Saturday, the 20th of November, dawned windy and chilly with temperatures in the high 40s, but that did not stop 10 Saint Philippians from driving to Saint Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Seabrook Island for the fall cleanup day. Saint Christopher has been a sacred place where our triune God has met and blessed so many people in this Diocese. With COVID having devastated the budget of Saint Christopher, the maintenance staff has been reduced from seven people to two, so Saturday’s mission was to restore some of the glory of the grounds of this sacred place.

Armed with pole saws, loppers, chain saws, rakes, and clippers, Nancy and Lee Batchelder, Pam Paroli, Sam Robinson, John Kerrison, Steve and Elaine Jarrett, Andrew O’Dell, Bill Kauffman, and I tackled the vines, overgrown shrubbery, palmetto fronds, and stickers that had surrounded cabins, cottages, and the dining hall. Saint Christopher’s chipper was invaluable in shredding limbs, vines, fronds and shrubbery, but after several hours, the chipper was worn out and quit working, so the group used Saint Christopher’s truck to move 10 truckloads to the camp compost area! Thanks be to God for giving them the energy to make such progress at Saint Christopher and restoring some of its glory!

Last week, members of the Home Missions Team dug out all their supplies and met up to get all of the beautiful ornaments ready to go on the angel trees, which will be in place in the narthex this Sunday! (We are pleased to report that all glitter in the team's work area and on their persons has been cleaned up!)

The next time you come to church, please bring a $25 gift card to Walmart, Target, Family Dollar, or Publix, and choose an ornament from the tree as a thank-you! Or take an ornament with you as a reminder to bring a gift card with you next time.

Click the link below for the complete details of this home missions project, which will offer parents in need the dignity of choosing and purchasing Christmas gifts for their children or fixing a Christmas meal, bless the teachers of Simmons-Pinckney Middle School, and more.

Star Gospel will need three “caseworkers” and two “greeters” each day (except Sunday) December 1-7. Caseworkers will attend a brief training that morning and then distribute assistance to those who have made an appointment. Good Cheer Greeters will assist executive director Dr. Marion Platt in welcoming mission guests, serving coffee and/or cocoa, and ensuring every person is encouraged that day.

Volunteers will serve hot meals, distribute holiday turkeys, and pass out stockings to the children in attendance. Gift cards from the St. Philip’s angel tree will also be distributed to families during the party. Space is limited, so for more information or to volunteer with our St. Philip’s team on December 18, please contact Jennie Richardson at (843) 364-2912 or jmerr3975@aol.com. 

Three thousand four hundred years ago, God put these words in the mouth of an infamous magus from the East named Balaam. His intended curse of Israel was transformed into a prophetic blessing. Fourteen hundred years later, this prophecy was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ. Once again, God used magi from the East to proclaim the “newborn King of the Jews.” Why did God choose to announce his birth to magi from the East and an anonymous group of shepherds in the fields? What was “his star” that drew the wise men to Judea? What does this “star” tell us about when Jesus was born, and how does it relate to his death? Join us as Alan Runyan leads this study of “The Star Out of Jacob” during the Rector’s Forum on December 5 and December 12.

St. Philip's will hold a noonday prayer service in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd (located between the church and the Parish House) on Tuesday, December 7, in anticipation of the State Supreme Court hearing on December 8. The hearing will be live-streamed, and our diocese will also be holding a virtual prayer vigil on December 7 and an on-site prayer vigil at Camp St. Christopher on December 8. Please click the link below for further details.

If you would like to make a contribution to the Christmas Flower Fund as a memorial or in thanksgiving for a loved one, please click the link below and submit your information by December 15. After you complete the form, you may pay online through the My St. Philip's portal of our website, stphilipschurchsc.org, or you may drop off a check payable to St. Philip's Church at the church office or mail it to:

St. Philip's Church

Attn: Juli Garland, Christmas Flowers

142 Church St.

Charleston, SC 29401

Join us for a beloved St. Philip’s tradition as we celebrate Lessons and Carols, wherein God’s plan of salvation is traced in Scripture and song from the creation of the world through the wondrous incarnation of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Based upon the service instituted at King’s College Cambridge in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I, this glorious time of worship full of joy and hope is not to be missed!

Immediately following Lessons and Carols, please join us in the Parish Hall for our annual Wassail Bowl reception, where you may mingle with St. Philippian friends, family, newcomers, and guests while munching on refreshments. And of course there will be plenty of hot mulled cider––otherwise known as wassail––to go around!

Park legally! The City of Charleston has kindly let many violations go recently, but they've let us know they will need to be stricter on Sunday mornings. Be mindful of:

Remember that free parking is available in the lot on the corner of Cumberland and Church Streets and in the parking garage directly across the street for ALL services, including Wednesdays Alive!, weddings, and funerals. In the lot, do not double park or block (even partially) either entrance or exit, and be sure you are parking in a lined space. The gate of the garage may be open as you exit following the service; if it is not, you may speak to an attendant or press the “help” button on the ticket box by the gate. Free parking in the lot and in the garage is not granted for any non-church activities following the services (lunch, shopping, etc.).

Mark your calendar for January 15, and prepare yourself for a fabulous evening of enjoying (and bidding on!) beautiful artwork in the Parish Hall, mingling with friends, sipping wine or soda, and supporting the St. Philip’s Choir as they prepare for their internship at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London next summer! The evening will begin with a silent auction, and the live auction will follow. Have artwork to donate? Contact Pat Gould at pgould@stphilipschurchsc.org or (843) 364-9552––and please invite your artist friends to donate, too!

The Rev. Brian K. McGreevy will be preaching this Sunday at our services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and Morning Prayer at 10:30 a.m.

We've seen lots of interesting drawings on Wednesday and Sunday bulletins ... Harry Potter scenes? Yep, seen those. Robot aliens? Those, too. Pilgrims? Sure. Star Wars scenes? Of course! Plus we've seen games (Hangman is a favorite) and notes (those usually start with "Tell Mom").

But this display is the first of its kind. So much math. So very much correct math––nice job, young scholar! And you gave yourself an A+ (you can see it on the right side of the stained glass) instead of waiting a week and a half for your grade to come back––smart! Well, we would've given you an A+, too, without even checking all your answers, just because of your very visible mathtastic enthusiasm! Keep up the great work!

Contact Frenchie Richards, who will connect you with a prayer minister who will pray for your concerns over the phone: frichards7@aol.com.

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

Dec. 1 ~ Monthly Men’s Lunch (Chris Singleton, noon in the Parish Hall)

Dec. 3 ~ ECW Advent Luncheon (Betsy Cahill, noon in the Parish Hall)

Dec. 4 ~ Advent Drop-In at the Rectory (3:00-6:00 p.m.)

Dec. 5 ~ "Star out of Jacob" (Rector's Forum with guest Alan Runyan)

Dec. 7 ~ Prayer service for State Supreme Court hearing (noon in the chapel)

Dec. 10 ~ Greening of the Church

Dec. 12 ~ "Star out of Jacob" (Rector's Forum with guest Alan Runyan)

Dec. 12~ Lessons and Carols, Wassail Bowl

Dec. 24 ~ Christmas Eve services (4:30 p.m. Christmas Pageant, 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Festival Holy Eucharist)

Dec. 25 ~ Christmas Day Holy Communion (10:00 a.m.)

Dec. 26 ~ No 8:15 service (10:30 service only)

Jan. 15 ~ Art Auction with Jeff Miller, auctioneer

We pray for the sick: Harry Carr, Sally Fayard, Mark and Cindy Fields, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Mary Anne Hanckel, Susan Hemminger, John Jerger, Kevin Kane, Claudia Kolster, Sabrina Lipscomb, Joe Livesay, Connor Lowndes, Marshall Lynch, Lucille MacLennan, Beverly Melvin, John Murray, Juanita Orvin, Olivia Palmer, Isla Pearce, Owen Ravenel, Mave Riggs, Valerie Rouillard, Wanda Russer, Fran Sanders, Jay Schrimpf, Larry Scoville, Lynne Scoville, Jason Stryker, Lawrence Timoney, Hope Walters, Lindsey Wing, and Libby Wright, and Richard Wright.

We pray for our expectant parents: Kimbrell and Bruce Blackwood, Katie and Ruben Perez-Phillips,  Lauren and Ashton Phillips.

We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Chris and Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Hayes Fair, Tripp Hathaway, Morgan and Mason Herring, 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 missions: Star Gospel Mission, Neighbors Together, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, and St. John's Chapel.

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.