Serving at
St. Thomas

Prayer Teams

The prayer teams currently consist of five people who were active in The Order of St. Luke. A team of two is available for intercessory prayer (laying on of hands) at a designated prayer station during 10:30 am Communion Service twice monthly. We have a team available for prayer after the other 10:30 services and on other occasions when called.

Prayer Chain

The St. Thomas' prayer chain consists of 22 people willing to be involved in intercessory prayer upon request for crises, surgery, terminal illness etc. The prayer chain participant is generally contacted by phone.

Prayer Group

The Prayer Group meets weekly in a private home for intercessory prayer for our Church and congregation, local, national, international situations, plus prayer requests given to the group.

Altar Guild

St. Thomas' Altar Guild has a membership of thirty ladies, eleven of whom are honorary members. There are six teams who alternate responsibility weekly for preparing the Sanctuary for services, including weddings and funerals, washing vessels, polishing brass and changing the hangings in accordance with the type of service.

The Altar Guild supplies all the linens, which are laundered by the members, wine and wafers for all communion services, 500 palm crosses for Palm Sunday, liquid wax to maintain the altar candles and candelabra. A flower chart is posted in the front vestibule of the church for parishioners to donate flowers for the altars. When flowers are not donated, the Altar Guild is responsible for supplying the flowers. After gracing the Sanctuary, the flowers are delivered by the Altar Guild members on duty to parishioners in the hospital, Homes for the Aged, those confined to their own homes, or as designated by the donor. The hangings are supplied by donations to the Altar Guild memorial fund.

All members participate in the annual Dessert Tea and Bake Sale which is held in the spring and provides the necessary funds to support the above activities. Meetings are held in the spring and fall, as well as a social in December and a pot-luck luncheon in June.

Servers

The servers are a group of people who work as individuals. One server is appointed to serve on a specific Sunday. The morning begins with preparing the hymn numbers, ringing the bell and getting numerous other things ready for the service. When the service begins, the server, carrying a cross, leads in the choir and becomes a server (helper) to the minister and God. Our role during the service consists of leading out the Sunday School, going down to the nave for the gospel reading, taking collection, assisting in Communion, leading out the choir and cleaning up after Communion.

Newsletter - View from the Pew

Our Parish-Family newsletter at St. Thomas' is the "View from the Pew." It is intended to be a light-hearted, Christian family togetherness type of publication, with jokes, short Christian articles, poems, a creative "kids page" and anecdotes. The addition of a parish historical section will happen soon, and there is always a place for Pastoral offerings and information on specific needs of our church or community.
Archives: April 2011, May 2011, September 2011