You are cordially invited to “The History of Gasparilla” & Dinner - A St. John’s Episcopal Community Special Event

When: Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Where: St. John’s Parish Hall

Time:  Dinner will begin at 6:00 p.m., presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. 

Who: The Tampa Bay History Center (TBHC) has a wonderfully informative and fascinating presentation about the truths, myths, and legends of Tampa’s Gasparilla. Dr. Carl Zielonka, a member of the TBHC’s History Krewe, and a Tampa/Hyde Park native, will make a 30-minute presentation with Q&A to follow.

Dinner: The Kitchen Ministry will provide hot, fresh grilled chicken. Guests are encouraged to bring salads, sides, or desserts.

Join us and invite a friend or neighbor who is looking for a new church home to learn about Tampa’s Gasparilla, have dinner, and meet some wonderful people!

RSVP: donnaagem@aol.com (so we can plan for the appropriate amount of food!)

Whether you were baptized as a young child or as an adult, the Sacrament of Confirmation gives us the opportunity to confirm our commitment to Christ Jesus and to receive more fully the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-2), just as the Apostles did on the first Pentecost. At Confirmation, we make a mature affirmation of our faith, and at the laying on of hands by the Bishop and anointing with oil, we ready ourselves to receive the gifts of the Spirit (Acts 8:15).

If you have not yet been confirmed, or wish to be received into the Episcopal Church if you were raised in a different Christian faith, Bishop Douglas Scharf will be at St. John's on May 21 to confirm and receive those who wish to make this commitment to our Lord.

In order to be confirmed or received, "it is required of those to be confirmed that they have been baptized, are sufficiently instructed in the Christian Faith, are penitent for their sins, and are ready to affirm their confession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord" (BCP pg. 860). To that end, we are offering six Adult Confirmation classes. They will be on Wednesday evenings and will begin with a meal at 6:00 p.m. with the class starting at 6:30 p.m. The dates are March 8, March 15 , March 22, March 29, April 19 , April 26, May 21 (Confirmation Day)

Please feel free to reach out to Fr. Chris or Fr. Dale if you have any questions.

The next meeting of the Moms Meetup is tomorrow, Thursday, January 12, at 9:30 a.m. After such a fun time and great turnout off-campus, they've decided to meet again at Graze South Tampa, 2219 South Dale Mabry. Graze serves coffee and breakfast so you can enjoy a tasty treat or just enjoy the fellowship! Questions? Contact Sarah Bricklemyer.

If you are new or relatively new (less than a year) to St. John’s, you are invited to join us after the 9:30 a.m. service in the Lowry Room (down the hall from the Parish Office) for an introduction to the many wonderful ministries available to you and learn how you might like to become involved!

There are three more informal classes designed for adults who are relatively new to St. John’s, a small group where you will meet new people and learn about the different ministries at St. John’s. Many lifelong friendships have begun in Newcomers Classes!

Coffee and donuts will be served. and the nursery will be available if needed. Please join us! If you have questions, contact Donna Gem.

The St John’s Book Club will meet on Tuesday, January 17, at 4:00 p.m. in the Lowry Room. Ronnie Goodheart will lead the discussion of The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. All women of the parish are invited.

The Daughters of the King will meet in the Parish Hall on Thursday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m. The group will go through the installation ceremony and discuss the content of meetings for 2023. Please feel free to bring wine and nibbles if you like. Questions? Contact Marci Thomas.

Our monthly Breakfast Sundays are back! Join us in the Parish Hall on Sunday, January 22, after the 9:30 a.m. service for tasty food cooked by Chef Dave and his team, including baked blueberry French toast. Want to help prep and cook? Contact Dave at davekenyon@gmail.com.

“The Sermon on the Mount” is the focus for the Women’s Mid Morning Bible Study. Using the book Reading the Sermon on the Mount with John Stott by John Stott with Douglas Connelly, the group will explore values, ethics, spiritual practice and the formation of Christian community as taught by Jesus. The book is available to order from Amazon.

The group will meet in the Lowry Room from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. on alternate Tuesdays. Father Don Goodheart will lead the next lesson on The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:1-6, “Developing Spiritual Character” on Tuesday, January 24.  

Participating by Zoom is an option. If you have been considering joining a Bible study, this group would love to welcome you into their midst. If you prefer to participate by Zoom, email Sharon Stoll at harpwings@aol.com to receive a Zoom invitation. For additional information about the group, contact Pat Wilson at patwilson68@tampabay.rr.com.

We are pleased to inform you that the Nominating Committee has identified the following candidates who have agreed to stand for election to the St. John's Vestry:

Roddy Belfatti

Andy Brown

Tweed Eckhard

Donna Gem

Roger Kurz

John McKay

Steve Stanford

Kathryn Swanson

The Annual Meeting of St. John's Parish will follow the 9:30 a.m. service on Sunday, February 5. The Annual Meeting will include the election of four Vestry members from the nominees above to serve three year terms, and the election of one Vestry member to serve the remaining two years of the term left vacant by Steve Fluharty’s untimely passing. The Meeting will take place in the Parish Hall, with a simple lunch provided.

Voting will also take place on Sundays, January 22 and January 29, as well as in the Parish Office during regular business hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday, beginning Monday, January 23.

Biographical information and headshots of the candidates are here.

This year’s St. John's Fathers Camping Trip, cancelled due to Hurricane Ian, has been moved to February 10 and 11, 2023 at Lakewood Retreat in Brooksville, FL (http://www.lakewoodretreat.org/). Lakewood Retreat is at 25458 Dan Brown Hill Rd in Brooksville.

Please email Shawn O’Brien at sobodp@gmail.com with questions and to RSVP. The cost is $60 per family, which covers campsite and site adventures including kettle corn, zip line, hay ride, canoes, etc. For those looking to just spend Friday and not spend the night there is a $15 per person park fee to do so.

Thanks to you, we are making progress toward our $1.6M stewardship goal for 2023! As of Wednesday, December 28, we have received $1,006,677 in gifts and pledges. Thank you to all those who helped us get over the $1M mark!

Ready to make your contribution to help St. John's Plant, Water, and Grow in 2023 and beyond? Visit our website to make a pledge or gift.

Would you like donation envelopes to make your 2023 pledge in each Sunday in the collection plate? Contact Laurie to place your order.

Your prayers are encouraged for the volunteers and inmates participating on the rescheduled 4-day weekend at Sumter Correctional in a Bushnell January 12-15. From St. John’s, John Jenkins, Bob Alter, and Hugh Cruse look forward to bringing the love and forgiveness of Jesus along with volunteers from other Christian churches to their brothers in blue. Thank you!

If you are homebound, sick, injured, or unable to come to church for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Office at 813.259.1570. 

You are very much a part of our Church Family, and the clergy of St. John's are here for you! We are always available for any pastoral need you may have, and it would be our pleasure to visit you. 

Have you met our 2022-2023 St John’s Youth Council members? Each week, we’ll profile a different student to give you a little insight into your EYC Leadership Team.

Name: Caroline L

Grade/School: 10th Grade at Plant High

Favorite Food: Fresh Kitchen

Favorite App: Spotify

Favorite Movie: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Starbucks Drink: Iced Coffee

Favorite Disney Character: Belle

Dream Job: Engineer, or Owning a Marketing Company

Favorite Bible Story: Jonah and the Whale

Favorite thing about St John’s: “I love how the St. John’s community brings people together from different schools who you wouldn’t have met otherwise and is a great way to make friends with likeminded people.”

Parents! We need your help for our weekly Children’s Chapel during the 9:30 service! Your job will mainly be supervision— you won’t need to teach, or give a children’s sermon. We are asking for each Children’s Chapel parent to sign up to help at least once per semester. Please click here to sign up.

Sunday School parents! Can you bring a snack? We ask for each family to provide 40 snacks on their week (with a nut free option). You can pick a date here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044CA9AF2CA6FD0-sunday1.

Regular EYC Is Back!

6th through 12th graders, join us for EYC this Sunday, January 8, with Middle Schoolers meeting from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., and High Schoolers meeting from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall. This week, our Middle School group is continuing our Keep it Awkward program with a focus on the Awkward Struggle, and the High School group will be discussing how we can overcome regrets through our Crazy Love series. There will be games, dinner, and a fun lesson--see you there!

Thank you to Leslie Jennewein for providing this Sunday’s EYC Dinner!

2023 Mission Trips

Registration for our 2023 Youth Mission Trips is now open! We are splitting our Middle and High School groups for the first time this year, with High Schoolers (current 9th through 12th graders) serving in the Dominican Republic from June 5 through 11, and Middle Schoolers (current 6th through 8th graders) serving in Chattanooga from July 8 through 15. You can view/download the Mission PowerPoint Presentation here. A $100 deposit will secure your spot!

Don't Miss Out

Join our Remind EYC group text to get a weekly EYC reminder by clicking here (from your phone!

Follow Us!

Check out our weekly EYC info and pictures on the St John’s EYC Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/stjohnseyctampa/

Parent Helpers Needed

Parents, can you volunteer as an adult leader for a week of EYC? We love our amazing leaders Sarah Bricklemyer and Lindsey Robbins, but we still need some more adult help on certain weeks. If you can help, please sign up here.

Event Attendance

Please let Youth Minister Ayana Grady know if you have any upcoming competitions or activities (sports, dance, academic, etc.). She'd love to come support you at your event!

Dinner Help Wanted

Youth Parents! Can you provide an EYC Dinner this month? Please sign up here to volunteer!

There are Sandwich Sunday hosting opportunities on the following dates in the new year: January 15, February 19, March 19, April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16, August 20, September 19, October 15, and December 17.

Hosts can assemble lunches at their own homes, and deliver them to Faith Cafe the next day, or assemble them in the Parish Hall with help from other parishioners. Costs are reimbursed by the parish. Contact Cindy Martin to volunteer for your date!

Flowers and the candle adorning the High Altar and the flowers at the Chapel Altar on Sundays and Holy Days are financially supported by individuals and families in memory of departed loved ones or in thanksgiving for blessings received.

Currently available are the following:

January 15 - Chapel Altar Flowers, Sanctuary Candle

January 22 - Church Altar, Chapel Altar Sanctuary Candle

January 29 - Church Altar, Chapel Altar

February 5 - Church Altar, Chapel Altar

February 12 - Church Altar, Chapel Altar

February 19 - Chapel Altar, Sanctuary Candle

February 26 (Lent 1) - Sanctuary Candle

If you would like to honor a memorial or give a gift in thanksgiving on one of these dates, contact us at parish@stjohnstampa.org or 259.1570. Suggested donations for Chapel flowers are $35, and $50 for Church flowers. Suggested donations for the candle are $20. To help cover rising flower prices, we are now offering two opportunities, one for each arrangement, creating more chances to both support St. John's and honor a loved one.

Interested in helping make our church beautiful once a month by doing altar flowers? Please let us know at parish@stjohnstampa.org.

January 12, Max Hunt, Eliina Lick, Ruby McCowan, Ezra Pederson, Charlsey Roman, Linda Scarritt, Kirt Thomason

January 13, Paul Dolcimascolo, Rick LeVarge, Miriam Lykes, George Wiegand

January 14, Maggie Gustafson, Abby Peel

January 15, Jay Bever, Erika Lee, Simon Matthews

January 16, Elizabeth Calfee, Michael Colgan, Margo Hirons, Connor Schrils, Hunter Sozio

January 17, Harry Greene

January 18, Cristy Braun, Suzanne Cuthbertson, Dottie Miller, Jose Rodriguez, Lisa Ruas, Dottie Webster, Susan Webster, Martha Wood

Thursday, January 12

The Holy Eucharist, 12:15 p.m., Church

Men's Interactive Bible Study, 11:45 a.m., Zoom and in the Lowry Room

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 and on Zoom for those who prefer virtual. Contact Lanny Russell at DLRNCRTPA@verizon.net, or Ray Stoll at SSSSTOLL@aol.com with questions or to get the meeting link.

Sunday, January 15

The Holy Eucharist (Rite I), 8:00 a.m., in the Church

The Holy Eucharist (Rite II), 9:30 a.m., in the Church, and streamed on Facebook, our website, and YouTube. After this service, join us for Faith Formation for all ages.

Bulletins and other resources are available here. Click here for the readings, St. John's follows Track 2.

Tuesday, January 17

CWBS, 6:00 p.m., Zoom

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 Sally Thompson at tampasal@gmail.com or 254.3009 for the link.

Wednesday, January 18

The Holy Eucharist, 12:15 p.m., Church

Wednesday Afternoon Christian Formation, 2:00 p.m., Zoom

Wednesday Nights at St. John's returns with The History of Gasparilla! 6:00 p.m. Dinner, 6:30 p.m. Program

BCP p. 453 states: In case of illness, the Minister(s) of the Congregation are to be notified. Due to HIPPA privacy laws, hospitals and doctors are not permitted to tell clergy if parishioners are in the hospital. Please make sure to let us know if you or a loved one is hospitalized or going to have surgery by telling a member of the clergy, or by calling (259.1570) or emailing the parish office (parish@stjohnstampa.org). We want to visit you!

Service Information

Please note that blue text denotes a hyperlink directly to the service or website referenced.

Sunday Services

In addition to our in-person 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. Sunday services in the Church, St. John's streams our 9:30 a.m. services live on Facebook. The stream is also live on our website and on our YouTube channel.

Bulletins for Sundays are here. Each week's bulletin is uploaded to the page by Saturday. Click here to find the readings for this coming Sunday (St. John's follows Track 2). 

Sermons can be found on our YouTube channel. While you're there, subscribe!

The Chapel of the Resurrection, outdoors in the courtyard, is open 24/7.

Office Hours

The office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:00 a.m. to noon on Friday. Email us at parish@stjohnstampa.org or call 259.1570.

Ministries and Prayer Groups

Click here to visit our webpage that details many of the ministries and prayer groups at St. John's.

Evening Prayer

Our clergy and staff and your fellow parishioners stream evening prayer Monday through Saturday on Facebook. Intercessory prayers are invited in the comments during the feed.

Sunday Formation Classes

Our clergy's classes on Sundays after the 9:30 a.m. service are available on YouTube.

Wednesday Faith Formation

In addition to our Sunday schedule of Adult Formation and Children’s Chapel, we also have Wednesday evening formation for all! Join your St. John’s family for a delicious all-parish dinner at 6:00 p.m. followed by engaging offerings for all ages starting at 6:30 p.m.

If you have any questions or trouble using the online services noted above, please contact Lee Lowry by replying to this email. You can also contact the clergy member or parishioner who is the contact for each ministry. 

Individual Pastoral Care

Your clergy are available to you for pastoral conversations. If you are unable to reach them at the parish offices at 259.1570, please call directly. They can be reached at these numbers:

Pastoral Emergency Line: 813.726.3108  

Fr. Wood: 917.822.9741

Deacon Mary Alice: 813.493.8337

Fr. Dale VanWormer: 607.481.4702