Shared worship is the living heart of this congregation. Some of us come early to rest in the solace of sunlight through stained glass and the power of wordless music to order the heart. Some come with a burden of sorrow, regret, or apprehension. Some are radiant with gratitude. Some bring children full of energy and questions. Some bring a living, burning vision of the reign of God. Some come to be known, to be welcomed by name. We come for all kinds of reasons, not all of which can be put into words – but we are here together every Sunday morning at St. Thomas.

Service times change with the academic year and season. You’ll always find the current information on the HOME page and here, along with a post detailing each week. 

Saint Thomas is an inclusive church. As disciples of Christ who value the faith, gifts, and ministry of all God’s people, and who seek justice and reconciliation, we welcome all God’s children to an inclusive community. This welcome is extended without exception and regardless of sex, race, national origin, educational background, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental ability, age, or economic condition. St. Thomas has been a Reconciling In Christ congregation since the 1980s.

8:30 Sunday morning, masks optional
  • Masks are optional. Masks are available at the welcome desk.
  • This service is live-streamed and available on YouTube. If you are shy, there are some areas less visible to the cameras.
  • We gather around the altar for Communion. The elements are bread broken by our Pastor, gluten-free wafers, and wine and grape juice in recyclable cups.

9:45 to 10:45 Sunday School, ages four through adult

Children: Those age four through kindergarten are invited to join our Godly Play class. Elementary students are divided into two classes, first through third grades and fourth through sixth grades where they learn the Biblical stories. 

Confirmation: Students in grades seven and eight are part of our confirmation class where we examine the Small Catechism and the Bible, asking “What does this have to do with my life?” in preparation for Affirmation of Baptism.

Youth: High School students have the opportunity to meet with three inspiring teachers each month. Once a month, Pamela Smith will meet with the students to explore familiar and unfamiliar stories from the Bible. Mary Thomason-Smith will host monthly conversations where youth will get to know a guest from our St. Thomas community as they share their unique story of how faith shaped their decisions or impacted their life. Moriah Reichert will be working with the students to dig deep into a social justice issue, learn about it from an ELCA Christian perspective and take action. 

Adults: This class studies various topics in three to six week sessions; check the announcements for the current topic description. Women’s Bible Study is available on Second Sundays each month. Not just for women; all are invited.
  • Masks are recommended. Masks are available at the welcome desk, if needed.
  • We gather around the altar for Communion. The elements are bread broken by our Pastor, gluten-free wafers, and wine and grape juice in recyclable cups.

Here is the Upcoming Schedule for Worship Leaders.

What’s it like to worship at St. Thomas?

Sunday morning worship at St. Thomas follows the same pattern almost every week. We begin with prayer and singing, then hear three readings from the Bible and sing or read a Psalm together. There’s a sermon, more singing, and a time of shared prayer with prayers for the church, peace among nations, faithful care of creation, healing, and other matters of concern to the members.

At the end of the Prayers of the People, we greet one another with the Peace of Christ. Then comes the Offering. We offer bread and wine to share. Some people make an offering of money. Some people make an offering of their hopes and intentions, or even their questions and doubts. There’s often an offering of music as well.

After we give thanks together for all these offerings, we begin the service of Holy Eucharist.
The invitation to share in the bread and wine comes from Jesus, not from us, and everyone is welcome to come forward and share it. Through sharing in this bread and wine, we are connected to Christians all over the world and throughout time. After everyone who comes forward has received, there are a few more prayers and blessings, more singing, a dismissal, and some closing music.

Worship that follows this pattern is usually called liturgical worship and the service itself is called a liturgy . As liturgical churches go, St. Thomas is middle-range – our worship is dignified and orderly, but not starchy or formulaic. If liturgical worship is new to you, you may find it takes you a few weeks to become accustomed to it – but Christians have worshiped this way for many hundreds of years, so we hope you’ll take time to give it a chance. We come every Sunday to be part of the Church, the Body of Christ, to be fed in Eucharist by the Body of Christ, and to carry the Body of Christ into the world we live in every day.

Along with our staff, a small army of volunteers gathers every Sunday to realize this expression of worship. Readers, ushers, greeters, servers, and the faithful behind-the-scenes people who wash and polish altar dishes, arrange flowers, and look after the candles, vestments, and the altar linen. We welcome volunteers to this enterprise – come join us!

Children are welcome in our worship. Read more about children in worship.

We invite you to add your special concern to today’s Prayers of the People by writing it on the prayer desk on the left as you enter the sanctuary. Read more about our prayer ministries.

Music is a vital, important part of our worship. Read more about our congregational singing, choirs, organ, and concert series.

Sermons are an important guide to this congregation’s values and our role in the Bloomington community. Along with the livestream videos, we also keep sermon texts online for members to read, think about and share.