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~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
October 22, 2023
The Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 24
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Tonight at 7:00 p.m.
Session 2 of 3: Understanding Spiritual Warfare
with Frenchie Richards
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Join Frenchie Richards after worship and supper for an exploration of spiritual warfare based on Ephesians 6:10–18. | |
Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
Pop-Up Baroque Trio Concert in the Narthex October 19
Harpsichord ~ violin ~ oboe
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Tuesday: Dessert and Discussion
Sandra Anderson, Amy Anderton, Jayne Gurley, and the Rev. Brian McGreevy
For Parents, Grandparents, and Mentors
October 24 ~ 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall
| Parents, grandparents, or anyone with a special young person in their life, you’re invited to this wonderful opportunity to hear some practical ways to share your faith with the next generation. Our panel of speakers will be sharing some of the ways they’ve engaged children in traditions that have enriched their faith walks. Join Amy Anderton, Sandra Anderson, Brian McGreevy and Jayne Gurley for some delicious dessert and this uplifting discussion! | |
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Sunday, October 29: Acolyte Training and Lunch
All 4th–12th graders and adult mentors invited!
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All children and youth in 4th-12th grades are invited to attend the annual acolyte training session given by the Rev. Bill Christian! At this session, new acolytes will learn the responsibilities of each of the roles, and returning acolytes will learn the finer points. All new, returning, or prospective acolytes and adult acolyte mentors are strongly encouraged to attend. Meet in the Parish Hall following the 10:30 service. Lunch provided! | |
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The Lowcountry Walk for Life
Saturday, November 4 ~ 10:00 a.m.
at Wannamaker County Park
We need YOU to join Team St. Philip’s so that together we can support Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, one of our home missions ministry partners, in their efforts to provide prenatal care, infant supplies and parenting classes to parents in need in our community. There will be fun, food, and fellowship, including music, activities for children, prayer stations, and a two-mile walk through the park.
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ECW Fall Social with Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing
Tuesday, November 14 ~ 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Ladies, Join Every Church Woman for a fall social with guest speaker Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing! Amy will be guiding us toward Advent with reflections from her book Mary's Voice: Advent Reflections to Contemplate the Coming of Christ, due to be released later this month. Mingle and enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres beginning at 5:00 p.m. on the Parish House lawn before our 6:00 p.m. program in the Parish Hall. All women of the community are welcome!
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55+ Outing to Crèche Festival and Middleton Place
Thursday, November 30 ~ meeting at 8:30 at the church
Get ready for Advent with a peaceful visit to the Crèche Festival at Mepkin Abbey with your St. Philip’s family! Then enjoy lunch at Oscar’s in Summerville and head to beautiful Middleton Place before taking the coach back to St. Philip’s.
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Parishioners Pack the Parish Hall for
Special Rector’s Forum
Making Sense of the Middle East: A Biblical and Historical Background to the Present Crisis in Israel
It was standing room only in the Parish Hall on Sunday, October 15, when the Rev. Jeff Miller put his study of the Gospel of John on hold to address the crisis in the Middle East and help us as Christians understand what our response to it should be.
Since he had to cover 4000 years of history in the time between the two services, Father Jeff began a few minutes early and let us know he’d told our organist to hold off on the start of the service a few minutes if need be.
The sobering and often-heartrending history began with God’s promise to Abraham outlined in Genesis Chapter 12: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The years between then and now––filled with persecution, uprisings, and wars––have led Israel and Palestine to a place that can be fixed only by a divine solution. “It will take God taking away hearts of stone and giving to all people a heart of flesh,” said Father Jeff, who concluded his talk with the words of Psalm 122: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!’ For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, ‘Peace be within you!’”
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Seeking the Next Leaders of St. Philip’s
2024 Vestry Nominations due November 26
Dear St. Philip’s family,
On March 3rd of 2024, we will hold our Annual Parish Meeting. During that meeting, we will elect the next class of leaders to serve on the Vestry. At our last meeting, the Vestry appointed Penn Hagood (Senior Warden), Foster Gaillard (Junior Warden), Jason Ayers, Gantt Folline, Cordes Ford, Suzanne McCord, Jill Settle, and David Wright to serve as a nominating committee.
The goal is for this to be a Spirit-led process, executed by the Vestry and blessed by the clergy. We encourage you to spend time in prayer concerning this matter and to allow the Lord to lay on your heart individuals that might well serve the church in this leadership position. We ask that you not contact the person regarding your nomination as the names submitted will be held in confidence by the committee. After committee review and prayer, qualified candidates will be contacted by the committee regarding their interest in serving.
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Lord, Hear Our Prayer
New protocol for adding names
to the read-aloud prayer list
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” ––James 5:16-17
To ensure that our parish prayer list remains current and our prayer warriors are praying for those most in need of prayer, we have implemented new steps for adding and keeping your loved ones on the prayer list.
1. Call or email Alice Smith, Parish Receptionist:
asmith@stphilipschurchsc.org or (843) 722-7734. Although the only information publicly available will be your loved one’s name, please include the circumstances so that our clergy and prayer teams know what to pray about specifically.
2. Call or email again in two weeks if you would like your loved one to remain on the prayer list for two more weeks.
Names will be removed after two weeks unless the church office is instructed otherwise.
Questions about the private prayer list for clergy and prayer teams only? Please contact the Rev. Bill Christian:
bchristian@stphilipschurchsc.org; (854) 429-1939
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A St. Philip’s Love Story
After the 10:30 service on Sunday, September 17, Mr. Ian Crosby led Dr. Ashley Jordan Ferira hand in hand towards the front of the St. Philip’s sanctuary for what she believed was going to be a private tour led by Sexton Benjamin Singleton. To her surprise, Ian dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him (spoiler alert: she said yes!).
The sanctuary was a fitting proposal location for the couple, who met in the narthex of St. Philip’s last year “by the good Lord’s providence and the lovingkindness of our dear mutual friends, Molly and Justin Hare,” Ashley shared. A lifelong Charlestonian and St. Philip’s Preschool (and Porter-Gaud) alum, Ashley has served with the St. Philip’s Choir as an alto and is now enjoying serving as a lector. Ian, an Atlanta native who moved to Charleston in 2021, has been serving in both the audio/visual and lector ministries at St. Philip’s.
“We have been so incredibly blessed by the love, encouragement, and wisdom of our wonderful St. Philip’s church family,” said Ashley. “We thank God every day for bringing us two ‘old souls’ together.”
Photo by Molly Hare, who was in on the surprise and hid in the narthex to capture this beautiful moment.
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Can You Take Someone's Spot at This Weekend's Anglican Women's Retreat?
The women of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina are holding their fall retreat October 20-22 at Epworth by the Sea in St. Simon's Island, GA. The theme is “Rediscover your Joy,” and Sherry Schumann will be the speaker.
Jayne Gurley is unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict and is willing to transfer her spot, which includes the registration and lodging fees, to another St. Philippian able to take her place.
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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' Book Study
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: Pork Tenderloin
Next Week's Supper: Beef Stew
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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. William K. Christian III is preaching at our services of Holy Eucharist at 8:15 a.m. and Morning Prayer at 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. | |
Anyone Else Hear the Rocky Theme? | |
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Alice Smith has been stationed at the front desk long enough now that she knows the routines of the clergy and the rest of the staff, and she knows that just about at noon on the dot on Tuesdays, after staff meeting and clergy meeting, the members of the clergy team come bounding down the stairs to head to lunch together. Yesterday, she decided to film their descent (which she says always cues up the tune of "Robin Hood and His Merry Men" in her mind)––and she caught a bonus collared fellow: Bishop Chip Edgar!
If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you already knew about the extra set of footsteps coming down the stairs. But if you don't, why don't you take a minute right now to give us a follow so that you, too, can be among the first to hear about schedule changes, special events, and bishop sightings?
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We pray for the sick: Precilla Britton, Jean Carlton, Morris Cave, Diane Christensen, Karen Collins, Silas Cressman, Cullen Crowley, Steve Darling, The Ekpoudom family, Sally Fayard, Mary Forbes, Steve Graudin, Dara Heikes, George Hooks, Ken King, Marvin Kirkland, Robert Kizer, Al Lathan, Wes Lewis,Nancy Love, Rena Mack, Doug McAdams, Rene Meyer, Eric Panizza, Lou Parker, Meredith Repik, Fran Sanders, Pete Sperr, Margaret Swanson, Ginny Townsend, Lindsey Wing, and Libby Wright.
We grieve with and pray for Gerry McCord and family on the death of his sister, Merrily McCord Burnette, who died on October 12.
We pray for our expectant parents: Jill and Alton Phillips, Liesl and Luke Cressman.
We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Graham Blunt, William Bruce, Robert Cale III, Henry Clayton, David Daughtridge, Paul Economy, Noah Flowe, 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 serving in our Armed Forces.
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:
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us, we beseech thee, the liberty of that abundant life which thou hast manifested to us in thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Readings for Sunday:
- Malachi 3:6-12
- Psalm 96
- Matthew 22:15-22
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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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