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Christmas Schedule of Services
The 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services will be combined this Sunday, December 23, at 10:00 a.m., as we celebrate a Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols. Please click here or visit our website to see a listing of all Christmas services.
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Eau Claire Diocese Elects William Jay Lambert as Bishop
The Rev. William Jay Lambert was elected November 10 as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees of the Episcopal Church. Father Lambert was a seminarian of St. John's, so we are proud to celebrate his elevation to bishop!
As a priest, Lambert has served congregations in Wisconsin and Florida. He also has served on active duty in the U.S. Navy and as a U.S. Navy Reserve Chaplain. Lambert holds a Master of Divinity degree from Nashotah House Seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin; a Master of Arts degree in history from University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and public affairs from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
The episcopal ordination is due to take place March 16, 2013, at Christ Church Cathedral in Eau Claire. The Diocese of Eau Claire is composed of 2,200 members worshiping in 22 congregations throughout Northwestern Wisconsin.
St. John's sends best wishes and congratulations to the Rev. Lambert!
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Annual Angel Tree Party Benefits Deserving Children
The 2012 Angel Tree party was our biggest and best yet, with more than 150 people in attendance for a party that included dancing, lunch, and games. Over 200 gifts were given to deserving children, and the 75 families also went home with the ingredients for a delicious and festive dinner to make at home. Many St. John's parishioners were instrumental in making this event such a success, and our heartfelt thanks go out to them, especially:
- Event Coordinator Ginny Van Osdol, for hours and hours of work putting the party together for another spectacular year!
- JoAnna Hall for spending endless hours coordinating all of the information, callers, and baggers
- Peggy Curlin, Kathleen Moore, Mary Jane Schenck, and Pat Matthews for ehlp with bagging the gifts, checking in guests, and keeping everyone straight
- Mary Beth Carastro for pricing and shopping for the food
- Paul Carastro and his team of drivers for picking up the food and guests, and getting the guests home
- Dave Kenyon and his kitchen crew for another wonderful lunch
- Charlotte Graham for organizing the gifts and making all the nametags
- Pamela Price for starting the day off with a bang. Her fabulous crafts made fabulous gifts!
- The women of St. John's for the beautiful ornaments they made for each family
- Lee Lowry and all the kids for the Christmas pageant
- The many parishioners who bought gifts and donated money and soft drinks
- And the one person who, without his help, this event would not be possible: Ken Johnston!
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Ministry Moment: Cornerstone Kids
This past Sunday, December 16, Harry Hedges gave a Ministry Moment about Cornerstone Kids, one of the many outreach efforts St. John's supports. Please see below the content of his remarks.
"Over the past 25 years, many blessings have come my way as a member of St. John's Church. One that stands out today is when Ann Murphey asked me to get involved in Cornerstone Kids. It has been my honor to have served on its Board for 17 years.
Cornerstone Kids started as a club in 1984 with Bishop Bruce Caldwell. Bishop Caldwell came to St. John's in 1978 as a Deacon and was ordained to the priesthood before moving to St. James House of Prayer in 1984. Following several moves, he became Bishop of Wyoming and retired in 2010. His children and the children of the inner-city neighborhood around St. James became friends and started several programs. In 1998 the group became a 501(C)(3) organization.
From 1984 through 2012, over 1,120 children, ages 5 to 11, have been enriched, assisted and inspired by the program. We have averaged 35-40 children each year. This is in no way a daycare center. It is a very structured after-school enrichment program. Over the past several years, we have had principals from several nearby schools visit our program to see why our students are consistently making the honor rolls at their schools and what we are doing to encourage and inspire academic growth. Our partnership with Academy Prep now sees one of our students on her way to Berkeley.
Once you've had the opportunity to see the passion of Olatha Leggett, Cornerstone's Director, and our own Mary (MC) Jenkins, who after many years as a volunteer is now on the staff, you can understand why anything less than success is not an option. I had the opportunity to tour with Bank of America when its team evaluated our program for the Bank's annual contribution. The lady heading the team said as she left "if you could only see where my child is after school - it pales in comparison to what we have seen here."
St. John's has maintained a crucial role in the success of Cornerstone Kids through our outreach contributions and volunteers, as well as participation in Cornerstone's annual fund raiser - the Lincoln Douglass Ball. I encourage you to take an active role, whether it be financial or as a volunteer. I can assure you of one thing - you'll always get more out of it than you put in."
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Holiday Hours for the Parish Offices
The parish offices will close at noon on Monday, December 24, and be closed for the holiday on Tuesday, December 25 and Wednesday, December 26. We will reopen for regular hours on Thursday, December 27. The parish offices will also close on Monday, December 31, at 12:00 noon, will be closed on Tuesday, January 1, and will reopen for regular business hours on Wednesday, January 2.
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Tax Information for Contributions
Those who plan to deliver year-end contributions to the parish offices should do so by 12:00 p.m. on Monday, December 31, 2012. Those contributions being mailed must be postmarked by December 31, 2012.
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FATHERS Couples Christmas Party
 Tomorrow, Thursday, December 20 7:00 p.m. At Cheap in Soho
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Episcopal Relief and Development Has Your Christmas Gifting Covered!
Episcopal Relief & Development's 2012 Advent Calendar features reflections, prayers and gift ideas inspired by the organization's Gifts for Life catalog. Special "Gifts for Kids" suggestions like nutritious food, quality education, and essential health care can help children learn about stewardship, generosity and global needs and concerns. The online calendar and a downloadable PDF can be found at www.er-d.org/advent.
For those with a coffee drinker on their gift list, Episcopal Relief & Development is offering two Bishops Blend Christmas Boxes through its coffee partner, Pura Vida Create Good. The Coffee Box includes smooth and rich Bishops Blend Regular Roast, extra-dark Kaldi's Roast and Café de la Paz. The Coffee and Chocolate Box delights with Bishops Blend Regular Roast, Bishops Blend Decaf and three bars of Single Origin Guatemalan chocolate. The boxes are $29 each, and are shipped with a personalized message for the recipient. A portion of Bishops Blend sales helps to sustain Episcopal Relief & Development's work worldwide. Visit www.er-d.org/BishopsBlend to order or learn more.
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2013 Every Member Canvass
The end of the calendar year marks the beginning of the 2013 Every Member Canvass campaign for St. John's Church. Please prayerfully consider what you can contribute this year for the glory of God and the support of St. John's. Please click here to read Fr. Doug Remer's letter regarding the canvass, and access our online pledge form here. You can also download a pledge worksheet by clicking here, or by visiting our website at www.stjohnstampa.org.
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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. 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.
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If you would like your information to be included in next week's Scroll, please email all content by Monday at 9:00 a.m.
to Lee Lowry at LLowry@stjohnstampa.org.
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 | Wednesday, December 19
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12:15 p.m.
| The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) (Chapel)
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6:30 p.m.
| Wednesday Nights at St. John's (Rudisill Parish Hall)
Bring your covered dish, favorite study Bible, and an open heart and mind for wonderful fellowship and stimulating conversation on Wednesday nights at St. John's. Join the group for a four-session DVD during Advent, continuing this Wednesday, November 28. Journey to Christmas is a documentary series following the journey of five diverse people as they experience the Holy Land for the first time. For those who have visited the Holy Land, Journey to Christmas will bring back memories, but will add new sites and insights to that experience. Click here for more information on the series. For further information about the group, email Winkie or Paul Game at pgamefla@aol.com. |
| Thursday, December 20
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| 10:00 a.m. | The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) (Church)
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12:15 p.m.
| Noonday Prayer (Chapel)
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Friday, December 21: The Feast of St. Thomas
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Feast Day Facts: St. Thomas
The Gospel according to John records several incidents in which Thomas appears, and from them we are able to gain some impression of the sort of man he was. When Jesus insisted on going to Judea, to visit his friends at Bethany, Thomas boldly declared, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). At the Last Supper, he  interrupted our Lord's discourse with the question, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" (John 14:5). And after Christ's resurrection, Thomas would not accept the account of the other apostles and the women, until Jesus appeared before him, showing him his wounds. This drew from him the first explicit acknowledgment of Christ's Godhead, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). It is said that Thomas traveled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel as far as India. Thomas appears to have been a thoughtful if rather literal-minded man, inclined to skepticism; but he was a staunch friend when his loyalty was once given. The expression "Doubting Thomas," which has become established in English usage, is not entirely fair to the saint. He did not refuse belief; he wanted to believe, but did not dare, without further evidence. Because of his goodwill, Jesus gave him a sign, though Jesus had refused a sign to the Pharisees. The sign did not create faith; it merely released the faith which was in Thomas already. Thomas' honest questioning and doubt, and Jesus' assuring response to him, have given many modern Christians courage to persist in faith, even when they are doubting and questioning. St. John's celebrates the Feast of St. Thomas with the Holy Eucharist at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, December 21.
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12:15 p.m.
| The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) (Chapel)
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| Sunday, December 23
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7:45 a.m.
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The Holy Eucharist (Rite I) (Church)
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10:00 a.m.
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A Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols (Church)
The Combined Choirs of St. John's will present a service of Christmas lessons and carols on Sunday, December 23, at 10:00 a.m. Please note: this service will take the place of the regular 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services this day. The choirs and the congregation will sing beloved Christmas carols at this special service.
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| Monday, December 24: Christmas Eve
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The parish offices will close today at noon.
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2:30 p.m.
| Children's Pageant Rehearsal (Church)
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4:00 p.m.
| The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) and Children's Pageant (Church)
Our celebrant at this service will be the Right Reverend Dabney Smith, bishop of Southwest Florida. The Children's Christmas Pageant takes the place of the sermon.
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6:00 p.m.
| The Holy Eucharist (Rite II) (Church)
The Choir of Men, Boys, and Girls will sing this service.
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10:30 p.m.
| Christmas Music (Church)
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11:00 p.m.
| The Holy Eucharist (Rite I) (Church)
The St. John's Ensemble will sing this service.
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| Tuesday, December 25: Christmas Day
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The parish offices are closed today, and tomorrow, December 26.
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10:00 a.m.
| The Holy Eucharist (Rite II)
(Church)
The St. John's Ensemble will sing this service.
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| Tuesday, January 8
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St. John's Women's Mid Morning Bible Study
The Women's Mid Morning Bible Study invites interested women to join them on Tuesday, January 8, at 10:15 a.m., in the Lowry Room as they explore the meaning of the parable of "The Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37). The Rev. Chip Connelly, Associate Rector of St. John's, will guide their study as they seek to know Jesus better through the enigmatic teaching found in his parables.
They will continue their fall 2012 focus on Jesus' parables as they gather on alternate Tuesdays through the end of April. Each session stands alone, but also lends meaning to the others, so they encourage you to come however frequently your schedule allows. For more information, contact Sally Wiley at swileytampa@aol.com or 813.253.3906 or Joan McKay at mckayjhm@aol.com.
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| Sunday, January 13
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Youth 2013
Middle School Youth Group and High School Bible Study will resume on Sunday, January 13.
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| Sunday, January 20
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Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of St. John's Church will take place after a combined service at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 20. We will elect four new vestry members and hear a report on the status of the parish. Breakfast will be provided.
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