The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

August 30, 2026

9:00 a.m.

• Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. Alicia Gomes
• Bunny Harmon, Pianist
• Lessons and YouTube link listed below.
• Coffee hour and Q & A with our priest to follow the service in the parish hall.

Please enter the church quietly and spend time in prayer before the service.

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St. John's turns 60 - September 11

Join us in the celebration!

It was 60 years ago that St. John's started out as a mission church sponsored by Church of the Ascension, and a handful of people began worshipping in spaces rented in the schools on Belcher Road. The first service was at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 11, 1966, at Belcher Elementary.

In honor of this special birthday, The Rt. Rev. Douglas Scharf will celebrate and preach at our service on Sunday, September 13. He will also Confirm member Janice Boutin as well as a member of St. Andrew's, Spring Hill.

The service will be held at 10 a.m. Please join us!

Following the service will be a catered lunch in the parish hall. Come and share your stories and memories.

A little bit of history

From St. John's first service on September 11, 1966, the mission church grew rapidly, and its vestry soon purchased the six acre site on Belcher Rd. where the present church is located. The first service in the wooded field that was to become St. John's, was an outdoors Maundy Thursday service - in effect, the first Mass on the Grass. The church building was designed as a cruciform (in the shape of a cross), and its inverted woood roof resembles the hull of a ship. The altar, Baptismal font and pulpit were made of stone from a limestone quarry near Bradenton. The building was dedicated on October 13, 1968. Four years later, St. John's was accepted as a full-fledged parish by the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

Looking for a simple way to serve St. John's and the community?

Good Neighbors is in urgent need of strong, dependable volunteers to help receive, sort, and load food for our community. Even 1, 2, or 3 hours of your time can make a real difference in helping feed families, seniors, and children across Tampa Bay.

www.goodneighbors.org/volunteer-application-fl

Lectors are needed to read the Lessons and Prayers of the People. If you like to read aloud, please consider serving in this way. Schedules of lessons and readers are sent out prior to the beginning of a month. If you are interested, please speak to Marlene Eichelberger.

St. John's is in need of ushers. The job consisists of arriving at 8:30 on Sunday, greeting people as they arrive, asking visitors to sign the guest book, handing out bulletins. taking up the offering, and guiding people to the communion rail. Training is provided, along with serving alongside an experienced usher. Contact Ellen Seto

There is a need for assistance for Sunday coffee hour - set up, clean up. There is also a need for "goodies" for coffee hour.

The Episcopal Zone

Dedication of a Church: When an Episcopal parish first uses its building, the church is dedicated or consecrated for this purpose. Please see the Book of Common Prayer, pages 567-579, for the text of this rite. After its dedication, the date on which it was held becomes the Feast of the Dedication for that parish. On October 13, St. John's church building will celebrate the 58th anniversary of its dedication.

Information taken from A New Dictionary for E-pis-co-pa-lains

St. John's Facebook Page and Website

Are you aware that St. John's has a Facebook page? As of today, our Facebook page has 751 followers! It grows weekly. Are you one of them? If not, please go to Facebook.com and search for St. John's Episcopal Church, Clearwater, FL. Then either "like" or "follow" the page. We post not only events of local interest, but also information from the wider Episcopal Church.

St. John's website, www.stjohnsclearwater.org, is one of the ways that we communicate who we are as a community. If you are interested in learning and helping with the website, please contact Jim May, jimmay.stjohns@gmail.com

Scan the QR code below to make a donation to St. John's, via Faithstreet. Your generous donations help to continue our mission of loving and serving God in our community and the world.

Worship

Our services are live streamed on Facebook and YouTube. The YouTube link is listed below. For Facebook, go to the St. John's Facebook page and click on "videos".

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

9:00 a.m.

Readings:

Exodus 3:1-15

Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c

Romans 12:9-21

Matthew 16:21-28

Readers:

First Reading: Judy Charmatz

Second Reading: Charles Stupia

Prayers of the People: Marlene Eichelberger

To watch on YouTube: Click HERE

Weekly Schedule

Choir Rehearsals

Rehearsals resume Tuesday, August 18

6:00 pm. Bell Choir

7:00 pm Vocal Choir

Thrift Shop schedule:

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 9:30- 3:30

Wednesday Morning Bible Study -

10 a.m. in the Parish Hall; for more information, contact Charlie Stupia

Rug Hookers - Parish Hall

Thursdays 10:00 am.

Men's Cursillo Grouping- Parish Hall

Thursdays 7:00 am.

Dates for your Calendar

September 1 Confirmation classes continue; 6:30 p.m. on Zoom

September 2 Deanery Convocation for convention delegates

September 11 St. John's 60th birthday; commemorates the first Eucharist held by St. John's at Belcher School.

September 13 Visitation of The Rt. Rev. Douglas Scharf ; Service at 10 a.m.;

Confirmation; lunch and celebration following the service

October 9-10 Diocesan Convention

Contact Information

Church Office: 727-531-6020, jandavis.stjohns@gmail.com

Priest: revalicia.stjohns@gmail.com

Senior Warden: seniorwarden2024.stjohns@gmail.com

Hurricane Preparedness

It is important to us that we know your plans in case of a hurricane. Are you in an evacuation zone? Many zones have changed this year, so be sure to check on yours.If you are in an evac zone, will you evacuate and where will you go? If you aren't, can you take in a parishioner or two?

We also need your emergency contact, preferably someone who is not local and won't be afftected by a hurricane. Please fill out the form and return it to church or email it to jandavis.stjohns@gmail.com.

LINK TO FORM

Pinellas County now has an app that can be downloaded to your phone or computer which put all storm information such as zones, shelters, emergency response, and more at your finger tips. It can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play

CLICK HERE for the Ready Pinellas App information

CLICK HERE for The Pinellas County Hurricane Guide

eNews

What you would like to see in eNews? We need your input to keep it fresh and relevant. Is your ministry area doing something that you would like to share? Please send your news, ideas, articles, photos, etc. to me at seniorwarden2024.stjohns@gmail.com

The deadline submission for the Thursday enews is Wednesday noon.

Marlene Eichelberger

NEWS, MINISTRIES, AND UPCOMING CHURCH EVENTS!

Forming Disciples

Developing Leaders

Embracing Differences

Transforming Communities

https://episcopalswfl.org/

https://episcopalswfl.org/news/the-rev-alicia-gomes-called-to-st-johns-clearwater-as-priest-in-charge/

The 58th Diocesan Convention

of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida

Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10

Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center

Friday will include a full-day of learning. Saturday will include Holy Eucharist and the Convention Business session.

St. John's delegates are Mary Anders, Marti Moore, Marlene Eichelberger,, and alternate Diane Pfaus.

For more information: https://www.conventionswfl.org

Read more HERE

To read more click HERE

To read more click HERE.