Parish Call - 2021 Summer by St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh

2021 SUMMER

THE PARISH CALL ST. THOMAS' CHURCH, WHITEMARSH

INCLUDES VESTRY UPDATES, NEW "LIFELONG DISCIPLESHIP", AND MORE

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1-2

INTRODUCING LIFELONG DISCIPLESHIP - S. ELLIOTT

CELEBRATING PRESCHOOL GRADUCTION - S. PETRAKIS

SUMMER 2021 FREE CARILLON CONCERT SERIES

ORDINARY TIME - M. SMITH

6-7

MARKING TIME: ON CELEBRATING FEASTS AND SAINTS - M. BURDETTE

PREPARING TO SAY GOODBYE - T. STEEVES

MATTHEW BURDETTE'S ONGOING LEARNING ABOUT ST. THOMAS' - S. SMTIH

10-11

DISCERNMENT IN A LIMINAL TIME - W. BAILEY

2022 WOMEN'S RETREAT

"ARE WE THERE YET?" - G. GOODRICH

LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR SECOND "FIRST YEAR" TOGETHER - M. BURDETTE

2021 RECTOR'S BOOK CLUB READING LIST

16-17

CELEBRATING ST. THOMAS' CHURCH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

Introducing Lifelong Discipleship BY SARAH ELLIOTT, COMMISSION CHAIR

When we think about the word “disciple,” many of us think about the twelve guys that traveled around with Jesus in the Gospels. We don’t usually apply that word to ourselves and yet, at our baptism, we all become disciples of Jesus Christ. A disciple is a follower of a teacher, but not in the way we might think of being a student in a classroom. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is an intentional apprenticeship, following Jesus in order to imitate his life and teachings. So discipleship is at the heart of who we are as Christians and what we do at St. Thomas’. In the Gospel according to Matthew, after Jesus rose from the dead, he met his disciples on a mountaintop in Galilee to give them one final set of instructions: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). All that we do at St. Thomas’ helps to form us as disciples, from worshiping on Sunday mornings, to serving others through our various Outreach ministries. Two of our commissions are specifically charged with the spiritual formation of everyone here: Adult Spiritual Formation (ASF) and Children, Youth and Family (CYF). In the past, these two commissions have operated independently from each other. This year, however, ASF and CYF have been working closely together on shared goals. Although their target audiences are different, the core focus of both commissions is the same, to make disciples of Jesus Christ. After consultation with the rector and the Vestry, the two commissions have merged, forming the Lifelong Discipleship Commission (LDC). Having a single

commission means that educational opportunities can be designed with a common theme and then tailored to be age-appropriate, allowing all of us at St. Thomas’ to be learning and discussing the same topics at the same time. The newly formed LDC, consisting of all the current members of ASF and CYF, met recently for a weekend retreat to discuss discipleship. We shared our thoughts about what a disciple is and began to dream about different ways to form disciples and to support them on their lifelong journey with Jesus Christ. Our work this summer will be to refine our goals for the upcoming program year and to create opportunities for the people of St. Thomas’ to learn about and practice being good disciples.

Celebrating Preschool Graduation BY SHARI PETRAKIS, PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR

What an amazing year at St. Thomas’ Preschool! We opened September 14th and never had to close the school down. Our families rallied with us to keep the children and staff safe throughout this entire year! We ended the school year with our graduation night with a lot of joy, love, happiness and our phrase of the year “being bendy!” (ABOVE) FAMILIES CELEBRATE RETIRING TEACHERS MRS. HERITAGE & MRS. VIDO (BOTTOM LEFT) GRADUATES ON PARADE, MRS. HERITAGE AND MRS. VIDO RECEIVE A PARTING GIFT FROM STUDENTS

Congratulations to all the Pre-K graduates! We are so thankful and blessed to be able to spend each day with these wonderful children. We have weathered through storms all year and our graduation didn’t disappoint. We got our graduation in amongst a storm and switched gears really quickly to a drive-by graduation. We ended the night honoring two amazing teachers, Mrs. Heritage and Mrs. Vido, who are retiring this year! It was the best night. Thank you to all the graduate families for being flexible and thank you to all the families that came out to give best wishes to Mrs. Heritage and Mrs. Vido! Now we are on to 4 weeks of camp!

When the Sun Goes Down…. the Music Turns up in Whitemarsh! Celebrating over 40 years of free community recitals, the St. Thomas’ Carillon at St. Thomas’ Church Whitemarsh will again host another season of international summer concerts for the surrounding community. All concerts start at 7:00PM Tuesday, July 6 –27, and are held rain or shine. Admission is free. Please call 215-233-3970 or visit www.StThomasWhitemarsh.org for additional information and directions. Free will offering will be extended.

“What Summer Sounds Like!”

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July 6 - Trees, Trills & Tuesdays Relax and enjoy the beauty of the grove every Tuesday in July! 7:00p Carlo van Ulft, Illinois July 13 - Fun & Frolic Family Recital 7:00p Frank DellaPenna, Pennsylvania July 20 - Bing, Bang, Boom: Bells & Bagpipes! 7:00p Joey Brink, Illinois 8:00p Irish Thunder Bagpipes July 27 - Barn & Bells: Honoring 2nd Saturday Sales volunteers 7:00p Lisa Lonie, Pennsylvania 8:00p (tentative) Michael Smith, organ

The concert series is partially supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and is administered in this region by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

Ordinary Time BY MICHAEL SMITH, MINISTER OF MUSIC

The Sundays after Pentecost and the Sundays after Epiphany are known as “Ordinary Time.” Because they occur largely in the summer, there is a chance misperception. The “ordinariness” of these Sundays has nothing to do with a summer slump, or going back to some low-key Sundays between Christmas and Ash Wednesday. The key to understanding this term lies in engaging in some wordplay.

"Was ever another command so obeyed? Ordinary Time is the Church’s way of dealing with the remainder. You see, the date of Easter, and therefore the date of Pentecost changes each year, but the first Sunday of Advent is fixed. Likewise, Ash Wednesday changes each year, but the Epiphany is fixed. The number of Sundays in between Pentecost and Advent, and between the Epiphany and Ash Wednesday are sometimes fewer or greater, depending on the moon.

Ordinary. Ordinal. Ordain.

The Church in her lectionary has allowed for this by numbering the Sundays after Pentecost and after Epiphany as Propers. We number, or ordain, these Sundays, and so they are ordinary.

An ordinal is a customary or formula for the way we do things. We ordain, or order, people as laity, deacons, priests, or bishops. God ordains the seasons and times; as Isaac Watts says in his hymn, “I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day.” Most of the liturgical year is ordered, or ordained according to the season we are in. There are four Sundays of Advent. There are a movable number of Sundays in Lent according to the date of Easter, which is ordained by a complex formula involving the moon. If you are a mathematically curious person, check out page 880 in the Book of Common Prayer. There are seven Sundays after Easter, which culminates in the Ascension (40 days after the Resurrection) and Pentecost (50 days after the Exodus when God gave the Law to Moses, and 50 days after the Resurrection when God sent the Holy Spirit to write his new law of Love on our hearts).

In our three year lectionary cycle, some themes emerge during Ordinary Time, depending on whether we are in year A, B, or C. For example, in year B, there are 5 Sundays in a row in Ordinary Time where Jesus talks about himself as the Bread of Life repeatedly. We tend to run out of “bread” hymns that month. The Ordinary Time Sundays after Epiphany tend to focus on Jesus early miracles and the beginning of his earthly ministry. This summer, I encourage you to engage with the scriptures of Ordinary Time. I encourage you to make the choice to come to church with regularity, even over the summer. Because these are no ordinary Sundays; these are Sundays where Christ is revealed to us in scripture and in the breaking of the bread. These are Sundays where the great Creator of the Worlds deigns to draw near to us humans. That, my friends, is extra-ordinary.

Marking Time: On Celebrating Feasts And Saints BY THE REV. DR. MATTHEW E. BURDETTE

Each of us have rituals to mark time: Birthday celebrations, holidays, family visits, anniversaries, and so on. If we stop to consider what these rituals signify, we will notice that these describe the shape and story of our lives, and so also describe who we are. At the risk of stating the obvious: It is precisely because the ways we mark time signify something that these rituals are significant, significant enough even to elicit debate. The first Christians, for example, were sternly warned that, having received faith in Jesus, they were obligated to change and, in some instances, even abandon ritual celebrations: “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how…can you want to be enslaved to them again? You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted” (Galatians 4:8-10). And lest we are tempted to think that such matters are strictly religious in nature, consider how fiercely debated in our national life have been celebrations like Columbus Day. When a nation pauses to acknowledge a significant figure in its past, the nation is enacting ritual storytelling and identity formation—and when the nation decides no longer to acknowledge this significant person in the same way,

the nation is deciding that it needs to narrate its story in a new way in order to forge a new identity going forward. Without minimizing its unique import, the fact that Christians mark time is not a fundamentally different thing than this general human phenomenon. Over centuries, the church developed a pattern of time to tell its story. No longer observing the Sabbath, Christians began to have their Eucharistic celebrations every Sunday— each week, a miniature Easter. Leading up to the celebration of Easter Day and the invitation of new believers into the Christian community, the church settled on a season of fasting and selfexamination, where even the baptized prepared to receive their faith anew. And so on. The liturgical seasons— Advent, the season after the Epiphany, Lent, Eastertide, the season after Pentecost—have two centers of gravity: Christmas and Easter. (See page 15 of the Book of Common Prayer.) But what about other feasts and saints’ days? There are particular feasts, such as the Epiphany or the Ascension or the Transfiguration, which don’t necessarily fall on a Sunday, but which are part of the church’s seasonal liturgical calendar, telling the story of our faith over and over again each year. These feasts tell of particular moments in the

history of God’s saving work towards us. So, for example, we celebrate the Annunciation to Mary, also known as the Feast of the Incarnation, nine months before Christmas Day because this marks the time of Jesus’ conception, the beginning of “the fullness of time,” when “God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4). Or we celebrate the Ascension as the climactic fulfillment of the Resurrection, what we might understand as Jesus’ universal “coronation,” whereby God declared decisively that this crucified and risen man is Lord of all: “God…raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21). The recognition of the church’s saints does not follow the pattern of the liturgical seasons, but the celebration of saints has a similar function in the church’s life. Like the feast days centered around the events of salvation history and the ministry, death, and victory of Jesus, the saints are those in whom the church recognizes that God has acted powerfully and graciously. The saints are moral exemplars, and women and men whom God has used to shape the church’s life and mission. We celebrate saints to give thanks to God that he condescends to use sinful people to do incredible, transformative work in the world.

"The saints comprise the 'great cloud of witnesses' by whom we are surrounded, who have run and finished the race that we are still running (Hebrews 12:1)." To the extent that our piety may tolerate the idea—and this is an issue about which Anglicans are divided—we may celebrate the saints also to ask them to intercede for us, the church on earth of which they once were a part, as members of the church in heaven. We celebrate the saints, not on their birthdays, but on the days that they died—when we believe they joined the church triumphant in heaven. The saints comprise the “great cloud of witnesses” by whom we are surrounded, who have run and finished the race that we are still running (Hebrews 12:1). St. Thomas' Church’s celebration of feasts and saints’ days is our participation in the marking of time observed by the church catholic, measuring our lives by the work of God towards us in Christ and in the members of Christ’s body.

Preparing To Say Goodbye BY THE REVEREND TIM STEEVES When Napoleon said farewell to his troops, he told them, “I cannot embrace all of you, but I do love all of you.” I’ve never regarded myself as being anything like Napoleon, but I certainly understand how he felt. By the end of the summer my time here at St. Thomas’ will finally draw to a close. This is as it must be, and, more importantly, this is as it should be. Eight years ago, when I formally retired from active ministry, I envisioned myself building a modest sailboat and sailing up and down the intracoastal waterway, following the sun. But God, as is almost always the case, had other plans for me. Interim and supply work have occupied my time since retirement, first at St. Mary’s in Cathedral Village, then at St. Timothy’s in Roxborough (I used to love answering the phone by saying, “St Timothy’s Church, this is Timothy.”), and finally, and most joyously, back here at St. Thomas’. But now the time for me and Deborah to transition into actual retirement has finally come. Our house in on the market, we are finally “downsizing” and in search of a smaller home – although we will be remaining in the general area. I am grateful and happy to have finished my ministry at St. Thomas’. St. Thomas’ has gone through a successful transition in its search for a new Rector. I believe that Matthew Burdette possesses just the skills, energy, and commitment that St. Thomas will need as it enters this still-new millennium. He’s a wonderful preacher, an honestto-goodness theologian (with a PhD degree and everything) and is committed to the liturgy and traditions of the Church in powerful and important ways. Now the transition continues as I withdraw from my time of ministering among you and as Matt spreads his wings and soars with you into the future – and, as we all know, that future belongs to God. Although I probably won’t be sailing up and down the intra-coastal waterway, I will be somewhere; and wherever I am, my warm memories of you and my time at St. Thomas’ will forever be my constant companion. God bless.

Matthew Burdette’s Ongoing Learning about St. Thomas’ BY STACY SMITH, SENIOR WARDEN OF THE VESTRY

As part of Father Matthew’s ongoing education about the life of St. Thomas’, the Rev. Tim Steeves and I are convening a small group of parishioners over the summer to offer their personal insights into the history, culture, and hopes for our church. Frank Serra, Bill Lutz, Jim Weiss, Sarah Elliott, John Kepner, Liz Butler Rogers, and Amy Roak have graciously agreed to offer their time, wisdom, and experience as Father Matthew continues to get to know our church and its people. Father Tim is a wealth of institutional knowledge and experience and has offered to lead this group as a parting gift to Father Matthew. As you know, Father Tim was called out of retirement to help keep St. Thomas’ afloat as we navigated a time of uncertainty and transition. When Father Matthew joined us in November, he asked Father Tim if he would stay on staff a few months longer to help with the onboarding process and to help steer the ship as Father Matthew learned the ways of St. Thomas’. We could not have survived the tumultuous time without Father Tim’s steady and calming presence and his warm-hearted, convivial personality. We are incredibly grateful for his service and leadership. As the grip of COVID seems to be loosening and life is beginning to look a lot brighter, so do the past few years of transition appear to be moving into a time of stability and promise as we are finally able to gather as before and reacquaint ourselves with one another and fully welcome the Burdette family into our parish. This group of advisors are eager to share their knowledge of St. Thomas’ and are enthusiastic about our future with Father Matthew at the helm.

Discernment In A Liminal Time BY WENDY BAILEY, VESTRY MEMBER

Shortly after Father Matthew was called to St. Thomas', he recommended the Vestry read a book by the Rev. Susan Beaumont, How to Lead When you Don’t Know Where You’re Going: Leading in a Liminal Season. The first thing I did after ordering the book was to google the word “liminal.” In Anthropology, “…liminality is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the rite is complete” (Wikipedia). I learned that our transition did not end when the rector’s search was done. In fact, the entire first season of a rector’s life in a new parish is considered a continuation of the transition. In this space, as a faith community, we need to unlearn old behaviors, challenge the status quo, experiment, take risks, and reinvent ourselves. In that spirit, and with Fr. Matthew’s blessing, the Vestry is taking on a challenge for the summer.

"In this space, as a faith community, we need to unlearn old behaviors, challenge the status quo, experiment, take risks, and reinvent ourselves."

That challenge is to work with a discernment process outlined in Beaumont’s book. Discernment is a method of decision-making where one puts God at the center of the process. She describes it as “a quality of attentiveness to God that, over time, develops our sense of God’s heart and purpose in the moment”. The process can be applied to complex problems such as: “How can we be good stewards of our buildings and property?”; or to faith-based decisions like “How can we better serve the different faith communities at St. Thomas', (e.g. Family Table and the Big Church)?”; or to financial obligations like “How and why do we fulfill our giving to the Diocese?” Over the summer, the Vestry will embark on a journey to explore this type of decision-making to see where it leads us. This exercise will be completed in biweekly meetings as we near the end of our liminal time. The discernment process outlined by Beaumont involves the following steps: 1) Framing - consider boundaries of the work (what is in scope and out of scope) 2) Grounding – identifying guiding principles relevant to the topic under consideration that help create meaningful boundaries for the conversation 3) Shedding - naming and laying aside anything that would prevent members from focusing on God’s will as the ultimate outcome 4) Listening - waiting and attending to the voices in the room, the larger community and to the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to manifest

5) Exploring - participants identify all possible directions or alternatives and evaluation options; narrowing down to just a few 6) Weighing - with 2 or 3 options, the group should weigh each one by suspending analysis of each to receive the Holy Spirit’s guidance 7) Choosing - Group leader looks for consensus 8) Testing - before the decision is shared outside of the discernment group, members are asked to sit with the decision in prayer and stillness

By September, we hope to arrive at a place where we feel the result of the process aligns with God’s will for St. Thomas'. The goal is to achieve a deeper understanding of the discernment process and determine if it is a practice we should adopt going forward. It is Father Matthew’s hope that the Vestry will embrace the model of being a deliberative body for the church; that we will work faithfully and with transparency to lead St. Thomas' through this liminal time, towards a new era of church leadership and accountability. ans. That, my friends, is extra-ordinary.

"The goal is to achieve a deeper understanding of the discernment process and determine if it is a practice we should adopt going forward."

2022 Women's Retreat Women in Ireland have a special way of celebrating Epiphany (January 6) called “Women’s Christmas.” After the busy Christmas season ends, Irish women leave their homes and families for a few hours, to gather with other women to celebrate, rest, and reflect before diving into the responsibilities of the new year. In the spirit of Women’s Christmas, the women of St. Thomas’ have created a tradition of holding an annual retreat during Epiphany. We step out of our regular routine for a weekend and spend some time with like-minded women focused on spiritual reflection and spiritual growth. We gather at Pendle Hill, a local Quaker retreat center, where the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship support our quest to deepen our relationships with God and with each other. Most of the weekend takes place inside Brinton House, where we can meet, dine, sleep, and relax under one roof. The rest of the Pendle Hill campus is also available to us, including the walking trail, bookstore, art studio, and outdoor labyrinth. The work of creating the retreat is a shared activity. We lay-women take turns each year to plan the retreat, to lead breakout sessions or worship or singing, and to serve God and each other by lending helping hands during the weekend. The flow of the weekend is designed carefully, with enough structure to allow for spiritual discussion, prayer and worship, silent reflection, creativity, body movement, fellowship and fun. The program varies each year, but always has a scriptural basis, designed to challenge us spiritually, and intended to leave us with a “spiritual take-away” when we return home. Our next retreat will take place January 28-30, 2022. Look for more detailed information to be announced in the fall. Until then, take some time to consider whether God is calling to you to put down your responsibilities for a weekend, to celebrate, rest, and reflect at the start of the new year, in the company of like-minded women.

“Are We There Yet?” BY GINGER GOODRICH, VESTRY AND FORMER CHAIR OF THE PARISH PROFILE COMMITTEE

Yes, we have been in a transition period for a long time now. But, the answer is, no, we are not there yet. We still have important work to do. Our new Rector, Father Matthew Burdette, is here and he is learning more about who we are and the traditions we hold dear. He is helping us navigate the changes that inevitably take place, changes that often involve some of the ‘old ways’ disappearing before the ‘new ways’ become clear. This can be a difficult and unsettling time for sure; but this in-between time also allows us to explore new opportunities, to be creative and to experiment with new ideas. We will be moving forward, and we will be moving together. The pandemic restrictions have kept us separated physically, but we can trust that: The Spirit continues to knit us together The desire is still here to use our gifts to serve others in the name of Christ The longing to be fed by the spiritual food of the Eucharist continues to unite us all Yes, we will get from ‘here’ to ‘there’. I believe with all my heart that with God’s help, and with love, prayer, and grace, we will emerge from this in-

"I believe with all my heart that with God’s help, and with love, prayer and grace, we will emerge from this inbetween time ready to respond wholeheartedly to what God is calling us to do as the people of St. Thomas’ Church." between time ready to respond wholeheartedly to what God is calling us to do as the people of St. Thomas’ Church. At the conclusion of this summer, we will take another step in transition, and say goodbye to our beloved Father Tim Steeves. We were blessed to have him so many months after he was expected to have left, but due to Covid and because Fr. Matthew asked him to stay, we were able to have him with us a little longer. Saying goodbye to Father Tim will be hard, but it is part of the work we must do as we continue to trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance. May God bless all of us with wisdom, strength and patience as we continue this journey.

Looking Towards Our Second "First Year" Together BY THE REV. DR. MATTHEW E. BURDETTE

As I begin the eighth month of my time at St. Thomas’, I remain keenly aware that there are many of you whom I have not had the chance to meet, that the time of the pandemic has prolonged the time of my transition, and that this season of change and uncertainty has left many of you feeling disconnected. I want you to know that I feel that sense of disconnection also, and that I am looking with hope to begin my “second first year” with you. My hope for the months ahead is that we will have a chance to get to know one another more fully, and partner in ministry more deeply. One of the gifts during this time of transition has been the prolonged ministry of the Rev. Tim Steeves. You may remember that the vestry asked Father Tim to take an active role during the interim time at St. Thomas’, assisting with pastoral care needs. It is the standard practice and implicit (or explicit)

"My hope for the months ahead is that we will have a chance to get to know one another more fully, and partner in ministry more deeply."

covenant of every congregation in transition that clergy who serve an interim function withdraw from the church community once a new rector has begun his or her new ministry. However, due to the peculiar circumstances of the pandemic, with the accompanying difficulty I would be facing as I sought to find my footing at St. Thomas’, we were best served by Tim remaining with me in ministry for a time. His knowledge of St. Thomas’—both its members and its institutional history and culture—are invaluable, and he has been and continues to be a support to me as I grow into my role as your priest. Graciously, when I first arrived, Father Tim agreed to remain with me in ministry through Easter, and then agreed to remain through the end of August this year. And to add grace upon grace, Tim has agreed to convene a group of lay members who will devote time and attention to helping me learn more about St. Thomas’. It is, therefore, with mixed feelings that I share with you that Father Tim will be leaving us. I am filled with gratitude for him, his ministry, and his friendship towards me, but I know that he must take the next steps in his journey with God, and that you and I must also learn to walk with one another in faith and in ministry. Father Tim’s final Sunday with us will be August 29. Until that time, please find an opportunity to call or email Father Tim to tell him how grateful to God you are for his ministry, and to assure him of your prayers for him and Deborah. Tim will preach on August 29, and we will have a celebration in thanksgiving for his ministry that afternoon following the 10 a.m. service.

2021 2021 Rector's Rector's Book Book Club Club Last Saturday Of Each Month At 10:00am JANUARY 2021 "Being Christian" By Rowan Williams

JULY 2021 "The Everlasting Man" By G.K. Chesterton

FEBRUARY 2021 "You Are What You Love" By James K.A. Smith

AUGUST 2021 "The Second Mountain: The Quest For A Moral Life" By David Brooks

MARCH 2021 "The Presence Of The Kingdom" By Jaques Ellul

SEPTEMBER 2021 "Jesus Of Nazareth" By Pope Benedict XVI

APRIL 2021 "Theology In Outline: Can These Bones Live?" By Robert W. Jensen

OCTOBER 2021 "Martin & Malcolm & America" By James H. Cone

MAY 2021 "Enriching Our Vision Of Reality: Theology & The Natural Sciences In Dialogue" By Alister McGrath

NOVEMBER 2021 "Why Liberalism Failed" By Patrick Deneen

JUNE 2021 "The Story Of Christianity" By David Bentley Hart

DECEMBER 2021 "To Light A Fire On The Earth: Proclaiming The Gospel In A Secular Age" By Robert Barron

Visit The Announcements Page on stthomaswhitemarsh.org to for a link to the virtual meeting, or scan the QR code to join now.

Celebrating St. Thomas' Church 2021 High School Graduates

NATALIE BAUDER Natalie is hoping to further science while helping others. Natalie appreciates St. Thomas for giving her so many options to experience - volunteering at The Barn, children’s choir, various formations, classes and social events but especially the special services during Lent & Advent.

TREY DUBOSE Next year Trey plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University with a major in computer science and a minor in theater. "Being a part of St. Thomas, aside from providing me with something to write about in college essays, means that I always have a community of love and support. I have always admired all of the service work that St Thomas has done for the community and it has provided me a space to give back to the world that has helped me grow. St. Thomas has helped to fuel my love of music and service which I plan to carry with me for the rest of my life."

STEFAN LYNTTON Stefan is excited to live in a new city for college. Stefan is thankful for all the memories and people he has met at St. Thomas'.

Class Of Twenty Twenty-One

GEMMA SMITH Gemma will be attending the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music as a dance major. After graduating or even during school, she hopes to become a dancer with a professional ballet company. Soon after her family started attending St. Thomas' Gemma was baptized, and because she was about seven at the time, she remembers the service. Since most people are infants when they are baptized their parents take the baptismal vows for them. But Gemma was able to take the vows herself, affirming her faith with her own free will. When she was confirmed just a few years later, the vows she took at baptism took on a new deeper meaning.

LILA WORGAN Lila is hoping to graduate from St. Andrews, travel the world, become the best version of herself and make her family proud. Lila grew up at St.Thomas and it has always been there for her no matter what has been going on in her life. It has inspired her love for stewardship and has allowed her to meet many inspiring individuals.

Stream the 10am service live on Youtube or visit www.stthomaswhitemarsh.org to RSVP for in-person service

Sunday Service Rite II With Music 10:00 AM

sy a d n u S n O s U ni o J

St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh 7020 Camp Hill Road Fort Washington, PA 19034

Sunday Service Rite I Spoken 8:00 AM