SAVE THE DATE

• November 2, 10:00 - 2:00 All Souls Retreat: Death and Dying10:00 - 2:00. St. Thomas Episcopal Church followed by an All Souls service remembering all those whom we love but see no longer at 2:00 p.m.
• November 3, The Feast of All Saints
• November 5, Election Day - Don't forget to vote and ensure all your friends and families in swing states have a plan to vote.
• November 6, 7:00 p.m. Vigil for Hope
• November 28, 2024, 4:00 Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service, Temple Sinai, 3509 S Glencoe St., 80237

A Retreat on Death and Dying

Sacred Living, Sacred Dying

Sat. Nov. 1, 2024 10:00 - 2:00

Followed by A Commemoration of the

Faithful Departed at 2:00 p.m.

We are alive, therefore we will die and so will our loved ones. This is the simplest, most obvious truth of our existence, and yet very few of us have really come to terms with it. Death is always a time of crisis but the intensity of the crisis is affected by how prepared we are to face death.

As Christians we understand death is an event; this is the last act in the journey of our temporal lives but it is not the last word. In this retreat we will consider death through the lens of our faith. Drawing on our Christian perspective, we will discuss how we can prepare for death spiritually, emotionally and practically. 

This retreat is appropriate for everyone – those who have lost or will soon lose loved ones, those who fear death, those interested in “dying well,” and those who have seldom contemplated or discussed death.

Please bring a bag lunch.

Ofrenda Dia De Los Muertos

Altar of Remembrance

Each year we set aside Allhallowstide (Oct. 31st – Nov 2nd) to remember those whom we love but see no longer, to pray for the saints who have gone before us and who pray for us, to celebrate all who have ever lived, are living and will ever be. We are bound together in one eternal Communion of Saints and we proclaim that life does not end with death.

During this sacred time, we create Altars of Remembrance where we can be in the presence of those whom we love but see no longer, celebrate their lives and give thanks for the many ways they have shaped us. In Latin America, on Nov. 1st (El Dia de los Angelitos) and Nov. 2nd (El Dia de los Muertos), the dead are remembered with colorful, joyous altars filled with food, drink, mementos and photos of those who have died. This is not an altar at which one worships, but rather one intended to welcome the soul of the deceased to visit.



St. Thomas invites you to join us in remembering your departed loved ones by contributing to our altar by placing the name, photo or other memento of your departed loved ones on the altar or ofrenda. You are also welcome to take a few minutes to rest in this sacred space and remember all those important people who have graced our lives for such a short time. All names placed on the altar will be remembered in a prayer service on Saturday November 1^st at 2:00 p.m.

Vigil for Hope

November 6, 2024, 7:00 p.m.

Spread the Word, Bring Family, Friends and Neighbors

Faith Based Voter Guides

Building Community, Deepening Relationships

The Vestry is very grateful to everyone who participated in our survey on building community. In the coming week we will be sending emails to those of you who expressed interest in coordinating or joining various activities. The emails will contain everyone's contact information so that you can coordinate with each other to organize your activities. Please contact terri@saintthomasdenver.org if you need support setting up a ZOOM or hybrid meeting, publishing information in the newsletter or other forms of support. You may also make use of the information board in the Great Hall to advertise your groups events or share photos of your activities.

We also appreciated your comments and will review them for further follow up.

Faith Communities Against

White Christian Nationalism

Faith and Democracy Sermon Series

In this election season as we encourage people to let the gospel values guide their actions, conversations and voting decisions, we will be six fundamental teachings of our faith drawn from Jim Wallis’ book The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith and Refounding Democracy.

September 22, 2024               Luke 10:25-37

The Rev. Terri Hobart           You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. …Who is my neighbor?

September 29, 2024                Genesis 1:26

Mark Retherford       Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

October 6, 2024                      John 8:32

Cate Colburn-Smith                and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’

October 13, 2024                    Matthew 25:31-46

The Rev. Terri Hobart            As you have done to the last of these, you have done to me.

October 20, 2024                    Matthew 5:9

The Rev. Terri Hobart        Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the “children of God.”

October 27, 2024                    Galatians 3:28

The Rev. Terrance Carroll      There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Civil Rights, The African American Tradition

of Spirituals and Freedom Songs 

Africans to enslaved in America created songs to express the hardships of slavery and their longing for freedom and home. Many spirituals combine lyrics about Christian themes with musical elements typical of West and Central Africa, making these songs one of the few ways in which slaves could preserve a small part of their native culture. Music was a common element for Africans from many disparate tribes as they faced new circumstances of terrible suffering and gradually forged a communal identity as African Americans. As they were passed down over the generations, many spirituals were adapted to new circumstances and became important sources of inspiration and expressions of protest in the 20^th century, especially during the Civil Rights movement. Music energized the Civil Rights Movement, motivating protestors on long marches and providing psychological strength against harassment and brutality.

St. Thomas has a long legacy of social justice advocacy. In the 1960’s a coalition of Park Hill churches, including St. Thomas, their congregants, and other neighborhood residents established the Park Hill Action Committee to create an inclusive neighborhood by dismantling school segregation and the practice of redlining. Park Hill and St. Thomas quickly became the center of the civil rights movement in Colorado. Our work continues to this day. Beginning this September 15^th and continuing through the fall, the St. Thomas Choir invites everyone to join them during the offertory in singing Freedom Songs from the Spirituals Tradition. It is our deepest hope that these songs will once again inspire, energize and mobilize us to stand up to those who would strip the rights from people of color, women, immigrants, the LBGTQ community, and people of other faith traditions.

Office Hours

Tuesday, 10:00 - 3:00