~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
February 21, 2021
The First Sunday in Lent
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Note: There will not be a registration for either service, but our standard pandemic protocols will be in place.
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Lent Is Here, and It's Not Too Late to Get Your Lent@Home Kit!
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Families, do you have your Lent@Home kit yet? Lent begins today, on Ash Wednesday, and ends on Easter Day (April 4). It is a time of preparation and reflection as we consider all that Jesus sacrificed for us, and our Lent@Home kit will guide you and help you do just that. Each kit includes a curated selection of activities and resources for your family to use together at home during Lent.
Supplies are limited, so click the button below to reserve a free kit for your family! You may pick your kit up in the church office, or we can ship if you prefer ($6). You may also order a digital version at the same link.
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Praying for our Missionaries (and Clergy!)
by Tammy Gottshalk, World Missions Committee
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It has been said that there are two ways to support missions: to be a missionary, or give financially to support a missionary. But this viewpoint overlooks one of the most vital and important elements of mission, and one in which we can all play a role: prayer!
Ask any missionary and they will tell you that prayer is of immense importance in missions. (Clergy will tell you the same for ministry!) Samuel Zwemer, missionary to Muslims in the early 1900s, linked prayer and missions in this way: “The history of missions,” he said, “is the history of answered prayer."
At LAMB, we have certainly found this to be true. The history of LAMB is truly His-Story, God’s story of answering prayers day in and day out for the duration of the ministry, sometimes in large ways, like protecting the children’s home from fire––in a dramatic way! And sometimes, “small prayers” are answered––the birthday gift from a sponsor arrives just in time for a child’s special day!
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Men, Register to Attend Next Week:
Wild at Heart Basic Bootcamp at Camp St. Christopher
February 25-28, 2021
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A man needs a deeper understanding of his masculine heart—and why God made him just like that. What if those deep desires in our hearts are telling us the truth, revealing to us the lives we were meant to live? A man must know he is powerful; he must know he has what it takes. The way we handle the heart is everything. Basic is not a retreat about the “seven things a man ought to do to be a nicer guy.” It is a four-day quest into the recovery of a man’s masculine soul, the release of a man’s heart—his passions and his true nature—all given him by God.
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Children's Choir Rehearsals Resume Next Week!
Wednesday rehearsals: Ages 3-3rd grade
Thursday rehearsals: 4th grade through high school
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All children ages three and up are invited to sing with the children's choirs of St. Philip's! This semester, since no Sunday School is available, our young singers will learn Bible songs and study the corresponding Bible stories. Come learn and sing with us as we look forward to our concert in the church in April! Rehearsals resume February 24 and February 25.
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The St. Philip's Choir Needs YOUR Voice!
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The St. Philip's Choir is led by Director of Music Pat Gould and Assistant Director of Music Chris Walchesky. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m.
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Now is the time to add your voice to the St. Philip's Choir! All voice parts are needed as we prepare music for Evensong and for our residency at St. Paul's Cathedral in London next summer. We have plenty of room to spread out in the Parish Hall as we rehearse safely in our masks. Please join us! New singers, please let Pat Gould know to expect you: (843) 364-9552 or pgould@stphilipschurchsc.org.
Interested in going to London?
All parishioners are invited to come along on this exciting adventure––you could even come along as a new choir member! Click the link below to learn more.
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Making Space for God:
Repositioning Your Life for Kingdom Living
Book Study for Parents of Young Children Begins Next Week
Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. in the Parlor beginning February 24
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Beginning next Wednesday, parents of young children may meet in the Parlor (first floor of the Ministries Hall, the church office building) for a book study led by St. Cecilia Choir parent Leah Simmons! The time is especially convenient for parents of young choristers (remember all children ages three through third grade are encouraged to sing on Wednesday afternoons!), but all parents are welcome, and childcare is available for children not in choir. The group will be studying Joanne Ellison's Making Space for God: Repositioning Your Life for Kingdom Living.
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Water Mission’s 15th Annual Walk for Water
March 20 at Riverfront Park OR location of your choice
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A note from team captain Jill Settle, pictured above (front left) during the 2020 Walk for Water:
The walk is an exciting opportunity with Water Mission to provide life-changing safe water solutions for people in need. We will be raising awareness and funds to fight the global water crisis by asking friends and family to sponsor us as we walk in the Walk for Water in Charleston.
The funds we raise will provide safe water, sanitation solutions, and essential health education to people all over the world. I hope you’ll consider joining us this year to help bring hope to communities affected by the global water crisis.
This year's walk will take place on March 20th, and we have the option to walk either in person or virtually. The St. Philip's Team walk time is 10:00. This slot is available to all walkers; therefore, you will need to register quickly in order to walk with the team.
You can visit the St. Philip's team page (see link below) to join. If you’re unable to join, I invite you to consider helping us reach our fundraising goal by making a donation. Together, we can make a lasting difference! For more information about Water Mission and its work to solve the global water crisis, check out watermission.org/global-water-crisis.
Many blessings to you all,
Jill Settle
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Bible Study for 5th- and 6th-Graders Begins Sunday!
Sundays in Lent ~ 9:15 a.m. on Zoom
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St. Philip's Church will be launching a new Zoom Bible Study for students currently in the 5th and 6th grades! Led by John Kerrison and Dan Russler, the group will meet virtually on Sunday mornings during Lent beginning this Sunday, February 21, at 9:15 a.m. Don't miss this opportunity to gather again with your friends to read and discuss the Bible. Click the link to register for the group.
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Star Gospel Mission Seeks New Executive Director as the Rev. Bill Christian Joins St. Philip's Team
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The Rev. William K. Christian served faithfully as the executive director of Star Gospel Mission, one of St. Philip's Home Mission partners, for 17 years. Now, as he begins his new role as part of the St. Philip's clergy team, Star Gospel begins its search for a new leader––and considers expanding its reach within the Charleston community. Read about it in Ricky Ciapha Dennis Jr.'s article in Sunday's Post and Courier.
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Pictured above: The Rev. Bill Christian (far right) and Star Gospel General Manager André Lopez (3rd from right) welcomed St. Philippians for a tour of Star Gospel Mission in March of 2019.
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This Week's Livestream Link
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In his February 14 sermon, the Rev. Justin C. Hare unpacked 1 Kings:1-18. How do you deal with discouragement? Do you treat it as a physical problem? Or spiritual?
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Reservations for In-Person Worship
Reservations for this Sunday's services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. open today at 9:00 a.m.
Childcare during the 10:30 service is available for infants and young people through age five, with limited capacities within each age group. You may register at the link below after first registering to attend the 10:30 service, or you may call the church office at (843) 722-7734 to reserve space.
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Tonight at 7:15 p.m. on Zoom
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Mere Christianity began as a series of radio talks during the darkest days of World War II in England. Lewis was asked by the BBC to do the talks because so many people were living in fear and anxiety and were feeling that the world was crumbling around them, that "the wheels had come off the bus." Our culture today is beset with many of those same anxieties, albeit for different reasons. Lewis's broadcast talks were then edited by Lewis and published in book form as Mere Christianity. The book is still remarkably fresh today and serves as an encouragement to the believer, a winsome challenge to the doubter, and an effective apologetic for the unbeliever.
Do you receive Fr. Brian's updates and weekly wrap-up emails? Click here to read his last wrap-up email, and if you'd like to join his email list, let him know!
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The Rector's Bible Study
Thursdays at noon on Zoom
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First-timers are always welcome at the Rector's Bible Study! The Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller just began a brand-new topic, St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, at last week's Bible study, and he continues tomorrow at noon on Zoom. So make yourself a little lunch, grab your Bible and a comfortable seat, and click the link below a little before noon tomorrow to join in the learning and fun!
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Subscribe to the podcast!
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Do You Follow @st.philips.church?
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Did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament? And did you know that someone recently left a cup featuring a parliament of owls (is that redundant?) at the church? If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you did know that.
You, too, can be among the first to know about lost and found items, schedule changes, furry visitors, and other important news––take a minute to click the buttons below to like or follow St. Philip's now!
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Would You Like Someone to Pray With You?
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To pray WITH someone:
Call Juanita Orvin, who will connect you with a prayer minister who will pray for your concerns over the phone.
To ask for prayer FOR someone:
Call Suzanne McCord, head of the prayer chain, and she will pass your request on to members of the chain.
Both options are always confidential.
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Save the Date
February 25-28 ~ Men's Retreat (Wild at Heart Basic Bootcamp) at St. Christopher
March 7 ~ Annual Parish Meeting (1:00 p.m. on Zoom)
April 18 ~ 20s-30s Lowcountry Boil
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Never miss a sermon!
Click below to subscribe to our Sermons podcast.
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Membership Directory
Are you looking for a fellow parishioner's contact information? Our directory is online! Click the "My St. Philip's" button on our homepage, stphilipschurchsc.org, to log in or sign up for an account. And for easy access on your phone, download the Church Life app!
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We pray for the sick: Katie Burris, Harry Carr, Glenn Corley, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Edward Good, Robert Gould, Jonathan Hanger, Clark Johnson, Joe Livesay, Connor Lowndes, Beverly Melvin, Leon Patat III, Reid Patrick, Deborah Pollak, Edward Pritchard, Jr., Mike Walsh, Carolyn Warlick, Lindsey Wing, and Charlie Yoho.
We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Chris and Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Hayes Fair, George Hoefer, Andrew Kane, Horry Kerrison, Charles Kirkman, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, Ned Montgomery, Edward Pritchard, and David Scott serving in our Armed Forces.
We pray for our home missions: Star Gospel Mission, Tricounty Family Ministries, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, St. John's Chapel, and the Open Door Ministry.
We pray for our world missions: For Suzy McCall and LAMB, for the medical missions to Honduras, for ministry to victims of genocide and AIDS in Rwanda, for Water Mission and the Global Water Center, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.
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Collect for Sunday:
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted of Satan: Make speed to help thy servants who are assaulted by manifold temptations; and, as thou knowest their several infirmities, let each one find thee mighty to save; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings for Sunday:
- 1 Peter 3:18-22
- Psalm 25:3-9
- Mark 1:9-13
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ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH
142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401
Church Office Hours
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Friday
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Click HERE if you would like to opt out of receiving the printed mailing of the newsletter when we resume our mailings.
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