~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
March 29, 2020
The Fifth Sunday in Lent
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No printed inSPIRE this week
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The church office will remain closed and all in-person church activities through March 31 have been cancelled per Bishop Lawrence's directive.
We will be offering online worship during this time. Please check with your Bible study leader for any updates regarding online meetings.
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"The desire to be 'doing something' is natural, but the Scriptures remind us that God’s voice is not to be heard in the whirlwind of activity, but in the still, small voice. As we seek to comply with the mandates and restrictions laid on us by the governing authorities, let’s seize this opportunity to be still before the Lord." Click the link below to read a letter from the Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller, Rector.
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Looking for ways to connect with and engage your family in faith formation during this time of uncertainty and distancing? Just click the link below for a selection of curated resources and find one that works for your family.
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Pictured above: yesterday's virtual staff meeting.
While the church office is closed, our staff is available by email, and the members of our clergy are available in the event of a pastoral emergency or to help you, talk with you, and be there for you in any way you need; please feel free to call them at the numbers listed below. If you know of a parishioner who may be in need of assistance, please reply to this email.
The Rev. Jeff Miller: (843) 812-0556
The Rev. Andrew O'Dell: (843) 639-9084
The Rev. Marc Boutan: (843) 737-1277
The Rev. Brian McGreevy: (843) 793-9830
The Rev. Ryan Streett: (843) 601-1120
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When the Church Broke the Internet
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We dotted all our I's and crossed all our T's; we had every hair in place and all our ducks in a row, but we weren't prepared ... for breaking the Internet!
Thanks to everyone who joined us for worship on Sunday! Even though the service didn't come to your living room in quite the mode we were expecting, you were unfazed, and most of us were able to worship together just as we'd planned. Praise God!
Here's a note we received from our streaming platform on Sunday afternoon:
From: Church Online Platform
Re: When the Church Broke the Internet.
This is an unprecedented time for the global Church and for online ministry. For most churches running the Church Online Platform, services went smoothly, and we praise Jesus for the lives that were forever changed! For some churches, though, services went out around 9:15 a.m. CDT/10:15 EDT. In anticipation of the highest-traffic weekend in history, the team had done in-depth load testing and purchased additional server and database capacity to meet the projected demand. But, with today’s traffic, an unanticipated variable arose that caused some issues with chat and with pages loading.
The team pushed out a fix and services were fully restored by 11:20 a.m. CDT. If you have services this evening or this week, the platform is performing at full capability! Apps and sites across the entire Internet were affected by this global movement of people attending church online—Facebook Live, YouTube, Boxcast, Zoom, and others had failures during that peak morning window. But, it’s a matter of perspective. We love how Aaron from Abundant Grace Community Church put it! “So not only has the Church broken down the 4 walls, but we also broke the Internet! I’m thankful for that! Millions around the world gathered to lift up the name of Jesus!” And in spite of the downtime in some of our Church Online services, God still moved in 28,000 people who clicked the Salvation Moment through Church Online!
We’re already hard at work supporting the rest of this week’s services and scaling up for next weekend, and the team is working with Google and other 3rd-party vendors to assess and increase our capacity again. Please know we are working our hardest and putting as much of our resources toward the platform as possible.
Please look for an email later in the week with details about this week's service, including instructions on how to watch and printable versions of our bulletin.
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The Great Commission:
By the Power of the Holy Spirit
by Tammy Gottshalk, World Missions Committee
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We celebrated Mission Sunday last week and had the opportunity to highlight the many ways that we as a congregation at St. Philip's are “doing mission,” or reaching out to others with the love of God in the name of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mission is an integral part of what God calls us to do as Christ-followers.
While the Great Commission is commonly thought to be the Bible’s one mandate to mission, if we read scripture carefully, we will hear God’s heart for the world woven powerfully throughout all of the Bible. Jesus’ command that we take the Gospel to those who have not yet heard it was not simply an afterthought at the end of his earthly ministry. It was a continuation of the message we find consistently throughout Scripture: God loves us. Despite our rebellion, He went to unfathomable lengths to make it possible for us to know Him and His great love for us and for us to be with Him for all eternity.
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A Virtual Walk For Water
by Jill Ackerman Settle, Team St. Philip's Captain
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After church on March 8, a few of our enthusiastic youth gathered for their 2nd annual Water Mission fundraiser outside of the Food and Wine Festival at Marion Square.
Each one played an important role as part of the effort. Their duties ranged from holding signs and handing out brochures to boldly approaching strangers and engaging in conversation. One of their favorite attention-grabbers was "Would you like to help save lives?" They educated passersby on the purpose of Water Mission and the upcoming Walk for Water. Folks were encouraged by seeing our youth taking on this charge.
My son John, a 7th-grader, said, "We explained that only $10 would provide safe water for an entire family for life. That motivated people to donate." This year they raised $145 and encouraged others to visit the
Water Mission website.
"What a fun experience," said Wolfgang Barnwell, another 7th-grader. "I enjoyed raising money for a good cause. Everyone needs clean water."
It was indeed a blessing to serve God by helping those in need!
The Settle boys, along with family members and fellow St. Philippian and friend Bruce McLeod, rounded out this project by participating in the virtual Walk for Water, keeping a safe distance from folks passing by. It was an honor for us to walk so that others truly won't have to!
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Jill and John Settle, front, with Bruce McLeod and Patricia Ackerman, on their Walk for Water.
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The Lancaster family and Cynthia Patteson also participated in Water Mission's virtual Walk for Water. Did you participate? Send us your pictures!
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College Fellowship is Coming to Your Computer or Phone Tonight at 7:00!
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College students, meet up with the Rev. Ryan Streett and your peers tonight at 7:00! Call or text Fr. Ryan at (843) 601-1120 or email him for the link and other details.
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Pray for 8 Minutes Tonight at 8!
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Marnie Kerrison, Prayer Advisor of the St. Philip's ECW (Every Church Woman), invites you to join a movement and pray for eight minutes tonight and every night at 8:00 p.m.! From the 8at8pm website:
Come before the Lord
Right now is a time to humble ourselves together before the Lord. Regular life has been upended. Much of what we rely on seems up for grabs. How can we live in a time like this? What can we count on?
We believe God is calling us to run to Him, the One who from the beginning has given us life. 8@8 is a group of people who are committing to pray for 8 minutes at 8 p.m. every night. Our prayer is that 8@8 gathers individuals, families, and friends to pray together-- within their homes, online with someone else, or by phone.
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Do You Have Needs? Or Would You Like to Help Those Who Do?
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The St. Philip's Joshua 1:9 Initiative is a response team for our church members while we are all experiencing the challenges of COVID-19. This is a united effort of the Compassion Committee, the Home Missions Team, the Disaster Relief Committee, and our clergy. We are here to help each other!
Please contact us if...
- You or a family member needs help getting groceries, prescriptions, running critical errands (FYI: Delta Pharmacy and Pitt Street Pharmacy both deliver).
- You or a family member is living in essential isolation and would like to hear from the church or a member of the clergy.
- You or a family member would be willing to help with these efforts!
Email Monti Hanger or call Callie McLaurin at (803) 530-2323 if you need help or you would like to join the team.
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The Red Cross Reports Severe Blood Shortage, Donors Urgently Needed
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The American Red Cross now faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations during this coronavirus outbreak. Right now, eligible and healthy donors are strongly urged to make an appointment to provide lifesaving blood products to patients. You can find details on this need, your eligibility, and how to schedule an appointment at the link below.
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A message from your Home Missions Team:
If you can give blood now, please do so. Your small sacrifice can help save a life during this time of urgent need. Right here in our own community, MUSC is the largest user of blood in the state of South Carolina due to the type of complex patient care that it provides.
Additionally, your Home Missions Team has organized a return of the Red Cross Blood Mobile to St. Philip’s on May 14. The Home Missions Team has discerned that God has opened a door for us to be salt and light in our community by participating in and encouraging blood donations. Let us seize this opportunity to bless those around us in the name of Jesus and thereby let the people of Charleston know the Lord cares. If you can donate now, please do so and don’t wait for our May 14 blood drive.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.––John 15:13
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see … you sick … and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ––Matthew 25:37-40
Can you donate blood and help give the gift of life to a stranger in need?
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Haiti Annual Feast Day Mission
June 24-29, 2020
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We recently celebrated our 25-year partnership with our sister church, St. Jean Baptiste on the island of La Gonâve, Haiti, and this summer we plan once again to journey to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ, offering them encouragement through our mission of presence during their annual feast day celebration. Is God calling you to be a part of this year’s team? We encourage anyone with interest or questions to contact Gerry or Suzanne McCord. Please note that the information session scheduled for this Sunday has been cancelled.
I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. Psalm 57:9
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Membership Directory
Are you looking for a fellow parishioner's contact information? Our directory is online! Click the "My St. Philip's" button on our homepage,
stphilipschurchsc.org
, to log in or sign up for an account. And for easy access on your phone, download the Church Life app!
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We pray for the sick: Walton Avery; Katie Burris; Ed Dibble; Elizabeth Flowers; Meredith Gale; Robert Gould; Nick Gudzan, Janet Hanger, Jonathan Hanger; Bobby Hood, Sr.; Jane Jilich; Barbara Lisle; Joe Livesay; Kimbrough McEniry; Peter Moore; Sharon Nix; Harold Patteson; Benjamin Schools, Lindsey Wing, and Steve Wood.
We pray for our expectant parents: Henslee and Van Elliott, Ralph and Anna Gray Baker.
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,
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 Committee.
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.
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Collect for
the Fifth Sunday in Lent:
O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings for Sunday
:
- Psalm 130
- Romans 6:15-23
- John 11:18-44
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ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH
142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401
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