Service Time: 10:00am-11:20am

Each week we try our best to begin and end on time. This does not mean that everyone must be in their chairs promptly at 10am or exit as soon as the service is over. In fact, many of us walk in late (because mornings are hard!). Others of us leave early or stay late to connect with each other. 

Bottom line: You get to participate in our community in exactly the way you need to each week. There are no expectations nor judgements toward how often you attend Sunday services nor how much time you spend at St. Thomas when you are here. 

Wear what makes you feel comfortable. 

Participate as you feel inspired.

Come as you are, always.

Worship

One of the first things we hope you notice at St. Thomas is that we value creativity in worship. Often, this means that we will choose to sing new or unfamiliar songs, or replace the language of traditional songs with words that more accurately reflect our theology, or practice forms of worship other than music and singing.

There are no expectations that anyone participates in worship in the same way as our music team or anyone else in the congregation. 

Stand if you want to stand.

Sit if you want to sit.

Walk and dance and move your body if that’s what you need. 

Tune out if that’s how you experience safety and authenticity.

When you’re at St. Thomas, you get to be with Jesus in the way you need to be with Jesus. 

Sermon + Discussion

Here at St. Thomas, we believe that Truth is a community project; it doesn’t reside solely with the person on stage. Instead, we think the Church is at its most beautiful when a diversity of voices report back to each other how we are experiencing the God of the Universe, and learn together how to respond in love to what we are hearing from God. 

Therefore, we keep our sermons short and to the point so that there is more opportunity for all of us to participate authentically during our time together.

So, after every sermon, we talk about what we’ve heard:

We celebrate the truth we have encountered. 

We challenge the ideas that seem off. 

We contribute the wisdom that arises in our own hearts and minds.

We investigate what confuses us. 

We reflect how our lives might be changed moving forward. 

There is no expectation for anyone to participate in discussion. In fact, learning to listen well to other voices can be one of the most generous forms of participation! But if the sermon stirs up a comment or question, this is a protected space for you to share your thoughts.

We facilitate discussion by passing a microphone around to each other. We use the microphone so everyone can hear what each other is saying and so that those who join our service via Zoom can hear the audio as well. 

Our discussion is also the only part of our service not uploaded to Youtube each week. This ensures that each conversation remains a safe environment for authenticity and vulnerability. 

Prayer Stations

At St. Thomas, we believe prayer is the deep and personal place of connection with God, and it doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. To help us preserve space for authenticity, we keep prayer stations around the room as opportunities to be with Jesus when singing and sermons and talking out loud (or in our heads) doesn’t feel safe or honest.

Everyone is welcome to engage any of the stations at any time during service. 

Communion

At St. Thomas, we share Communion every Sunday, because Communion is where we remember that God tells us we are all a part of God’s family, whether we are ready to believe it or not. 

And we believe God’s table is open, always. This means that everyone is invited to participate. 

While we choose to dip gluten free crackers in grape juice, there is no proper form, prerequisite, or requirement for anyone to join us in our practice. Nor is there judgment toward anyone who prefers not to participate. 

Kids

One of our favorite things about our community at St. Thomas is that we are intergenerational. We want our young people to learn from our old people. And we want our old people to learn from our young people. So, we create a lot of space and permission for all of us- no matter our age- to be together. 

Each Sunday, at least two background-approved adults lead a Montessori-style lesson from a curriculum called “Godly Play” for any kid who is in 3rd grade or younger.

The rest of us (including kids who choose not to participate in Godly Play) worship together in the main service area. But the expectation isn’t for our young people to sit still and quiet… the invitation is still to be with Jesus in the way we each need to be with Jesus!

So you may hear giggles and squeals and the pitter-patter of tiny feet running past you. And you may see kids playing together in the empty space of the room. 

We trust that the youngest among us help the “adults” among us see Jesus more fully in their joy and play - and also in their shyness or curiosity. 

We also trust that the youngest among us learn to love Jesus more fully by getting to watch their moms and dads and brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents love Jesus, as well as learning to use inside voices and play safely and respectfully in the context of community.

Food

Every week you will see that some of our community members have brought food for everyone to share. All are welcome to partake in what is offered. We only ask that we each remember that there are many mouths that may be hungry today, so please only take what you need. 

Also, if we can do better with accommodating dietary restrictions, let us know!

Volunteering

St. Thomas is simple on purpose. Fewer staff means fewer chances for power to be misunderstood and abused. This also means we rely heavily on the passions, capacities, and resources from among us to make everything run! Each service, you’ll likely see a clipboard passed around for us to sign up for volunteer opportunities. 

There is zero expectation that anyone commits to volunteering or to do so beyond our individual capacity. However, we know that the more of us who say yes to contributing ourselves to the life of our community experience, the more manageable volunteering becomes for all of us. So we welcome anyone who wants to participate in service with us!

The only roles that come with boundaries are those assigned to supervision of children. All Godly Play volunteers must pass a background check, complete some minimal training, and be able to follow along with a curriculum. 

If you have any questions about what it means to volunteer, please find a Leadership Team member (you can find them listed with photos on the web site, here). We’d love to clarify the opportunities available!

One of the biases we hold as a community is that the words we use matter, because language creates reality. How we talk about ourselves, our neighbors, creation, and (most significantly) God, determine the ways we think about the world and our place as individuals within all of it. So, we choose our words carefully at St. Thomas. Sometimes, this care means we choose words that are unfamiliar to some people, or carry multiple meanings to different people, or challenge traditional expectations for a church.

We do not want anyone to be confused by our vocabulary at St. Thomas. So we have compiled a list of the words we tend to use the most and their definitions. Take a look! And if you are still confused, feel free to find a member of the Leadership Team and ask for clarity.

Link to glossary

Some churches use the language of “membership,” to identify who within the community has intentionally chosen to support and contribute their skills and resources to the life of the congregation. 

At St. Thomas we use the language of “Partnership.” 

We chose this word because it helps us remember that the Kindom of God is built by many hands, and that the health and vibrancy of our community depends on participation from as many people as possible. It also helps us remember that someone can choose not to be a Partner at St. Thomas and still belong as a part of our community for as long as that person desires. 

Partnership at St Thomas includes two things:

1. Affirmation of our Mission, Vision, and Values

2. A commitment to contribute time or financial resources in support of our Mission, Vision, and Values. 

If you would like to become a Partner at St. Thomas, find a member of our Leadership Team! We’d love to connect over a meal or cup of coffee to learn more about your desire to support what our community is up to!

Sometimes, churches are weird about how they ask for money. 

At St. Thomas, we do not ever want money to be a barrier for anyone to experience God or belonging in our community. So you won’t see us pass a giving plate around or making a big fuss about tithes and offerings. 

But you will hear us talk about our Joy Box (whoo!).

The Joy Box is the place where each of us gets to contribute our own time, gifts and resources to the Kindom of God and St. Thomas. You can absolutely drop in financial gifts if that is a meaningful and healthy pathway for you to support our community. You can also write and share any number of ways you are giving yourself in partnership to God’s mission of loving the whole world into its most beautiful version. 

You are also welcome to contribute financial gifts through our tithe.ly account

Mat Hollen serves as our Pastor.

Chris May leads our music team.

The Leadership Team serves alongside Mat to guide and support our community. 

Most importantly, St. Thomas is congregationally led. This means that all important decisions are voted on by the Partners at St. Thomas, including who serves on the Leadership Team. This often takes the form of yearly congregational meetings that occur immediately after a Sunday service. 

As always, if you have questions about what this means, or how to participate, feel free to connect with a Leadership Team member!

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