Music At St. John's In December 

There are a number of special musical events being presented during the month of December in celebration of Advent and Christmas.  This Sunday, December 2, at 5:00 p.m. in the church, the Combined Choirs of St. John's will present Advent Lessons and Carols.  The term "Advent" comes from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming", and denotes our season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.  Advent is also the beginning of our liturgical year.  Pieces at the Lessons and Carols service will include the hauntingly lovely Bethlehem Down of Peter Warlock, the Basque carol People Look East, and A Spotless Rose of Howells.  The service will be capped off with the Fantasia in G minor of J.S. Bach.

In the church on Sunday, December 16, at 5:00 p.m., the Combined Choirs will present a Christmas Concert.  This popular annual event includes music sung by our spectacular choir, as well as the opportunity for the congregation to sing along to favorite carols.

Both evenings will conclude with a reception in Rudisill Parish Hall, to which all are warmly invited.  We hope you will join us!

Faith Café Update 

The search for a new site for Faith Café began in the spring of 2011. Since then, the group has raised almost $400,000 from small and large donations. They have purchased the property, the site has been cleared, and the concrete slab was poured on October 31, 2012!  The group currently has $284,000 in their building fund after paying for the land and the permitting fees. The cost for the building is $368,000 and they also need to purchase interior furnishings, as well as cover operating expenses for 2013.  Therefore, the Café hopes to raise a final $200,000 by December 31.

To contribute construction materials, contact Burk Clark at  Burk@thesinclairgroup.com.  To donate funds, contact Mary Jane Schenck at mjschenck@ut.edu or Hugh Cruse  or hugh.cruse@gmail.com.  You may also donate directly through the website at www.faithcafetampa.com. Some smaller items needed are: a commercial dishwasher, washable plastic plates and glasses, and a microwave.  Please give prayerful consideration to donating so that Faith Café can re-open its doors and serve a hot noontime meal to over 100 very needy members of our community six days a week.

2013 Every Member Canvass  

Feast Day Facts: St. Andrew the Apostle 

Most biographical notes on this Apostle begin "Andrew was Simon Peter's brother," and he is so described in the Gospels.  Identifying Andrew as Peter's brother makes it easy to know who he is, but it also makes it easy to overlook Andrew's special gift to the company of Christ.  The Gospel according to John tells how Andrew, a disciple of John the Baptist, was one of only two disciples who followed Jesus after John had pointed him out, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:29).  Andrew also found his brother and brought him to Jesus, so we might call Andrew the first missionary in the company of disciples.

Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Barbados, Greece, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.  In 2006, the Scottish Parliament passed the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday Act 2007, which designated the Day as an official bank holiday. The University of St. Andrews also gives the day for all its students as a holiday.  

Saint Andrew's Day is celebrated as the national day of Independence in Barbados. As the patron saint of Barbados, Saint Andrew is celebrated in a number of Barbadian symbols, including the cross formation of the Coat of Arms, and the nation's national honors system, which styles persons as Knights or Dames of St. Andrew.  

The combined choirs of St. John's will present Advent Lessons and Carols in the church on Sunday, December 2, at 5:00 p.m.  There is no cost to attend.  A reception, to which all are warmly invited, will follow in Rudisill Parish Hall.

Questions? ataylor895@gmail.com

We encourage high school youth to attend Advent Lessons and Carols today at 5:00 p.m. to support our youth members in the choir! 

Middle School Youth Christmas Party 

Mark your calendars for our Christmas party, Friday, December 7, at the church from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. We will do a gender-neutral $10 gift exchange, go caroling in the neighborhood, have dinner, and make gingerbread houses. Join us!

High School Youth Christmas Party 

Mark your calendars for our Christmas party on Sunday, December 9!  We will meet at Canterbury Towers at 4:00 p.m. to visit the elderly and bring them Christmas cheer.   We will then go to the home of Avery Guyton for Christmas dinner and the exchanging of gender-neutral $10 gifts. You are ALL invited!  Please RSVP to STaylor@stjohnstampa.org or ataylor895@gmail.com by Sunday, December 2, so that we will know how many to plan for for Christmas dinner.

Christmas Concert 

In the church on Sunday, December 16, at 5:00 p.m., the Combined Choirs will present a Christmas Concert.  This popular annual event includes music sung by our spectacular choir, as well as the opportunity for the congregation to sing along to favorite carols.

The evening concludes with a reception in Rudisill Parish Hall, to which all are warmly invited.

Youth 2013

Middle School Youth Group and High School Bible Study will resume on Sunday, January 13.