Parish Life at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church of Sanford, NC

Parish Picnic
One of the most enjoyable events at St. Thomas’ is the annual parish picnic held in June. It provides the opportunity for the church family to share fellowship and good food, reflect on the past year, and look ahead to future parish events. Once held in a local municipal park, the event has now moved to the country home of a parishioner where all in attendance can enjoy all the joys of being together.

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5th Sunday Covered Dish Luncheons
Every fifth Sunday is marked as a time for the parish to gather after the 10 o’clock service for a bountiful meal, where St. Thomas’ cooks (both male and female) known for their excellent dishes, share their largesse. During this time there is the opportunity for sharing current happenings, presenting future projects, and receiving suggestions and comments from all parish members.

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2nd Sunday Food Gathering
The parish has become more cognizant of and responsive to the needs of community members who are unable to provide healthy meals for their families due to unemployment, sickness, or other family emergencies. Endeavoring to aid those in need, parishioners gather, on second Sundays, canned foods, packaged staples, and other non-perishable items from their pantries, and bring them to St. Thomas’. There they are placed in baskets, brought to the altar during the blessing of alms, and then delivered to a local food outlet for distribution.

Lenten Booklet

Eight years ago it was suggested to the rector that sharing written contemplations in booklet form would bring added focus to the forty days of Lent. Even though this project is a large undertaking for a small parish, each year has seen active participation and eager expectation as the booklets are distributed prior to Ash Wednesday. Some themes of the Lenten Booklets have been commenting on favorite hymns, choosing and writing about beloved bible characters, and sharing thoughts about the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ and its relevance to our lives. This year’s booklet featured paragraphs about the church’s stained glass windows and their impact on parishioner’s worship.

Family Retreat
During the past five years three family retreats have been held. Each of these was an opportunity for families to gather for a week-end, share in spiritual growth activities designed for all age groups, and have fun rediscovering and celebrating the power of love in Christian lives as seen in the life of Jesus Christ. These themed gatherings have enriched parish life and witness.

Lenten Program

The Lenten season at St. Thomas’ is designed to aid parishioners in their spiritual walk from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Wednesday Eucharists are held at noon, and during Holy Week there are Eucharists at noon Monday through Fridays. Wednesday nights begin with evening prayer, followed by a light meal, then a time of study. Previously there were studies on topics such as the Saints, Spiritual Gifts, and Learning about God through a Study of the Brahms Requiem. This year’s focus was a study of In the Name of Jesus by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Provisions are made to include all ages in some type of Lenten experience on Wednesday nights during Lent.