We are pleased to announce that St. John's Church and School donated a record 8,168 pounds of food to Metropolitan Ministries this past Thanksgiving! Met Min was very grateful, and we are proud of our parishioners, students, faculty and staff for their generosity and appreciate the leadership and hard work of the School's Dads' Club in making it all happen!

Following the success of our Parish Hymn Sing last year and the popular demand for another, we will be coming together again on Sunday, February 11  at 5:00 p.m. for an hour to sing our favorite hymns. So popular was this event last year that we ran out of time to include all of the requests received. So, if you have a hymn that is dear to you, be it one that we sing often or one that is less well-known, (remember, all of the old favorites were new once!), please let me know over the coming weeks and we will do our best to include it. Drop me a line at smorley@stjohnstampa.org, call my direct line: 397.1012, or leave a note in my mailbox in the Parish Offices.

 

The following Sunday, February 18  at 5:00 p.m., we are delighted to be hosting an organ recital by Stephen Tharp. Stephen, as the Dallas Morning News wrote, is "one of the most brilliant concert organists around these days." Having graduated from Illinois College  and Northwestern University, where he studied with Rudolf Zuiderveld and Wolfgang Rübsam, respectively, Tharp also studied privately in Paris with Jean Guillou.[2] He has performed extensively, having gone on more than 32 solo tours, and given over 800 concerts in North America alone.  He is currently Artist-in-Residence at St. James, Madison Avenue, New York City.

 

Finally, I am most grateful to Kevin Page for playing our services on Sunday, January 21  when I have to be away. Kevin, who is in his final year at Georgia Tech, is no stranger to St. John's, having been a boy chorister, organ scholar and assistant organist.

 

Simon Morley

On Sunday, February 11, we will have a 10:00 a.m. combined service, followed by the Annual Parish Meeting in the Parish Hall. At the Annual Meeting, new Vestry members will be elected and parish finances and other progress will be reviewed. A simple lunch will be served by Chef Dave and his team.

Those nominated by the Vestry to stand for election are: Dennis Carr, Denise Cassedy, Carleton Compton, Kim French, Lockwood Gray, Greg Hearing, Nancy Watkins, and Bob Yelverton.  Click here to view bios and photos of all the nominees.

St John's 2018 Wednesdays in Lent series begins February 21 and continues for the following four weeks (February 28, March 7, March 14, and March 21).  Each week we will gather for dinner at 6:00 p.m., a program at 6:30 p.m., and Compline at 7:30 p.m.  

We are delighted (and extremely fortunate) to welcome The Rev Dr. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton as our guest speaker for the March 7 program.  Dr Crafton is a popular preacher, retreat leader, and writer.  She is the author of many books, and her articles have appeared in the New York Times and the Reader's Digest, among other distinguished publications.  Check out her web site, The Geranium Farm, at www.geraniumfarm.org. And watch the Scroll and Compass for more details!

Save the date! St John's Vacation Bible School will be June 18 through 22, with a Shipwrecked theme!

THIS Sunday, January 21, St John's EYC will be providing and leading Sandwich Sunday (with the youth group packing 100 lunches for the homeless), from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Youth! Please bring at least five small notes to include in the lunch bags! This is our EYC for the day. Contact Youth Minister Ayana Grady (agrady@stjohnstampa.org) for more details.

Are you ready for some football? Our St John's EYC (youth group) gathering on Sunday, February 4  (4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at Discovery House - 918 S Orleans) will be Super Bowl-themed! Come in your favorite football jersey to play games, eat tailgating snacks, and learn more about our place in the Game of Life!

Our St John's EYC Mission Trip (June 2 through 9) to Chattanooga has 12 participants so far! Our absolute limit would be 18 youth-so if you missed the deadline (but are still interested), please let Ayana know!

St. John's will again join others from the Tampa Deanery in three teams visiting the Dominican Republic in two week increments from June 16 through July 7. The Tampa Deanery project for 2018 is the third and final year of our project to build the new San Timoteo Episcopal Church in the town of Nizao. Our teams will also work at the San Matías Church and School in Santana, Baní. They will complete much needed repairs, including painting and carpentry.

Contact Sally Thompson with questions at tampasal@gmail.com, or visit the Deanery website at www.dominicandevelopmentgroup.org/. 

Chef Dave

Sunday Adult Christian Formation, 10:30 a.m., Lowry Room

The Sunday Adult Formation group will begin a new study, Embracing Spiritual Awakening, this Sunday, January 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the Lowry Room.  This five-session DVD series features Diana Butler Bass, a well-known writer and speaker on religion and spirituality in today's world, leading a series of discussions on the role of the church in our changing cultural landscape and what it means to be a Christian in the world today.  Bring your coffee and join us for a lively discussion between services.