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St. Thomas' is in the town of Wharton, Texas which has a popluation of about 10,000. Wharton is the county seat for Wharton County which has a population of 40,000. Episcopalians have been meeting for worship in Wharton since the 1860s but not until 1920 did St. Thomas' become a formal parish. The church is very concerned with outreach which principally happens through the Thrift Shop ministry and a financial assistance ministry. The worship of the church is low-key and traditional with organ accompaniment. The music ministry is very important to the church and is above average in terms of the size of congregation. Significant resources are devoted to the music ministry.
Worship times
Volunteer opportunities
Ministries
Thrift Shop
St. Thomas' Episcopal Church owns and operates a Thrift Shop in the town of Wharton. We accept donations of clothing, household goods and furniture. Volunteers sort, place and sell the merchandise to community members. The money is used to fund our Outreach Assistance Program. The Thrift Shop is open Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Fridays from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm and the first Saturday of the month from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Outreach Ministry
The St. Thomas' Episcopal Church Outreach Program provides financial assistance to underserved members of our community. The outreach program provides financial assistance with rent, utilities, short-term motel stays, and pharmacy expenses. Additionally, we provide food and vouchers for our Thrift Shop and the county transportation system. The program operates on Wednesday mornings and serves approximately ten families per week. There is an interview process and records are kept to manage the services we provide.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
St. Thomas' Episcopal Church coordinates a Prayer Shawl Ministry with other members of our community. The group meets at our local coffee shop weekly. There is a small lesson and then the group works on knitting or crocheting prayer shawls. When the shawls are finished the leader of the ministry brings them to church where they are blessed during the service. After that, the prayer shawls are delivered and given to people who the group has identified as in need of prayer, support, and comfort.
Bread Baking Ministry
St. Thomas' Episcopal Church has decided that rather than using pre-packaged communion wafers we would rather bake the communion bread ourselves. The leader of the communion bread ministry makes the schedule and gets volunteers to bake the bread each Sunday for the service. Additionally, there is an annual communion bread baking seminar to teach those that are participating in the ministry.
Sacred Ground Race Dialogue Circles
Sacred Ground is dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
Sacred Ground is a resource coming out of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people, while being open to all racial/ethnic groups. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.
207 Bob O Link Lane
Wharton, TX 77488-3205
United States
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