At this year’s Diocesan Convention, Bishop Smith called for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor to succeed him upon his retirement. The Diocese has begun the search process, and is now selecting the Search Committee for our Bishop Coadjutor. If you are interested in applying for the Search Committee or learning more about this process, please visit the Diocesan website by clicking on this link.

Cornerstone Kids held their annual Christmas Party with our Children's Ministry this week, and although it was a bit smaller than usual, it was no less merry and bright! Games, food, gifts and all were safely enjoyed. Thanks to those who participated and helped!

We are in need of Sandwich Sunday Hosts for all of the months in the upcoming year. The dates are January 17, February 21, March 21, April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18th, August 22, September 19, October 17, November 21, and December 19.

Due to COVID, hosts can assemble lunches at their own homes and deliver them to Faith Cafe the next day. Costs are reimbursed by the parish. Contact Cindy Martin if you can help!

Plans are in full swing for the St. John's Open, our annual golf (and fun) tournament. All golfers and SJE supporters are invited and encouraged to join! EVERY dollar generated will directly support students and teachers in the classroom!

The School is making available a limited number of VIP and corporate sponsorship opportunities in conjunction with pre-registration for the tournament. Those are available immediately by contacting Carrie Underwood at 813.600.4353 or by email at cunderwood@stjohnseagles.org. General Registration will open after the first of January.

When: February 26, 2021, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start

Where: Bay Palms Golf Course (18 holes)

General Registration: Coming January 2021 Participation is capped at 100!

Dedications for Christmas Memorial Flowers must be returned to the parish offices by tomorrow, Thursday, December 17, in order to meet our print deadline. Those wishing to participate may return the envelopes by Thursday or email the parish offices at parish@stjohnstampa.org, including the dedication and the name(s) of those making the request in the body of the email. You may also make your contribution by clicking on this link and selecting "Christmas Flowers" from the dropdown menu. Dedications may be given in memory of loved ones and/or in thanksgiving for loved ones.

Here are a couple of behind-the-scenes photos from our video shoot of the 2020 Christmas Pageant. Stay tuned for an email with the link so you can enjoy this beloved tradition!

Thanks to all those who contributed ornaments for our beautiful St. John's tree, and to Simon Morley and Ken Johnston for coordinating and setting up, and to Emily Levy, Laura Silva, Pat Rice and Jan Williams for decorating so beautifully!

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come. In your hearts, in your homes, in your lives, prepare him room,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael Curry said in his Christmas Message 2020. Read more here.

4:00 p.m.     The Holy Eucharist (Rite II)

6:00 p.m.     The Holy Eucharist (Rite II)

8:00 p.m.     The Holy Eucharist (Rite I)

10:00 a.m.     The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) with organ music

All services will be held in-person in the church and streamed live on Facebook and on our website. Please note, capacity remains at 25%, or 100 attendees and all safe distancing practices will be observed. Overflow seating will be available in the Parish Hall. No congregational singing will take place.

Our beloved annual tradition, the Children's Christmas Pageant, will take place virtually this year. Parishioners will receive a link to the video, contact John Edgar with any questions.

The holidays can be joyful, but sometimes the pressures around them can be less so, particularly this year. If you want to access resources for support, our video, A Conversation on Mental Health, is still available on our YouTube channel.

On January 3, the Flowers at the Chapel Altar and on January 24, the Candle in the Sanctuary Light is available. If you would like to take one of these opportunities to honor a loved one and support St. John's, please contact us at 259.1570 or parish@stjohnstampa.org.

Please let us know if you'd like to receive our January at-home Sunday School packet by contacting Children's Minister Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org.

We have Advent Family calendars available! They are included in this month's Sunday School packet, or you can pick one up at the church office throughout the month of December.

This week’s Sunday School curriculum (for all classes) can be accessed here, along with the weekly cartoon videos.

All are welcome; if you have not previously attended the Wednesday afternoon sessions, contact Deacon Kathleen at kmoore@stjohnstampa.org or 785.9400 for the login information.

Contact Laurie Lawther at llawther@stjohnstampa.org to set up.

Go to www.stjohnstampa.org and click on "Give Now" on the right side of the top blue bar. The church now has the ability to accept credit and debit card payments, along with checking/savings account payments. To make a pledge or pay in some other way, click on "Stewardship" in the top website menu.

In the 'To' field of the text type 73256, then in the message, type SJE. You will receive a text back immediately with a link to complete the payment.

Laurie is available to walk you through any of these methods by email at llawther@stjohnstampa.org or call her at the parish offices at 259.1570. If you prefer, you may also call John Edgar in the parish offices and he will fill out a pledge card for you.

December 17, Lynn Rydene, Guy King, Susan Sharp, Jackson Andrews, Dennis Carr

December 18, John Webster, Ronnie Goodheart

December 19, Paul Keesling, Sandy Murray, Lora Hulse, Marilin Espino-Maya, Evan Lick, Keith Bexley

December 20, Rosalyn Gibbs, Grayson Leal, Bob Gaudsmith, Walker Martin, Ivy Gustafson, Nate Lacktman, Taylor Moore

December 21, none

December 22, Tricia Hancock, Stephen Swindal, Pat Wilson, Zigmund Bereday, JoAnna Hall, Anne Williams, Eric Stoll

December 23, John Ackermann, Helen Scott

The Holy Eucharist (Rite II), 10:00 a.m., Church, on Facebook Live, and our website

Bulletins and other resources are available here. 

Click here for the readings, St. John's follows Track 2.

The Contemporary Women's Bible Study (CWBS) group is doing a weekly virtual study on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. This is a Zoom meeting, so if you are interested in participating, you will need to register. Contact Deacon Kathleen at 785.9400 or kmoore@stjohnstampa.org; or Sally Thompson at tampasal@gmail.com or 254.3009.

St. John's continues to stream our 10:00 a.m. services on Facebook Live on Sundays. Access the stream at our page at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnstampa/. The stream is also live on our website.

The audio for sermons is here. New sermons are uploaded by Monday each week. Bulletins for Sundays are here, each week's bulletin is uploaded to this page by Saturday. Click here to find the readings for this coming Sunday (St. John's follows Track 2). You can also see Sunday services on our YouTube channel, they are uploaded each Sunday by mid-afternoon.

The parish offices have reopened. Regular hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, however most staff and clergy are still working from home, so please make an appointment with the staff or clergy member you wish to meet with to be sure they are available. Email us at parish@stjohnstampa.org or call 259.1570 to speak with John Edgar if you have questions.

Fr. Reho invites you to join the School for daily chapel services on the School's YouTube channel. For safety, students will have chapel in their homeroom via video for the time being. A reminder that the sermon is geared to children, but is no less enjoyable for that fact. The link is the same every day: www.stjohnseagles.org/daily-chapel, the services become live each morning at 6:00 a.m., Monday through Friday. You can also access the Chapel Book here if you would like to follow along.

Our clergy and staff stream evening prayer daily Monday through Saturday at 4:00 p.m. on Facebook Live. Intercessory prayers are invited in the comments during the feed or email us.

Nightly compline is offered by the brothers of the Society of St John the Evangelist on their web site at www.ssje.org.

If you have any questions or trouble using the online services noted above, 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. 

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 match needs with resources so we are able to help one another in Christ's name.