Hi St Tom's!

Here are our weekly updates and reminders.

Update your holiday unavailability!

Please help the staff team roster for December, Christmas and January Services by updating your unavailability in Elvanto!

Mission Partner Visit from Neil and Sil - This Sunday, Nov 8

We are excited to welcome our mission partners, Neil and Sil, who serve with SIM to all 4 services while they are on home assignment.

We are looking forward to hearing more about their work on Sunday!

St Tom's First Aid Training Expression of Interest - January 2027

St Tom's will be holding a First Aid Training Course in January 2027 sometime during a weekday.

We have 6 more spots available!

Please express interest by emailing admin@sttoms.org.

St Tom's Combined Thanksgiving Service - Sunday, November 15

Join us for our special Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 15!

We are excited to celebrate the work that God has been doing at St Tom's this year!

Our Thanksgiving Service is an opportunity to reflect and express gratitude to God for who he is and how he has been at work!

Create a Thanksgiving video!

As we reflect on God's goodness, we invite you to create a (no more than) 30-second video sharing something that you are thankful to God for in the life of our church this year.

There are 3 ways to do this:

Record at home: record a landscape video on a phone or camera at home and upload it to the shared drive.
Record as a small group: we are encouraging small groups to record a short video when they gather together! Please upload these videos to the shared drive.

St Tom's Annual General Meeting - Sunday, November 15

The AGM will follow our Combined Service of Thanksgiving at 10 am

Annual Report
The 2026 Annual Report (covering St Thomas Burwood and St Toms Hope) will be available in early November. Please read it in preparation for the meeting.

Electoral Roll
To be eligible to vote at the AGM, you must be on St Toms Electoral Roll.
Submit your Electoral Roll Application Form by Saturday 31st of October 2026. Physical copies are also available at the church admin office.
You can also view the Current Electoral Roll digitally or by viewing a physical copy at the admin office.

Nominations for Parish Officers

This can be completed physically or digitally, and submitted to our Acting Vicar Joey in person or via email.

Roles Open for Nomination: Parish Councillor, Warden, or Incumbency Committee.
Requirements:
- Clearly indicate the role you are nominating for.
- Secure the support of two St Tom’s parishioners, who must be CC’d when you submit your nomination.

All nominations must be received by Joey no later than 1:00 PM on Sunday, 8 November.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support as we prepare for our AGM!

Pastoral Care - Handy Help

Handy Help is our way of lending a hand with little household jobs—another way we care for one another at St Tom’s. If you’d like a hand, or want to join the team, please scan the QR code, or speak to one of our Care Coordinators, Ministry Team, or Welcomers.

November Prayer and Praise Meeting - Thursday, November 5

Join us next Thursday from 7:30 pm at St Tom's as we gather in prayer and worship to God!

Upcoming Sunday Bible Passages:

November 8: Unbreakable Promise

1st Reading - Luke 1:30–33
Psalm - 89:1–4, 34–37
2nd Reading - Jeremiah 33:14-26

Sermon series - Jeremiah

Playing Life's Music in Times of Change

In my first year at music college, I began to think deeply about what music really is.
When I first learned piano, it was simply because I loved it — the sound, the thrill of it. I would replay cassettes, study the score, and practise endlessly, just to master one piece. But along the way, I kept asking myself: What is music, really? What is a score? And when the notes fade and the sound ends, where does the music go?
My teachers taught us to read music from an early age — but is music really in the score? Later I understood: a composer, within the limits of symbols and instruments, records the rich message of their heart; and we, generations later, bring it to life again through our instruments. Music is a carrier of life that crosses time and space, beyond words. The score itself is not yet music — only when breath enters and the instrument is played does music truly come alive.
This made me think of the "restoration" spoken of in Jeremiah chapters 29 to 33.

The restoration the prophet Jeremiah brings is precisely about the renewal of spiritual life and daily living. True restoration is not absolute stability in our circumstances or finances, because life is unpredictable — we all face constant change. Just as a musician's "restoration" is not about how perfectly they read the score, nor how successful their stage performance is, but whether they can honestly express the most authentic music within.

God's Word (the Bible) is that perfect, divine score. And within this very book, God promises to write His law "on our hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33); the New Testament book of Hebrews declares that this promise is fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 8:8–12). God's Word is already living and active; and we — our daily lives — are the "instrument" through which it is heard by the world.
Jeremiah's "letter to the exiles" (Jeremiah's letter to the exiles) was written to a people who had lost their concert hall, whose stage was destroyed, who were carried away to a foreign land (Jeremiah 29:1–14). Yet God tells them: your identity as "instruments in God's hands" has never changed! Even in foreign Babylon, you are to settle down, plant, build, and seek the peace of that city. The place of restoration is not the condition — it is the mission. It is not about where you are, but how you live where you are. As the Lord Jesus said, worship is not on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth (John 4:20–24).

Dear brothers and sisters of St Thomas, the restoration of our church is not about the growth of an institution, but the renewal of a community that belongs to Christ! This has been the vision that our Lead minister John Carrick has been guiding us in over the past 10 years.
Facing future changes, and the passing on of faith to the next generation, the stage may change, the environment may shake — but our mission as God's instruments remains unchanged. Let us continue forward together, constantly renewing our spiritual lives in Christ, and practically "buying fields in faith" in our daily lives — just as Jeremiah, in the midst of siege, bought a field in faith, investing in the future according to God's promise when no hope was visible (Jeremiah 32) — supporting one another, and together playing out God's holy and beautiful gospel music for this city!

Joey

Combined Thanksgiving Service and AGM - Sunday, November 15

Combined Mission Sunday Service - Sunday, November 29

Christmas at St Tom's

Get excited, because Christmas is coming and we are so excited to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus!

Here are some key dates to save and look forward to:

Christmas Carnival: Sunday, December 6 from 3:30 pm
Kids Christmas Eve Service: Thursday, December 24 from 5 pm
Christmas Eve Midnight Service: Thursday, December 24 from 11 pm
English Christmas Day Service: Friday, December 25th from 9 am
Chinese Christmas Day Service: Friday, December 25th from 10 am

We would love to encourage everyone to promote our Christmas services and events on their social media!

Download promotional tiles for your Facebook or Instagram story - HERE

Tracy Lauersen's Commissioning Save the Date! - Wednesday, 27 January at 7 pm

On the 27th of January, we will welcome Tracy as she is commissioned as the new vicar of St Tom's!

We are excited to be hosting this special service at St Tom's! Stay tuned for more details closer to the date!

Pastoral Transition

Praise God for his provision of Tracy Lauersen to be St Tom's next Vicar!
Pray for the staff as they prepare for Tracy L's arrival and look forward to working with her
Pray for our church community as we prayerfully depend on God through this transition and look towards the future
Pray for Joey Chan as he holds the role of acting vicar until the end of January and thank God for the provision of his assistance in this transition period.

St Tom's Youth Ministry

For our youth, that we may find our belonging in Christ as we get to know Jesus and ourselves more and more.
For the leaders, to lead with God's wisdom and to have hearts like Jesus to love and serve the youth.
For new friends, that they may come to know the gospel through St Tom's Youth and build a lifelong relationship in Christ.
For St. Tom's, to continue supporting youth ministry and encouraging our youth to participate in Clay and other youth programs.

Our Mission Partners - Mulherin Family in Cambodia

Praise God for the provision of local healthcare workers to embody the compassion that Jesus showed to the sick when He was on earth.
Thank God for a fun visit from Tim’s parents, Chris and Lindy Mulherin, recently, and for the blessing they are to our family.
Please pray for the raising up of more missionary staff to work at MMC, especially family medicine (General Practice) doctors.
Please pray for the MMC Leadership Retreat coming up next month as we discuss plans and goals for next year. Pray for the spouses and children of those attending, that they will also be blessed by this weekend away.

BCA Spring Gathering - Monday, November 9, 12 - 2 pm

Friends, greetings from Bush Church Aid!
We are looking forward to our annual BCA Spring Gatherings from November 3-9. Our theme this year is Good News For Katherine, Good News From Katherine with guest speaker, the Revd Pat O’Keeffe. With BCA support, Pat serves as Rector of Katherine Anglican Church in the Northern Territory, and is married to Issy, who works for the Department of Education. We hope you can join us at one of the Spring Gatherings, along with members from your church.
REGISTER HERE!

Mission Partners - Read more updates from our partners in our Elvanto member area!

Giving at St Tom’s

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel through financial giving.
Our budgeted need is $36,500 per month, and your generosity enables the ongoing ministry and mission of St Tom’s across all our congregations.

General Giving

Your regular giving to the General Account sustains our week-to-week ministry, pastoral care, outreach, and staffing. This is the best place for your primary giving to support the mission of St Tom’s.

Giving by Debit or Credit Card

If you prefer to give by Debit or Credit Card, you can do so securely via our Tithely page

Bank Transfer Details

General Account
BSB: 063-112
Account: 1039 7091

Thank you for giving faithfully and prayerfully as part of our shared mission at St Tom’s.

Useful Links:

St Tom's Whatsapp Group

Looking to Serve at St Tom's? - Find out more HERE!

Mission Partners

Feedback Form/Child Safe

Update your Unavailability

St Tom's Online - YouTube (our past services are under the 'Live' tab)

Podcasts - Spotify | Apple Podcasts

See you Sunday!

St Tom's

St Thomas' Office:
0481830261 / 44 Station St Burwood, 3125