All members of the parish should have received a letter from our stewardship Co-Chairs, Kevin Kellar and Steve Stanford, along with a pledge card for 2022. If you have not received your pledge card, please notify the church office or download one here. You can also make a gift or pledge online. It is our hope that all members of the parish will make a pledge for the coming year. As we look toward welcoming a new Rector, help us make this the strongest stewardship drive ever, to the glory of God!

St. John's Church invites you to a Soirée

at the home of Ron and Mary Hulse

Friday, October 22, 6:30 p.m.

4912 Lyford Cay Road

Bring an hors d'oeuvre to share and a drink of your choosing. RSVP to Mary Hulse at mmhulse@tampabay.rr.com or

Pat Wilson at patwilson68@tampabay.rr.com.

The event will be held outdoors to insure safe distancing. We hope you will join us!

Parish Brunches are back and we need your help! Chef Dave needs team members on the third Sunday of the month to help feed our parish. The first date is November 21, and he will be in the kitchen from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Won't you give of your time to support fun fellowship? Contact Dave to sign up!

Menus will consist of finger foods, and diners will be spaced throughout the Parish Hall and Courtyard for safety.

We invite you to join with the Cathedral for a Zoom webinar on Monday, November 8 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Cathedral Church of St. Peter member and director of the USF Counseling Center, Scott Strader, and Monica Burton, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, will help us understand how we can extend compassion, build resilience, and practice self-care as we face the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic.

Register here and the Zoom link will be sent to you. Please invite friends, grandparents, and others! This is beneficial for all those who love and care for our children, youth, and young adults. For more information, visit the diocesan website.

To all our St. John’s newcomers and/or our longtime St. John’s parishioners:

Have you moved to Tampa within the past few years and want to learn more about the rich history of Tampa, Florida? Or perhaps you have lived in Tampa all your life, and want to find out more about its beginnings? If so, we have a wonderful opportunity for you! From the early Florida Indian tribes, to the English settlers, to the pirates, to Tampa’s infamous gangsters, you will be surprised of what you will learn about Tampa during an amazing tour of the Tampa Bay History Center (TBHC).

The St. John’s Invite-Welcome-Connect (IWC) Team would like to cordially Invite you for a “Lunch and Learn” at the Tampa Bay History Center in beautiful downtown Tampa. The event will begin with a delicious lunch together (separate checks) at 11:30 a.m. at the Columbia Cafe in TBHC that is part of the famous Columbia Restaurant group, followed by a magical tour of TBHC with our wonderful docent, Jack Wyatt (admission gratis). We have two upcoming dates available, but space is limited, so please reply back to Donna Gem at donnaagem@aol.com as soon as possible with your requested date and number of people you will be bringing to reserve your spot. Available dates are Friday, October 29 and Friday, November 19.

Alumni and alumni families, don't miss two opportunities to celebrate St. John's School! Our School is turning 70, and will be commemorating this big anniversary with events all year long! Mark your calendars for the Santa Run and the Alumni Social in December. For more information, contact Cindy Fenlon, or click on the graphic to enlarge. Click here to sign up.

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.

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.

Offering envelopes for All Saints' Day will be in the church this Sunday. All names must be returned to the church office by Monday, November 1, 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.

Cornerstone Kids will benefit from your generosity once again this Christmas! The Giving Tree will be put out in the courtyard Sunday, November 7, and then throughout the following week in the church office. You can choose a child to buy gifts for, wrap the gifts, and return them to the church office. If you’re not a toy shopper, the parents will can surely use $20 Wal-Mart gift cards. And the program always needs food and paper products for their hot afternoon meal.

See you on the 7th!

Many of our former book club members have expressed the hope that we can begin again, now that we are learning to live cautiously with the COVID virus. We will miss the leadership of our faithful, long-standing coordinator, Helen Gilbart, who has stepped down. Pat Rice and I have been trying to find someone who would help us resurrect our group.

Polly Woodard, a member of our book club for several years, has agreed to serve in this capacity, along with her daughter Mary Blythe Broecker. For those who don’t know Polly, I asked her to introduce herself!

“A UNC Chapel Hill graduate, M.Ed., I was a college-prep English and World Lit teacher in Fairfax, Virginia high schools for over thirty years. I especially enjoyed working with prospective English teachers at George Mason University, who trained with me as teacher interns. I have led book clubs in Virginia and Tampa and was delighted when Mary Esther Parker invited me to join the St John’s Book Club.”

We need your input as to how to reactivate the club. We propose an organizational meeting on Tuesday, November 16, at 4:00 p.m. in the Lowry Room. If this works, let us know. If meeting in person with masks is not comfortable for you, let us know that. Before we meet, Polly wants your book suggestions, so she can present them to the group. We will start with a monthly book to discuss at our January meeting. If enough folks suggest the same book, we might start that book discussion in November.

Here’s how to reach Polly with your preferences as to books and meeting arrangements: call her at 571.215.8543; or email her at pollyinfl@gmail.com. The sooner we hear from you, the sooner we can get started!

Pumpkin Painting last weekend was a blast! Thanks to those who came to our festive event.

Next up for families: the annual beloved tradition, the Christmas Pageant! Look for info soon.

This fall, the Hillsborough Organization for Progress & Equality (HOPE) began its work to deepen relationships and share how community problems are impacting our community. HOPE also reflected on its spiritual foundation for doing justice work and the vital role each person can play to fulfill God’s call to “do justice.”

If you are interested in learning more about the work that HOPE is doing in Hillsborough County, you are invited to attend the Virtual HOPE 33rd Annual Convention on Monday, October 25, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. to observe how 24+ diverse congregations do justice together; hear updates on their work toward affordable housing, mental health, criminal justice; and how they prioritize community problem areas for the coming year.

Contact Shirley Susich at sjsusich@gmail.com with questions, click here for a full explanation of HOPE's work in our community, or visit hillsboroughhope.org to learn more.

This Sunday, October 24, is our EYC Halloween Party, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall! It will be a combined EYC (6th through 12th graders), and we’ll have lots of games, candy, and Halloween snacks. Please come in a church-appropriate costume (if you have to ask, it probably isn’t church-appropriate), and invite your friends!

Don’t forget that there is NO EYC on October 31! We hope that you will spend Halloween night with your families or friends.

Looking forward: St John’s EYC will be serving at Metro Ministries Holiday Tents on Sunday, December 12 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.. Every volunteer needs to sign up through this link to be included in our St John’s group: http://stjohnsyouth.metromin.volunteerhub.com We will need to know our final numbers before December 1! Youth Group families, including parents and children over 8, are welcome to sign up to serve together!

Check out Youth Group pictures and video from this week (including a Christmas Singalong?!) on our St John's EYC Instagram.

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

Sunday School is in full swing now! As you can see, this past Sunday, we had special guests: Hugh Cruse joined us, and Lori Reho played a "reporter" during the class.

Next Sunday, October 31, we have our monthly St John’s Family Service at 10:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall! We still need readers for the service, so if your child would like to participate please email Children’s Minister Ayana Grady. In honor of Halloween, we are also encouraging everyone to dress up as Bible characters for the service (or your own church-appropriate non-scary outfit)!

Our 2021 St John’s Christmas Pageant Sign-up is now officially open! We will have a physical sign-up this Sunday, October 24, at the Sunday School check-in table, but you can also email Children’s Minister Ayana Grady with your preferences. We are asking for at least one parent per family to sign up to help. Our Christmas Pageant Cast Reveal Brunch will be on Sunday, November 21 after the 10:00 service in conjunction with the Parish Brunch.

Caroline L.

9th grade at Plant

🏀 Caroline plays basketball and golf

🧐 Caroline is in the 4th generation of her family to go to Plant High

🎓 Caroline is taking an AP Class (as a freshman!)

Caroline’s favorite thing about St John’s: Youth Group and the Worship services!

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 meet on alternate Tuesdays, gathering at 10:00 a.m. for fellowship, followed by the lesson from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. They will continue to meet by Zoom for now. Father Don Goodheart will guide their study of 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 on Tuesday, October 26.

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.

Are you interested in serving God and your parish community through one of our many ministries, but don't know where to start? Contact Fr. Cannon by email or at the church office at 259.1570, and he can help guide you to the perfect match!

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 21 Jan Williams, Trenten Decelles

October 22, Paul Brokaw, John Shepard, Carolyn Harbert, Jack Hoskins, Tessa Sevelius, Mark Schnell, Leo Dorsch, Louisa Light

October 23, Scott McClelland, Robby Kelley, Ty Bradley, Emily O'Brien, Kathryn Swanson

October 24, Debbie King, Betty Garcia, Rachel Mattox, Layla Ringhoff, Kathleen Kefauver

October 25, Jeff Surrena, Lynda White, Andre Ruas, Michael Cannon, Dean Hamric

October 26, Carson Schrils, Mason Morales, Thomas Moore

October 27, Eric Wiese, Brooks Allen

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 the Evening Prayer ministry

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

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.