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. When school is in session, we worship at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM with Sunday School sessions for all ages between services. When school is out, we worship at 8:30 AM and 10:15 AM with fellowship between services. 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.
- Masks are always welcome and are available at the welcome desk.
- 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.
- This service is live-streamed and available on YouTube. If you are shy, there are some areas in the back rows that are less visible to the cameras.
Children: Those age four through kindergarten are invited to our Godly Play class. Elementary students are divided into two classes, first through third grade (room 16/17) and fourth through sixth grade (room 12). Elementary students will have music from 10:30-10:45 most weeks and are invited to share a song in worship monthly.
Confirmation: Students in grades seven and eight will be part of our confirmation class in room 13.
Youth: High School students will meet in the youth room. On September 10, students will be going for coffee with their leaders, Mary Thomason-Smith and Moriah Reichert.
Adults: Pastor Adrianne will lead a three-week session hosting various guests to talk about Criminal Justice and the Church, followed by a four-week session discussing Science and Faith. Gather Bible Study is available on Second Sundays each month. All are invited.
- Masks are always welcome and are available at the welcome desk.
- 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.
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.
- 21-Apr-2024 — Fourth Sunday of Easter
Worship with us at 8:30 or 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. The 8:30 AM service is also live-streamed.
Adult Forum: Faith and Civic Life (a six-week series) — Mary Morgan, director of Heading Home of South Central Indiana, will discuss data and advocacy through the lens of housing in Monroe County.
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship bulletin. - 14-Apr-2024 — Third Sunday of Easter
Worship with us at 8:30 or 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. The 8:30 AM service is also live-streamed.
Adult Forum: Faith and Civic Life (a six-week series) — discuss the role of the church and government
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship bulletin. - 7-Apr-2024 — Second Sunday of Easter
Worship with us at 8:30 or 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. The 8:30 AM service is also live-streamed.
Adult Forum: Faith and Civic Life (a six-week series)
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship bulletin. - 31-Mar-2024 — Resurrection of Our Lord
Worship with us at 8:30 or 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. The 8:30 AM service is also live-streamed.
On Easter Sunday morning, with shouts of joy we’ll proclaim the crucified Christ, risen from the dead, which secures our own victory over death.
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship Bulletin. - 30-Mar-2024 — Vigil of Easter
Worship with us at at 7:00 PM in Heritage Hall
We’ll hear stories of God’s faithfulness and salvation throughout history and share the first Alleluias of Easter.
- 29-Mar-2024 — Good Friday
Worship with us at Noon in Heritage Hall or at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary. The 7:00 PM service is also live-streamed.
On this day we look to the cross, where Jesus draws all people to himself. At Noon, hear the four movements of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (1964), a masterpiece full of both lament and hope. Weaving through the pieces will be readings from the Passion according to John, poems and passages, and reflections.
Worship Bulletin for the noon service.
At 7:00 PM, readings from the Passion according to John are complemented by songs and growing darkness. The service concludes with prayers of ever widening circles as we pray for the world for which Christ died and honor the cross as the sign of forgiveness, healing, and salvation.
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship Bulletin for 7:00 PM service. - 28-Mar-2024 — Maundy Thursday
Worship with us at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary. The service is also live-streamed.
As Jesus gathered with his disciples on the evening before his death, we gather to wash feet and hands, share the Holy Meal, strip the altar, and so begin the Great Three Days that lead through the cross to the empty tomb.
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship bulletin. - 24-Mar-2024 — Palm Sunday
Worship with us at 8:30 or 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. The 8:30 AM service is also live-streamed.
We will process into the Sanctuary waving palm fronds!
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship bulletin. - 17-Mar-2024 — Fifth Sunday in Lent
Worship with us at 8:30 or 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. The 8:30 AM service is also live-streamed.
Adult Forum: The High School Youth and the Adult Forum join for a five-week intergenerational conversation about the cross in Christian theology based on the book Making Sense of the Cross by David Lose.
St. Thomas YouTube channel.
Video of the live worship on YouTube. Sermon video. Children’s Message.
Worship bulletin.
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.
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