Join us in the Parish Hall after the 10:00 service this Sunday, August 1, for St. John’s 2021 Youth Mission Trip Presentation! The presentation will include mission youth speakers Caden Hearing, Finley Roberts, Grace Tellekamp, and Allison Townsend, as well as the debut of this year's Mission Trip Slideshow. We encourage all Mission Trippers to come in your 2021 trip t-shirt! Coffee Hour this Sunday will be hosted by Youth parents.

Save the date! The annual Father's Ministry camping trip will be November 5 and 6 at Lakewood Retreat, 25458 Dan Brown Hill Road, 34602 in Brooksville, FL. Don't miss this popular St. John's tradition! Contact Kaivon Madani with questions and to RSVP.

You may remember that after we planted the olive trees in the courtyard in 2018, a small group of parishioners, including Heddy Brown and Janice Straske, harvested the olives, took them home and brined them, put them into jars, and gave them out on Rally Day with a St. John's tag.

As our trees have produced another abundant crop this year, the group will do the same thing. They invite others to join them at 8:30 a.m. in the courtyard this Monday, August 2 to harvest. Just bring your pruners, no experience is required! What a lovely symbol and reminder of peace for our parish and neighborhood our trees are!

Fr. Fred and Linda Robinson wish to announce to the St. John's Church family a pilgrimage they are leading to The Holy Land. This spiritually-oriented pilgrimage/tour is co-sponsored by BesTouR and The Saint Bartholomew Travel Society of the Church of the Redeemer. The travel society is contracting with Amer Shehadeh, Tour Operator of BesTouR, Israel, to lead us on a pilgrimage to the most important pilgrimage sites associated with Jesus Christ's earthly ministry. In addition, the itinerary includes a crossing into Jordan for visits to Mount Nebo, Madaba, Petra, and the traditional site of Jesus's baptism. BesTouR is the No.1 travel agency in the Holy Land with 30 years of experience leading pilgrims to the holy sites. The pilgrimage brochure is available on the BesTouR website. Please direct inquiries to lindarobinsonsrq@gmail.com, 941.914.2688, or see Linda Robinson in the parish hall on Sundays for a brochure.

It's back! Mark your calendar for St. John's Annual Canoe Trip, Saturday, September 18! We will gather at Canoe Escape for a half day of fun on Tampa's beautiful and winding Hillsborough River!

Meet us at Sergeant's Park, 12702 US 301, Thonotosassa, 33592 at 9:00 a.m.. We'll pay at the office before launching our vessels for a 4.5 mile journey downriver and finish at Morris Bridge Park about noon -- pack a lunch!

Cost is $56 per canoe (includes shuttle back to our vehicles) and accommodates up to two adults and two children, or one adult and three children. Youths 13 and up may canoe without an accompanying adult. Single person kayaks are also available.

Kids will get our "Critter Sightings" worksheet to check off along the way: expect to see turtles, osprey, herons, and plenty of sunbathing gators. Most of the trek is canopied, but be sure to bring your hats and sunblock.

Contact Kevin Kellar at kcwkellar@yahoo.com with questions. Contact Fr. Fred to inquire about financial assistance.

See you on the river!

As the new school year approaches, your generous support is requested for the children of Cornerstone Kids. The goal is to raise $1,000 to cover the cost of backpacks and school supplies for 25 children. You can donate online here or we welcome your check in the plate on Sunday or delivered to the office. Please note on the check that the gift is for Cornerstone. Questions? Contact MC Jenkins.

Join St. John's as we head down to Tropicana Field for a day of baseball on Saturday, August 21! The Tampa Bay Rays will face off against the Chicago White Sox on Faith Day. Adult and child tickets are $30 (normally $60) which gets you into the game, a free Rays baseball cap, a Tyler Glasnow bobblehead, and a ton of fun!

Following the game, we'll hear a few of the Rays players speak about their faith. The game starts at 1:10 p.m. and gates open at 11:40 a.m. Deadline to order tickets is August 8. Contact Youth Minister Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org to sign up!

Next Thursday, August 5, the clergy of the Tampa Deanery will visit St. John's for our regular Healing Service, including a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, at 10:00 a.m. Parishioners are welcome and encouraged to join the group and meet some of our fellow Episcopalians!

Male volunteers are urgently needed for the Kairos Ministry to go into prison with Father Michael and Dave Wheaton. The commitment is not small, but is finite, and the rewards from the experience will be priceless. Contact Fr. Cannon for scheduling information and more. There will be six training sessions leading up to the weekend, which is November 11 through 14.

The registration link to in person and virtual listening sessions is now live and the Search Committee needs your help to have all voices in our diocese heard!

Listening sessions are an important part of the bishop coadjutor search process. As the Search Committee prepares to accept nominations and then conduct interviews of candidates, they want to hear from you to help form a vision for our next bishop. In person Listening Sessions with committee moderators attending to answer your questions are scheduled in each deanery. There will be two additional sessions via Zoom for those who cannot attend the in person gatherings, and three live sessions are being offered in Spanish.

See more here. Most sessions take place in early August and registration is required.

With changes being made to the liturgy, the timing is good for a get-together to discuss the overall shape of the liturgy and the specific changes. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to bring together in fellowship as many of our liturgical ministers as possible, including Vergers, Acolytes, Altar Guild, Ushers, Lay Readers, Choir, Clergy, and others involved in leading worship. Leaders of these ministries will be expected to attend – and the more the merrier!

The group will gather on Saturday, August 7 at 11:00 a.m. in the church for a discussion and practice run through of the liturgy in the church. Then they will eat lunch together in the parish hall, and conclude with a service of Holy Eucharist in the church.

Calling all students (pre-K to college)! Bring your backpacks to church on Sunday, August 15 at the 10:00 a.m. service to be blessed for the upcoming school year. We will provide special laminated St John's backpack tags so that you can remember that God's love (and the support of this congregation) are always with you--wherever you go!

All are invited to participate in the upcoming Holy Conversations fellowship. This is a time of rich reflection and engagement among parishioners seeking to deepen their spiritual journey. Visit our website to see a video of what parishioner Hugh Cruse had to say about the program.

The group will connect via Zoom for six conversations. This is an opportunity to get to know others within our church family, share moments of laughter, create connections, and deepen our faith. The group will begin the first week in August. If you would like to be a part of the group, please contact Lori Reho at lori.reho.2019@gmail.com or 239.745.1656, or call the church office at 259.1570.

This week's "Face of Evening Prayer" is Charlotte Maddox:

Rising 6th through 12th graders! Come join us for a night of s’mores, friends, and fun at our EYC Movie Night this Friday, July 30, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Invite your friends--let’s end the summer with a bang! RSVP to Youth Minister Ayana Grady.

St John’s EYC has a new leadership opportunity! Beginning this fall, we’ll be starting a St. John’s Youth Council made up of Middle and High schoolers. We’ll meet once a month (with dinner) to discuss EYC, brainstorm new ideas, and strengthen our faith together. Youth Council applications are due Sunday, August 1. If you are interested in applying, please contact Youth Minister Ayana Grady!

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.

A big thanks to Ayana for streaming the 10:00 a.m. Sunday service to Facebook and our website for two weeks while John Edgar took a well deserved vacation! Interested in being part of the Stream Team and helping too? Contact John to learn more.

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.

July 29, Jovani Hicks

July 30, Corey Tappan, Dylan Tozier, David Williams, Stacy Lick, Sofia Stone

July 31, Hedy Bever, Maggie Carson, Marian Sbar, Keith Shamblin, Truett Gardner, Anthony Palermo, Ruth Pasquarello

August 1, Harriette Bryan, Khalifa Humaid Masaood

August 2, Nancy Walker, Jan Kelley, Caroline Arthur, Reece Howell

August 3, Abby Burden

August 4, Ken Lane, Holly O'Malley, Robin Adair, Pickens Price, Annabel DeOrio

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 hosted by Youth Mission Tripper parents

The Holy Eucharist (first Sunday of the month Rite I), 10:00 a.m., Church, on Facebook Live, and our website, followed by Coffee Hour Fellowship hosted by Youth Mission Tripper parents

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, 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.

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.