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St Thomas

Saint Thomas to Host a Ramadan Dinner

By News, Rector's Corner, Upcoming Events

As I mentioned in my sermon last week, recently I was contacted by representatives of the Dialogue institute of Dallas. The goal of this organization is to promote mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation among people of diverse faiths and cultures by creating opportunities for direct communication and meaningful experiences. Those who are members have a vision of a society where every person views and treats each other with dignity. This is such an important vision for our world today for so many reasons. I was pleased to welcome Emrah Aktepe, who is the Executive Director, and his colleague, Yusuf Tamer, to St. Thomas on April 25th for a time of conversation and a tour of our church. It was during this conversation that Emrah and Yusuf explained that Ramadan is coming up which is a month-long period of fasting, prayer, reflection and good works for Muslims. The period of fasting…

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May 4, 2018

The Flaming Dish – Pentecost Sunday

By Upcoming Events

On Pentecost Sunday, May 20, we invite everyone to join us in the Parish Hall at 11:30am for “The Flaming Dish”. Please bring a dish to share as we come together in fellowship to celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit! A sign up sheet is available in the Narthex.

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May 4, 2018

Craft Beer Tasting Event

By Upcoming Events

Join us on Saturday, May 19 at 6:30 pm for our Beyond the Pew – Craft Beer Tasting event. Bring your favorite craft beer with a complementary side dish. Call the parish office for more information: 214-352-0410.

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April 27, 2018

Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy

By Christian Formation, Upcoming Events

Join us Tuesday, May 15, as we wrap up our three-week Easter Book Study series Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy by Anne Lamott. In a world rife with conflict, Lamott invites us to seriously heed the scriptural imperative to “love mercy”. We will discover and discuss what mercy must look like in today’s world. Chicago Tribune Review- “Mercy is radical kindness,” Anne Lamott writes in her enthralling and heartening book, Hallelujah Anyway. It’s the permission you give others—and yourself—to forgive a debt, to absolve the unabsolvable, to let go of the judgment and pain that make life so difficult.” Full of Lamott’s trademark honesty, humor and forthrightness, Hallelujah Anyway is profound and caring, funny and wise—a hopeful book of hands-on spirituality. Order your copy today on Amazon >

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April 27, 2018

#BeGolden Campaign

By News, Outreach

Remember the Golden Rule? Do unto others as they would do unto you. Dallas faith and government leaders want North Texans to live out the rule and have united for a #BeGolden campaign to remind people to be nice to each other, and in particular to be kind to refugees who are the most vulnerable. The year-long campaign is spearheaded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, but is an ecumenical venture comprised of leaders from a variety of religions, including Episcopal Diocese of Dallas Bishop George Sumner. The goal is to bring awareness to the plight of refugees in North Texas and to show grace to all people, including those who differ politically, ethnically, racially, and socio-economically. To learn how you can help, or for more information check out begoldenjourney.com.

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April 20, 2018

Easter 3B Sermon

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Easter 3B, April 15, 2018 Acts 3:12-19, Psalm 4 1 John 3: 1-7, Luke 24: 36-48 St Thomas the Apostle The Rev’d Joy A. Daley The year was 2009. An unemployed, plump, simple woman walked out onto the stage of one of those talent shows and explained that she wanted to be a professional singer, a little late to get started at age 48, and she certainly didn’t look the part. The judges were skeptical the audience was laughing at her. There was significant eye rolling among the viewers who though they were witnessing some sort of joke. Then Susan Boyle opened her mouth and began singing with passion, poise and beauty. You could see the judges’ faces open with wonder, humbled as they received her gift of song and the audience was transformed getting to their feet with gratitude and surprise in a way that they never would have…

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April 15, 2018

Silent Movie Night

By Upcoming Events

Organist Benjamin Kolodziej will present an authentic screening of Buster Keaton’s 1928 feature-length silent film, Steamboat Bill, Jr. on Tuesday, May 8 at 7:30 pm in the church. This event is fun and appropriate for all ages. This film, one of the last of the silent era, is a comedic drama involving competing steamboat captains, family disappointments and falling in love, and was largely written and directed by Keaton, a master of comedic timing and deadpan expressions. One original reviewer understatedly characterized the film upon release as “perhaps the best comedy of the year so far,” while the New York Times called it a “sorry affair.” Nonetheless, for decades audiences increasingly have been drawn to this silent movie and it consistently ranks among the favorite and most entertaining silent films in history. To enhance the authentic feel of the evening, Benjamin Kolodziej will perform an original score written for organ…

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April 13, 2018

The Gathering

By Outreach, Upcoming Events

Spring is here and it is a great time to join us in serving the homeless at THE GATHERING. Mark your calendar for Sunday, April 29. We will be serving with Christ Church from Oak Cliff, and we will leave the north parking lot at 12:15 pm. Please join us and experience this heart warming ministry. The people we serve are always so gracious and grateful. Questions? Contact Lisa Cain.

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April 13, 2018

Easter2B Sermon

By Sermons

Easter2B, April 8, 2018 Acts 4: 32-35, Psalm 133 1 John 1: 1-2:2 John 20: 19-31 St. Thomas the Apostle The Rev’d Leo Loyola I proposed to Melody on a December afternoon in a San Francisco courtyard. We had just met online six months earlier. But, we never actually met in person until a couple of days earlier. We were literally on our first date as I slipped an engagement ring on Melody’s finger. And, how long did it take for me to decide that she was the one? Would you believe less than a few seconds of first sight? Now I know what you are thinking…the romantics in the room are probably thinking, “How sweet. That Father Leo is such a romantic.” And, then there are the realists who are thinking, “Are you nuts?” For this second group, I hear you. If we met in through a more conventional…

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April 8, 2018

Wednesday in Easter Week Sermon

By Sermons

Wednesday in Easter Week, April 4, 2018 Acts 3:1-10, Psalm 105:1-8, Luke 24:13-35 St Thomas the Apostle The Rev’d Leo Loyola Downtown Memphis, April 4, 1968. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. collapsed onto the second floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel. It was a little after six. A sniper’s bullet had, moments earlier, zinged into the civil right leader’s neck. Ironically the downtown Memphis property was a safe haven for black travelers during the Jim Crow era. At that moment, a lone gunman ran from the bathroom window at a downtown Memphis boarding house and into the evening. Panicked associates pointed towards the direction of the shot. Don’t die, Martin, the world needs you right now! The night before held such promise. King spoke at a rally held at the Mason Temple Church in support of a sanitation workers’ strike. He gave his welcoming audience a poignant vision…

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April 4, 2018