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From Our Rector
In compliance with the President's latest directive, we are extending the suspension of in-person services and the "no more than ten" rule to, at the earliest, April 30. We will continue streaming Sunday services. We will also be streaming services for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday during Holy Week (see schedule below). Our online offerings of prayer, Bible study, and ministry will continue.
The building will remain closed, but your church is still here for you. You will still be able to reach the parish offices by phone or email, and your clergy will be available to you for pastoral conversations by phone or other means.
Practice social distancing with diligence. Wash your hands. Reach out to one another. Say your prayers. This too, shall pass. May God bless you and keep you and those you love during this most difficult of times.
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Holy Week and Easter Service Schedule
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Blessed palms are available on the courtyard porch of the church. Please come get one if you wish to participate with them during the Palm Sunday service (below schedule).
All services and prayers noted will be streamed on Facebook Live. The church will not be open. If you choose to come to the Chapel of the Resurrection, please remember to use safe social distancing practices with others.
The Maundy Thursday and Good Friday offerings will be designated for the work of the Episcopal Church in the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
Sunday, April 5: The Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday
9:15 a.m. The Liturgy of the Palms and the Holy Eucharist (Rite II)
Blessed palms are available on a table outside the church, please come get one if you wish.
Thursday, April 9: Maundy Thursday
7:00 p.m. The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) with Footwashing and the Stripping of the Altar*
Friday, April 10: Good Friday
12:00 Noon The Liturgy for Good Friday
3:00 p.m. The Tolling of the Bells and Evening Prayer
The Chapel of the Resurrection, adjacent to the courtyard, is open at all times for prayer and meditation. Social distancing is required. At 3:00 p.m., the bell will toll 33 times, representing the 33 years of Jesus' earthly life while Father Connelly says prayers on Facebook Live.
Sunday, April 12: The Sunday of the Resurrection, Easter Sunday
9:15 a.m. The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) |
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St. John's Featured in 83 Degrees Media
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Deacon Kathleen wrote an article for 83 Degrees Media this week on the ways we are adapting as a parish during this time. Click on the photo below to read it!
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Loving our Parish During a Time of Need
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| If you are someone who is able to help your fellow parishioners with errands and other means of support, please contact Fr. MIchael at mcannon@stjohnstampa.org. Conversely, if you are a parishioner who needs help, please also contact Fr. Michael at email at mcannon@stjohnstampa.org or by phone at 864.320.7116. He will be matching needs with resources so we are able to help one another in Christ's name. |
| During this time, although we are not able to meet in worship as usual, the work of the Parish goes on. We hope that if you are able, you will continue to make your weekly contribution online here. Giving with credit and debit cards is now available. See below for more information on giving to St. John's, including text to give options. |
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Financial Administrator Needed
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| Our longtime Financial Administrator, Debbi Huelsman, is moving on at the end of the spring, so we are seeking a new person to take this role. It is 20 hours a week and can largely be done from home. Please click here for a full description of the position, as well as how to apply. |
| Please note that the following events have been postponed or cancelled: the Parish Picnic scheduled on April 19, the annual St John's Women's Retreat scheduled for April 24 and 25, and the Newcomers get together on Sunday, April 26. |
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Virtual Worship, Pastoral Care, Ministries, and Resources
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Please note that blue text denotes a hyperlink directly to the service or website referenced.
Resources
A pdf of The Book of Common Prayer can be found here. Hard copy prayer books are also available at the church, outside on the porch courtyard, if you wish to borrow one. The Lectionary Page, with the readings for each week,
can be accessed here.
If you have any questions or trouble using the online services noted below, please contact Lee Lowry by replying to this email or John Edgar at jedgar@stjohnstampa.org. You can also contact the clergy member or parishioner who is the contact for each ministry.
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Worshipping Virtually
St. John's will continue to stream the 9:15 a.m. service on Facebook Live this Sunday. Access the stream at our page at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnstampa/. The audio for the sermon by Fr. Reho from March 29 is here. The bulletin for last Sunday is here, and we will link the bulletin for Sunday, April 5 to the same page by this Saturday. Click here to find the readings for this coming Sunday.
The Chapel of the Resurrection, outdoors in the courtyard, is open 24/7. Please practice social distancing measures with other parishioners.
Individual Pastoral Care
Although in-person pastoral visits are restricted, your clergy are available to you for pastoral conversations. If you are unable to reach them at the Church offices, please call directly. They can be reached at these numbers:
Pastoral Emergency Line: 813.906.5199
Father Connelly: 813.250.6293
Father Cannon: 864.320.7116
Father Goodheart: 321.446.4934
Deacon Moore: 813.785.9400
Father Reho: 917.526.0746
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Group Prayers and Pastoral Care
Evening Prayer
Fr. Connelly is streaming evening prayer daily Monday through Saturday at 3:00 p.m. on Facebook Live. Please join him and your fellow parishioners! Intercessory prayers are invited in the comments during the feed.
Daily School Chapel
Fr. Reho is posting daily morning chapel video services for the school. You can access them here. They become available each day at 4:15 a.m.
Stations of the Cross
Prayer Vigil
Fr,. Reho will host a live prayer vigil for all those in our school and parish community who wish to gather together for prayer and consolation during these stressful times. The Prayer Vigil will be held tonight, April 1, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Contact Fr. Reho for the login information. You will have a chance to offer prayers for those you love and worry about during this time, and to join together in common prayer for health, wellness, and safety for all. You will need to create a free account with Zoom, and we recommend that you run a test meeting before Wednesday evening to make sure you are ready to join the vigil.
Pastoral Group Conversations: Note Change of Date and Time
Fr. Reho will hold a series of Pastoral Group Conversations to help us negotiate these trying times. The first will be tomorrow, April 2, at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom.
Contact Fr. Reho for login information. Topics will include how to talk about COVID-19 with children and how to manage stress. Please join in for this informative and interactive hour together!
You will need to create a free account on Zoom, and we recommend that you run a test meeting before Thursday to make sure you are ready to join the conversation.
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Small Group Ministries and Classes
Men's Thursday Bible Study and Lunch
If you would like to join the virtual meeting and did not receive credentials, contact John Edgar at jedgar@stjohnstampa.org.
Youth Confirmation Classes
The Youth Confirmation Class will switch to a Zoom meeting interactive format this Sunday, April 5. This week's topic is Denominational Differences, and the meeting invitation will be sent out over e-mail.
Sunday School for Children
Sunday School parents--we need your input! Would you prefer for Sunday School to send out a weekly video from the Sunday School teachers to be viewed/experienced at your leisure, or would you prefer for us to set up a time each week to meet over Zoom? Please contact Children's Minister Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org with your preference by tomorrow, Thursday, April 2!
EYC
St John's virtual EYC for 6th through 12th graders continues this Sunday, April 5, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Zoom. Invitations will be sent out over e-mail.
Enquirers Classes
The Enquirers Class has been moved online. Fr. Michael has sent out login credentials by email. If you did not receive them or if you have difficulty logging in, please contact him.
Contemporary Women's Bible Study
The group will meet virtually in a joint study with the Women's Mid Morning Bible Study. For log in information, please contact Sharon Stoll at harpwings@aol.com.
Women's Mid Morning Bible Study
If you would like to join this group virtually but did not receive log in information, please contact Sharon Stoll at harpwings@aol.com.
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Online Resources for Prayer and Study
Many of us are using online prayer, scripture, and devotional resources-some are old friends from pre-pandemic days, others you may have discovered more recently.
Here are some examples that you may want to sample; all of them are free.
If you know of others, please send the information to Deacon Kathleen at
kmoore@stjohnstampa.org
and she will share them.
Daily/Weekly Emails
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation from the Center for Action and Contemplation:
cac.org
Brother, Give us a Word from the Society of St John the Evangelist:
ssje.org
The Rev Jay Sidebotham's Monday Matters email from RenewalWorks: go to
renewalworks.org
and click on Resources then Weekly Inspiration.
The Almost Daily eMo by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton from the Geranium Farm:
geraniumfarm.org
Through the month of May, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will offer a series of weekly video meditations called
Habits of Grace.
If you subscribe, you will receive an email link each Monday.
Pray As You Go is a daily prayer session that you can download from the App Store or access online. It is designed to go with you wherever you go, to help you pray whenever you find time.
A new prayer session is produced every day of the working week and one session for the weekend. It is not a 'Thought for the Day,', a sermon, or a bible study, but rather a framework for your own prayer.
Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection.
The Mission of St. Clare is an ecumenical website offering Morning and Evening Prayer using the order set out in
The Book of Common Prayer
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It also includes Daily Devotionals and other offices, plus links to the Lectionary Page and other useful resources.
This web site has articles and podcasts with an Episcopal focus.
In addition to their daily email series, the brothers of the Society of St John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA offer a variety of resources, including a Compline service.
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Children's Ministry Notes
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Sunday School: Input Needed!
Sunday School parents--we need your input! Would you prefer for Sunday School to send out a weekly video from the Sunday School teachers to be viewed/experienced at your leisure, or would you prefer for us to set up a time each week to meet over Zoom? Please contact Children's Minister Ayana Grady at
agrady@stjohnstampa.org
with your preference by tomorrow, Thursday, April 2!
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VBS 2020 Registration Remains Open
Participant and volunteer registration for St John's 2020 Vacation Bible School, still planned to take place June 15 through 19 at St John's Middle Division campus, is now open!
Click here to go there.
St John's VBS is open to potty trained 3 year olds up to current 4th graders, and the cost is $40 per child. If your child is in 5th grade or older, we'd love to have them volunteer! This year's theme is Rocky Railway--a mountain adventure! At Rocky Railway, kids will discover that Jesus' power can pull them through life's ups and downs. Rocky Railway is filled with incredible Bible-learning experiences kids see, hear, touch, and even taste! Sciency-Fun Gizmosā¢, team-building games, cool Bible songs, and tasty treats are just a few of the standout activities that help faith flow into real life.
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Instagram Live Tomorrow!
Make sure that you're following @StJohnsEYCTampa on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/stjohnseyctampa/ Youth Minister Ayana Grady will be doing Compline on Instagram Live on Thursday night, April 2, at 8:00 p.m.!
Youth Confirmation Class
The Youth Confirmation Class will switch to a Zoom meeting interactive format this Sunday, April 5. This week's topic is
Denominational Differences, and the meeting invitation will be sent out over e-mail.
EYC
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Information and Resources for our Parish Family
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This Week's Birthdays
April 2, Jim Arthur, David Martin, Kelly Horan, Janis Chapman
April 3, Alan Heller
April 4, Alexandra Greacen, Kevin Holmberg
April 5, Steve Cheeseman, Tim Andreu, Kim Osborne, Pat Matthews, Joceli Hicks, Andy Gustafson, Stacy Dunlap
April 6, John Robbins, George Robbins, Jackson Hoskins, Pam Divers, Amanda Crosby
April 7, Will Jennewein, Samuel Kelley, Christopher Smith
April 8, Ann Lowry Brown, Gust Dorsch
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Sunday's Scripture Snippet
Out of the depths have I called to you, O
Lord;
Lord, hear my voice;
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you,
Lord, were to note what is done amiss,
O Lord, who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you;
therefore you shall be feared.
I wait for the
Lord; my soul waits for him;
in his word is my hope.
Psalm 130
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Hospital Visitation
We want to provide support during your time of need. However, because health regulations prohibit the clergy from being informed when our parishioners are in the hospital, we will not know if you or someone you love is there unless you tell us. We want to provide support in any time of need or crisis. Please call the parish offices at 259.1570 or
click here to email us to let us know when you need us.
If you have a pastoral emergency when the parish offices are closed, please call 906.5199.
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There are many resources, both national and local, available during this time to help you keep up with swiftly changing events and keep yourself and your family safe. A few are below.
Centers for Disease Control
USF Public Health
USF has experts available to answer questions.
State of Florida
Hillsborough County
City of Tampa
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