~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
July 19, 2020
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
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No printed inSPIRE this week
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Bishop Lawrence Calls For a Bishop Coadjutor
Announcement from the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina
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On July 9, 2020, the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, who has served as the Bishop of The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina since January 2008, announced his plans to call for a Bishop Coadjutor who will step into the role of Bishop of the Diocese at some time in the next 18 to 24 months.
In a letter to the Diocese he stressed he is not yet retiring or resigning. “I have many tasks, duties and commitments here before this can take place,” he said. "Yet it is essential for me to take this step of calling for a bishop coadjutor in a timely fashion.”
In explaining his reasons for setting the process in motion now, the bishop touched on his age––he turned 70 this past March––and his desire to spend time with his wife and family. “Allison and I have 19 grandchildren––some are all but grown and others are moving quickly through life’s early stages. Being with them at important life passages becomes increasingly challenging for a bishop with a full diocesan schedule. With our family spread across South Carolina and Pennsylvania, and extended family still in California, these primary loyalties of the heart call to be honored.”
The Diocese will begin the process to elect a Bishop Coadjutor immediately. The Standing Committee, which serves as a Board of Directors, will oversee the process. The search committee will consist of representatives from the Standing Committee as well as one clergy and one lay person chosen by each of the six geographic deaneries of the diocese which, based in Charleston, consists of more than 20,000 members in 53 congregations from Myrtle Beach to Bluffton and Conway to Barnwell.
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The church office remains closed and in-person Sunday worship is cancelled through the duration of the present health crisis.
We are offering worship online during this time.
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An email with printable Sunday bulletins will be coming later in the week.
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Click below to subscribe to our Vimeo and/or YouTube channel, where you may also go to join us for worship online.
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Preparing for Hurricane Season During COVID-19: Volunteers Continue Life-Saving Work
by Julie Johnson, Water Mission
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St. Philippian Gene Lesesne volunteering pre-COVID-19 at Water Mission, one of St. Philip's World Missions Partners
The first day of June marked the official start of hurricane season and according to experts, the season is off to a historically fast start. Natural disasters are occurring more often and with more severity than ever before. According to the United States Geological Survey, more droughts and intense storms are expected.
Water Mission’s disaster response team is prepared to respond to needs for assistance from around the world even amid the COVID-19 health crisis. Having strategically placed resources and equipment around the world has allowed us to respond to the evolving global health crisis, particularly in vulnerable communities. But even in the midst of Water Mission’s COVID-19 response, life-saving equipment must be assembled and ready to ship at a moment’s notice, in the event of another emergency.
Since Water Mission’s inception in 2001, volunteers have played a critical role in assisting the production, logistics, and supply (PL&S) team by preparing water treatment equipment for swift deployment during an emergency situation. With new COVID-19 safety and security measures in place that enforce social distancing, volunteers and the PL&S team have found creative ways to ensure equipment inventory remains assembled and available for deployment.
Water Mission has approximately 100 active volunteers, many of whom come into our headquarters at least once a week. On a typical pre-COVID day, more than 10 volunteers work alongside the Water Mission headquarters staff, engaging in various activities critical to the organization’s success.
One such team member is Gene Lesesne, a former Navy pilot who, following his career in aviation, returned to his alma mater, the Citadel, to teach.
Gene was one of Water Mission’s first volunteers. He has given his time and talents to the ministry for 20 years, donating more than 3,000 hours and traveling to eight countries, teaching community members how to operate, test, and troubleshoot safe water systems.
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Daily Devotions Remain on Tuesday/Thursday Schedule Through July
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Each Tuesday for the rest of this month, the Rev. Marc Boutan will be offering up his reflection on a song of praise, and each Thursday, the Rev. Brian McGreevy will be taking a look at one of the great hymns of the church. 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.
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The New Normal: Non-Musical Staff Meetings
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FIVE weeks without a single "Happy Birthday"! The clergy and staff are considering relinquishing the moniker "The Church Street Singers" and going with the more apt "The Church Street Talkers"; the debut (spoken) album would be called "Talk, Pray, Laugh."
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Numbers at this week's staff meeting were low again with a few folks taking their annual leave, but the final count was one higher than originally expected because there was a surprise visit from the Shenandoah Valley: the Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller! After he told us he missed us, he offered a disclaimer: he would probably be staying just for a little while. But after he led the opening prayer, he proceeded to listen and laugh with us for the whole meeting! We heard about Joy Avera's progress with the database, Pat Gould's plans for piano-tuning and organ-rehabilitating, and Florance's suggestions for the sound system in the church. We heard how people were doing personally: Rachel Murphy is contemplating a new role at her home church (fear not––it's a parishioner's role!), a certain staff member is celebrating his wife's new haircut (which came with a new personality––"Now she wants to go out and dance!"), and another is celebrating his nonagenarian mother's mastery of technology (she's now a pro with her new iPad, and when her wifi went out, she reset her own modem!). Not all news was good, but there's no better place to share the not-so-good news than at a gathering of coworkers who are like family.
Do you have a support system in place, family or friends you can share your ups and downs with? We all have so much going on in our lives that it's easy to lose touch. If you're feeling withdrawn, or if you just would like someone to talk to or pray with for any reason, please let us know by replying to this email, filling out the questionnaire at the link below, or calling one of the priests directly. Your St. Philip's family is here for you!
The Rev. Marc Boutan: (843) 737-1277
The Rev. Brian McGreevy: (843) 793-9830
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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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"Screwtape" in July: Screwtape Proposes a Toast
A note from the Rev. Brian McGreevy regarding tonight's class
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Dear fellow pilgrims,
Well, Screwtape's address to the Tempters' Training College has certainly lost none of its "punch" over the past 40 years, and it was a privilege to start unpacking it with you last week! Written in 1959 and originally published in The Saturday Evening Post, this witty and eerily prescient address focuses on Satan's work to manipulate culture: leveling of education, self-esteem movement in schools, narcissism, clamor for “rights,” subversion of education and intellectual class to cause collapse from within.
As Lewis scholar Brenton Dickieson has said in his "A Pilgrim in Narnia" blog, "...more than the original Screwtape Letters, perhaps, the Toast is an incisive public critique of education, social politics, and cultural shifts in worldview. I also think 'Screwtape Proposes a Toast' gives us another angle to Lewis’ The Abolition of Man: the world behind Screwtape’s speech in 1959 is really the dystopia of 'Men Without Chests.' It is a critique that is still relevant today, and possibly prophetic, at least for those who have ears to hear."
We addressed the first few pages of the Toast last week, and this week we will do the next few pages, finishing up in next week's class.
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The Rev. Brian McGreevy offers tips to annoy the Devil in his exploration of C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape" Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.! You may stream the class on our streaming site,
saintphilips.online.church
, where you will be able to chat with others before and after class, or you may watch at your convenience
on YouTube
beginning at the same time.
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If you would like to receive Fr. Brian's emails, which include helpful links and notes about each class, click the link below to let him know by email.
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Podcast Recommendation from the Rev. Andrew O'Dell
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If you're all caught up on sermons, daily devotions, the Rector's Bible Study, Screwtape Letters, AND all of our archived offerings (men's lunch speakers, guest lecturers, etc.)––which you can find
on our website through the big green "SERMONS" button on the front page, why don't you check out one of the Rev. Andrew O'Dell's recommendations?
The first is The Crossway Podcast, which has "thoughtful interviews about the Bible, theology, church history, and the Christian life." Episodes address topics such as dealing gracefully with doctrinal disagreement with another Christian, creating a plan for family worship, and common misconceptions about heaven. Happy listening!
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Another Wonderful Week at Preschool Summer Camp is Underway!
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Thank you to our campers and families for another wonderful week at the St. Philip's Preschool Summer Camp!
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Our diocese is seeking high school students (preferably rising juniors and seniors) who demonstrate spiritual maturity and leadership gifts to apply for the diocesan Youth Commission. This team serves at diocesan youth events and at Diocesan Convention each year. The diocese provides training for leading Bible studies, small groups, prayer, activities, and sharing the gospel. Applications are now available. Youth Commission is a selective process. Deadline for applications is July 15th.
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There are plenty of ways to help out at Tricounty Family Ministries, one of St. Philip's Home Mission partners! Do you have children 14 or older? They can help, too! Click the link below to learn more.
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Do You Have a Story to Share?
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Tell us about a time you saw God especially at work in your life, or about how worship has changed for you in the past few months, or about how you pray––or whatever you'd like to tell us about!
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Are You Prepared for Hurricane Season?
St. Philip's Disaster Relief Team helps in times of hurricane, tornado, flooding, earthquake, fire, or any other disaster
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The Disaster Relief 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!
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“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
––Matthew 25:40.
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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: 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 Pam Pearce and family on the death of her father, George Spruce McCain, on July 14.
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.
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Collect for
Sunday:
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, who knowest our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion, we beseech thee, upon our infirmities, and those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask, mercifully give us for the worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings for Sunday
:
- Romans 8:18-25
- Matthew 13:24-30, 34-43
- Psalm 86
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ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH
142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401
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HERE
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