St. Philip's Church is pleased to offer two services of Holy Communion this Sunday, September 27. The document below outlines all of the precautions that the celebrant and other clergy will take, along with guidelines for those who will be receiving the sacrament. Here are a few notes:

Are you available on occasion on Sunday mornings to offer a warm St. Philip's welcome and a bulletin to those coming to worship? We are currently working on expanding our greeter teams for both 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. services, so if hospitality is one of your spiritual gifts and you're ready to use it, please call the church office at (843) 722-7734 or click below to email Felicia Lescow.

While studying the book of 1 Corinthians, our men’s Bible study group became intrigued with the subject of spiritual gifts. Many voiced concerns that they did not understand what these were or if they actually possessed any spiritual gifts. The Reverend Andrew O’Dell graciously offered to conduct a workshop to explore this topic, and thanks to much effort on the part of Andrew, Jimmy Bailey, and Bryant Bair, a retreat was born.

Sunday morning Christian formation is currently suspended, but clergy and other leaders have set a plan for youth confirmation class, which normally runs for the entire school year. St. Philip's will offer a class for BOTH 7th- and 8th-graders in person beginning September 2021.

While this delay may not seem ideal for our eager current 7th-graders, it will be quite worth the wait, as Al Phillips's legendary teaching style is best appreciated in person!

If you have questions about confirmation, please email Joy Avera, Sacramental and Liturgical Coordinator, or call her at (843) 722-7734, ext. 269.

Pictured above: Al Phillips and wife Kat (right) with friend Lucy Buxton. Photo courtesy of Carolina Compass staff.

All are invited to join the Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller for the Rector's Bible Study online next Thursday, October 1! Just fix yourself a sandwich, grab your Bible and a seat on your couch, and click the link in next week's eSPIRE to gather and dive back into the Gospel according to Matthew.

On Saturday, September 19, the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, presided over a service of Confirmation at St. Philip's for those who completed the Rev. Andrew O'Dell's "Foundations" class in the spring. Twenty-six adults confirmed their faith in Jesus Christ, two reaffirmed, and one was received.

All singers please register here for choir rehearsals, which begin Wednesday, October 7, and Thursday, October 8:

Cherub Choir (ages 3–4): 4:00–4:30 p.m. (Parish Hall)

St. Nicholas Choir (ages 5-6): 4:30–5:00 p.m. (Parish Hall)

St. Cecilia Choir (grades 2-3): 4:15–5:15 p.m. (Choir Room, second floor of the church office building)

Canterbury Choir (4th grade–high school, unchanged voices): 6:00–7:30 p.m. (Parish Hall)

St. David Choir: (7th grade–college): 7:00–8:00 p.m. (Parish Hall)

Come learn fine music, learn about the church, pray together, learn why we worship, and enjoy great fellowship! If you have questions, please contact Pat Gould at (843) 364-9552 or pgould@stphilipschurchsc.org or Chris Walchesky at (724) 504-5767 or cwalchesky@stphilipschurchsc.org.

These past months have been a time of loneliness and, for many, a time of living alone. If you are an extrovert, it has really been hard! I value fellowship, friendship, and togetherness. But during these past months, I have learned––even more––how much I value prayer. Through a book written in the late 1800s by an evangelist named R.A. Torrey, I have been learning a deeper and more meaningful way to pray.

I would like to invite you to come to my home (we can wear masks if you feel more comfortable), study this book, and enjoy wine and cheese together––and tea and cookies!

The book is "How To Pray" (R.A. Torrey worked alongside Dwight Moody in Chicago––ask our clergy about him if you are unfamiliar), and we will meet in my home, 192 Tradd Street. We will keep it to an hour for those who need to get back home. It is a fairly short book, only 10 chapters, but what a wonderful 10 chapters they are.

I will have books for anyone who wants to come. Due to COVID, we will have to limit to about seven or eight people, so please let me know if you are interested. My number is (843) 568-1601. My email is georgiabell12@gmail.com.

I hope to hear from you!

In Him,

Georgia Bell

Last year, our small-group Bible study examined the account of Moses when he met God on Mt. Sinai and returned to the camp with a shining, transformed face from this amazing encounter. We also studied 2 Corinthians chapters 3 and 4, where Paul highlights seeing the “light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

This fall, we will review some of these themes from our previous Bible study. Then we will branch out to study how seeing God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ helps to transform our hearts so that we might image Him more dearly and clearly to others. Join us as we examine these themes and more using the stories of Scripture to inspire and encourage us. All are welcome!

Questions? Contact Martha Vetter, facilitator: marthavetter@gmail.com or (828) 773-5352.

College-aged (and beyond!) St. Philippians and friends, join your peers and the Rev. Justin Hare for food and conversation tonight at 7:00––bring a pal! Questions? Call/text Justin at (843) 478-3443 or click below to email him.

Youth in 6th–12th grade, your fearless leader (whose hair was once luxurious, we hear) has the wipes, hand sanitizer, and BRAND-NEW BULLHORN ready for you! Come on down to the Parish Hall for an evening of prayer, music, and games.

Parents, please read the complete guidelines below, which contain safety requirements and drop-off/pick up protocol, and contact St. Philip's Youth Minister David Gilbert (843-708-3795) or Associate Youth Minister Sarah Silcox (843-566-2805) with questions. Note that we are not currently serving dinner.

Who: You, participating in a Zoom-based class led by Pringle Franklin, author of Hope & Healing in Marriage; Pringle has taught marriage seminars/classes in church settings in Charleston, SC, and Paris, France.

What: A nine-week study of the stories of real couples dealing with a mixed menu of struggles and issues such as infidelity, alcoholism, abuse, loss of love, destructive anger, the death of a child, and chronic illness.

When: Two class sections are available: Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. or Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Classes run from the first week in October to the second week in December.

Where: Join via Zoom from home or wherever you happen to be.

Why: To gain inspiration, hope, encouragement, and insight; to strengthen your marriage and your relationship with God.

How: To register, send an email to HopeandHealinginMarriage@gmail.com. Or use Facebook to send a message to our page, Hope & Healing in Marriage. The class is free; participants will want a copy of Hope & Healing in Marriage, available on Amazon in the USA and most of Europe (in English).

Last Thursday, the Rev. Andrew O'Dell reminded us that God loves us, and even when we're going through difficult times of sadness, discouragement, or aimlessness, he never forgets us, and he never stops treasuring us––and everyone around us. But are our hearts working the way God made them to work, loving in the way He intended? Yesterday, the Rev. Justin Hare shared with us a talk he gave in May, when he was a campus minister at Clemson. Using Matthew 10:16-31, he helped us to understand our fear while teaching us to actively seek wisdom and to trust God, in whose hands we are safer than we could ever be anywhere else.

Are you looking for a deeper way to connect with the Body of Christ during COVID-19? Consider joining the Thursday morning Centering Prayer group in its weekly Zoom meeting at 8:00 a.m. This group convenes for one hour, and the heart of the meeting is an opportunity to practice 30 minutes of contemplative (silent) prayer, resting in the presence of the Christ with others who are also earnestly seeking Him. Afterwards, group members discuss their experiences and share insights and prayer requests. This is an opportunity to bond with the Lord and a group rooted in peace.

For more information, please contact Pringle Franklin, group facilitator, at franklin.pringle@comcast.net or (843) 270-5585.

Call Juanita Orvin, who will connect you with a prayer minister who will pray for your concerns over the phone.

juanitaorvin@gmail.com or (843) 884-4018

Call Suzanne McCord, head of the prayer chain, and she will pass your request on to members of the chain.

suzanne1959@gmail.com or (843) 224-1630

Start by following St. Philip's on Instagram and liking our page on Facebook. You'll receive lots of suggestions for connecting with other St. Philippians!

We pray for the sick: Harold Arnold, Jr., Dotsy Boineau, Kelsey Brockbank, Katie Burris, Hal Dyer, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Robert Gould, Janet Hanger, Jonathan Hanger, Dan Kohn, Reed Kurtz, Mac Leppard, Joe Livesay, Alan McNeel, Rogers Moore, Mason Paul, Harold Robling, Benjamin Schools, Mike Walsh, and Lindsey Wing.

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, 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 10/40 Tribal Commission, for Water Mission, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.