September 23, 2022

We enjoy the many talented and inspired preachers who make St. Philip’s their spiritual home. We look forward to stretching our hearts and minds as we listen to these voices examine the Scripture lessons in our worship. The Rev. Dr. Judith Davis will celebrate and preach on Sunday, September 25, 2022. Join Elizabeth in welcoming Judith to the pulpit at St. Philip’s! Also, on September 25, Coffee & Conversation 2.0 will continue their discussion of Joy! with help from the Dali Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

For the benefit of newcomers and visitors, please wear your nametag every Sunday. If you need a nametag, please tell an usher or let the parish office know.

Sunday at 8:00 a.m. - Our early service is a spoken Rite II service of Holy Eucharist, and we will enjoy music voluntaries at the prelude, offertory, and postlude.

• Seeking Shalom at 9:15 a.m. in the YAC (our large downstairs meeting room), This series, facilitated by Elizabeth Roles and others, will meet September 25, October 2, 9, 16, and 30. Drop ins are welcome at all Seeking Shalom series.
• Coffee and Conversation 2.0 at 9:15 a.m. – Under the leadership of a dynamic team of facilitators, C&C is a spiritual formation opportunity that consists of discussions of relevant issues from a faith-filled perspective. Themes this fall include joy, purpose, and stages of spiritual development. C&C 2.0 meets in Miller Hall, our large upstairs meeting room.
• Godly Play at 9:15 a.m. – Children ages 4 through 5th grade will be engaged in Godly Play. The Godly Play approach helps them to explore their faith through story, to gain religious language and to enhance their spiritual experience though wonder and play. Godly Play meets in the education wing downstairs.
• Animate | Faith at  9:15 a.m. – This fall, we will be offering a combined Christian Formation opportunity for 6th-12th graders with Good Shepherd. We will be using the Animate | Faith curriculum and working through the basics of Christian theology exploring topics such as the Bible, the Cross, and the Church. In September we will be meeting at the Franklin Park pavilion and starting in October we will meet at the coffee shop Canto 34.
• Sunday at 10:30 a.m. - Join us for Holy Eucharist, Rite II, with music at our 10:30 a.m. service.
• Coffee Hour after the 10:30 a.m. service - All are invited and always welcome to join us in Miller Hall (our upstairs fellowship hall) after the 10:30 a.m. service for juice or coffee and fellowship. This is a great chance to mingle, meet new people, or just relax with friends.
• Sunday at 5:00 p.m. – We welcome you to worship with us on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. for a rotating schedule of worship with a diversity of styles. This week we welcome the Rev. Bill Livingston who will lead us in a Contemplative Eucharist. This liturgy allows us to be more meditative and contemplative as it invites us to experience our connection to God and creation through intentional silence, reflection, the Eucharist, and prayers of Celtic and indigenous peoples. Come join us!

Meet and welcome Brevard College Students and new Choral Scholars Gabriella Lujon (Soprano), Kayleigh Miller (Alto), and Jonas Mccanless (Baritone). These wonderful music students will be a part of our Chancel Choir during the academic year, and we are thrilled to have them here at St. Philip’s. 

Our next opportunity to join a Seeking Shalom class begins Tuesday, September 27, at 4:00 p.m. in the YAC, facilitated by Gena Hawk. This series will meet September 27, October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 1. To register, click here. (Drop ins are always welcome at all Seeking Shalom series; however, registration is encouraged.)

Seeking Shalom is a series of classes that continues the theme explored in our Contagious with Love Symposium led by Dr. Ryan Bonfiglio. Often translated “peace,” the biblical word shalom entails far more than just the absence of war and conflict. Shalom describes God’s grand and beautiful dream for a world in which wholeness and healing are cultivated at the level of just societies and flourishing communities. During this 6-part study, we will watch videos of Dr. Bonfiglio as he offers an in-depth exploration of the biblical concept of shalom, including its various spiritual, social, and economic dimensions. The videos will be interspersed with discussion on how we can respond to the call to shalom through the ministries of the church and our own lives of faith.

There are two other opportunities to participate in Seeking Shalom

• Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the YAC (our large downstairs meeting room), facilitated by Elizabeth Roles and others. This series will meet September 25, October 2, 9, 16, and 30. To register, click here.
• Monday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the YAC, facilitated by David Yeager. This series will begin October 10 and end no later than Nov. 28.  The group will decide which Mondays to meet. To register, click here.

Drop ins are always welcome at all Seeking Shalom series; however, registration is encouraged.

The Shop of St. Philip's is ready for Fall! Come see our wonderful fashions for fall, plus so much more! Children's clothes, artwork, pretty linens, jewelry... check it out!

PLEASE drop off items in the labeled plastic box(es) on the bench just outside the Miller Hall half-circle drive. THIS week, specific needs are:

• dish soap
• paper towels
• shaving cream
• shampoo
• clean plastic grocery bags
• reusable bags

***NOTE: Sharing House does NOT need egg cartons!*** 

We will deliver your gifts promptly to Sharing House. Thanks!

On October 1, Saturday, 10 -11 am, the Transylvania Creation Care Fellowship (TCCF) will sponsor a talk and demonstration of a simple, low cost way to compost your leaves, grass clippings, and table scraps. The workshop will be led by Jean Woods who is a Master Composter and taught composting for Mecklenburg County when she lived in Charlotte. Jean will give a short talk in the YAC, followed by a demonstration in the garden area. Come in the back door of the church. The Farmers Market will be in progress, but you can park in the lot behind St. Philip’s which is reserved for church activities. Enter through Woodside Drive, as St. Philip's Lane is blocked off during the Farmer's Market.

The event is free. The TCCF is made up of local churches: St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, and the United Universalist Church.

On Sunday, Oct. 2 we invite all newcomers to celebrate their belonging to St. Philip’s. You have chosen us and we have chosen you! And we all belong to God. There will be an opportunity for newcomers to be introduced to the parish during either the 8:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. service as we share a liturgy that affirms our commitment to belong to each other. 

Following the 10:30 a.m. service, there will be a Special Coffee Hour held in Miller Hall (our large upstairs meeting space), where members of the Parish may welcome our newcomers and, in some cases, begin to get to know them on a personal level. Please come meet and help us welcome these new St. Philippians!

If you are a newcomer and are interested in participating, please let us know! You can call or e-mail the parish office (828-884-3666 or [email protected]) or register here for the 8:00 a.m. service or here for the 10:30 a.m. service. 

Saturday, December 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Set up will be on Thursday, December 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (more details on that later). For now, we hope our enthusiasm is contagious because we are counting on EVERYONE to help. Here’s what you can do THIS WEEK: Try to remember where you have your nativities packed away, go unpack them, then set them up. The setting up is important because we not only want to know how many sets you have, but how much space on a 6’ x 3’ foot table you’ll need. We’ll have a way for you to sign up in Easel Alley. We will also have a way to sign up on Realm very soon. Please feel free to reach out to Dolores Brown ([email protected]) with any questions.

Thou shalt not park in spaces marked for handicapped persons, visitors or those expecting or with newborns (unless of course you are in one of these categories). Thank you for your cooperation as we make room for our guests and those with special needs.

The CARE Coalition of Transylvania County is hosting an event on Thursday, September 29, in the Transylvania Public Library’s Rogow Room to share the many & unexpected ways stigma impacts the lives of individuals and families dealing with substance use disorder. This will be a panel discussion featuring three Transylvania County residents who have experienced this stigma and clinicians who treat patients with SUD. Delicious hors d'oeuvres from Food Matters Market will be served. Resource materials from various WNC SUD and Behavioral Health support services will be available. 

The Friends of the Transylvania County Library will hold their Annual Book Sale October 8-14 at the library, 212 S. Gaston St. in Brevard. More than 20,000 gently used books, DVDs, and music CDs will be on sale, with proceeds supporting free programs at the library. The sale is open from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily (closed Sunday). Thursday, October 13 is Half Price Day, and Friday October 14 is the $5 per box sale. After 3:00 p.m. on October 14, all books are FREE to teachers and nonprofits. 

Friends of the Library members can shop early at the pre-sale Friday, October 7 from 4:00-6:00 pm. Annual membership is $15. Find more information at http://library.transylvaniacounty.org/FOL.

The sale offers books for all ages. Titles include best-sellers, classics, romance, mysteries, thrillers, biographies, science fiction, coffee table books, and books on arts, crafts, music, nature, travel, cooking, and more.

• Beginners to Intermediate Wheel Throwing (Sommer Coen; begins Tuesday, September 27) for beginner to intermediate adults (limited to 6 students).
• Abstract Painting: A Three-Day Master Class (Ann DeGara; September 29-October 1) for adults.
• Painting Dynamic Landscapes (Susan Mayfield; 10/20-10/22), for adults (both oil and pastel).
• Portrait Drawing Skills (Billy Smith; 8-week workshop beginning November 8) for adults.
• Animation and Storytelling (Michael Koz; beginning Saturday, October 8) for 8-12 year-olds.

More information about these classes and other events is available at www.tcarts.org.

We are in a county of green (low) community levels of spread so you should wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by your personal level of risk. If you are scheduled to serve at a service, please do not hesitate to stay home if needed and ask for a sub through Ministry Scheduler Pro or by contacting the Parish Office ([email protected]).

Being grateful takes the feeling of thankfulness and turns it into action. For example, let’s say you see a beautiful plant being choked out by weeds. You give thanks for the beautiful plants and move on. Gratitude for the beautiful plant is the energy to pull the weeds out so the beautiful plant can thrive. For better or worse, being thankful and being grateful both take work and practice. Being thankful requires us to be awake and aware of the world around us, which sometimes is exhausting. Practicing gratitude is the heavy lifting; that’s why we often talk about how UTO encourages every Episcopalian to adopt a personal spiritual discipline of gratitude. Gratitude requires us to not only notice, but to take part in the good things happening around us. Gratitude demands action, response, and participation. –The Reverend Canon Heather Melton, UTO Staff Officer

Eat Your Blackberries! (Michaelmas, September 29)

The Archangel Michael, one of the principal angel warriors, is specifically mentioned by name in the Bible (Jude 1:9 and Revelation 7-9).

There are two traditions you may want to celebrate on this day: 

• First, eat your blackberries! According to an old legend, blackberries should not be picked after this date. This is because, so folklore goes, Satan was banished from Heaven on this day and fell into a blackberry bush. Satan then cursed the brambles as he fell into them. This is the basis for celebrating Michaelmas with blackberry pie.
• Second, sleep as late as you want! one of those most charming English traditions (at least to this editor) is the tradition of sleeping as late as you want to celebrate the feast:

Nature requires five,

Custom requires seven;

Laziness takes nine,

And Michaelmas eleven.

Click here or here to read more about St. Michael and the feast of All Angels.