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~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
December 3, 2023
The First Sunday in Advent
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Christmas Gift Ideas for Children and Grandchildren
Books to be displayed in the Parish House
Before and after services on Sunday and Wednesday services December 3–10, Generations Ministry will be displaying faith nurturing books for your review to consider giving as Christmas gifts to your children or grandchildren.
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Make Someone’s Christmas This Year!
Here’s how:
1. Take an ornament home from one of the Angel Trees in the narthex as a reminder (and as our gift to you!). 2. Purchase one or more $25 gift cards from Walmart or scan the QR code on the ornament tag to visit Lowcountry Pregnancy Center’s Amazon Wish List or Lowcountry FCA’s donation page (dedicate to "St. Philip’s Angel Tree"). 3. Return the gift card at any church service or bring it to the office by Monday, December 18, at 9:00 a.m.
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Choral Evensong
with the high voices of the St. Philip's Choir
Sunday, December 3,
5:30 p.m.
All are invited to this contemplative service of prayer and song featuring the works of Smith, Harris, and Mendelssohn.
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Monthly Men's Lunch
with speaker Ian Crosby
Wednesday, December 6,
at noon in the Parish Hall
All men of the community are invited to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Chef Connie Stahl and to hear the faith story of Ian Crosby, a member of St. Philip’s young adult ministry.
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Grandparents@Prayer
monthly drop-in
Thursday, December 7,
at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel
Grandparents, join other grandparents in praying for their grandchildren in the Chapel. Drop in from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month, September through May.
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ECW Advent Luncheon
with speaker Christine Donavan, parent coach
Friday, December 8,
at noon in the Parish Hall
Every Church Woman is invited to enjoy lunch at St. Philip's with our special guest, parent coach Christine Donavan!
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Advent Drop-In at the Rectory
The Home of the Rev. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. Miller
Saturday, December 9,
3:00–6:00 p.m.
92 Church St.
All St. Philippians are cordially invited to join the Millers in their home for this annual event––there is no need to bring anything but a festive spirit! A golf cart shuttle will be available from the church's parking lot on the corner of Church and Cumberland Streets (about a five-minute walk from the Rectory).
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Advent Drop-In at the Rectory
The Home of the Rev. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. Miller
Saturday, December 9,
3:00–6:00 p.m.
92 Church St.
All St. Philippians are cordially invited to join the Millers in their home for this annual event––there is no need to bring anything but a festive spirit! A golf cart shuttle will be available from the surface lot on the corner of Church and Cumberland Streets (about a five-minute walk from the Rectory).
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Charleston Men's Chorus Christmas Concert
Sunday, December 10,
4:00 p.m.
Celebrate the Christmas season with the Charleston Men’s Chorus at their annual Christmas concert, which features joyful and sacred music.
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Volunteer Opportunity
Star Gospel Good Cheer Fund ~ December 6–9
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Each year, Star Gospel Mission––with much volunteer help––serves hundreds of families in need of encouragement, casework, and a grocery gift card. Join the Home Missions Team for this special opportunity to serve your community!
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Christmas Flower Memorials and Thanksgivings
If you would like to make a contribution to the Christmas Flower Fund as a memorial or in thanksgiving for a loved one, please submit your loved ones' info at the link below. After you complete the form, you may pay online through the giving page of our website, or you send a check payable to St. Philip’s Church to the church office
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Christmas Pageant Sign-Up
Rehearsals: December 17 and 20. Pageant: 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve
We would love for your child to participate in the children's Christmas Eve pageant this year! We need readers, major character roles, angels, animals, and more. The cast does not have lines to memorize; they act out what the readers read from Scripture. Ages 3+.
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Mere Anglicanism Conference
Session Themes Have Been Announced!
January 18–20, 2024
Charleston Music Hall
In seeking to engage a hurting world, how can the Church share the Truth of God's Word that makes for human flourishing while speaking from a place of deep empathy and compassion and humility? World-class theologians and scholars will help us engage this challenge both philosophically and practically at this year's conference.
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We May Not Have a White Christmas, but We’ll Have a Blue Advent!
One of the distinctives of the Anglican way of worship is our liturgical observation of the different seasons of the Church year. The rhythm of these seasons follows that of Christ’s life, so that each year we are reminded of the key events in his life and God’s plan of salvation through prayers and songs and colorful vestments and liturgical hangings appropriate for each season. This year, we will be making a change in our Advent colors from purple to blue, both of which have a long tradition in the Anglican way of worship.
For years, we have been using the same purple vestments and hangings for both Lent and Advent. Lent, of course, is the deeply penitential season that precedes Easter and focuses on sorrow for our sins. Advent, on the other hand, is a season of expectation and hope as we look towards the coming of the promised Messiah at Christmas and towards His Second Coming in power and great glory at the end of the age. Because of this difference in emphasis, many Anglican churches reserve the purple hangings and vestments for Lent and use blue hangings and vestments for Advent.
| Above: The Advent hangings of The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom), more commonly know as York Minster. | | | |
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Thank You, Monti and Callie!
Monti Hanger and Callie McLaurin To Retire from Compassion Committee After 15 Years of Service
Monti Hanger and Callie McLaurin began serving as Compassion Committee co-chairs in 2008, faithfully caring for those in our parish who are bereaved, sick, hospitalized, homebound, or otherwise needing encouragement from their parish family. For 15 years, they arranged the delivery of countless meals, hams, casseroles, flowers, and notes as an extension of St. Philip’s pastoral care ministry, keeping in close contact with the church office to ensure their group of volunteers was promptly aware of any new additions to the prayer list.
The Compassion Committee’s single largest undertaking every year is the poinsettia delivery that follows the annual wassail bowl: writing and addressing all of the accompanying notes, arranging the plants by ZIP code in the Parish House breezeway, and making sure every last one gets delivered (with plenty of help from their St. Philip’s family!). The conclusion of this year’s poinsettia delivery will mark the conclusion of their service, when they will pass the reins on to Jane Galis and Sherrie Wallinger.
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Advent: Ready to Prepare
Advent Wreath Supplies Available
Many of us at St. Philip’s are now ready to prepare for the coming of the birth of Christ by marking the four weeks in Advent with our beautiful Advent wreaths.We had a wonderful multigenerational wreath-making fellowship the Sunday after Thanksgiving in lieu of adult and children’s Sunday school. Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy this time of fellowship! Thank you to the Perky People for making the coffee, the Flower Guild for providing expert guidance on greenery placement, Generations Ministry for providing Advent paper chains for the children, those who helped set up and clean up, Father Justin for his reminder about the purpose of Advent, and the Children and Family Ministry team for making the event happen. Those who walked in darkness have seen a great light! We have a limited number of supplies left over; if you were unable to attend and would like to put together a wreath at home, please email Dorothy Lancaster at the link below.
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Regular Weekly Services/Classes | |
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This Morning: Morning Prayer
Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. in the Chapel
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This Morning: Moms' Bible Study:
The Book of James
Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. in the youth room
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TONIGHT: Wednesdays Alive!
5:30 p.m. worship followed by fellowship supper and C.S. Lewis class
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Tonight's Supper: Pasta Bar
Next Week's Supper: Chicken Penne Casserole
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TOMORROW: The Rector's Bible Study
12 noon in the Parish Hall
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FRIDAY: Middle School Youth Group
SUNDAY: High School Youth Group
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This Sunday's Service and Class Information | | |
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The Rev. Andrew R. O'Dell is preaching at our services of Holy Eucharist at 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday school for children of all ages begins at 9:15 a.m., and adult classes, including the Rector's Forum, begin at 9:30 a.m. | |
Give the Nope Rope a Chance! | |
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Last Monday, we received an application from someone looking for a part-time job. The applicant, who appeared to be a juvenile rat snake, approached the Reverend Justin Hare with some potential gaps in our security. He had noticed that we had recently opened our graveyard gates to the public and had installed a magnetic door lock and intercom system on the back door to the office building, but he pointed out that there was no one actively patrolling the grounds. He used his own presence in the graveyard as evidence that we needed security in addition to Charlie the guard cat, who never even lets us know ahead of time which days he plans on working (apparently not on Mondays).
Unfortunately for our eager applicant, it appears to be common knowledge in the parish that our rector HATES doesn't much care for creatures who crawl on their bellies and eat dust all the days of their lives––when we shared this tidbit on social media, several people took time to make sure we knew that the captain would not approve.
If this is the first you're hearing about our ambitious visitor, it sounds like you need to take a minute to give us a follow on social media so that you, too, can be among the first to hear about schedule changes, special events, and would-be office helpers. Take a minute and do it now!
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Important Dates
November 30 ~ 55+ Outing (Crèche Festival at Mepkin Abbey, Middleton Place)
December 3 ~ Choral Evensong (5:30 p.m.)
December 6 ~ Monthly Men's Lunch (12 noon)
December 7 ~ Grandparents@Prayer Drop-In (11:00–11:45 a.m.)
December 8 ~ ECW Advent Luncheon (12 noon)
December 9 ~ Advent Drop-In at the Rectory (3:00-6:00 p.m.)
December 10 ~ Lessons and Carols (10:30 a.m.), Wassail Bowl (about noon)
December 10 ~ Final Sunday School, Rector’s Forum of 2023
December 10 ~ Charleston Men's Chorus Christmas Concert (4:00 p.m.)
December 13 ~ Final Wednesdays Alive! of 2023
December 14 ~ Final Rector’s Bible Study of 2023
December 15 ~ The Greening of the Church (9:00 a.m.)
December 15 & 17 ~ Final youth group meetings of 2023
December 24 ~ Fourth Sunday in Advent worship service (10:30 only, no sermon)
December 24 ~ Christmas Eve services (4:30, 7:30, 10:30 p.m.)
December 25 ~ Christmas Day service (10:00 a.m.)
December 25–January 1 ~ Church office closed
January 18–20, 2024 ~ Mere Anglicanism Conference
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We pray for the sick: Tabitha Brockbank, Beau Brogdon, Diane Christensen, Karen Collins, Silas Cressman, Steve Darling, Sally Fayard, Mary Forbes, Pat Gould, Steve Graudin, Emily Meyer Hall, Jason Hamshaw, George Hooks, Ken King, Marvin Kirkland, Nancy Love, Stephen Lutz, Rena Mack, Rene Meyer, Eric Panizza, Lou Parker, Meredith Repik, Fran Sanders, Pete Sperr, Ginny Townsend, and Lindsey Wing.
We grieve with and pray for Maxwell Steinhardt and family on the death of his stepmother, Helene Fleck Steinhardt, on November 23.
We pray for our expectant parents: Becca Baird and Louis Duffie, Katy and Andrew Brown, Liesl and Luke Cressman, Lexi Meyer and Pat Ozog, Jill and Alton Phillips, Amy and Michael Rabb.
We pray for protection for those serving in the armed forces: Becca Baird, Janie Baird, Henry Clayton, David Daughtridge, Eric Gaines, Andrew Kane, Quin Kane, Horry Kerrison, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, Edward Pritchard, Nathaniel Rollings, and David Scott.
We pray for our home and world missions: Lowcountry Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, Star Gospel Mission, 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.
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Collect for Sunday:
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Readings for Sunday:
- Isaiah 64:1-9a
- Psalm 80:1-7
- Mark 13:24-37
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ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH
142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 722-7734, www.stphilipschurchsc.org
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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