Mark your calendar for St John’s upcoming Parish Canoe Trip on June 11. We will be gathering at Canoe Escape for a half day of fun on Tampa’s beautiful and winding Hillsborough River!
Discounted cost is $43 per canoe which accommodates up to 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children. Youth 13+ may canoe together without accompanying adult. Single person kayaks are also available. Click here to sign up online.
We’ll meet at Canoe Escape, located at 12702 US 301, Thonotosassa 33592, at 9:00 a.m.: park and pay at the office, then shuttle out to Sargeant’s Park for our 4.5 mile journey downriver, finishing at Morris Bridge Park about noon — so please pack a lunch.
Children will have “Critter Sightings” worksheets to check off along the way – expect to see turtles, osprey, blue herons, and sunbathing gators. Most of the trek is canopied but be sure to bring your hats and sunblock.
Save the Date for St. John’s Vacation Bible School, Cave Quest: Following Jesus the Light of the World
Monday, June 27 to Friday, July 1
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Aftercare is available until 5:00 p.m. for $20 per day.
Cost is $50 for St. John’s Church/School families, $75 for non-St. John’s families
Ages: 3 years through 5th grade
Click here to register online. The deadline to register is next Sunday, May 29. If you would like to volunteer by helping lead lessons, lead games, organize snacks, or decorate, or if you have questions, contact Miranda Harrison-Quillin.
Youth Events
Confirmation 2016
This Sunday, May 22, at the 9:15 a.m. service
Confirmation for youth and adults will take place this Sunday, May 22, at 9:15 a.m. Bishop Dabney Smith will preside. Cake and punch will be served following the service.
DaySpring Mission Camp
July 10 through 15, DaySpring Conference and Retreat Center, Parrish
Campers will go in teams to mission sites each day from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Mission work will include working with children of migrant workers in the Wimauma area through RCMA, experiencing homeless ministries and feeding the hungry through Turning Points in Bradenton, as well as the opportunity for a group to go to Marco Island to be part of Camp Able, a camp for people with “diversabilities.” Along with the mission visits will be all kinds of fun traditional camp activities like canoeing, games, arts and crafts, sports, as well as evening programs about mission, worship, and meeting new friends. This experience will make a difference not only in young people’s lives, but in their communities when they return.
In-town Mission Week: Urban Immersion Program at Metropolitan Ministries
July 25 through 29, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Metropolitan Ministries
Metropolitan Ministries’ Urban Immersion initiative provides youth an unique opportunity to be fully and closely engaged with their community. Youth will be exposed to true homelessness and poverty while learning ways to help individually, as a church, and as a community. Each day will include education, lunch, and four service hours. The cost is $50 per week, which includes a t-shirt and lunch daily.
The experience will include:
* Face-to-face ministry with homeless and at-risk clients
Save the D