~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
May 9, 2021
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
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Let's help our mission partner by stocking the shelves with diapers and wipes! Larger sizes (3, 4, and 5) are in the greatest demand.
Lowcountry Pregnancy Center provides support to pregnant women in the lowcountry with free medical and other pregnancy-related services. To help mothers and fathers prepare, LPC offers parenting classes along with free baby items each month.
Drop-off options
- May 3-7 at the church office or preschool
- Sunday, May 9, at church
- Monday, May 10, 9:00-10:00 a.m. in front of the church office
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Working Hard to View God’s Glory:
St. Philip's Workday at Camp St. Christopher
by Jason Ayers, St. Philip's Vestry
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This past Saturday, nearly 30 St. Philippians met for another workday at the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Seabrook Island. Since the onset of COVID, Camp St. Christopher has been operating with limited staff, unable to keep up with the landscape needs of this beautiful barrier island. Individuals, parents with their teenagers, and even one family of three generations all showed up to serve. Equipped with chainsaws, weed eaters, blowers, and mowers, we all set off in different directions to tackle the day.
I joined the chainsaw crew and headed to Kimbel Chapel for what l thought would be some easy limbing and pruning. However, when we arrived, we were told to cut everything from the chapel to the dunes. The problem was that from the chapel, we couldn’t even see the dunes for all of the trees and shrubs that needed to go. Undaunted, we began to work.
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God Is Talking to Us. Are We Listening?
by Jimmy Bailey
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One of the hardest things to accept as a Christian is that God allows suffering to occur. We have all suffered in one way or another over the course of this pandemic, and sometimes it makes me angry, other times confused. If you believe God created heaven and earth, made man in his image, became man himself, died on a cross, and then ascended to heaven, then you have to believe that preventing COVID would have been a cinch. I’m not qualified to opine on why God allows these things to happen, but I can look to the Scriptures for reassurance. The Bible tells us that the beginning and end of God’s plan are glorious, but man spends all the time in between messing things up. I’m thankful we know the end of the story. Throughout the last 14 months, I’ve accepted that God has allowed this to occur, but I’ve often wondered what he wanted us to learn from this tribulation. What is he telling us, and more importantly, are we listening?
Growing up, I always hoped I’d audibly hear God’s voice. My notion of hearing God was based on Bible stories such as when John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan, and “just as Jesus was coming out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (Mark 1:10-11). Nothing like this has ever happened to me, and in my younger years I was kind of disappointed it didn’t. I thought it meant God wasn’t talking to me.
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The Beauty Of God’s Design: Sexuality and Marriage
by Jayne Gurley, World Missions Committee
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From 2012 to 2013, my husband, Tom, and I lived on the campus of Uganda Christian University, an Anglican university known as a “Centre for Excellence in the Heart of Africa.” Tom had received a Fulbright Scholarship from the U.S. State Department to establish and equip science classrooms and labs in the newly constructed science building.
In the 20 years leading up to our time in Uganda, I had spoken many times to young audiences about God’s design for love, sex, and relationships. As a high school English teacher and the mother of three daughters, I’d seen what was happening in my students’ and daughters’ peer groups––the culture of casual sex––and I was led to teach them about abstinence and about setting boundaries designed to protect and secure a pure relationship. When I placed the essentials for our nine-month stay in Uganda in my carry-on bag (my Bible and two sets of clothing in case of lost luggage––I’d learned my lesson the hard way) I also slipped in several folders of presentations on a Christian understanding of sexuality. Would African university students grapple with their sexuality like the hundreds of American students I had met and talked with? I would soon find out.
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A Celebration of Suzy McCall’s 30 Years on the Mission Field!
Sunday, May 16 ~ 3:00-5:00 p.m.
“The Barn” at St. Peter’s Anglican in Mt. Pleasant
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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!
While decades ago, missionaries would spend their lives on the field, the majority of missionaries now average seven years before returning home. Honduras is now Suzy’s home, and many people do not realize that Suzy had been on the mission field for 10 years before the Lord gave her the vision for LAMB; she is the rare lifetime missionary. We at St. Philip’s have been blessed to be the church that sent her out in 1990 and supported her all these years.
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Is Someone In Your Family Graduating?
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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.
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Ministry Opportunity in the Church Office
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The church staff team has a particular need for front desk volunteers Tuesday, May 11, through Thursday, May 21, to facilitate some much-deserved time away. 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). Questions? Email Rachel Murphy or call (854) 429-1928.
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Disclaimer: The above image is computer-generated. Any resemblance to real persons, clerical or lay, is purely coincidental. But if you would like to blame someone for the coincidence, you may blame Rachel Murphy.
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The St. Philip's inSPIRE is Back!
Newsletter mailing resumes today
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We are happy to announce that the inSPIRE, the printed version of our newsletter, will be mailed every other week beginning today! We intend to resume weekly mailings in September.
Many of our parishioners are already signed up to receive the inSPIRE. If you would like to receive the inSPIRE and haven't received it by Saturday, please contact the church office. If you receive it in the mail this week but would prefer to receive it by email only, please fill out the brief form (name and email address) at the link below.
Note that this opt-out will not impact other mailings from St. Philip's; you will still receive occasional updates and letters, as well as your giving reports.
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The St. Philip's Choir is Looking for YOU!
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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).
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Preschool Summer Camp Registration Open Now
Session 1: June 7-11 ~ Session 2: July 12-16
Open to St. Philip's Preschool students, members of St. Philip's, and the surrounding community
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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.
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This Week's Livestream Information
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Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." How would you describe your relationship with the ten commandments? Keeping the commandments may seem like an easy task, but for Jesus to be so focused on them in his last moments with the disciples, there must be more to keeping them than meets the eye.
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Reservations for In-Person Worship
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Reservations for this Sunday's services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and Morning Prayer at 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.
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Mere Christianity: Timely Truth for a Hurting World
Wednesdays 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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Rector's Bible Study
Thursdays at noon on Zoom
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If you don't yet know that THE best way to spend your lunch hour is on Zoom with the Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller, then this is either your first time reading this far down the eSPIRE or you're new to St. Philip's and this is actually your very first eSPIRE! If it's the latter, welcome! And if it's the former, well ... this is your weekly reminder make yourself a sandwich tomorrow, grab your Bible and a seat on your couch (or a friend's couch, out on your patio––anywhere with wifi), and click the link below a few minutes before noon tomorrow. See you (on Zoom) then!
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Subscribe to the podcast!
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Job Security for Office Helpers and Sexton-in-Training
Follow St. Philip's Church on Instagram and Facebook!
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The word has spread about the great benefits offered to St. Philip's part-time office and building/grounds helpers (candy corn, jelly beans, Milk-Bones, etc.), and while we're happy that our workers are happy, it does put us in an uncomfortable situation: we are now having to turn away applicants.*
Lane, an 11-week-old yellow lab from Alabama, stopped by to inquire last week, and while she was disappointed no spots were available, she was polite and gracious when accepting the news. Gus, our most recent hire (who happens to have the exact same birthday as Lane but is not related to her), was quite relieved she was turned away, as he was concerned both for his own job security and that of his sister Carly.
Also relieved was Cecilia Walchesky, our sexton-in-training, who returned to work yesterday after taking some unpaid leave to prepare for turning two in late April. Unlike Gus and Carly, she wasn't worried about losing her job, but she did have concerns about her salary. She needn't have been worried at all, though––we hear a raise is not out of the realm of possibility!
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If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you already knew about Lane's inquiry. But if 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 so you can be among the first to hear stories like these?
*The administrative staff sincerely apologizes for overlooking the needs of the music department. After turning Lane away, we learned there was an opening for an organ scholar and that Lane could have been hired immediately. We assure the music department and the people of St. Philip's that an oversight of this nature will not happen again.
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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
May 9 ~ Diaper drive for Lowcountry Pregnancy Center (drop-off begins May 3)
May 10 ~ Final drop-off for diaper drive (by 10:00 a.m. at the church office)
May 26 ~ Last Wednesdays Alive! service 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.)
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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: Elizabeth Boineau, Sam Chesnutt, Diane Christensen, Patty Cox, Sarah Fayard, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, James Gettys III, Robert Gould, Steve Green, Harry Gregorie, Jr., 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 Jane Hawkins Lemon, who died on May 2.
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, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.
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Collect for Sunday:
O God, who hast prepared for those who love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding: Pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we, loving thee in all things and above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord,who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings for Sunday:
- 1 John 4:7-21
- Psalm 33
- John 15:9-17
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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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