St. Thomas Episcopal Church
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3801 S. Wabash Avenue Main- 773.268.1900 Fax- 773.624.4843
Chicago, IL 60653 stthomaschicago@comcast.net
www.stthomaschicago.com
January 18, 2011
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians the following: “Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) Paul was speaking to these Christians who had formerly known the “good ole days” when they flourished, but were now under persecution. They needed some encouragement and Paul’s words were meant to encourage a disheartened and distraught people through some rough times. Paul was certain that the God who launched a good work in the Philippians would continue it. The truth is that when God begins the a work in us, God will finish it. God never starts anything that God cannot finish despite the circumstances. When God begins a work in us, God will see it through to completion. God indeed has begun an amazing work at St. Thomas!
Like the Philippian Christians who faced hard times and persecution, it has been a challenging year for all of us living in the reality of this economy. Even though economically this was a lean year, 2010 was filled with a bounty of spiritual growth and ministry growth as we learned to lean on God. God has met all of our needs and increased this ministry despite what appeared to be bleak circumstances. Not only that, but I sense that the God who has begun a good work in us and will complete it is telling us, St. Thomas, that we’ve only just begun!
We’ve only just begun because God has increased our numbers and our ministry. We have welcomed some and bid farewell to others who were sent off into the arms of a divine destiny which I believe we prepared them to meet. We have given one of our own to the greater church as Karen King has been admitted as a candidate for the priesthood in this diocese. We also rejoice as our former seminarian, Raymond Massenburg, has been ordained and is serving a church in this deanery.
We’ve only just begun because we have seen the creation, seemingly out of thin air, of 3 pertinent and relevant ministries: 1) The Coffee Hour Forum, coordinated by Saundra Daugherty, which has helped disseminate pertinent information as it related to the changes in health care and out of which a heightened concern for health grew. As a result, we hosted a health fair which screened for disease as well as educated the community on health concerns including HIV/AIDS and diabetes; 2) The Legal Referral Clinic, coordinated by Maureen Bismark, which has opened its doors in our Parish House to provide advocates for those who would be voiceless because of the inability to access legal counsel; and 3) our Tae Kwon Do ministry led by David Pugh which reaches out to provide youngsters as well as adults with a tool for promoting health as well as self-discipline and self-defense.
We’ve only just begun because even we have special people in our midst like Mickey Allen who by the Spirit’s prompting organized The St. Thomas Gospel Choir.
We’ve only just begun because the ECW, under the leadership of Carolyn Petway, sponsored our first Women’s Day Program which attracted hundreds of women from across the Chicagoland area. Congratulations to Patricia Abrams who was selected as the first Distinguished Woman of the Year!
We’ve only just begun because in the midst of economic recession, a computer lab has been created and now is ready for programming for the community.
We have only just begun and it is because of the commitment and dedication of each one of you that we will move forward in 2011 to complete what God has given us to undertake. We have a lot of work to do. Our focus for 2011 will be three-fold. We will focus on “The 3 D’s”- Debt, Development and Deliberate invitation. In order to be effective in our ministry together, we must eliminate the bondage of debt which hinders us from reaching our highest aim. It will be a priority that we pay off, as soon as possible, the mortgage on the Parish House of approximately $120,000.00, over the next year. We must continue to explore creative ways, tighten our belts and focus all of our fundraising efforts on this goal. Secondly, we must focus on development, both spiritual as well as community development. We will continue to offer opportunities for spiritual and personal growth through our programming and teaching, but it is also now time to get to the business of developing this community on a new level. To that end, I have asked a group of vestry persons to join me as we explore the formation of the St. Thomas Community Development Corporation which will be charged to carry out the broader vision that God has given us. Thirdly, we must be about deliberate invitation, or evangelism. If you think that what we have through Jesus Christ is valuable and that our mission and ministry is worthwhile, I would invite each of you to commit to invite at least one person to join us over the next year. Invite them to simply experience meaningful worship and come and see what God is doing for and through us. Therefore I announce the kick off of the Each One Reach One Campaign 2011 to do just that. I challenge each one of you to be responsible for bringing at least one person into the fellowship of this community as God leads you. Each one of you will be given a customized St. Thomas date book to use as a token to give to those whom you invite. This book will have listed service times and other pertinent information for your guest. If you commit to this, our numbers will double over the next year.
Lastly, I want to thank each one of you for your prayers, support and your love as we begin our 6th year of ministry together. Be encouraged! “Let us not be weary in doing right, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” (Galations 6:9) We have only just begun!
Peace,
The Very Reverend Fulton L. Porter, III, M.D., M.Div.
The Sixth Rector
Dean, Chicago South Deanery
FEBRUARY 2012 
