2 pm - Join us for a simple Eucharist OUTSIDE on the patio at 2 pm on Christmas Eve. We'll keep our masks on while we sing carols a capella. We'll hear the Christmas story, offer our prayers, and celebrate Eucharist. This service will be no longer than 45 minutes.
4 pm - Eucharist with carols, a cantor and trumpet, a simple Christmas pageant, and candlelight. This service will be livestreamed so that you can participate from home at any time. Nursery is available for this service.
8 pm - Eucharist with carols, a quartet and trumpet, and candlelight. Nursery is not available at this service.
10:30 pm - Eucharist with carols, choir and trumpet, incense, and candlelight. Nursery is not available at this service.
*Note - Masks are required for everyone over age two at all services
Advent & Christmas Playlist curated by Illustrated Ministry.
The Greatness of the Lord
A Facebook friend asked recently in a group "What is your favorite gospel, and why?" I immediately wrote, "Luke! It is the good news of a world turned upside-down by the work of Jesus." I also like that Luke is a two-parter. We think that the book of Acts was written by the same person who wrote the gospel of Luke. The story of Jesus continues in the story of the Church.
Dr. Denny Clark, our Parish Theologian, offers several more reasons to like Luke's gospel in his introduction to Luke in our Advent devotions. We will read Luke quite a bit in the year ahead.
Because we are reading Luke, it made sense to focus in this Advent season on a familiar passage from Luke 1 - The Song of Mary. This is the song of trust and hope which Mary sang to God in her own Advent moment, as she waited for Jesus. Her waiting began with these words of praise: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
Like Mary, we wait. We wait for the coming of God's reign of love in its fullness. We wait to see what our post-pandemic "new normal" will look like. We wait in prayer and discernment. We do not wait as those without hope. With Mary, we wait in confidence, trusting that the One who has done great things in the past will continue to do great things now and in the future.
For our Advent devotions this year, we invited St. Thomas parishioners to share how they experience the Greatness of the Lord in their lives. Read their words as part of your daily devotions, or while lighting your Advent wreath. A liturgy for use with the Advent wreath is included in the booklet. Scripture readings for each day of Advent are also listed.
May this Advent season lead us all to deeper trust in God our Savior.
We are a church of loving, committed and searching Christians who value diversity and cherish the gifts of young and old alike. We welcome ALL God’s children into our sacramental community, respecting the dignity of every person as we are called to a ministry of reconciliation and inclusion. You are welcome here as God’s own.
Like the apostle Thomas, we encounter the risen Christ in our lives together and find ourselves transformed.
We invite you to worship, learn, and serve with us!
We know finding a church can be hard. We were all new to St. Thomas once, so let us tell you a little about ourselves.
We are named for the apostle Thomas, whose life was changed when he encountered the risen Christ. His confession of faith, “My Lord and my God,” is printed above our altar.
Like Thomas, we encounter the risen Christ in our life together and find our lives transformed. We invite you to worship, learn, and serve with us.
St. Thomas was founded in 1958 and is a congregation of about 400-600 people. A few folks have been here for a long time, but a lot of us are newcomers! Some of us grew up as Episcopalians, some of us came from other Christian traditions, and some of us have no religious background at all!
The pandemic taught us a lot about preventing the spread of disease when we gather. Read the current practices at St. Thomas by clicking on the button below. Our Vestry reviews and updates these each month.
For a one-time gift, you will be asked to load a form of payment to be debited when you make your gift. You can log in to your St. Thomas Member Portal account to give or view past gifts.
Our arms have always been open to all. Let’s open them wider! Your annual pledge supports St. Thomas as we Begin Anew! With your support we can:
Provide the stability of a full-time leader for youth and young adults.
Welcome families of youth looking for a church home.
Continue to adapt to support new ways to share, communicate, and gather.
Use our new website and media resources to welcome ALL God’s children.
We invite gifts for our Continuing Faithfulness Capital Fund. Significant roof and HVAC maintenance will be needed in the next few years, as well as routine maintenance on the nave windows. We are building up this fund in order to be ready to address these needs as they arise. If you are able to make a gift above and beyond your annual pledge, consider giving to this fund.
The pet memorial garden is a garden for the remembrance of our beloved pets. It provides a permanent resting place for the pets who live on in our memories and in our hearts. It is a place to give thanks to God for the companionship of beloved animals and to commit ourselves to care for all of God’s creatures.Engraved bricks are arranged in the garden around the cross. Engraved bricks are available for purchase as a permanent way to remember your pet. The fee covers, the brick, installation of the brick, maintenance of the garden, and a donation to PAWS Humane Society of Columbus, Georgia.