Register your Safeway Club card and earn money for St. Thomas' Parish!

They're giving away money at Safeway! It's simple: register your Safeway Club Card  through Aaron Adkins here at St. Thomas, and then each month, Safeway makes a donation to our parish for children's programming based on our purchases at Safeway stores. The money is earmarked for children's programming, so this is an opportunity for us to beef up things like Godly Play and a Children's Choir.

Don't worry - you don't lose out on any other rewards you may be registered for, and no one is able to track what you buyIt's pretty simple.  And the parish can't see what, when, or where you used your Safeway card, just the monthly total.

We register your Safeway card number on their website, and then any purchases you make in the future automatically translate to donations to the parish on a sliding scale from 1-4% (the higher numer being based on your spending $600 in any one month).

All items are included except fluid milk products, alcohol, and tobacco.

Signing up is easy - just see Aaron Adkins.  He'll have his laptop with him the next few coffee hours after church to register you on the spot, or you can just email him your number at adkinsaj@gmail.com.

On Saturday afternoon, June 18, 2001, The Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar Budde, was elected the 9th Bishop of the Diocese of Washington.

In the words of Lucy Chumbley on the Diocesan website:The Episcopal Diocese of Washington elected the Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar Budde as its first female diocesan bishop on June 18, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of the Episcopal Church.

Budde, 52, rector of St. John's, Minneapolis, Minn., was elected on the second ballot out of a field of five nominees. She received 102 votes of 163 cast in the lay order and 102 of 175 cast in the clergy order. An election on that ballot required 82 in the lay order and 88 in the clergy order.

Previously Bishop Chane served as Dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral, San Diego, California. Before his ministry in San Diego he served parishes in New Jersey and Massachusetts and was Canon Pastor of Saint Paul's Cathedral, Erie, Pennsylvania. From 2003-2005, he served in the dual role of Bishop of Washington and Interim Dean of Washington National Cathedral.

A native of Winchester, Massachusetts, Bishop Chane was married in 1967 to Karen Mae Albright. He and Karen have been blessed with two sons and three grandchildren. As a former prep school and college football and ice hockey player, the bishop continues to have a love of sport.

For several years while a priest in Massachusetts, he was the owner and driver of open wheel sprint cars/modified midgets until a life threatening racing accident ended his participation in automotive sports. He now engages in the more pastoral sport of fly fishing.

During the 1960's and prior to his ordination as a priest in the Episcopal Church, the bishop toured as a professional drummer in the United States and Canada with several well known rock and roll bands. He continues to play annual charity events around the country with some of his old band mates in a group named after him, "The Chane Gang."

On Saturday, June 18, lay and clergy delegates meet in a Special Electing Convention held at Washington National Cathedral to elect the ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Washington.

The five candidates who have been chosen to stand for election are: The Rev. Ronald G. Abrams of St. James', Wilmington, N.C., the Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar Budde, of St. John's, Minneapolis, Minn., the Very Rev. Samuel Glenn Candler, of the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, the Rev. Jane Gould, of St. Stephen's, Lynn, Mass., and the Rev. Canon John T.W. Harmon, of Trinity, D.C.

Most of the clergy of the Diocese, and the regularly elected lay delegates (or alternates) from parishes vote until one candidate has received a majority of both the lay and clergy delegates.

Each parish is entitled to 1-5 lay delegates, based on a formula relating to attendance. Voting from St. Thomas' Parish are our delegates Jean Holman and Letty Marquez, along with our Rector, Nancy Lee Jose.

Senior Warden John Johnson served on the Search and Nominating Committee; he gets seat and voice but not vote at the Special Convention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who elects the Bishop?

 Most of the clergy of the Diocese, and the regularly elected lay delegates (or alternates) who are elected and certified by May 18. Each parish is entitled to 1-5 lay delegates, based on a formula relating to attendance. Delegates and alternates are either elected by the parish at the annual meeting or by the vestry, depending on the parish's bylaws. Lists of those entitled to vote will be posted on the special convention website within a few days after the deadline.

I'm not a delegate. Can I come to the convention and just observe?

Yes, of course, but you will need to sit in the designated visitor areas. Please see instructions in the Visitor section, including the information about payment of convention fees. You are also welcome to go to the walkabouts.

Can I campaign for my favourite nominee at the Convention and hand out flyers?

No, our Standard Rules of Order do not allow for the distribution of books, pamphlets, or other printed matter or placement of them on seats or tables unless specifically ordered. The tone of this Convention is one of prayerful discernment, so active campaigning would not be appropriate.

How many votes does it take to elect the Bishop?

If 2/3 of all clergy entitled to vote and 2/3 of all lay delegates entitled to vote are present, we elect by a simple majority of clergy votes and a simple majority of lay votes.

How many ballots will it take and when will the convention end?

For the last four bishop elections in this diocese, it has taken from 2-6 ballots. However, it is possible to elect on the 1st ballot or the 25th ballot, so we will have ballots to cover any eventuality. We will ballot until done, so plan to be there the whole day.

Why is the consecration and installation so long after the election?

One reason is the consent process - a majority of all diocesan bishops and a majority of all standing committees must consent to the election, and this can take several months. Another is that the bishop-elect has to wind up his or her current call. Also, a date has to be available on the Presiding Bishop's calendar that allows enough time for all of this to take place before the consecration and installation. The date scheduled is November 12, 2011 at Washington National Cathedral.

From the earliest centuries of Christianity, the Church has affirmed that One and the same God has been shown to us as our Maker, Lover of our Souls, and Eternal Lifegiver - or as three "persons": Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It is the richness of God's relationships with us that would capture our attention, not the complexity of any mere "concept" of Trinity - God always exceeds our imagining.