We are less than two weeks away from gathering together (while social distancing) once again! Detailed guidelines will be released soon, but here's what you need to know right now:

There is much anger and shouting in the world around us. Certain words and concepts are repeated over and over. One particular word encompasses others and has taken root in the culture. That word is Diversity. The cry of the crowd is for “greater diversity,” that “diversity is our strength.” Diversity denotes the division of people into groups based on the differences between them. Current calls for diversity focus primarily on race, sexuality, gender, identity, age, class, and ethnicity.

Greater diversity is said to give strength, and there is a tremendous demand for it in every aspect of society today. To respond, most institutions from government to academia to business now employ Diversity officials. These administrators oversee departments and programs specifically designed to achieve “greater diversity.” Interestingly, an informal survey of such programs demonstrates that there is no apparent agreement on what constitutes a successful level of diversity. This suggests that the goal of sufficient diversity may be illusory. Yet, the calls grow more strident even at a time when society already seems discouragingly divided.

How should Christians respond to this cultural clamor for Diversity?

If you were unable to join us, we're sorry we missed you! But you can still watch at the link below. Happy listening!

Yes, it was yet another week without a staff birthday (we really went overboard in the spring, didn't we?). But even though we're not having any birthdays, they're plentiful within our families! Joy Avera's father had a grand 92nd-birthday celebration over the weekend, and Lee Moore's son Rogers, still recovering from his time in the PICU but so happy to be home, had more fun on his 16th birthday on Monday than he's every had on a birthday. And the Rev. Jeff Miller shared that it was his sons' birthday on Monday, too! Yep, that apostrophe is in the right place, as a matter of fact––Jackson Miller and Josiah Miller, born 11 years apart, share a birthday!

There was a lot of business to go over with youth group starting back up, organ parts coming in for the long-awaited repair, preschool starting next week, and in-person worship beginning August 23, and we clearly are all eager to get back to a church abuzz with activity! Well, it's not going to look the same for quite a while, it seems, but won't it just be wonderful to be together in person again?

There are sure to be a lot of questions surrounding our return to in-person worship, many of which will be answered when the detailed guidelines are released in the days ahead. But if you expect to remain in isolation or if you're not comfortable returning and you're unsure how to proceed, please reach out to us by filling out the questionnaire at the link below, or calling one of the priests directly. Your St. Philip's family is always right here for you, available and eager to help you in any way you need.

The Rev. Jeff Miller: (843) 812-0556

The Rev. Andrew O'Dell: (843) 639-9084

The Rev. Marc Boutan: (843) 737-1277

The Rev. Justin Hare (843) 478-3443

Call Juanita Orvin, who will connect you with a prayer minister who will pray for your concerns over the phone.

juanitaorvin@gmail.com or (843) 884-4018

Call Suzanne McCord, head of the prayer chain, and she will pass your request on to members of the chain.

suzanne1959@gmail.com or (843) 224-1630

Yesterday, the Rev. Andrew O'Dell offered the first devotion of the week, a reflection on waiting for the Lord. If you haven't yet seen all of the offerings, or if you'd like to rewatch, click the top link below. And if you're not yet on the list to receive the video links by email, click the bottom link to sign up.

What's been on your mind lately? Why don't you put your thoughts down on paper (or better yet, in a Word document or body of an email) and share them with your fellow St. Philippians?

Send your story to inSPIRE editor Lea Andrews at landrews@stphilipschurchsc.org.

Hurricane season is now, and now is the time to prepare. While most of us in the lowcountry were spared damage from Tropical Storm Isaias, others suffered greatly. We never know how bad the effects of a natural disaster will be, so we must prepare ahead of time, even if that means preparing to get help afterwards. This is where the St. Philip's Disaster Relief Team comes in. The Team's mission is to provide help, assistance, and hope to our parishioners and neighbors in times of extreme crisis by offering comfort and minor emergency repairs.

We have a network of parishioners who are willing and able to respond when they are called via our phone tree. We have two points of the phone tree and geographic coordinators for most of the tri-county area already in place. We are always happy to welcome new volunteers!

We pray for the sick: Harold Arnold, Jr., Kelsey Brockbank, Katie Burris, Hal Dyer, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Robert Gould, Janet Hanger, Jonathan Hanger, Amy Kittrell, Reed Kurtz, Joe Livesay, Alan McNeel, Rogers Moore, Benjamin Schools, Mike Walsh, Lindsey Wing, and Vereen Woodward.

We grieve with and pray for Roberta O'Shea and family on the death of her mother, Jane Osborne, on August 9.

We pray for our expectant parents: Torrey and Ryan Knapp.

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, 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 Committee.

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 10/40 Tribal Commission, for Water Mission, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.