Hi St Tom's!

Here are our weekly updates and reminders.

St Tom's Vicar Appointment!

Last Sunday is was announced that Reverend Tracy Lauersen has been appointed as our next Vicar. We are grateful that God in His sovereignty, has led us to Tracy and give thanks for His generous provision.

Tracy is currently the National Program Manager of the Families and Culture Commission for the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia. Previously, Tracy has served in a variety of pastoral and parish roles, including school chaplaincy, Priest in Charge at Warragul Anglican Church and in an Assistant Minister role at St. Hilary’s Anglican Church, Kew. Tracy is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is about to complete a Doctorate of Ministry.

Tracy looks forward to meeting and getting to know St. Tom’s in 2027!

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.
Record after a Sunday service: some young adults will be coming around to conduct short interviews during morning tea.

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

The AGM will follow our Combined Service of Thanksgiving at 10:00 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 and Nominations for Parish Council

If you are interested in nominating for Parish Council or applying to be on the Electoral Roll, look out for an email with more details very soon!

Please supervise your kids after services!

This is a friendly reminder to parents to please appropriately supervise your children after services on Sunday!

There have recently been incidents of damage to gym equipment, drawing on toys and spaces such as the red room, hall and creche left untidy.

Parents, kindly ensure your children are taking care of the church's property!

New St Tom's Website - Coming Soon!

We are excited to announce that we are planning on launching a new website for St Tom's next week!

This change will help improve St Tom’s online profile and its capacity to provide clear, up-to-date information about the St Tom’s community and events in an accessible format. Ultimately, we hope this will help us share the love of Jesus with more people!

Pastoral Care - Small Groups

Small Groups are at the heart of St Tom’s life—where friendships grow, faith deepens, and life is shared. If you’d like to join a group, please scan the QR code, or speak to one of our Care Coordinators, Ministry Team, or Welcomers.”

Staff Away Dates

In the coming weeks, some of our staff will be away! We appreciate your patience during this period.

Joey: 26/10 - 04/11

Upcoming Sunday Bible Passages:

October 18: Mourning to joy

1st Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-22
Psalm: 30
2nd Reading: John 16:20-24

October 25: The new covenant

1st Reading: Jeremiah 31:23-34
Psalm: 51:1-12
2nd Reading: Hebrews 8:7-13

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

Walking Together with First Nations Christians - Saturday, October 24

Nungalinya is holding a one-day conference at Ridley College on 24th October and they are hoping this will be a really great opportunity for people all over Melbourne to hear from Indigenous representatives and Yane, our principal.

Newcomers lunch - Sunday, October 25th

Have you started attending St Tom's in the last 6 months or so?

Is so, you are invited to attend St Tom's upcoming newcomers welcome lunch!

Please contact John (0405151164) or Cathy Altmann (0430357706) to RSVP and for more info!

November Prayer and Praise Meeting - Thursday, November 5

Combined Thanksgiving Service and AGM - Sunday, November 15

Combined Mission Sunday Service - Sunday, November 29

Pastoral Transition

Praise God for his provision of Tracy Lauersen to be St Tom's next Vicar!
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 - Medical Mission Aid

Pray for God’s power, provision and guidance:
- To provide aid and assist people in need, hospitals and clinics in developing countries by supplying basic medical consumables, capital requirements, staff training and management support.
- To initiate and participate in development projects which focus on health, nutrition and wellbeing of the most vulnerable and marginalised populations.
- To raise funds for the improvement of the health and education of people in developing countries and where possible to provide opportunities for linkages between such individuals, their communities and the Australian community.
- To encourage partnership with people and agencies in developing countries to identify, design and partake in aid and development projects.
- To encourage MMA supporters and members of the Australian public to influence and participate in the various projects and activities designed to positively change the lives of the disadvantaged.
Pray for blessings for our donors, in-country partners globally, supporters, and the MMA board.
Pray for wisdom, discernment, compassion, stewardship, communication and accountability to all associated with God’s work through MMA and its partners.

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