Category

Outreach

Virtual Toy Drive for 2020

By Outreach

Parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle have supported Community Partners of Dallas’s Annual Toy Drive for several years. These toys go to children in need throughout Dallas. The CPD Toy Drive for 2020, as you might expect, is virtual. You aren’t being asked to get out and shop for the toys which will probably be disappointing for many of us who love shopping for toys. Please go to https://www.helpcpdkids.org and select the wishes you would like to fill. It’s super simple to do! Wishes this year range in price from $10.00 to $34.00 each. Please go the website and share the love by December 11. Once you’re on the checkout page, please find the spot that asks if you are filling wishes for a group. Enter “St. Thomas the Apostle” so we can see how many of us participate. Every year, the Pillowcase Guild, headed by Kathy Carson, makes custom…

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November 12, 2020

Community

By Outreach

For my entire life I have been seeking “community” one way or another. We are not put on this Earth by God just to be alone among all the others God created. We are put here to be “in community” with one another… Life Together is what “Life” is about.
 The Church, God’s Beloved Community, has been that place where my longing for Life Together has found soil in which to grow. For that I am grateful to God and to the communities of Faith in which I served throughout my “active” ordained ministry. Each one of the six parishes where I served gave me a sense of Life Together. Each was a different manifestation of Life Together. Each taught me more about living in God’s Beloved Community.
 Perhaps because my tenure at St. Thomas the Apostle in Dallas was nearly 25 years, that parish did more to reveal the…

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July 30, 2020

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny insignificant little seed

By Outreach

Dear Doubters, Fr. Christopher asked if I would do the weekly reflection this first week of his well-deserved vacation. And now that I have had a chance to look at the Gospel reading, I suspect he may wish he had done this himself – such rich rich imagery! From Matthew’s Gospel: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny insignificant little seed. Or a small bit of yeast that leavens. But what happens when that little seed is planted? Or the yeast mixed in a whole lot of flour? Huge results can happen – trees large enough for birds to nest in. Or three loaves of homemade bread! In other words, the Kingdom of Heaven APPEARS to be something small and insignificant – but oh what it can accomplish! I think Matthew’s message is we don’t really see the King of Heaven initially – when it’s like a tiny seed…

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July 23, 2020

Providing lunch at Inspired Vision Compassion Center

By Outreach

Several weeks ago I wrote an article for our Doubter Newsletter about ways in which we at St. Thomas could help with the dire needs many of our neighbors in South Dallas are facing. Many families living in the southern sector of our city are living on the edge – and the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed them right over. There are a number of agencies in Dallas that are doing what they can to lend a helping hand providing much needed food, clothing, medical attention and financial assistance. And one of them is Inspired Vision Compassion Center. Their Vision Statement is “Touching God Reaching People” which certainly can resonate with us at St. Thomas! From their website: Located in Mesquite, Inspired Vision Compassion Center was started with one mission… to feed the hungry of Dallas. If anyone could take on such a daunting task, it’s the visionary founder, Karen Belknap….

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July 10, 2020

#GiveForLife Blood Drive – Jan 11

By Outreach

National Blood Donor Month is Sweet! You can help save a life by taking an hour or so out of your day on Saturday, January 11, 2020 from 8:00 am until Noon, when the Carter BloodCare Bus will be in the St. Thomas North parking lot. Mark your calendars now and come #GiveForLife! Give blood and get a box of your favorite Girl Scout Cookies! If you have any questions, contact Volunteer Drive Coordinator Nancy LeGros at nancy.legros@bracewell.com.

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January 10, 2020

Little Red Socks of Love

By Outreach

Nothing personifies the mission of Bryan’s House more than the Little Red Socks of Love, which represent the little boy for whom the organization is named. Bryan Allen was the first known child in Dallas to die from AIDS after being infected perinatally from his mother, who had unknowingly contracted the disease through a blood transfusion. Bryan’s mother kept him outfitted in little red socks in hopes that he would live through the holidays. Bryan lived to see his first Christmas, but he died shortly after at only 8 months old. With nowhere to turn for help caring for her children with AIDS, Bryan’s mother Lydia Allen founded Bryan’s House to serve as a hospice for children infected with HIV / AIDS. Sadly, Lydia and her older son Matthew both passed away due to complications from AIDS. Today, Texas is ranked 49th in the USA to serve at-risk children with…

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December 18, 2019

Tis the Season for Giving

By News, Outreach

It’s the little things that make a big impact in our community! Try offering a smile to someone you pass by, visiting a neighbor that’s shut-in, volunteering at shelter, donating food to local food pantry or giving a few extra dollars to support the many ministries St. Thomas is involved in. Everyone has something to give! St. Thomas is excited to offer new, innovative and convenient ways to donate: Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3 GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. It was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. The goal is to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is…

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November 22, 2019

It’s Toy Drive Time Again!

By Outreach

As has been a tradition at St. Thomas the Apostle for many years, we will once again collect toys for children in the custody of Child Protective Services. It is our way of supporting and helping keep hope alive for Dallas County’s youngest victims of abuse. Community Partners of Dallas organizes the drive and they rely on organizations like St. Thomas to assist in obtaining toys for these children. There will be a tree set up with Wish Cards on it for pick up beginning on Sunday, November 17. Please stop by and pick out a card or two (or more) and return the unwrapped gift(s) with the wish card attached no later than Sunday, December 1 to the PARISH HALL by the NORTH ENTRANCE. Members of St. Thomas Angels will get all of the gifts to the Community Partners’ warehouse that week.

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November 6, 2019

LifeWalk 2019 – Sunday, October 6

By Outreach, Upcoming Events

LifeWalk is Dallas’ largest and longest running AIDS walk that includes a fun 5K walk/run through the Turtle Creek/Uptown neighborhoods, and festival in Turtle Creek Park (formerly Lee Park). St. Thomas has participated in EVERY YEAR since the first walk in 1990. Make plans to join us this year on Sunday, Oct. 6. The festival opens at 11:00am and the walk begins at 1:00pm. Before the walk, take advantage of free HIV testing, music, games, and more! Don’t forget to bring your 4-legged family members as well! St. Thomas teams have raised as much as $25,000 in years past. In recent years, the numbers have gone down. This year let’s set a goal of $10,000! Walk, run or just donate! Here’s how: sign up on the St. Thomas team page at www.lifewalk.org/event/team/844575/ write an email to your friends inviting them to join (include above sign up link) Post it on…

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September 25, 2019