Mark your calendars for January 26–28, 2023, when the renowned Mere Anglicanism Conference returns to Charleston, SC. The conference theme, “Telling a More Beautiful Story: Lessons from C.S. Lewis on Reaching a Fractured World,” will be addressed by world-class theologians and Lewis scholars who will present in person for the conference. The opening keynote address will be delivered by Oxford professor and theologian the Rev. Dr. Alister McGrath and the closing keynote by the Rev. Dr. Michael Ward, Oxford professor and Lewis scholar.

We are sorry to report that the Svyati Duo concert with cellist Rebecca Hepplewhite and organist Julian Collings scheduled for today has been cancelled due to international travel issues.

We do hope they will be able to move forward with their USA tour and come to St. Philip's in the future!

Looking for a great way to get to know others in the St. Philip’s family? Consider joining a Foyer Group! Whether you are a longtime St. Philippian or a relative newcomer, we encourage you to participate to help strengthen the bonds of affection in our church family. A Foyer Group will consist of eight to ten persons, married or single, assigned at random, and meeting, on a rotating basis, in each other’s homes once a month for about six months to share a meal, conversation, and fellowship. If you were in a foyer group this past cycle (fall 2021), we will sign you up automatically unless you opt out.

Questions? Contact the Rev. Brian McGreevy at bmcgreevy@stphilipschurchsc.org or (854) 429-1938.

Although we fell just shy of our goal of setting 45 appointments for our fall blood drive on September 20, we collected 44 units––no small feat! Brandon Kenney, our local Red Cross chapter representative, was most pleased with our efforts, and he let our Home Missions Team know when he wrote them on Friday:

“Collectively the members of St. Philip’s were able to impact up to 132 lives based on blood distribution and needs and that is PHENOMENAL! You all truly set the bar for all other churches that I run drives with, and I run a LOT of church drives ... I love having St. Philip’s be an exemplary example of what a well-run blood drive should look like!”

Thank you to all who volunteered, donated, and helped spread the word! 

TONIGHT: Wednesdays Alive!

Worship ~ Supper ~ C.S. Lewis

Introducing Hakizima: One of my former pupils at Sonrise School for Orphans is called Hakizimana. He is a sensitive, compassionate young man whose parents died during the genocide. Understandably, he had his own hopes and dreams and merely wanted some reasonable way to “make it” in life. When he graduated from Sonrise High School, he returned to his village deep in the forest where his sister had been living. They were barely surviving, living in a tiny, mud hut with essentially nothing to their name. Unemployment in Rwanda is extremely high, even for high school and college graduates. Hakizimana became deeply depressed, especially after his sister ran away, probably to Uganda — never to be seen again. I tried to encourage him and eventually introduced him to Godfrey [Karema, founder of the DO] and his wife, Diane. Soon after, he went to live with them in Nyanza. A few years ago, he graduated from a university in Nyanza and now works for Godfrey.

For Women:

The ECW Fall Dinner

Tuesday, October 18, at

6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall

Bonus Session for All Adults:

“Passing on the Legacy of Faith

to the Next Generation”

(with Walt Shepard)

Wednesday, October 19, at

10:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall

Get to know Valerie Elliot Shepard in these brief but powerful videos.

We are currently on a waitlist. Join at the link below!

This retreat is an opportunity for St. Philippians to be strengthened and nourished in their walk with Christ while receiving a message of personal encouragement from our very own bishop, the Rt. Rev. Chip Edgar. 

What to expect: A fun-filled, relaxing weekend including socials, lectures, worship, sing-alongs, family-style dining, recreation opportunities, and free time. On-site recreation includes kayaking, tennis, and hiking. Nearby Hendersonville offers apple-picking at orchards, shopping, golf, and more.

The staff team has a particular need for front desk volunteers to facilitate some time away through this Friday, September 30. We've set up coverage openings for morning and afternoon slots, but even a couple of hours of your presence would be a huge blessing! Duties involve greeting visitors and answering the phone with the spirit of Christian hospitality (and no worries, we'll walk you through the phone steps). 

Perks include unlimited delicious St. Philip's coffee, plenty of sweet and savory snacks, yummy Wednesday night supper leftovers, and clergy sightings.Click the link below or call the church office at (843) 722-7734 to sign up!

All children and youth 4th-12th grade are invited to attend the annual acolyte training session given by the Rev. Bill Christian! At this session, new acolytes will learn the responsibilities of each of the roles, and returning acolytes will learn the finer points. All new, returning, or prospective acolytes and adult acolyte mentors are strongly encouraged to attend. Lunch provided! 

The ECW is looking for a few volunteers to serve on the New Mothers Committee. This committee helps women transition from “expecting” to “mothering” by providing a meal, prayers, and encouragement. The new mothers and fathers always appreciate any break they can get! Please contact Gigi Dobbins at gigimccartydobbins@gmail.com if you’d like to help!

The St. Philip’s Home Missions Team is excited to announce that in support for one of our ministry partners, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, we will be a sponsor for the upcoming Lowcountry Walk for Life. St. Philip’s will have a walk team and we hope that you will put on your walking shoes and join in on this fun and blessed event!

The Lowcountry Walk for Life raises funds for Lowcountry Pregnancy Center and DAZZ, which provide free pregnancy testing, counseling, life-affirming ultrasounds, parenting classes, and essential baby supplies for mothers and fathers in our community. All are given in LOVE and are FREE through your support. 

Registered walkers who raise $200 help provide an ultrasound and a parenting class AND receive a FREE Walk for Life T-shirt. For every $100 raised, walkers receive an entry to win a $2000 door prize! 

Join Team St. Philip’s or make a donation at the link below. Questions? Contact team captain Jennie Richardson at (843) 364-2912 or jmerr3975@aol.com.

Join the Rev. Bill Christian to see the exhibit Travel + Leisure Magazine dubbed the best Christmas lights in South Carolina! We will depart Charleston by bus at 3:00 p.m., enjoy an early dinner at Harvest Restaurant at Brookgreen, and then stroll the paths with a warm cup of cider, listen to the sounds of Christmas music, and see Brookgreen Gardens come to life amid the soft glow of more than 2,700 hand-lit candles and millions of sparkling lights. We will return to Charleston that evening.

The Rev. Justin C. Hare will be preaching this Sunday at our services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m.

A few months ago, the Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller led a large group of St. Philippians and friends on a pilgrimage along the Danube to see the Passion Play and to visit Wittenberg, where the ninety-five theses were nailed to the door of the castle church, igniting the Protestant Reformation.

You may know the man who nailed those theses to the door as The Great Reformer or The Philosopher or simply Martin Luther, but he's known around Church St. as the great-great-great-great-great-great (not sure of the number of greats ... we'll get back to you) grandfather of our rector, the Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller!

Yes, our rector received the news recently after someone in his family began looking into the family tree. If only he'd known while he was at Lutherhaus––he surely wouldn't have had to stay on the other side of the rope to get this picture!

If you follow St. Philip's on Facebook or Instagram, then you already had an inkling about the Luther connection––and if you already knew the whole story, sounds like you were at the Rector's Forum on Sunday! If this is the first you're hearing of any of it, then you should plan to come to the Rector's Forum (9:30 on Sundays) from now on, AND you should take a moment right now to get connected with us on social media so that you will always be among the first to hear about upcoming events, schedule changes, and clerical ancestry.

Important Dates

October 5 ~ Monthly Men's Lunch with Speaker Alan Runyan

October 6 ~ LAMB Dinner Party with a Purpose (St. Peter's in Mt. Pleasant)

October 9 ~ Acolyte Training (after 10:30 service)

October 15 ~ Men’s Summit with Bishop Edgar (St. Paul’s Summerville)

October 18 ~ ECW Fall Dinner with guest speaker Valerie Elliot Shepard

October 19 ~ "Passing on the Legacy of Faith to the Next Generation" with Valerie and Walt Shepard (10:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall)

October 21-23 ~ Anglican Women's Fall Retreat

October 28-30 ~ Parish Retreat at Kanuga

November 5 ~ Lowcountry Walk for Life

November 6 ~ Choral Evensong with the choirs of St. Philip’s and Christ Church, Mt. P. (5:00 p.m.)

December 1 ~ Seniors Excursion: “Night of a Thousand Lights” at Brookgreen Gardens

January 26–28, 2023 ~ Mere Anglicanism Conference

We pray for the sick: Jean Carlton, Lidia DiPaolo, George Rawling Evans, Sally Fayard, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Robert Gould, Susan Hemminger, Robert Johnson, Robert Kizer, Gene Mantini, John Murray, Marijane and Kenneth Nichols, Molly Margaret O’Quinn, Bill Phillipps, Libby LeLand Puckette, Valerie Rouillard, Fran Sanders, Sydney Severance, Pete Sperr, Margaret Swanson, Judy Vandiford, Lindsey Wing, and Harrison Woods.

We pray for our expectant parents: Boykin and Thomas Anderson, Anna Gray and Ralph Baker, Felicia and Tim Evans, and Carter and Foxy Foxworth.

We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Chris and Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Eric Gaines, Morgan and Mason Herring, Andrew Kane, Quin Kane, Horry Kerrison, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Zach McFadden, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, Edward Pritchard, Nathaniel Rollings, David Scott, and John Self.

We pray for our home and world missions: Star Gospel Mission, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, Suzy McCall and LAMB, for the medical missions to Honduras, for ministry to victims of genocide and AIDS in Rwanda, for the Persecuted Church, for Anglican Frontier Missions, for Uganda Christian University Partners, for Water Mission and the Global Water Center, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.

Collect for Sunday:

Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy, forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings for Sunday:

• 2 Timothy 1:1-14
• Psalm 37:1-17
• Luke 17:5-10