Amy Watson Smith, our Director of Ministry to Children and Families, will be stepping down from her post at the end of this month to devote her time to caring for an aging family member.

When she arrived at St. Philip’s four and a half years ago, Amy brought to our church a deep desire to plant the Word of God in the hearts of our children, a passion for equipping parents in their God-given role as the spiritual leaders of their children, and a wealth of creativity, which has infused a delightful beauty not only in the children’s program, but in many other aspects of our community. Anyone who has participated in the St. Philip’s children’s ministry has been blessed by Amy’s Together@Home resources for parents and grandparents, her Christ-centered workshops and events, and the spiritual formation she provided week after week through Children’s Chapel and the work of the volunteer teachers under her care.

We are grateful for Amy's service to this community, Christ, and His Church. Please keep Amy and the children's ministry in your prayers during this time of transition. News about Amy’s successor is forthcoming.

It was January 11, day 52 of an 85-day stay in the hospital––having undergone two emergency surgeries, multiple infections, COVID-19, acute kidney failure, four weeks in the ICU, and 10 days on a ventilator––that my wife Carolyn, who was barely alive, once again started “working for the Kingdom”!

That night, in my daily email update to friends and family, I wrote, “The journey continues as today brought some more concerns regarding Carolyn’s fluid retention, and the degrading condition of her kidney. The dilemma seems to be that the body is retaining more and more fluid and her legs, arms, and abdomen are very swollen, so much so that her skin is ‘weeping’ fluid through the skin, yet they need to give her more fluids to ‘kick-start’ the kidney. It is a fine balance, and they are trying to do what they can to get the kidney back to normal function.”

The short program began with songs led by St. Peter’s worship leaders. Then I and three other speakers gave short reflections, or palabras (words), as they say in Honduras: Margaret Merritt, Executive Director of LAMB; the Rev. Hank Avent, friend, former LAMB Chaplain, and SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders) board member; and Margaret Presson, Suzy’s dear friend from St. Peter’s. Then, in the tradition of palabras, Suzy responded powerfully.

Dear St. Philip’s Family,

As you may be aware, the mask mandate that was in place for the City of Charleston at the direction of the local authorities was lifted last night at the City Council meeting. Mask requirements inside buildings in the City of Charleston are now at the discretion of the leadership of each business or institution.

Given this development, and with the concurrence of the St. Philip’s Vestry and the clergy team, I have decided that we will make the wearing of masks voluntary at all St. Philip’s services and activities effective today. It is my hope and prayer that we will continue to practice real Christian charity within our parish family as we move towards lifting the various COVID protocols, understanding that folks are at different levels of comfort with various practices.

We continue to work on the logistics of reopening fully and are still on pace to remove the other restrictions such as registration and social distancing beginning Sunday, June 6. Please continue to keep our parish family and its leadership in your prayers as we navigate these changing times and look forward to being together again in the fullness of Christian fellowship.

Blessings,

Jeff+

We would love to have you! We should warn you, though: be prepared to be changed. Seeing up close the way God works to change lives in such powerful ways in so many different countries and situations can be dangerous. It can open your eyes to the bigness of our great God and to the power of His love and to the practical ways He is at work in the world He loves so much. It can drive you to your knees in awe and gratitude. It can give you just a glimpse of God’s heart for the world––and of His heart for you! If that sounds like something you want to be a part of, please join us! Just reach out to Gerry McCord (gerrymccord@gmail.com) or to Susan Keller (susanckeller@knology.net) for more information. 

Well, folks––you're down to your very last chance for the next few months to see for yourself why the best way to spend your Thursday lunch hour is on Zoom with the Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller! There's no meeting tomorrow, though, so take this week to figure out where you want to be when you tune in next week––on your own sofa? At a coffee shop? Sharing a screen on your friend's patio? Wherever you choose, be there at noon next Thursday the 27th with a sandwich (if you want one), your Bible, and a good wifi connection so you can click the link below and join the group! First-timers are welcome––even on the last day before summer recess! See you (on Zoom) then!

Reservations for this Sunday's services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. open today at 9:00 a.m. Children's worship and childcare during the 10:30 service are available for infants and young people through third grade, with limited capacities within each age group. You may register for childcare at the link below after first registering to attend the 10:30 service, or you may call the church office at (843) 722-7734 to reserve space.

We are recognizing our hardworking graduates in the inSPIRE, eSPIRE, and Sunday bulletin again this year! If you or someone in your family is graduating this spring (or graduated in December), please submit the information at the link below (if you haven't already).

Grandparents, Legacy Coalition has an ongoing webinar series just for you! From their presenters each week, you’ll learn how to overcome grandparenting obstacles and nurture your grandchildren’s faith. Here's what you can expect:

The church staff team has been so very grateful for all the volunteers who have blessed us with their presence in the office the past couple of weeks and allowed us to facilitate some much-deserved time away! We have two days left to cover (tomorrow and Monday), and we would be so grateful if you'd be able to come by to help out! Duties include greeting visitors and answering the phone with the spirit of Christian hospitality (and no worries, we'll walk you through the phone steps).

The remaining openings are mostly four-hour shifts, but if you're able to do even a portion of a shift (perhaps an hour or two), it would be such a huge blessing––we can easily subdivide shifts. Email Rachel Murphy or call (854) 429-1928 if you have questions or you'd like to choose an alternate time.

We are pleased to offer preschool camp for babies through age three! Two sessions are available (campers must have been born after September 1, 2017), and at each session, the children enjoy socializing while engaging in age-appropriate activities.

The fee per child is $250, and campers do not have to be St. Philip's Preschool students to attend. Space is limited, with preference given for church members and for full-week camp attendance.

Mere Christianity began as a series of radio talks during the darkest days of World War II in England. Lewis was asked by the BBC to do the talks because so many people were living in fear and anxiety and were feeling that the world was crumbling around them, that "the wheels had come off the bus." Our culture today is beset with many of those same anxieties, albeit for different reasons. Lewis's broadcast talks were then edited by Lewis and published in book form as Mere Christianity. The book is still remarkably fresh today and serves as an encouragement to the believer, a winsome challenge to the doubter, and an effective apologetic for the unbeliever.

Do you receive Fr. Brian's updates and weekly wrap-up emails? Click here to read his last wrap-up email, and if you'd like to join his email list, let him know!

There has been a flurry of activity in the office the past week as several volunteers have stepped in to cover front desk duties while Felicia Lescow has been away. Gus, the somewhat-new office helper (who turned 14 weeks old yesterday), demonstrated to them what he considers the proper way to greet visitors: tail wags, nibbles on fingers, kisses, and, of course, belly exposure (the best way to solicit tummy scratches). He also showed volunteer Roberta O'Shea why it's best not to wear items of clothing that have any dangling pieces––even though we don't have much heavy equipment or machinery in the office, those pieces still could get caught somewhere (between upper and lower incisors, for example).

All the volunteers, including some not pictured (like Mimi Sullivan, who was walking around the first floor of the Ministries Hall last Wednesday rocking a droopy-eyed Gus to sleep), seemed to enjoy Gus's company, but no one could quite get a read on Sexton Benjamin Singleton's true feelings. Does he like him? Yea or nay?

And while it does seem like we have plenty of part-time and volunteer help around the office, Gus nonetheless took it upon himself to flag down a young Golden Retriever he saw on the sidewalk after work one day to tell him all about what a great place to work St. Philip's is. As it turns out, Marshall the Golden is himself a St. Philippian––and he lives right down the street! He seems like he'd be a great addition to the team (even if he were to get scooped by the music department)––he's smart, polite, and very tolerant of puppy teeth––but he hasn't yet turned in an application. Fingers crossed!

If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you already knew most of this news. But if it was new to you and you haven't followed us yet, why don't you take a moment to follow us right now? That way, you too can be among the first to hear stories like these!

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

May 20 ~ No Rector's Bible Study

May 26 ~ Last Wednesdays Alive! service before summer recess

May 27 ~ Last Rector's Bible Study before summer recess

May 31 ~ Memorial Day (church office closed)

June 6 ~ Choral Evensong (5:00 p.m.)

June 7-11 ~ Preschool Summer Camp (session one)

June 13 ~ Senior Recognition in Sunday bulletin and inSPIRE (date change)

June 29 ~ Red Cross Blood Drive (Parish Hall, time TBD)

July 12-16 ~ Preschool Summer Camp (session two)

We pray for the sick: Sam Chesnutt, Diane Christensen, Patty Cox, Sarah Fayard, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, James Gettys III, Robert Gould, Steve Green, Jonathan Hanger, Jack Howell, Steve Jarrett, Clark Johnson, Denise Keranen, Claudia Kolster, Joe Livesay, Connor Lowndes, Steve Melvin, Andrew Nash, Deborah Pollak, Fran Sanders, Rose Tisdale, Mike Walsh, Carolyn Warlick, Lindsey Wing, and Charlie Yoho.

We pray for our expectant parents: Justin and Molly Hare, Tim and Liz Strickland.

We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Chris and Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Hayes Fair, Morgan and Mason Herring, Andrew Kane, Horry Kerrison, Charles Kirkman, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Zach McFadden, 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 Water Mission and the Global Water Center, for The Persecuted Church, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.