30 kneelers have all been refinished. Many thanks to the volunteers who worked many hours on this hard and dusty job.
St. Thomas' is working with Wood River Health Services to supply Christmas gifts to local families in need. If you would like to help with this project by donating time or a gift, please speak to the Vicar.
The 2011 Liturgical Calendars have arrived. This calendar lists all of the major feast days in the Episcopal Church as well as days of commemoration for saints and important church figures. Many thanks to John Weeden at Buckler Johnston/Avery Funeral Home for purchasing these calendars for our parishioners.

COMING UP SUNDAY- NOV. 14

This Sunday we will honor Veterans at St. Thomas'. There will be a special coffee hour and live music. This is the day that we will also prepare the WARM meal after church. On Sat. Nov. 13, a group will meet at church to work on the kneelers from 10-12noon. All volunteers are welcome to come and help.
Things are getting busier in the next few weeks. Next Sunday morning we will have an exchange with St. Elizabeth's in Hope Valley. Some parishioners from St. Thomas' will go to their 10am service and some visitors from St. Elizabeth's will come to Alton. This is an initiative sponsored by the Narragansett Deanery which is the cluster of Episcopal churches in southwestern RI. It is a way to foster more community among Episcopalians in RI.
Next Sunday is also the 16th Annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving service. This year it will be held at St. Thomas' beginning at 7pm. This yearly event is jointly sponsored between St. Thomas', First Baptist Church in Hope Valley and St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in HopeValley. All are welcome.

COMING UP THIS SUNDAY-NOV. 7

This is All Saints' Sunday and we will remember all the saints of the church and all the saints in our lives. The church school will meet and the preschool class will also meet this week beginning at 9 am. There will be a Bishop's Committee meeting after church.
Last Sunday our church was filled with saints to celebrate Halloween. Check out the photos on the Facebook link to the right of this box (you don't have to be a member of Facebook to view them). Last Saturday a group of dedicated people gathered to refurbish the kneelers. Those photos are posted also. We will gather again on Sat. Nov. 14, from 10-12 to finish the kneelers. Please join us if you can.
Remember to turn your clocks back 1 hour on Saturday night

COMING UP SUNDAY-OCT. 31

It's Halloween!! This week we will dress up as saints for our 9 am service. The sermon topic will be about the history of Halloween. After church, join us for a special coffee hour with special "treats."
A small, dedicated work crew met at the church on Saturday morning and sanded, stained and reupholstered 10 kneelers. Only 20 more to go! We will meet again on Sat. Nov 13 to finish up the rest of them. Please join us if you can from 10-12 noon.
Next Sunday, Nov. 7, is All Saints' Sunday. It s the 4th most important day in our church calendar. There will be a preschool class that day during church school time and there will be a Bishop's Committee meeting following the service.

COMING UP SUNDAY-OCT. 24

This Sunday we will celebrate a baptism at our 9 am service. All are invited as we welcome a new member into the Christian family. Sunday school will meet and the children will continue their study of the saints.
We are undertaking a kneeler renovation project at church. Later this month we will sand and restain the 30 kneelers and then recover the top portion. Volunteers are needed to help with this big job. Send the vicar an email if you want more details.

COMING UP SUNDAY-OCT. 17

This Sunday there will be a Bishop's Committee meeting after church. The WARM meal will be prepared, so remember your food items! Church school will meet and the students they will practice their special song for October 31. Several adults and children are planning to dress up for church on Halloween morning. Come as your favorite saint! Did you know that St. Lorenzo (Lawrence) is the patron saint of miners? He was busy this week!

COMING UP SUNDAY-OCT. 10

This Sunday there will be no church school as it is Columbus Day weekend. Next Sunday there will be a Bishop's Committee meeting and the WARM meal will be prepared. Please sign up to bring in items for the meal.
On Oct. 31, we are encouraging everyone to come to church dressed as a saint. There are books at the church that include the biography of a number of saints. Adults and children are encouraged to dress up!

COMING UP SUNDAY-OCT. 3

This Sunday will be our first preschool class. All toddlers are welcome! October will be a busy month for us. On Oct. 17, there will be a Bishop's Committee meeting and the WARM meal will be prepared. On Oct. 24 we will a have a baptism at the 9 am service. Oct. 31 is All Hallow's Eve day. Adults and children are invited to come to church dressed as your favorite saint! Bring a friend!

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS

Rebecca Pixton and Ryan Mulvey were married Sunday afternoon at St. Thomas'. The church was packed and the bridal party of 12 gathered around the altar rail. Congratulations to the newlyweds! Check out the photos on our Facebook page by clicking on the pictures to the right. You don't have to be a Facebook member to view them.

COMING UP SUNDAY-SEPT. 26

Have you driven by the church this week? Notice some new plantings. Now that the weather is cooler, we will do a few garden improvements before the first frost.
The liturgy committee will meet this Sunday at 10 am.
Church school will meet at 9am. All are welcome. Bring a friend.

COMING UP SUNDAY- SEPT.19

Church school starts Sunday! We are doing something a little different this fall. There are 2 classes-one for students in K-6 and one for students in grades 7-10. The topic this fall will people "People of the Bible." The students will learn about the well known and less known characters who fill the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. In addition, there will be projects in the Fall such as making cards and preparing boxes to send to our local military people serving in Afghanistan. They will also help with the WARM meal. All children are invited to attend. Come and make a new friend!

COMING UP SUNDAY- SEPT. 12

This Sunday we will get a brief report about the proposed Diocesan Budget and ways that the Diocese can balance the budget (there are 6 ideas). After church there will be a Bishop's Committee meeting. We need volunteers to sign up for coffee hour for September and October. We also need a few food donations to prepare the WARM meal next week. Church school will begin next week and there are some exciting things planned for this Fall.

COMING UP SUNDAY-SEPT. 5

Hopefully Hurricane Earl will pass us by without too much huffing and puffing! This Sunday marks the unofficial end to summer and the beginning of the fall schedule. This Wednesday, Sept. 8, there is a Diocesan budget meeting for our Deanery at St. Luke's in East Greenwich. The bishop's office is asking clergy and parishioners from all parishes to attend one of these deanery meetings. There is a shortfall this year and the Diocesan Budget Committee is looking for ideas to help solve our financial deficit.
Check out the notice on this front page about the upcoming concert on Sept. 19 to support the Gulf fishing industry.
Bishop's Committee meeting next Sunday, Sept. 12
Church school starts Sept. 19 at 9 am
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

COMING UP SUNDAY-AUGUST 29

Last Sunday we distributed 78 filled backpacks to neighborhood children. We expect to give out a few more this Sunday. The after-school program will begin this Thursday on Sept. 2. Church school will begin on Sept. 19. There will be two classes- one for children in grades K-6 and one for children in grades 7-10. All are welcome.

COMING UP SUNDAY- AUGUST 22

School supplies will be distributed this Sunday beginning at 10 am. They will be given to families from the Alton area. Thanks to all of the parishioners and friends of St. Thomas' for their extreme generosity in donating these supplies.

PARISH PICNIC PHOTOS

The weather was perfect, the pool was warm and the food was abundant! Check out the photos from our parish picnic. Click on the Facebook link on the right margin of this page.

COMING UP SUNDAY-AUGUST 15

The WARM meal will be prepared this Sunday. If you have extra vegetables in your garden, bring them to church and we will deliver them to WARM for the clients to enjoy. This is the last Sunday to bring in school supplies. We will start distributing them next Sunday after church.

COMING UP SUNDAY- AUGUST 8

There is a Bishop's Committee meeting on Sunday after church. Next Sunday the WARM meal will be prepared after church. We still need a few more food items for that meal.
We had some good news this week. We received a check for $271 from the Feinstein Foundation for our participation in the $1 Million Challenge held in March and April. This money will be sent to the Nutritious Nook at Wood River Health Services.
Check the post below for the school supplies update.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES UPDATE

As of today, August 2, the list of school supplies we need is posted below. If you are able to donate any of these items, please bring them to the church by August 15. Thanks for your help.
27 single subject notebooks
21 boxes of colored pencils
26 pencil sharpeners
24 pocket folders
23 binders
30 large backpacks (for high school students)

COMING UP SUNDAY-AUGUST 1

This Sunday, after church, we will show a film about the crisis in the commercial fishing industry in Rhode Island/New England. The film is 50 minutes long and we will begin showing it at 10am. All are welcome to attend.
The school supplies are flowing in. We especially need larger backpacks for high school students.
Remember to sign up for the parish picnic that will be held Aug 14.

COMING UP THIS SUNDAY- JULY 25

We have started collecting school supplies. Last year we gave out 87 filled backpacks and we expect to give out a similar number this year. We are in need of backpacks, single subject notebooks, small calculators, pencils, erasers and most every other item you might see on sale.
Remember to sign up for the parish picnic that will be held on Aug. 14.

COMING UP JULY 18

This Sunday the WARM meal will be prepared after church. There is also a liturgy committee meeting after church. And sign up for the parish picnic!

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