Bishop Chip Edgar III, second from left, with the Rev. Dr. John Dickson, Archbishop Foley Beach, and the Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller ahead of Mere Anglicanism’s Festival Eucharist service on January 27.

Our recent Mere Anglicanism Conference opened with Choral Evensong. I had the privilege of serving as Officiant and Precentor for what was a stunningly beautiful service of prayer. After the Psalms, the readings, the Mag and the Nunc, near the end of the service are the Closing Prayers. I often look to the Prayer Book for other prayers to use, but sometimes I look to outside sources. For instance, I have a collection of the prayers of Soren Kierkegaard that I love and find a boon to my own prayer life.

I found three wonderful prayers; one from Kierkegaard, one from Karl Barth, and one from Thomas Cranmer (which I don’t think ever hit a prayer book, could be wrong). All were edited a bit by me. Anyway, several asked for them, so here they are ...

Thank you for your support of and interest in the missions scheduled in the coming weeks and months! The mission to Uganda with Jayne and Tom Gurley has been moved to the summer of 2024, but the mission to Honduras with Connie and Jeff Rink is just around the corner, March 2–8! You will be helping out as Dr. Rink and his team offer dental services (no experience necessary), and you will also get an up-close look at LAMB, one of our world mission partners, and enjoy fellowship with members of your parish family and new Honduran friends.

Because elected convention delegates will need to travel this year, we are seeking nominations ahead of the annual parish meeting. Please first confirm that your nominee is willing and able to attend both days of the Diocesan Convention, and then send the name to Rachel Murphy (rachel@saintphilips.church), Senior Warden Kat Phillips (kphil100@gmail.com), or Junior Warden Penn Hagood (pennhagood@gmail.com).

Looking to be inspired and blessed while supporting one of St. Philip’s Home Missions ministry partners at the same time? Lowcountry Pregnancy Center (LPC) is hosting their annual fundraising banquet on March 31, providing dinner, fellowship, and powerful testimony from keynote speaker Evie West. To reserve a seat at one of St. Philip’s sponsored tables, please contact Jennie Richardson at (843) 364-2912 or jmerr3975@aol.com by March 12. There is limited seating capacity at the venue this year, so the sooner you register, the better!



About the speaker: Evie West, a former L.A. gang member turned police officer, is a testimony to the power of Jesus Christ to change lives. As a two-time teen mother, Evie was faced with the option to terminate her second pregnancy. Her decision to choose life for her son led to her passion for speaking about abstinence and the sanctity of life. She is the author of Revolving Choices: Playing Roulette with Life.

The Lowcountry Pregnancy Center (LPC) remains grateful for the outpouring of support that the people of St. Philip’s continue to extend in various ways, especially through the diaper drive and the angel trees at Christmas.

Have you ever wondered about the workings, the support that LPC in turn extends to the families in need right here in our community? In 2022, LPC assisted 4,143 women and children in need with some of the following items––all from donations:

3,099 pounds of gently used children’s clothes, 2,315 containers of baby formula, 1,809 containers of baby food, 162,112 diapers (that’s over 3,000 diapers a week!), 3,404 packages of baby wipes, 1,013 toiletry items (baby wash, diaper rash cream, etc.), 70 car seats (with education on proper use of car seats), 630 baby outfits (new), 579 sleepers (new), 1,541 onesies (new), and 513 baby bottles.

As you can see, the needs are great, and since COVID, those needs have grown even greater. LPC sees families who live in cars, tents, campers, and substandard housing coming in for this and emergency assistance for their babies and toddlers. In addition to receiving these free items, clients attended 882 free parenting, fatherhood, and “baby-and-me” literacy classes. These last classes, called “Beginning with Mother Goose,” focus on the importance of reading, talking, and listening to baby from the very beginning. Parents leave the classes with free new and/or gently used books, again all from donations.

As they have worked in the community for 36 years, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center will continue to strive to serve these women, children, and families today and in the future. They feel blessed to be able to call St. Philip’s one of their partners in support.

Ciao, St. Philip’s, vieni a mangiare e a fare qualche gioco! (Hello, St. Philip’s, come and eat and play some games!)

Come to the Parish Hall from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 19, and see it transformed into an Italian restaurant. All ages are welcome to attend; we would love to serve you! The menu will include a pasta buffet, garlic bread, salad, beer, wine, tiramisu, cannolis, and cookies. After dinner, the bingo games will begin, and a bunch of prizes will be awarded to the winners. We also have a raffle for some excellent items! 



The youth group and children’s ministry are hosting this one-of-a-kind bingo night to raise funds for the high school mission to Honduras with Water Mission this summer. 

The Tea Room Gift Shop

The Tea Room Committee will be very gratefully accepting your donations for the gift shop now through April 14 in the church office! Please use the following list as a guideline when deciding when you would like to donate:

Please note that we are only able to accept new and handmade items this year.

• Non-perishable food items (securely closed and neatly labeled)
• Handmade jewelry, scarves
• Handmade soaps, candles
• Coffee table books, cookbooks (new)
• Original artwork, photography
• Notecards, stationery
• Baked goods (individually wrapped and neatly labeled––accepted opening day and throughout Tea Room week)

Would you like to help with Tea Room planning?

Contact Tea Room co-chairs Amanda Ayers and Hope Gamble at stphilipstearoom@gmail.com!

“... I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35b)

Our Sunday morning greeters extend the Christian ministry of hospitality, welcoming all who come to worship. All parishioners with a sunny disposition and a desire to extend the hospitality of Christ are warmly invited to join us! Call the church office at (843) 722-7734 or email Felicia Lescow if you'd like to give greeting a try!

Camp Jubilee Registration Open Now!

TONIGHT: Wednesdays Alive!

TOMORROW: Rector's Bible Study

The Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller will be preaching this Sunday at our services of Holy Communion at 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The Charleston Men's Chorus will sing during the 10:30 service.

The church office will be closed Monday in observance of President's Day. In the event of a pastoral emergency, please contact the Rev. Bill Christian at (843) 327-0791.

Welcome Back, Charlie!

If you've been thinking it's been a long time since you've heard anything about Charlie the cemetery guard cat, it's because he hasn't reported for duty in several months. Imagine our surprise, then, when he showed up yesterday evening expecting to keep watch over the grounds during the Anglican Leadership Institute lecture on the biblical and theological roots of religious freedom.

While we are not ones to turn down any volunteer assistance, he will need to be clearer in the future about the hours he intends to work if he'd like to rejoin the payroll officially. An explanation of his absence is also in order!

If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you already knew about Charlie's return. But if this is the first time you're hearing about it, don't you think you should take a minute now to give us a follow so that you, too, can be among the first to hear about upcoming events, schedule changes, and the whereabouts of our various part-time staffers?

Important Dates

February 20 ~ President’s Day: church office closed 

February 21 ~ Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper (5:30–7:00 p.m.)

February 22 ~ Ash Wednesday (services at 8:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m.)

March 2–8 ~ Mission to Honduras (LAMB)

March 4 ~ Parish Oyster Roast

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

March 10–11 ~ Diocesan Convention (Bluffton)

March 19 ~ Italian Bingo Night (5:00 p.m.)

March 22 ~ SC Prayer Breakfast (Columbia)

April 8 ~ Easter Egg Hunt

April 9 ~ Easter Day

April 16 ~ Youth Confirmation Sunday

April 24-28 ~ Tea Room

April 28–29~ Southeastern Intentional Grandparenting Conference

June 19-22 ~ Vacation Bible School (VBS)

June 26–30 ~ GrandCamp 2023

We pray for the sick: Arthur Applegate, Tim Bass, Elizabeth Bowles, Tory

Bowles, Karen Collins, Cullen Crowley, Mark Cumins, Sally Fayard, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Robert Gould, Dana Heikes III, Susan Hemminger, Molly Hughes, Susan Keenan, Robert Kizer, Claudia Kolster, Thomas Legaré, Libby LeLand Puckette, Wes Lewis, Tabitha Lipscomb, Rena Mack, Christopher McEniry, Elaine Pendarvis, 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 Pearce Wilson Settle, who died on February 6.

We grieve with and pray for Shelly Arnold and family on the death of her father, Max Grubb, on February 6.

We pray for our expectant parents: Kimbrell and Bruce Blackwood; Torrey and Ryan Knapp; Ainsley and Dominic Monda, Demontre and Minka Parish; Scottie and McCoy Penninger. 

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, Lowcountry Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 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:

O God, who before the passion of thy only-begotten Son didst reveal his glory upon the holy mount: Grant unto us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings for Sunday:

• Exodus 24:12-18 
• Psalm 99 
• Matthew 17:1-9