On the  Sunday following Easter, as is our custom, we will combine the  9:15 and 11:15 a.m. services into one  10:00 a.m. service, to be followed by our spring Parish Picnic. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be grilled by the Fathers' Ministry of St. John's. Parishioners with last names beginning with A through L, please bring a side dish. Those with last names from M through Z, please bring a salad, fruit, or some type of vegetable. Casual dress is appropriate at the 10:00 a.m. service and picnic.

The Wednesday Nights group invites you to join them for a potluck dinner, followed by a viewing and discussion of the final session of the DVD program Christian History Made Easy led by Timothy Paul Jones, PhD.

 

In Christian History Made Easy. Dr. Timothy Paul Jones takes you through the most important events in Christian history from the time of the apostles to today. He brings to life the fascinating people and events that shaped our world. This isn't dry names and dates. It's full of dramatic stories told with a touch of humor. This series, based on Dr. Jones' popular award-winning book Christian History Made Easy, ties in spiritual lessons believers can glean by looking at the past, and shows how God was still working in his church despite all the ups and downs. 

Next week, the group begins a new DVD series, Starting Point, led by Andy Stanley.

Contact Paul and Winkie Game with questions about the Wednesday Nights Group.

The next Mom's Morning will take place tomorrow, Thursday, April 5, at 8:45 a.m. at Discovery House. The group will continue talking about the book In This House, We  Will Giggle. This month's theme is Faith. The group meets on the first Thursday of the month and invites any moms who are interested in joining or have questions to contact Sarah Bricklemyer at  sarah_milton@hotmail.com.

Food for the Journey is a three-day annual conference that offers biblical, theological, and spiritual resources to spark the imagination and nourish the soul, offering individuals and faith communities new paths to open hearts and minds and opportunities to explore how Christ touches our lives today. The 2018 conference will take place from April 26 through 28 at DaySpring Conference Center.

This year's conference focus is the art of story.  Guiding us on our journey will be liturgical composer John Bell and storyteller Valerie Tutson.  Fran McKendree and others will provide the music.  The Rev. John Bell is a native of Scotland and a member of the Iona Community with a global reputation as a teacher, preacher, and worship leader.  He helped found the Wild Goose Resource Group, which for 25 years has been engaged locally, nationally, and internationally in the renewal of music and worship in the Church.  Valerie Tutson has preserved the oral tradition of telling stories in schools, churches, libraries, festivals and conferences since 1991 with an emphasis on African traditions, African American history, and the retelling of age-old Bible stories.

Participants may register for all or part of the weekend.  For more information,go to www.dayspringfla.org/event/food-for-the-journey or contact Deacon Kathleen at kmoore@stjohnstampa.org.

Are you interested in joining a group of St. John's parishioners who periodically gather to share in faith, fellowship, and friendship through social events? The Circle is open to adult parishioners of any age. 

We are kicking off 2018 with a festive "Cinco de Mayo" event on Friday, May 4, at the home of Paul and Mary Beth Carastro. Stay tuned for further details, we hope you'll make plans to join us!

If you would like more information about The Circle, to join our mailing list or to help organize or host future events, please email Lisa Sepulveda at lwsepulveda@aol.com

Online registration for St John's Vacation Bible School (June 18 through 22) is now up! VBS is open to all children in Pre-K through 4th grade, and this year's fun and spirit-filled theme is Shipwrecked.  

We ask that all parents of VBS participants volunteer in some way (either before, during, or after VBS). Volunteer sign ups are available at the registration link: https://vbspro.events/p/events/stjohnsvbstampa.  

VBS will be from 9:00 a.m. to noon each day, and the cost is $40 per child. Registration is capped at 80 children, so sign up before we sell out! Contact Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org for more information.

St John's EYC is sponsoring a Mission Fundraiser Dinner on Sunday, April 15 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall to help with expenses for the upcoming Mission Trip to Chattanooga (June 2 through 9)! Each Mission Trip youth personally selected eight to ten families that they would like to invite, and the invitations go out this week!

 

We invite you and your family to join us on April 15  for a yummy meal, and a quick Youth Mission presentation. Near the end of the event, each family will receive an envelope with a profile of a St John's Youth "Mission Tripper", as well as a number from 1 to 50. The profile will be your family's Prayer Partner-a Youth that you can pray for before, during, and after the trip, and the number is the dollar amount that we ask that you will donate to our cause (from $1 to $50). We pray that you can attend and participate with us!

 

Please bring cash or check to the dinner for your Mission Trip donation. RSVP by Sunday, April 8  by calling the parish offices at 259.1570 or contacting Youth Minister Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org. God bless!

Sunday, April 8 

Regular EYC, 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., Discovery House

Sunday, April 15 

EYC Mission Envelopes Fundraiser, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., Parish Hall

Sunday, April 22 

Bowling Night, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Pinarama Bowl Lanes

Sunday, May 6 

Final Regular EYC, 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., Discovery House

Sunday, May 13 

Senior Sunday

We feature some of the young people of our EYC who will be attending the summer mission trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee each week in the Scroll .

We still have spaces on Teams 1 and 3.

 

The Tampa Deanery's 2018 project is the completion of a three-year project building San Timoteo Episcopal Church in Nizao, which will be consecrated on June 30 .

 

The teams will also be working at the San Matias Church and School in Santana, Bani, adjacent to the Morrow Center (our lodging).  We will be completing much needed repairs, painting and sealing the concrete roof. The school was constructed by the Tampa Deanery in 2002 and 2003.

 

Dates are: Team 1 - June 16-23, Team 2 - June 23-July 1, Team 3 - June 29-July 7.

 

For more information contact Sally Thompson at 760.5120 (phone/text) or tampasal@gmail.com.

We are in need of Sandwich Sunday hosts on May 20.   Hosting includes shopping for supplies, coordinating sandwich preparation on the day-of, and delivering the meals to Faith Cafe. Costs are reimbursed by the parish. Click here to contact Cindy Martin if you can help.