• Choral Evensong: Thursday, January 26, at 4:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s
• Morning Prayer: Friday, January 27, at 7:30 a.m.   at St. Michael’s
• Festival Eucharist: Friday, January 27, at 5:00 p.m. at St. Philip’s
• Morning Prayer: Saturday, January 28, at 7:30 a.m. at St. Michael’s

I’m relentlessly committed to Wednesdays at our church—much like we all are to the commitments we have to carpool around town at all hours for sports and clubs and celebrations. I make Wednesday just as important, even more so, as the many other things that barter and bid for our time and soul. Wednesday night church has this feeling that’s different from Sunday best. Wednesday has an opportune, home-like rhythm waiting to be played out. You walk in the door at 3:00—there might be a mess, people are scattered about doing their thing, and you can relax, knowing you’re safe and loved in the state you came home in. Dinner is going to be ready by 5:00—hope you’re hungry. 

We have a nice little Wednesday routine: I pick the kids up from school, swing through Chick-fil-A for a post-school milkshake that everyone shares, but not before a vicious game of “Rock-Paper-Scissors” for which flavor we get. Everyone sips milkshake and decompresses from school during the ride. Oftentimes one kid wants to talk and one kid wants complete and total silence (anyone raising both introverts and extroverts knows this struggle). The motley crew spills out of the minivan, literally—there was a kerfuffle over the milkshake, and it and they all went spilling. Rallying on, we head upstairs to the Parish Hall, where we sit, sprawl, spill out more on the floor to tackle homework. At 3:15, it’s time for piano lessons and some playtime outside. Children’s choir begins at 4:00. While the children are away making a joyful noise, I’m at the parent Bible study that flies by. At 5:15, we all have to be poked and prodded to pick up our kids, clearly wanting to squeeze every last drop from good parental fellowship. Then the bells ring. It’s time for church. I holler at my kids and round everyone up.

The Rev. Dr. Michael Ward will be our guest preacher at both the 8:15 and 10:30 services on January 29, and he will also offer a Q & A session at the Rector’s Forum at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall. 

From michaelward.net: Michael Ward is an English literary critic and theologian. He works at the University of Oxford where he is a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion. He is the author of the award-winning Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press) and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis (Cambridge University Press).

Read more about Dr. Ward, including the Hollywood moment he considers to be his chief claim to fame, at the link below.

Connie and Jeff Rink in March 2020 during the last dental mission to Honduras 

The Rinks are taking a team of 10 people to LAMB in Honduras to offer dental services, and they have openings for volunteers to come along––no dental experience required! Team members will also have the opportunity to enter into the life at the LAMB Children’s Home, jump in to help with the children, as well as experience the full scope of the beautiful ministries at LAMB. 

If you’re interested or would like more information about the mission, please email Connie Rink (jrink1@comcast.net) or Susan Keller (susanckeller@knology.net).

This Sunday, January 22, the children’s choirs of St. Philip’s, including the St. Nicholas Choir, pictured above during rehearsal on January 11, will sing during the 10:30 service of Morning Prayer.

To learn more about the children’s music program at St. Philip’s, visit stphilipschurchsc.org/music-ministry or contact children’s choir director Zippy Hood:

zippy@saintphilips.church or (854) 429-1942

Jayne and Tom Gurley are offering an opportunity in April following Easter to go on a short-term mission to Uganda, the country Hemingway called “The Pearl of Africa.” The mission will be based at Uganda Christian University and Medical School, a center for excellence in the in the heart of Africa and a distinctly Anglican university (www.ucu.ac.ug).

As an exploratory mission, varied opportunities will be available, including:

• meeting the administration, faculty, students, and alumni from UCU
• developing potential longer-term relationships and exploring future opportunities
• attending Sunday and Community worship with the student body during the week
• meeting one-on-one with faculty and staff with common interests
• visiting a Water Mission project
• visiting a Save the Mothers baby-friendly clinic
• visiting Murchison Falls National Park and going on a safari to observe Uganda’s national treasure, wild African animals, and taking a boat ride up the Nile

Come join Tom and Jayne at an information meeting in the Parlor (first floor of the church office building) on Sunday, January 29, following the 10:30 service. The Gurleys would also be glad to meet individually with anyone interested in learning more about this trip at your convenience.

From Tom and Jayne: This may be the experience of a lifetime! Our lives were hugely impacted by our time living in Uganda at UCU. Our tentative plan is a 10–12 day trip including travel days. Please pray about this opportunity and contact us if you are interested in knowing more.

Tom Gurley: (330) 957-9191 or tgurley@manningwood.com 

Jayne Gurley: (330) 801-9460 or jayneegurley@gmail.com

TONIGHT: Wednesdays Alive!

TOMORROW: Rector's Bible Study

The Rector's Bible Study will be in recess next Thursday, January 26

The Rev. Andrew R. O'Dell will be preaching this Sunday at our services of Holy Communion at 8:15 a.m. and Morning Prayer at 10:30 a.m.

Happy Birthday, Ann Hunley Harrington!

If you've ever popped into the church office during the week, you had a good chance of running into one of St. Philip's most dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, Ann Hunley Harrington. Ann regularly helps out with both children's ministry and publications (in addition to her Compassion Committee duties), and she's always willing to lend a hand with any special projects that come up (stewardship mailings, Kanuga nametag-stuffing, pew card distribution, etc.).

So it was no surprise that she was in the office to help out last Thursday––even though it was her birthday. The only surprise was for Ann herself: a birthday celebration with clergy and staff in the Parlor!

How blessed we all were by Ann's joy when she walked into what she thought was a Mere Anglicanism meeting to deliver a document but was met instead with a resounding "Surprise!" and an especially melodic rendition of "Happy Birthday" (just take our word for it––it was even better than our Zoom singing!). Thank you, Ann, for all the work you do in Jesus' Name, and for being such an uplifting presence in the church office––we love you!

If you follow St. Philip's on Facebook and Instagram, then you already knew about Ann Hunley's birthday celebration. But if you're stuck wishing her a belated happy birthday, don't you think you should take a moment to follow us so that you, too, can be among the first to hear about upcoming events, weather-related schedule updates, and the latest office happenings?

Important Dates

January 25 ~ No Wednesdays Alive! service/supper/class

January 26 ~ No Rector’s Bible Study

January 26 ~ Mere Anglicanism Evensong (4:30 p.m.)

January 27 ~ Mere Anglicanism Eucharist (5:00 p.m.)

January 29 ~ Guest preacher and Rector’s Forum speaker

The Rev. Dr. Michael Ward, C.S. Lewis Scholar

February 1 ~ St. Philip's Preschool 2023-2024 enrollment opens

February 22 ~ Ash Wednesday

March 3–9 ~ Mission to Honduras (LAMB)

March 5 ~ Parish Annual Meeting and Lunch (12 noon, no 8:15 service)

March 25 ~ Walk for Water

April 9 ~ Easter Day

April 24-28 ~ Tea Room

June 19-22 ~ Vacation Bible School (VBS)

June 26–30 ~ GrandCamp 2023

June 19-22 ~ Vacation Bible School (VBS)

We pray for the sick: Arthur Applegate, Tim Bass, Elizabeth Bowles, Karen Collins, Cullen Crowley, Mark Cumins, Sally Fayard, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Robert Gould, Susan Hemminger, Molly Hughes, Susan Keenan, Robert Kizer, Elaine Pendarvis, Libby LeLand Puckette, Rena Mack, John Murray, Eli Penn, Bill Phillipps, Valerie Rouillard, Fran Sanders, Pete Sperr, Margaret Swanson, Jenny White, and Lindsey Wing.

We grieve with and pray for the family of George Rawling Evans, who died on January 11.

We pray for our expectant parents: Boykin and Thomas Anderson; Kimbrell and Bruce Blackwood; Torrey and Ryan Knapp; Ainsley and Dominic Monda.

We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Eric Gaines, Morgan and Mason Herring, Andrew Kane, Quin Kane, Horry Kerrison, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Zach McFadden, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, Edward Pritchard, Nathaniel Rollings, and David Scott.

We pray for our home and world missions: Star Gospel Mission, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, 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.

Collect for Sunday:

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and all the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings for Sunday:

• 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
• Psalm 139:1-11
• Matthew 4:12-22