Offering envelopes for All Saints' Day will be in the church this Sunday. Names must be returned to the parish offices by Monday, October 26, in order to meet our print deadline. Those wishing to remember departed loved ones may return the envelopes by Monday or email the parish offices at parish@stjohnstampa.org, including the name(s) of the departed 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 "All Saints' Day" from the dropdown menu.

A reminder that if you are in need of them, our grief resources can be found here.

Faith Cafe has inaugurated “Hot Meals to Go,” the first step toward resumption of full meal and other support services for those in need. To accomplish this, we will need six volunteers for the St. John’s team, which serves on the 3rd and 4th Fridays of each month. Three volunteers will be in the kitchen plating the protein, grain, and vegetable that Metropolitan Ministries provides and three will dispense the lidded disposable plates of food at the front door. Guests will eat outside, as they are currently doing, but the meal will be like the more substantial one they were served prior to the pandemic. Face masks will continue to be required for volunteers, and actual contact with any individual guest is brief and distant.

We also need a volunteer to pick up the three large containers of hot food at Metropolitan Ministries on Florida Ave. around 10:30 a.m. on those Fridays and return the empty containers. Using a truck or a large car (like an SUV) that allows sliding the heavy containers in and out works best.

Volunteers are needed on Fridays. Our dates are October 16 and 23, November 20 and 27, and December 18 and 25. Volunteers generally arrive around 10:30 a.m. and depart by 1:00 p.m. For more information about Faith Cafe or to volunteer, go to their website, faithcafetampa.org or contact Sally Wiley at wiley48sm@gmail.com or 244.4497 or Deacon Kathleen Moore at kmoore@stjohnstampa.org.

Evening Prayer with Bishop Smith will be streamed on the Diocesan website and Facebook page at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, October 16, as part of our Annual Convention. Visit episcopalswfl.org/tv.html or the diocesan Facebook page to view the service, as well as the Saturday Business Session. There will be an online PDF service booklet on the diocese's site with music, which includes Benjamin Britten's Festival Te Deum. Please note, this will take the place of our parish's own usual Evening Prayer on this day.

Crystal Madani and Anne Compton have recently taken on the responsibility of creating banners for baptisms as the heads of the St. Margaret Baptism Banner Guild. They need help sewing the tabs on the top of the baptismal banners. It a very quick job, just three tabs at the top of the banners, and they have about 10 banners with tabs ready to be sewn on now. A sewing machine would be best for the task. 

If you can help, please contact Crystal or Anne.

This week, we launched a new video series featuring our many ministries and the wonderful parishioners, clergy, and staff who make them happen. The first focuses on our liturgical ministries, which include our Altar Guild, Acolytes, and Lay Readers, just to name a few. A huge thanks to Laura Hobby, Paul Brokaw, and Eric Williams for participating, and to John Edgar and Fr. Michael for coordinating and filming.

Check it out on our YouTube channel and stay tuned for another video next week! While you're there, subscribe!

If you missed either our Conversation on Grief or our Conversation on Mental Health, they are available on our YouTube channel.

Dear St. John’s Family:

Sunday, October 25, will be Fr. Chip Connelly’s last Sunday with us as Rector of St. John’s. Our 10:00 a.m. liturgy that Sunday will include a ritual of gratitude and affection marking our deep love and appreciation for all Fr. Connelly has offered to St. John’s in serving as our Rector. Whether you choose to come in person or participate via the live stream, it will be a moving and lovely event. Due to our ongoing concern for the safety and health of our parishioners, there will be no reception or Holy Hospitality after this service. We are planning for a festive gathering to celebrate Fr. Connelly in the spring, when we can hopefully do so in grand style.

While we plan to have a full celebration for Fr. Connelly come spring (when safety restrictions will hopefully be lifted or lessened), there are two ways you can help make October 25th a great day for him:

1. Contribute: Contribute to a retirement purse (the fancy Episcopal term for a financial gift to a departing clergy member). To do so, click here, adding the note or instruction, "Fr. Connelly’s Purse." You may also send in a check made out to St. John's with "Fr. Connelly’s Purse" in the memo line to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 906 South Orleans Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606. The deadline for receiving your contributions is October 23 (note new date).

2. Record a video: During our 10:00 a.m. service on October 25 we will honor Fr. Connelly with the gift of a video montage from members of the parish. Film yourself and your family sharing your affection and gratitude for Fr. Connelly’s many years of ministry with us. It's so easy - just click this link and follow the easy instructions. Please keep your video to 60 seconds or less and feel free to be creative! The deadline for receiving your video remains October 20.

We hope you will choose to participate in both options as we honor our beloved Rector and wish him well in his retirement. Please remember too that we will hold a festive gathering this spring, when we will be able to celebrate Fr. Connelly in person and in a larger way.

Faithfully,

Every week at St. John’s, parishioners support our liturgical ministries by sponsoring the flowers at the church and chapel altars as well as the candle in the sanctuary light. Parishioners can dedicate the flowers to the memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a blessing in their life. The suggested donations for each opportunity are: Church Altar Flowers, $50; Chapel Altar Flowers. $35; Candle in the Sanctuary Light, $15.

The following opportunities are currently available:

Contact us at parish@stjohnstampa.org or call 259.1570.

This year's St. John's Fathers Camping Trip is November 13 and 14 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.

Please email Children's Minister Ayana Grady if you would like to receive our St John's Sunday School packet with lessons and activities for November! The deadline to sign up is next Friday, October 23.

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

How can we do a better job of paying attention to the issues of the world around us? At St John's EYC this Sunday, October 18, we'll be discussing how our faith can influence a hurting world. We will meet in the Parish Hall, socially distanced with masks required. Middle Schoolers (6th-8th graders) will meet from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and High Schoolers (9th through 12th graders) will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Invite your friends!

The Women’s Mid Morning Bible Study continues their fall study of some of the general letters or epistles using the commentary The Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah by N. T. (Tom) Wright, as their study guide. on Tuesday, October 20, Father Cannon will guide their study of the remaining three chapters of 1 Peter, 3:1 through 5:14.

It is a virtual class, using St. John’s Zoom, and will begin at 10:00 a.m. to allow time for greeting one another prior to the lesson. The lesson time will be 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Classes are on alternate Tuesdays with the final class scheduled on December 1. The class is open to all women in the Parish and invited friends.

For more information about the study, contact Pat Wilson at patwilson68@tampabay.rr.com or

245-9562 or Joan McKay at mckayjhm@aol.com. Email Joan to get the Zoom link.

The Sunday Adult Formation Group meets via Zoom each Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Generally, each session includes a short presentation followed by group discussion. Topics are suggested by the group. On October 21, the group will begin a study of The Meaning of Mary Magdalene by Cynthia Bourgeault.

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.

October 15, Carolina Cassedy, Nicholas Gagliardo

October 16, John Genter, Christina Roberts, Jane Arnold, Kate Arthur, Linda Pearce

October 17, Zachary Rugg, Patricia Braxton, Emma Brown, Chase Collier

October 18, Joanne Watkins, Margaret Korakis, Nina Haaskivi

October 19, Scott Tappan, The Rev. Chip Connelly, Mariellen Curtis

October 20, Thom Gonzalez, McKenna Peterson, Hannah Neugaard, Peter Johnson, Bill Arthur, Aubrey Howell, Isabel Friedrich

October 21, Jan Williams, Helen Ireland, Trenten Decelles

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. Email John in the parish offices at jedgar@stjohnstampa.org for the link to join.

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.

The group meets by Zoom from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. If you would like to join them, contact Deacon Kathleen at kmoore@stjohnstampa.org for login information.

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 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.

Fr. Connelly streams 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 Fr. Connelly.

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.