Tallahassee, Florida — Community is fundamentally about shared space — physical, emotional and spiritual. It’s the bond that forms among people and their surroundings that fosters mutual understanding and support. The connection bridging one’s gaze and the vellum pages of The Saint John’s Bible embodies this space, capturing one’s attention in a realm of spiritual contemplation and growth that resonates with and expands to those around them.
St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tallahassee, Florida, understands the importance of communal space. The community is notable in more ways than one: it is more than 200 years old and is home to the organ on which the popular Christmas carol, Jingle Bells, was composed.
In September 2023, the faith community welcomed the Gospels and Acts volume of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition as they embarked on a one-year partnership with the Heritage Program. The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program presents various opportunities for communities to connect with the Bible, ranging from short-term engagements, such as evenings or weekends, to longer durations such as several months, a full year, or permanently.
“The Heritage Edition illuminations speak to our current context and point us towards something bigger in the future,” said The Rev. Lonnie Lacy. “If people are willing to engage with that, it is spiritually transformative, not just for individuals, but for a whole community of people.”
To maximize the impact of their time with the Heritage Edition volume, St. John’s parishioners have made momentous efforts to share this experience and extend their sacred space with neighboring communities across the greater Tallahassee area. Through intimate engagements and large gatherings alike, St. John’s has ignited the spiritual imaginations of not only its immediate faith community, but the broader Tallahassee/Northern Florida area. Their year with The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition has been a shared journey that has deepened and broadened relationships with God.
“We’ve been using the Heritage Edition to hopefully enhance what we try our hardest to do at St. John’s, which is to be open, be welcoming, and be examples of God’s love that is encompassed in the Bible,” said Claire Dodd, Director of Communications and Membership at St. John’s.
St. John’s first encountered The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition at the Episcopal Parish Network (EPN) Conference in 2023. Like many who encounter this remarkable piece of Scripture and sacred art, Conference attendees from St. John’s was awe-inspired by its significance as a fine art facsimile of the first hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible in more than 500 years.
Beyond the ancient techniques and methods that were used to craft the original manuscript, its contemporary artistic vision resonated most with the small group of parishioners who visited the Saint John’s University campus in Collegeville, Minnesota, for a Deep Dive experience to worship with and learn from the Benedictine community behind the project.
“The creators of The Saint John’s Bible had the foresight to depict people that had been excluded from these stories years before, people who were every bit as much a part of the Bible as the more traditional images would suggest,” said Laurye Messer, a docent at St. John’s Episcopal Church. “At St. John’s, we have a wonderfully diverse community, but no matter how different our parishioners may be, we are unified in our belief in Christ and Holy Scripture. Having the Heritage Edition with us this past year and to share it with the wider community has been a wonderful experience.”
A Year with the Bible
The arrival of the Heritage Edition marked the beginning of the parish’s ‘Year with the Bible,’ a nine-month long theme for faith formation through worship, study, music, and outreach. It’s a celebration of God’s love for humanity, accompanied by weekly readings, community events, and time spent with Holy Scripture.
“The Heritage Edition provided a focal point for our Year of the Bible,” said The Rev. Lacy. “It anchored the whole experience and showed that these aren’t just old words and old stories that float in the air, they’re here. It incarnated the word in a way that was really impactful.”
“What we have focused on with our ‘Year of the Bible,’ to which the Heritage Edition volume has been a wonderful addition, is spending time with God’s love story that is the Bible — we read it together chronologically, starting with Genesis and ending with Revelation,” said Messer. “It has been such a great supplement to our community and has been profoundly transformative for our church.”
St. John’s initiated this journey with the ancient Hebrew tradition of “Miqra” — a public reading of sacred scriptures. For 72-hours, parishioners took turns in a continuous reading of the story aloud from start to finish. As its centerpiece, The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition was open for all to witness, kickstarting the year with its vibrant illuminations and hand-written scripture.
“You can read the Bible all day long and you can hear it. But to have this huge volume with the illuminations that are not only beautiful to look at, but there’s so much meaning behind them, completely blows your mind,” said Messer. “People are just fascinated by the illuminations. Listening to everyone’s thoughts and ideas is a way to invite people into the story of the Bible.”
The Saint John’s Bible in the Heart of Downtown Tallahassee
From one-on-one interactions to larger community gatherings, St. John’s has dedicated it’s time to sharing the Heritage Edition with as many people as possible. They understand that all communities are different, and while they may not share the same faith as St. John’s, there is power and connection in sharing the magnificent art and story of the work of sacred art and Scripture and allowing its magic to speak to every recipient in its own unique way. St. John’s believes that every bridge is between God and that recipient. How they choose to interact with the Bible is special for each audience.
St. John’s is in the heart of downtown Tallahassee, a hospitable hub and focal point of Florida’s capital city. Every Ash Wednesday, when the legislature convenes, the church always gathers at the Capital to administer the ashes. This year, The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition was there all day for legislators, staff members, and constituents to engage with.
Its central location also puts the faith community in the heart of the city’s preferred parade route for holidays and celebrations. For example, the Heritage Edition was present for the city’s annual Veterans Day parade, conducted each November 11. Its presence attracted large crowds, who gathered not only to experience the Bible but also to tour the church.
“To have it in the epicenter of our state capital, it felt like this Bible was a unifying work of art. It created a safe space for everyone to come together. Everybody could agree that The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition was beautiful and that it is something worthwhile to look at, touch, and learn from,” said Messer.
Outside of the Capitol rotunda, St. John’s Episcopal Church has brought the Heritage Edition to eight different churches of many different denominations, including Lutheran, Episcopalian and Baptist. They have visited church circles, civic groups, local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, and festivals with the Bible. Every year Tallahassee hosts a literary festival called Word of the South, a two-day long event where the entire community gathers at Cascades Park to celebrate the Word of God, whether it’s sung, written, or spoken.
Personal Encounters with The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition
Tallahassee is somewhat of a hidden gem as far as senior centers are concerned. In relationship with Florida State University (FSU), senior centers in the area offer many programs for seniors, cultivating a retirement haven for all. Carolyn Gosselin, a dedicated parishioner at St. John’s Episcopal Church, has had the opportunity bring the bible to many of these senior communities. She finds great joy in the reactions that people have to the story of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition.
“Whenever someone asks, say another church or institution in the area, we have always taken it outside to the communities,” said Gosselin. “It didn’t matter if five people or 50 people wanted to see it, we took the Bible to them. That’s our mission at St. John’s. It’s to take the Word of God out into the community.”
At one of the assisted living facilities, Gosselin connected with an elderly gentleman who was an artist. The man was captivated by the artwork in The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition, eager to study each illumination and uncover their deeper meanings. His admiration for the craftsmanship led to a deep, meaningful discussion that might not have happened otherwise.
“I presented at the Tallahassee Senior Center to about 50 grandparents or so. School was out, so they had their grandchildren with them. To watch people of all ages enjoy my presentation and then come up and view its pages together was so inspiring. It’s such a wonderful moment to share with people as they look at the Bible and talk about their feelings,” said Gosselin.
St. John’s has even shared the Heritage Edition volume with members of the congregation who have fallen ill or could not come into church to experience it for any reason. In one such meeting, the parishioner was able to turn the pages and get proximal to their community and to God.
“The Heritage Edition exists so that it can travel across communities and be shared with everyone. The Saint John’s Bible has such a unique story, and I hope everyone has felt the warmth of St. John’s Episcopal Church at the moments we have shared this beautiful piece of artwork and scripture with them,” said Gosselin.
“I would absolutely recommend other faith communities and organizations spend a few months or a year or a lifetime with The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition because I’ve gotten the opportunity and the privilege to see how our church and the communities around us have reacted to this Bible — they all just light up!” said Messer. “I have grown deeper in my faith and in relationships with the people in my community because of this experience. This whole Year of the Bible with the Heritage Edition has made our church stronger and better.”
“The Heritage Edition brings a gift of joy and wonder in ways that people probably can’t even expect or anticipate,” said The Rev. Lacy. “It would not surprise me if someone came up from the congregation and said, ‘We need to bring this here forever.’ To which I would say, ‘Let’s make it happen.’”
The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program: Fostering Community Engagement with the Word of God
To learn more about the numerous opportunities that a community can experience The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition, contact Brad Neary at bneary@csbsju.edu or 612.810.9344.
To read more stories similar to this one, subscribe to the Heritage Program’s monthly e-newsletter, Sharing the Word, or visit the blog.
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