April 29, 2020
From Our Rector
The date when St. John's will reopen for public worship and other activities remains uncertain, but we want to be prepared. I have asked Dr. Robert Yelverton to chair a Vestry committee that will examine the complexities of reopening and develop plans to ensure the safety of all involved when that day comes. I want to thank Brett Divers, Jan Kelley, and Paul Brokaw for serving on the committee, and Dr. Yelverton for his leadership. The committee has already begun its work, and we will keep you informed as we move forward. Until that day when we can be physically together again, we will remain together virtually. Say your prayers, take care of yourselves, and take care of each other. God bless you.


Virtual Worship, Ministries, and Resources
Virtual Prayers
Daily School Chapel
Fr. Reho posts daily morning chapel video services for the School. You can access them here. They become available each day at 4:15 a.m.

Morning Devotionals
Daily devotional videos continue on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays.  Along with past recordings, they can be found  by clicking here to visit our Facebook page . They each contain a reading, a reflection, and a short musical performance by the choir. 

Evening Prayer
Fr. Connelly streams evening prayer daily Monday through Saturday at 3:00 p.m. on Facebook Live. Intercessory prayers are invited in the comments during the feed or email Fr. Connelly.

Compline Night Prayer
Fr. Reho and his wife Lori offer Compline night prayers on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:30 p.m. on Facebook Live.
Worshipping Virtually
St. John's will continue to stream the 9:15 a.m. service on Facebook Live on Sundays. Access the stream at our page at https://www.facebook.com/stjohnstampa/The audio for the week's sermons is here. New sermons are uploaded by Monday each week. Bulletins for Sundays are here, each week's bulletin will be uploaded to this page on Saturday. Click here to find the readings for this coming Sunday. You can also see Sunday services on our YouTube channel, they will be uploaded each Sunday by mid-afternoon.

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
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.

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

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. 
News of the Parish
Subscribe to St. John's YouTube Channel!
St. John's has a new YouTube account where we are posting Sunday services, devotionals, and other videos, including Fr. Reho's most recent video on speaking to children about coronavirus.

We need your help... by subscribing to our channel, you will help us reach the point where we can have a custom web address (rather than random numbers and letters), as well as getting notifications when we add new videos. We hope you will visit us on YouTube and subscribe today! (Please use the link for the correct channel.)
Senior Sunday 2020!
12th grade parents! This year for Senior Sunday on May 10, the Church is compiling a Senior Slideshow video which will include three to four pictures from each Senior, as well as a short speech from each Senior who would like to speak. Please send your pictures and video to Youth Minister Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org by THIS Sunday, May 3! The video will debut at the Senior Sunday service on May 10, and will be available on our YouTube channel after that for friends and family to enjoy.
We all have a primal hunger to belong and be valued as part of a group. Jesus knew this and routinely invited people to join him. When we invite people to a deeper connection at St. John's, we are actually inviting them to a deeper relationship with Jesus. Church is about drawing people to Christ. Good invitations involve listening to others and inviting them to places we know about. Listening, sharing, and inviting requires some courage and humility. St. John's is committed to fostering a culture of invitation where we habitually ask each other to join and rejoin the Body of Christ. This takes us out of maintenance mode and onto a path of healthy growth.
 
We ask you to take the 1-2-3 Invite Challenge:
  1. Share 1 Idea for how St. John's can be more inviting with Fr. Michael Cannon at mcannon@stjohnstampa.org.
2. Invite 2 People to one of St. John's five online worship offerings.  

Daily Devotionals, Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Compline, and Sunday Service each have their own unique qualities. They vary in length, some have music, some are more formal, etc.  Inviting others is as easy as forwarding the parish email with a recommendation, or the link to the webpage with all of our offerings is here: https://stjohnstampa.org/virtual-meetings-and-worship/ 

3.  Send 3 reasons you love St. John's that we can share with others to Fr. Michael at mcannon@stjohnstampa.org. 

Making a Gift to Your Parish
Click on the graphic below or visit our website to give to your parish.

Stay Connected: Update your Profile and Photo in the Parish Directory!
As we spend so much more time together virtually, Realm, our interactive web-based parish information service, is more important than ever. We encourage you to visit the site at  https://onrealm.org/ to  check your profile for errors or omissions, and upload your photo and photos of your family members so that other parishioners can connect with you!

Update your Photo and Profile
Using the menu on the top of the page, click on your name, then click "My Profile." You can edit the information by using the "Edit Profile" button. To upload a photo of yourself, click on the circle next to your name at the top left of the profile page. You will get the opportunity to choose a photo from those saved on your computer. 
 
Update a Family Member's Photo and Profile 
Family member profiles are connected to yours, and are located in the right-hand column of your profile page. To update a family member's profile information and upload their photo, click one of their names in the right-hand column and follow the same instructions from above for uploading a photo. You can also add a family member profile in that column by clicking on "Add Family."
 
Access Parish Information
Using the menu on the left-hand side and clicking on "Community," you can search the Parish Directory to get to know your fellow parishioners better, check to see where you stand with your financial commitment to St. John's or make a new commitment, and more!

Can't Access Realm?
If you have never logged in to Realm or you are having trouble accessing your account, contact John Edgar at jedgar@stjohnstampa.org. Having trouble uploading a photo? John will walk you through the process.
Forward Day by Day Paper Copies Available
Parishioners who read Forward Day by Day, the quarterly publication of daily devotionals, and prefer a hard copy can find the latest edition on the Church porch.  Feel free to stop by and pick up a copy for yourself or a friend.  If you are unable to come to the church to pick up your copy, just email the parish offices at  jedgar@stjohnstampa.org or call 813.259.1570 and we will be happy to mail you one.
Action Items and Opportunities
Flowers Available
Flower tributes are still available during this time of virtual services. The Chapel Altar flowers are available on May 17, and the Church Altar flowers are available on May 31. If you would like to take one of these opportunities to support your church and honor a loved one, please call the Parish Offices at 259.1570 or email parish@stjohnstampa.org.
Loving our Parish During a Time of Need
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 864.320.7116He 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. You can also text to give by texting SJE to 73256, then following the prompts.
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.    Click here for 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.
Children and Youth
Children's Ministry Notes
Sunday School Via Video
Sunday School will continue to send out weekly videos, along with the written lesson.

VBS 2020 Registration Remains Open
We are evaluating the cancellation of VBS, but at this time registration still remains open,  click here to go there.  VBS is planned to take place June 15 through 19 at St John's Middle Division campus.

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.
EYC News
Instagram
Join our St John's Youth (and parents!) for Compline evening prayer every Thursday night from 8 to 8:15 p.m. on Instagram Live! Make sure that you're following @StJohnsEYCTampa on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/stjohnseyctampa/ 

EYC
St John's EYC (6th through 12th graders) continues to meet every Sunday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Zoom! Join us for fun games, discussion, and prayer. THIS Sunday, May 3, we'll debut our 2019-20 EYC Slideshow with pictures and video from throughout the school year!  Check out this fun highlight video from this week's virtual EYC!
Information and Resources for our Parish Family
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An old open Bible on a rustic wooden plank with room for print
This Week's Birthdays

April 30, Fletcher Barnes, Daisy Lewis, Harvey Spencer, Bailey Turnquist, Juliet
DeOrio

May 1, Linda Wyatt, Norman Miller, Clayton Bricklemyer, Mary Beth Schnell

May 2, Nick Herrin

May 3, Ruth Hemmingway, Hartley Mellish, John Jenkins, Pickens Price, Michael Maguire

May 4, Cody Crosby, Kristina Angiulli, Kristen Decelles, Joe Swanson

May 5, Matthew Crane, Guy King, Robert Lewis, Scott Taylor, John Thompson

May 6, Stephen Bowles, Lynda Tappan, Leslie Bryant, Joseph Strickland, Addison Kriz
Sunday's Scripture Snippet


Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Peter 1
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. 
Covid 19 Resources
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
This Week In St. John's
Sunday, May 3
The Holy Eucharist (Rite II), 9:15 a.m., Facebook Live
 
Enquirers Class, 12:30 p.m., Zoom

EYC, 4:30 p.m., Zoom
Stay connected.
St. Jo hn's Church | 813.259.1570 | parish@stjohnstampa.org