We are looking for volunteers to participate in our annual Maundy Thursday Vigil, which begins at approximately 8:00 p.m. on April 1, immediately following the Maundy Thursday service. The Vigil will take place in the chapel and will continue throughout the night until 7:00 a.m. Morning Prayer and Communion from the Reserved Sacrament. Each volunteer will be responsible for an assigned reading(s) during one hour of the Vigil.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Nicholas Nitch at nicholasnitch@gmail.com and let him know which hour you would like to sign up for. All are encouraged to attend one or more hours of the Maundy Thursday Vigil even if you do not wish to participate formally.

To understand what is happening in the United States today, we need to understand an important document from the 15th century called "The Doctrine of Discovery." This series of edicts from Pope Nicolas V sent the kings of Europe into the world to conquer, convert, and enslave all nations. Sadly, relatively few people today know about the doctrine.

On April 19 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom, facilitator Brian McLaren will read the document, explain its impacts, and invite conversation about how elements of this doctrine are still having an impact on church life and political life in America. Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good.

Our own Ayana Grady and Fr. Reho are members of the Diocese's Racial Reconciliation Committee which is sponsoring this event. Contact John Edgar or Ayana to get the Zoom link. Click on the flyer to view it at full size.

St. John's invites parishioners and the entire diocese to join us for a three-part speaker program

on Sundays April 11, April 18, and April 25, at 4:30 p.m. The hour-long events will be held virtually on Zoom. The link will be sent to St. John’s parishioners via Realm, others, please contact us at parish@stjohnstampa.org to get the link.

The speaker will be Christian M. M. Brady, author of Beautiful & Terrible Things: A Christian Struggle with Suffering, Grief, and Hope.

We all endure suffering in this life. No matter how blessed and privileged we may be, we will experience hardship and grief. On a personal level, it may be the death of a loved one, sudden illness, the loss of a job, or the struggle with mental health. Our world faces global disease and regional wars. Suffering is part of living in a world that God created but humanity unmade.

Bible scholar Christian Brady, an expert on Old Testament lament, was as prepared as a person could be for the death of a child—which is to say, not nearly well enough. When his eight-year-old son died suddenly from a fast-moving blood infection, Brady heard the typical platitudes

about accepting God’s will and knew that quiet acceptance was not the only godly way to grieve.

Join us as we journey with Christian Brady in a personal presentation of this beautiful book which embodies not only his lament but also his declaration of thanksgiving as he remembers God’s presence throughout his life.

Gifts of thanksgiving for Christian’s generous time with us can be made to the Mack Brady Memorial Men’s Soccer Fund at Penn State, in memory of Christian and Elizabeth Brady’s son. Click here to read more about the event and about Christian. The first twenty St. John's parishioners to sign up will receive a complimentary copy of Christian's book.

Easter flower envelopes are in the Church this Sunday. If you are interested in contributing, please return your envelope by this Sunday, Palm Sunday, March 28. You can also contribute toward Easter Flowers online by clicking on this link and selecting ‘Easter Flowers’ from the dropdown menu. If you participate online, please email John in the office to let him know who the flowers are in memory of or in thanksgiving for.

Parishioners are invited to a Zoom Q&A with the Head of St. John's School and the School's Division Heads on Wednesday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m. The link will be mailed out from Realm, or contact John Edgar to receive it. The leaders of our School want to update you on their progress, please join them!

The 2021 Holy Week and Easter schedule has been posted on our website. We are thrilled that, unlike last year, we will be able to gather in person. That said, a limit of 100 attendees remains in place for now at both the 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. service, so please arrive early to assure seating. There will be overflow seating in the Parish Hall, with a view of the livestream. There will not be a reception following the services. We would love to be able to accommodate our usual packed church, but we appreciate your understanding of our continued need for safe distancing. Please remember to adhere to our guidelines including wearing a mask at all times and respecting modified procedures for communion and spaced seating

If you are still worshipping at home, you are invited to stop by the church office during regular hours to pick up palms for Palm Sunday (March 28). Contact John Edgar with questions.

"Love…Vision…Legacy." These words capture the commitment made by Ann and Michael Doyle over a decade ago to carrying out God’s mission through Love INC. Join Love INC on Tuesday, April 13, at 7:55 a.m. as they celebrate the Doyle's legacy and discover ways to ensure their vision lives on for decades to come.

No charge for this event, login details will be provided after registration. Click on the flyer to view at full size. For questions, contact Evan Smith at esmith@loveinctampa.org

This Lenten season from now through Palm Sunday, St John's EYC will be focusing on the parable of the Prodigal Son through the movie Grace Unplugged! Join us for EYC (masked and socially distant) this Sunday, March 14. 6th through 8th graders will meet from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and 9th through 12th graders from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall!

EYC Parents! Please click the link below to sign up for our new Youth Group text (through the Remind app, frequently used in the school system). You can join the group to stay up to date on EYC happenings by clicking here from your phone: https://remind.com/join/4h36ff 

Don’t forget to stay up to date on the latest pictures and videos from EYC on our Youth Group Instagram.

St John's Sunday School will host an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3, (Holy Saturday) at 10:00 a.m.! The Hunt will start in the St. John's courtyard. All activities will be outdoors, and masks are required. We are looking for donations of pre-filled eggs, and candy. If you can help, please drop off your supplies at the church office by Palm Sunday, March 28. If you would like to sign up to participate, please contact Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org.

Please let us know if you'd like to receive our April at-home Sunday School packet by contacting Children's Minister Ayana Grady at agrady@stjohnstampa.org. The March packets will hopefully be going out this week, or at the latest early next week!

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

The Way of the Cross liturgy will be held in the church this final Wednesday of Lent at 5:00 p.m. and broadcast online. The leader is Deacon Moore.

Our final Lenten series session of On Forgiveness, resources and tools for forgiveness, will be presented by Fr. Reho today from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Even if you have not joined them before, you are welcome to do so. This session will feature practical resources for approaching and processing forgiveness as found in the Book of Common Prayer and in the traditions of Christian spirituality.

Previous sessions are available on our YouTube channel. While you're there, subscribe!

The Women’s Mid Morning Bible Study continues a study of the Book of Job, which biblical scholars include in the genre known as "wisdom literature." They are using Interpretation Bible Studies /Job by David C. Hester as their study guide. They welcome new members joining them at any point in the series. Nicki Weekes will lead the next session on Job 29 - 31, on Tuesday, April 6.

This is a Zoom study on alternate Tuesdays, 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. To receive an invitation to log in

email Joan McKay at mckayjhm@aol.com. Pat Wilson can also provide more information or

answer questions, contact her at patwilson68@tampabay.rr.com or 245.9562.

The Wednesday Afternoon adult formation group concludes an online Lent program from St George’s College in Jerusalem today. For those who have visited the Holy Land, the program will recall its beauty, wonder and inspiration--a wonderful reminder of those times which undoubtedly will have left an indelible mark. For those who have not yet been able to make their pilgrimage, we hope it will serve as a taste to inspire you to find your way there in the future.

All are invited to meet on Zoom on Wednesdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. For more information contact Deacon Kathleen at kmoore@stjohnstampa.org or 785.9400.

We are in need of Sandwich Sunday Hosts for the upcoming year. Available dates are May 16, June 20, July 18, August 22, November 21, and December 19.

Hosts can assemble lunches at their own homes, and deliver them to Faith Cafe the next day. Costs are reimbursed by the parish. Contact Cindy Martin if you can help.

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.

March 25, Allison Foley, Evan Simmons, Whitney Tozier

March 26, Beth Foley, Lori Green, Pam Scruggs, Lanny Russell, Karen Dellinger

March 27, Christine Henry, Glenda Hodgson, Colin Roberts, Christian Brown, Emil Okenfus

March 28, Baldwin Barnes, Tess Lowke, Lara Butler, Gaines Hayes, Shahla Madani

March 29, none

March 30, Tyler Blume, Wyatt Leonard

March 31, Bryn Leonard, Cole Bryant, Greg Merritt, Heather Kendall

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.

In addition to welcoming limited, safe 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.

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. However most staff and clergy are 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.

Our clergy and staff 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 or email us.

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.