I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than to hold a diaper and wipe drive for one of our Home Missions ministry partners, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. St. Philip’s may not have known it when we planned this drive, but the Lord certainly did: that LPC was in dire need of diapers!

When we drove up to the center on Monday to deliver the 6,385 diapers and 9,216 wipes that were collected, we were met by one of the employees, who kept saying, “Answered prayers!” It was indeed a fruitful day for us all!

We were so thankful for the outpouring of love and generosity of our parishioners and preschool parents, and LPC was just as amazed and grateful for the answered prayers of diapers and wipes that they so desperately needed for the parents and babies who will be receiving them this week. We doubled the amount of diapers donated from our last drive! Thank you all! Please continue to pray daily for all of our ministry partners––the Lord answers prayers!

Please plan to join us for a fun outdoor gathering as we celebrate Suzy’s truly remarkable life laid down for the sake of Christ in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for 30 years! Through the life of this one obedient vessel and the power of Jesus, countless lives have been rescued, changed, and transformed.

Call (843) 442-9306 to reserve your spot!

On Sunday, May 2, we focused on some of the last words that Jesus spoke before he was crucified. There, in the upper room, he said to his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my Commandments.” As our Lord faced his own impending death, it’s clear that one of his primary concerns was that we, his followers, would hold fast to his commandments. But what does this actually look like? How do we go about “plumbing the depths” of what he has commanded?

First, I want to encourage you to begin (or recommit yourself to) the habit of meeting with God daily by reading His Word and responding with prayer. This is how we converse with God: first, he speaks to us through the pages of Scripture, and, having listened, we then respond in prayer. Now, a rich prayer life will consist of many different types of prayer: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and petition. The Ten Commandments are an invaluable resource for entering into that second form of prayer: confession.

If you tried tuning in live to the 10:30 service on Sunday, you may have thought your own internet was down. Alas, the trouble was with the internet at the church, and no one was able to access the service online. We had thought we would still be able to upload the recording, but it turned out to be unsalvageable. We apologize for the disappointment, but we are pleased to announce that the sermon audio remained intact and is available at the links below.

We are hoping this week to pinpoint the cause of the issues that have been popping up the past few weeks, and we appreciate your patience as we get everything worked out.

Reservations for this Sunday's services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. open today at 9:00 a.m. Children's worship and childcare during the 10:30 service are available for infants and young people through third grade, with limited capacities within each age group. You may register for childcare 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.

A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, and in the case of our middle school youth group versus high school youth group, it was especially helpful. With each group trying to raise more funds for Water Mission than the other, they ended up blowing past their $2,000 goal for the first time in 18 years! Wow! They're not stopping, though––they've got their eye on raising $3,000 to give the gift of clean water, a gift most of us take for granted every day. We know you can do it, young St. Philippians and friends!

We would love once again to recognize our hardworking graduates in the inSPIRE, eSPIRE, and Sunday bulletin! If you or someone in your family is graduating this spring (or graduated in December), please submit the information at the link below (if you haven't already).

Grandparents, Legacy Coalition has an ongoing webinar series just for you! From their presenters each week, you’ll learn how to overcome grandparenting obstacles and nurture your grandchildren’s faith. Here's what you can expect:

The church staff team has a particular need for front desk volunteers today through Thursday, May 21, to facilitate some much-deserved time away. We've set up coverage openings for morning and afternoon slots, and we've had several people sign up so far––we are so grateful! Duties include greeting visitors and answering the phone with the spirit of Christian hospitality (and no worries, we'll walk you through the phone steps).

The remaining openings are mostly four-hour shifts, but if you're able to do even a portion of a shift (perhaps an hour or two), it would be such a huge blessing––we can easily subdivide shifts. Email Rachel Murphy or call (854) 429-1928 if you have questions or you'd like to choose an alternate time.

What a reunion we had in the Parlor last Wednesday! The faithful inSPIRE ladies returned after a much-too-long absence to prepare last week's printed newsletter for mailing. As various members of the staff and clergy popped in to visit, excited greetings and cheers echoed throughout the building (we needed an applause-o-meter to measure who got the loudest greeting––was it our rector or our sexton?). After every envelope was stuffed and labeled, the Rev. Bill Christian came downstairs for a blessing, and the ladies enjoyed a welcome-back lunch of finger sandwiches, tea, cheese straws, and dessert.

If you did not receive the inSPIRE last week and you would like to be on the mailing list, please contact the church office. If you received it in the mail but would prefer to receive it by email only, please fill out the brief form (name and email address) at the link below.

The St. Philip's Choir is preparing for a service of Evensong on Sunday, June 6, and we are also hoping to welcome the full choir back to Sunday services soon! If God has given you the gift of a voice to sing his praises, we invite you to join us. Remember, if you can speak, you can sing! Men are especially needed. Socially distanced rehearsals are Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall (remember your mask, please).

Do let us know to expect you so we can have music prepared for you, and consider joining us as we serve in London as resident choir at St. Paul's Cathedral in August 2022.

Call Pat Gould at (843) 364-9552 or email her at pgould@stphilipschurchsc.org if you have questions or you're ready to give choir a try.

We are pleased to offer preschool camp for babies through age three! Two sessions are available (campers must have been born after September 1, 2017), and at each session, the children enjoy socializing while engaging in age-appropriate activities.

The fee per child is $250, and campers do not have to be St. Philip's Preschool students to attend. Space is limited, with preference given for church members and for full-week camp attendance.

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!

You've got just two more chances before summer recess to find out why the best way to spend your Thursday lunch hour is on Zoom with the Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller! So tomorrow and two weeks from tomorrow (no Bible study on Thursday the 20th), make yourself a sandwich, grab your Bible and a seat on your couch, and click the link below a few minutes before noon tomorrow. See you (on Zoom) then!

The Altar Guild is BACK! Since the return of communion services in October, the clergy team has been on altar guild duty, and while they've done an admirable job, it was time, as Joy Avera put it, to turn it back over to the professionals. The leads met up with clergy and staff last week to plan the new schedule, and the priests were more than happy to get back in their own lane and let the professionals do their job.

Gus, the new office helper, is going to take a little bit more persuasion. His return to the office on Thursday started off very well, with chin scratches from Father Brian and hugs from sexton-in-training Cecilia Walchesky. But due perhaps to recent worries about his job security, he took it upon himself to take care of a few extra duties. In the Tea Garden, he worked on clearing dead limbs from under some shrubbery (sexton duty), and later, he tried to remove Ella the elephant from the premises (parish administrator duty). Gus, we appreciate your enthusiasm, but please take a cue from our clergy and stay in your lane, because we need you to keep an eye on the duties ahead: bulletin preparation, front desk relief, and growing big and strong.

If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you already knew about the return of the Altar Guild and Gus's tendency to overstep. But if this is news to you and you haven't followed us yet, why don't you take a moment right now to click one or both of the links below and give us a follow? That way, you too can be among the first to hear stories like these!

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

May 20 ~ No Rector's Bible Study

May 26 ~ Last Wednesdays Alive! service before summer recess

May 27 ~ Last Rector's Bible Study before summer recess

May 31 ~ Memorial Day (church office closed)

June 6 ~ Senior Recognition in Sunday bulletin and inSPIRE (date change)

June 6 ~ Choral Evensong (5:00 p.m.)

June 29 ~ Red Cross Blood Drive (Parish Hall, time TBD)

We pray for the sick: Sam Chesnutt, Diane Christensen, Patty Cox, Sarah Fayard, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, James Gettys III, Robert Gould, Steve Green, Jonathan Hanger, Jack Howell, Clark Johnson, Denise Keranen, Joe Livesay, Connor Lowndes, Beverly Melvin, Andrew Nash, Deborah Pollak, Ed Riggs, Fran Sanders, Rose Tisdale, Mike Walsh, Carolyn Warlick, Lindsey Wing, and Charlie Yoho.

We grieve with and pray for the family of Harry Gregorie, Jr. who died on May 5.

We grieve with and pray for Sister Rutledge and family on the death of her brother, Gaillard Townsend Dotterer, on May 4.

We pray for our expectant parents: Justin and Molly Hare, Tim and Liz Strickland.

We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Chris and Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Hayes Fair, Morgan and Mason Herring, Andrew Kane, Horry Kerrison, Charles Kirkman, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Zach McFadden, 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, for The Persecuted Church, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.