Our St John’s Family Service is returning this Sunday, September 26, at 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall! The Family Service is a family-friendly casual church service, held in the Parish Hall on the last Sunday of the month (September-October, and then February-Easter Sunday). There is no Sunday School on Family Service Sundays, we encourage families to worship together in the more casual setting. We will have several children reading the lessons and prayers, as well as a few youth leading the newly-formed Family Service Band. Masks are required. We hope that everyone can make it!

On Sunday, October 3, we will celebrate Episcopal Schools Sunday, as well as the Feast of St Michael and All Angels. Head of School Hugh Jebson will give an address in lieu of the sermon that Sunday as we honor our largest ministry, St. John's School!

Bring your pet to be blessed, or commemorate the important role your pet played in your life if they have left us.

School Lower Division Pet Blessing in Courtyard on Monday, October 4 at 3:15 p.m.

We will also hold a Pet Memorial Eucharist and Blessing in the Church at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 10. Bring mementos of your past pet to be blessed (pictures, tags, collars, etc.) and bring your current pet for a blessing. Please do your best to make sure your pet is respectful of our church facilities and that they are under your control at all times. This Eucharist will be casual but reverent and uplifting.

Join us for the return of our annual St. John’s Family Bingo Night on Friday, September 24, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.! The event is free, and open to families of all ages. In response to the ongoing pandemic, we have shortened the event to one hour (masked)—but we hope to have an awesome night of family fun together! RSVP to Children’s Minister Ayana Grady to let us know that you are coming.

The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby is the diocesan-wide book read that has been spearheaded by the Diocesan Committee on Race and Reconciliation, on which our own Fr. Reho and Ayana Grady sit.

On Monday, October 4, at 7:00 p.m. the group will re-gather to discuss what they read and what steps they can take moving forward. All are welcome! Submit questions for Jemar Tisby during the book study and learn more at the diocesan website.

Love INC invites you to join them for a breakfast event on October 12 to learn more about their mission and celebrate their volunteers! Click on the flyer to the left to read more, or register on their website.

The annual Fathers Ministry camping trip will be November 5 and 6 at Lakewood Retreat, 25458 Dan Brown Hill Road in Brooksville. Don't miss this popular St. John's tradition! Contact Kaivon Madani with questions and to RSVP.

The St. John’s Church Fathers Ministry seeks to strengthen the unique bond between fathers and their children, while developing camaraderie between fathers within the church community. The ministry pursues its mission by hosting/assisting in annual activities such as: the Fathers Camping Trip, enjoyed by fathers and their children in the fall and the Canoe Trip in the Spring/Summer. Other activities include providing cooking services at the annual Parish Picnic and the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. The Fathers Ministry also hosts occasional social gatherings and welcomes opportunities to collaborate with other

family‐oriented church ministries.

Fr. Fred and Linda Robinson invite you to learn more about a spiritually-oriented pilgrimage they are leading to The Holy Land. Please contact Linda at lindarobinsonsrq@gmail.com or 941.914.2688 for more information. Brochures also are available from Fr. Fred in the parish office.

Cornerstone Kids was so grateful for our donations for the beginning of the school year! See their thank you note to the left, click on it to enlarge.

Six men from St. John’s will be taking the Gospel message to Sumter Correctional from November 11 through 14, and they need your help! Please send a message to Fr. Cannon if you can commit to praying, making cookies, or chipping in financially for what is going to be a wonderful weekend. We need and appreciate your support!

In addition, the four-day women’s weekend at Hernando Correctional in Spring Hill begins September 30. Please pray for MC Jenkins and all of the other 30+ volunteers from other Christian churches as they work hard to fulfill the mission of this prison ministry to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to incarcerated individuals. Thank you!

As you probably know, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, August 14, 2021, with a 7.2 magnitude. Nearly 2,000 people died and more than 9,000 people were injured. The earthquake impacted more than 1.2 million people and destroyed buildings and infrastructure, including nearly 61,000 homes, and damaged more than 76,000 more. Thousands of families are in need of assistance. The need is overwhelming.

The Dominican Development Group is partnering with the Dominican Episcopal Church to provide direct aid to those in need. Join them in our efforts by clicking here to donate. All proceeds will be used to purchase medical supplies, basic necessities and infant care items. Click on the flyer to the left to enlarge it.

For any questions, please email Sally Thompson at tampasal@gmail.com.

An anonymous matching gift of up to $20,000 is being given to St. John’s with the challenge that we raise another $20,000 through parish contributions. The gift has been designated for our capital expenses, since we have had several unexpected expenses this year and anticipate several more in the near future.

If you would like to contribute toward this challenge gift, helping us reach a final goal of $40,000, make your check out to St. John’s Church, with memo: Matching Gift; or, if you prefer to give a gift of stock, contact Laurie Lawther, our Financial Administrator, at llawther@stjohnstampa.org or by phone at 727.510.0836 for guidance on how to do that. Gifts for our capital expenses are above and beyond our pledges to the Operating Fund. And don’t forget, we will be coming back to you soon for your important pledge for 2022!

Thanks be to God and to the donors for these generous gifts!!!

You can check out St John’s EYC pictures, and stay updated on events through our St John's EYC Instagram here.

Join our Remind EYC group text to stay up to date on EYC happenings by clicking here (from your phone)!

Click here for our event calendar for September!

Below is the flyer for New Beginnings, the Diocese's youth retreat. The registration link is here, and you can click on the flyer to enlarge it.

EYC has a new Youth Council of leaders, and over the coming weeks, we are going to introduce them to you. The first is Ben, who is in 11th Grade at Tampa Prep.

On the left, you'll see Ayana and members of our EYC who plan on St. John’s School's Volleyball team! A reminder that she would be thrilled to come to your school, sports, or arts events, just let her know!

The Women’s Mid Morning Bible Study continues a study of the first and second letters of Paul to the Thessalonians using the study guide Paul for Everyone, Galatians and Thessalonians by N. T. Wright. They will meet by Zoom for the month of September on alternate Tuesdays, gathering at 10:00 a.m. for fellowship, followed by the lesson from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Chris McAdams will lead the second session on September 28, covering 1Thessalonians 2:13 - 3:13.

For more information, contact Sally Wiley at wiley48sm@gmail.com or 244.4497 or Pat Wilson at patwilson68@tampabay.rr.com. All women of the parish and those whom they would like to invite are welcome to join them as the group delves into Paul’s earliest extant correspondence.

The Wednesday Afternoon adult formation group continues on Zoom on Wednesdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The group studies the work of a variety of Christian writers; group discussions are lively and substantive. All are welcome. For more information contact Deacon Kathleen at kmoore@stjohnstampa.org or 785.9400.

We have some opportunities to sew and craft items to support the homeless in our area. Please see Fr. Cannon or Shirley Sucich if you’re interested in helping form a service group utilizing your crafty gifts.

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.

September 23, Anne Hyatt, Mikel Peel, Lillie Lowry, Elise Bexley

September 24, Robert Vawter, Mike Nolan, A. J. Valdes, Lauren Brown

September 25, Paul Weekley, Thomas Bricklemyer, Wayne Capen, Emily Deitzer

September 26, none

September 27, Gwen Hedges, Ambrose Jones, Tucker Witte, Kate Shenk, Greg Moore

September 28, Tim Killgoar, Amy Patenaude, Barry Shone

September 29, Meg Russell, Cynthia Hunter

The Men's Interactive Bible Study meets every Thursday at 11:45 a.m. to study the readings for the coming week and for fellowship. The group will convene in person in the Lowry Room for those who are comfortable. If you prefer to continue joining virtually, email John in the parish offices at jedgar@stjohnstampa.org for the link.

The Holy Eucharist (Rite I), 8:00 a.m., Church, followed by Coffee Hour Fellowship

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

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 does 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, contact Deacon Kathleen at 785.9400 or kmoore@stjohnstampa.org; or Sally Thompson at tampasal@gmail.com or 254.3009 for the link.

In addition to welcoming in-person attendance at the 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Sunday services, St. John's streams our 10:00 a.m. services live on Facebook. Access the stream at our page at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnstampa/. The stream is also live on our website. Please access the most current safety guidance here.

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 are open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Email us at parish@stjohnstampa.org or call 259.1570 to speak with John Edgar if you have questions.

Our clergy, staff, and fellow parishioners 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.

Compline is offered by the brothers of the Society of St John the Evangelist on their web site at www.ssje.org on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:30 p.m EST.

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. 

Father Robinson: 941.350.0043

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.