St. Thomas Tidings: July 24, 2025
St. Thomas Tidings: July 24, 2025
July 27, 2025 our Priest celebrant will be The Rev Holly Cardone
July 27, 2025 The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 am Liturgy 10:15 am Liturgy
Ushers: John Cordi Usher: ______________________________________________
Lectors: Deborah Wright Lector: Rick Fridrick, Dottie Cook
Altar Server/LEM Diane Silk Altar Server/Lem: Jeremy Richmond
Closer: Bishops Committee Closer: Bishops Committee
“For Your Prayers”
Our current “For Your Prayers” page in our Sunday Bulletin has not been updated for quite a while. The new and continuing names will be active for the month of July. The process will repeat itself for August and each month thereafter. Note: You can have your name added to the list during the month as need arises.
To be added to the prayer list, please list the first and last name of the person being prayed for. You may (but are not required to) include why there is a need for prayer. Do indicate the category they should be listed under. (i.e. Serving in the Armed Forces, Protection and Guidance, Healing, or Homebound & Special Needs)
Contact Rick by email stlb47@verizon.net or call 562-425-4457
Men’s Breakfast: Second Saturday of each Month. Next Men’s Breakfast August 9, 2025. Meet at the Denny’s at South and Bellflower at 8:00am for food and fellowship
St. Martha’s Guild is taking the summer off. If you are interested in taking responsibility for opening and closing on Tuesday moving forward, please let Rick know.
Bible Study We will continue having our Bible/Book study on Mondays. We will be studying “What is the Bible?” by Rob Bell. Available on Amazon. Please join us in Larkin Hall on Monday’s from 6:30-7:30pm. Bring your book and your bible. Rev. Holly Cardone will be leading this study.
School Backpack Collections: It’s time to donate Backpacks and Supplies for the upcoming School Year. If you feel so inclined, please get a new backpack and fill it with whatever supplies you like.
We will be Blessing the Backpacks on Welcome Back Sunday, September 7th.
Half Year Pledge Reports. Pledge reports are in the Narthex for you to pick up.
Sunday Hospitality Sign-ups
July 27 8:00 am John C
10:15 am Melissa & Sanjay
Collect from the Sixth Sunday After Pentecost: Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
July 24, 2025 Is the Memorial of Thomas a Kempis, Priest and Mystic 1472.
Thomas Hammerken (or Hammerlein -- both mean "little hammer") was born at Kempen (hence the "A Kempis") in the duchy of Cleves in Germany around 1380. He was educated by a religious order called the Brethren of the Common Life, and in due course joined the order, was ordained a priest, became sub-prior of his house (in the low Countries), and died 25 July 1471 (his feast is observed a day early to avoid conflict with that of James bar-Zebedee the Apostle).
Thomas is known almost entirely for composing or compiling a manual of spiritual advice known as The Imitation of Christ, in which he urges the reader to seek to follow the example of Jesus Christ and to be conformed in all things to His will. An extract follows:
A page from illuminated "Imitation of Christ" When God bestows Spiritual comfort, receive it with a grateful heart; but remember that it comes of God's free gift, and not of your own merit. Do not be proud, nor over joyful, nor foolishly presumptuous; rather, be the more humble for this gift, more cautious, and more prudent in all your doings, for this hour will pass, and temptation will follow it. When comfort is withdrawn, do not immediately despair, but humbly and patiently await the will of Heaven; for God is able to restore you to a consolation even richer than before. This is nothing new or strange to those who know the ways of God, for the great Saints and Prophets of old often experienced these changes. ...Indeed, the temptation that precedes is often a sign of comfort to follow. For heavenly comfort is promised to those who have been tried and tempted. "To him who overcomes," says God, "I will give to eat of the Tree of Life."
PRAYER
Holy Father, you have nourished and strengthened your church by the writings of your servant Thomas à Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what is necessary to be known, to love what is to be loved, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and to follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
by James Kiefe
Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, Center for Spiritual Development
A Day of Presence: An Introduction to BioSpiritual Focusing
Saturday, August 23 ~ 1-5 PM
434 S. Batavia St., Orange, CA 92868
This afternoon of inner reflection will offer an introduction to the practices and fruits of BioSpiritual Focusing.
Get more information and register: https://www.thecsd.org/event-details/a-day-of-presence-an-introduction-to-biospiritual-focusing-2
From the Diocese
Donations welcomed for local families affected by ICE
Sacred Resistance is organizing donations for families affected by ICE raids, seeking shelf-stable food donations, personal hygiene items, household essentials, and baby products, in addition to financial donations.
In-kind donations may be made at 6125 Carlos Ave, Los Angeles, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Financial donations may be made through St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Hollywood via PayPal or Venmo to @ststephenshollywood.
Bishop Search Committee offers updated timeline
The Bishop Search Committee has released an updated version of the Bishop Search timeline. The estimated dates for milestones in the Bishop Search are below:
Early June, 2025: The diocesan profile is published, and the call for nominations is announced.
June 27, 2025: Nominating period closes.
July-August, 2025: The Search Committee reviews candidate files, conducts Zoom interviews and reference and background checks, and invites finalists to a discernment retreat.
Early September, 2025: The slate of candidates is announced, and the nominating period for petition candidates opens.
October 20-25, 2025: "Meet-and-Greets" are held across the diocese to introduce all candidates to the members of the diocese and the diocese to the candidates.
November 7-8, 2025: The election of the bishop takes place during the annual diocesan convention in Riverside.
May 2026: The bishop-elect begins work in the diocese.
July 11, 2026: Consecration and ordination of the new bishop.
July-September, 2026: Bishop Taylor remains as a consultant, providing support during the transition.
October, 2026: Bishop Taylor retires.
St. Thomas Post Scripts
August Canterbury Tales: We are in need of articles for the St. Thomas Canterbury Tales publication. Please send all article information to Shelley Arnold at shelleyarnold1@aol.com or Rick Fridrick at stlb47@verizon.net, or call the Church office. Articles should be submitted no later than noon on Monday, July 26, 2025.
St. Thomas Tiding: If you have any article/announcement for the tiding please send to Rick Fridrick at stlb47@verizon.net or call the Church office.
Service Reminder: All our services stay on our Facebook page so you can view them whenever it’s convenient for you. It’s always better to view a service later in the day than not at all! The link to the page for all our services is here: https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Thomas-of-Canterbury-Episcopal-Church-of-Long-Beach-CA-124554214274325
Share Our Services: Please feel free to share our Sunday services. The more people we reach, the better we do at evangelism. People are hungry for what we have to offer, and I encourage you to do our part to share our services with your friends and neighbors. Send them the link when you email them, invite them to join you on Facebook or in person… whatever way works best for you to share what we have to offer.
Reminder the Church office is open Monday-Friday: If you have any need, Rick Fridrick is in the Church office Monday-Thursday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm and Friday from 9:00 am – Noon. 562-425-4457
Pastoral Care: If you have normal “every day” pastoral concerns, contact Rick in the office at 562-425-4457, or Allen at (714) 381-5910. We hope to have a more detailed pastoral care plan soon.