~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
May 3, 2020
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
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No printed inSPIRE this week
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The church office is closed and all in-person church activities are cancelled per Bishop Lawrence's directive and the stay-at-home mandate for Charleston.
We will be offering worship online during this time.
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Click below to subscribe to our Vimeo and/or YouTube channel, where you may also go to join us for worship online.
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An email with printable Sunday bulletins will be coming later in the week.
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Online Offering: The Rector's Bible Study TOMORROW
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There was an even bigger crowd at week two of the online Rector's Bible Study, and there's always room for more! Fix yourself a sandwich, grab your Bible and a seat on your couch, and click the link below a few minutes before noon tomorrow to join!
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Online Offering: The Rev. Brian McGreevy's "Screwtape Letters" Class TONIGHT
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The Rev. Brian McGreevy continues with his exploration of C.S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters" Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.! You may stream the class on our streaming site,
saintphilips.online.church, where you will be able to chat with others before and after class (and during, but you'll be busy listening!) or you may watch at your convenience
on YouTube beginning at the same time.
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Breaking News: ZERO Staff Birthdays April 28 to May 4
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Pictured above: Yesterday's virtual staff meeting with not even one birthday to celebrate!
The staff enjoyed another virtual meeting yesterday––despite not having any birthdays to celebrate! In addition to the regular work-related discussion, we heard about a special delivery to the Miller household (Rector's Bible Study attendees might hear about that on tomorrow!), Chisolm Leonard's and Marc Boutan's various encounters with Wadmalaw wildlife, and David Gilbert's adventures in mudding.
This new way of life is beginning to feel a little less new for many; a few of our staff members made comparisons to
Groundhog Day. Is monotony or anything else weighing on you? Please respond to this email or fill out the questionnaire below to let us know how you're doing or what we can do to help you. Our clergy, staff, and various members of our parish are available and eager to assist in so many different ways. Feel free also to give any of the priests a call; they would love to hear your voice.
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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Home Missions Team Designates Funds for Our Partner Ministries
by Swain Marion, Home Missions Team Co-Chair
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The Home Missions Team at St Philip’s has continued to stay in touch during our “stay at home” order and recently had our first Zoom meeting; what a thrill to see each other’s faces and smiles! We were able to conduct our normal team meeting and debrief on each of our families as well as our partner ministries. With many needs at Star Gospel, Tricounty Family Ministries, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, and St. John’s Chapel, the team unanimously voted to approve $500 for each ministry from the Vestry-approved account for this year, so that these partners can purchase desperately needed items such as food, diapers, and toilet paper. Also a big shout-out to William Bird for the donation of hand sanitizer to Star Gospel Ministries!
If you are looking for volunteer opportunities during this time, Tricounty Family Ministries can use your help on Tuesdays (grocery bagging) and Wednesdays (food distribution). Click the link below to read a letter from Tricounty's executive director Kara Stewart and learn how you can help.
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Daily Devotions from the St. Philip's Clergy
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These reflections are posted to the news section of our website (
stphilipschurchsc.org/news
) Monday through Friday at 7:00 a.m., but you may also receive direct links to the videos by subscribing below.
Last Thursday, the Rev. Brian McGreevy took a closer look at one of the oldest Easter hymns, "That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright," which has been used in worship since at least the 8th century––we sang it on Sunday!
On Friday, the Rev. Andrew O'Dell helped us better understand the Holy Spirit, the least understood person of the Holy Trinity.
The Rev. Marc Boutan started this week off by illustrating the message of 2 Corinthians 12:9 with Dennis Jernigan's "You Are My All in All." Yesterday, the Rev. Ryan Streett encouraged us to turn to the Bible in
preparation
for trials and difficulty, referring to Psalm 119 as a guide. Today, the Rev. Jeff Miller will be talking to us about the account of Jesus healing a man with leprosy in Mark 1:40-45 and considering what it teaches us about Jesus Christ, the Great Physician.
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Is Someone In Your Family Graduating?
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We would love once again to recognize our hardworking graduates in the eSPIRE––it's especially important this year! If you or someone in your family is graduating this spring, please submit the information at the link below.
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Serving the Lord in Song:
Children's Choirs at St. Philip's
by Jolene Hethcox, Children's Choir Director
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The Children’s Choirs at St. Philip’s, under the direction of Jolene Hethcox (Cherub, St. Nicholas, Canterbury, and St. David Choirs) and Andrea White (St. Cecilia Choir), were scheduled to sing for the morning prayer service on April 26. In the absence of coming together to worship the Lord in song, we are sending you a story and these pictures of our lovely and sweet children.
Above: Yesterday's Zoom rehearsal with the Cherub and St. Nicholas Choirs. Below: Choir collage!
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St. Philip’s Children’s Choir program brings together almost one hundred children who actively serve the Lord in rehearsals on a weekly basis September through May. The joy and love of serving the Lord in song begins early at St. Philip’s with the three- and four-year-olds of the Cherub Choir. These children grow in their love of the Lord and in their service to the Lord in song throughout their many years in the choir program.
During the last two years, the Canterbury and St. David Choirs were involved in missions, sharing the Gospel through song beyond Charleston. The first was singing at the convention of the American Choral Directors Association in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 22, 2018, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these choristers.
Upon returning from the convention, plans for the 2019 European Tour began, and the choirs sent audition recordings to Notre Dame Paris, hoping to be accepted to sing there in 2019. By July 2018, our choir rejoiced in being invited to sing at Notre Dame Paris; we were scheduled to sing a service on July 28, 2019. You all know about the fire at Notre Dame on April 15, 2019. Our choirs mourned along with the world on that day, but plans moved forward to find an alternate church where we could sing to the Lord in Paris during our tour.
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Thank You to Our Would-Be Tea Room Volunteers!
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Harry Gregorie, Jane McGreevy, and Carol Robinson volunteering at the 2019 Tea Room.
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Today is supposed to be Day 3 of the 2020 St. Philip's Tea Room. We're missing out on that laughter-filled, sweat-filled, music-filled, hectic and wonderful week, but we can still thank all of our amazing volunteers! Thank you, thank you to this year's chairs, Hope Gamble and Amanda Ayers––these ladies, along with their committee heads, had already put a LOT of work into getting things ready for this year's Tea Room before it was cancelled. Lots of folks had already signed up to work as waitstaff, bussers, greeters, cashiers, kitchen helpers, and delivery drivers (and more!), and many had already committed to making desserts and donating to the gift shop. Thank you! And thank you to those St. Philippians we count on to show up in the same role year after year––there are too many to name! The Tea Room requires so many helping hands every year, and every year St. Philippians put their hands in and make it such a success.
Tea Room 2021 will be here before we know it! Keep working on your favorite dessert recipes—or even find some NEW favorites. Wouldn’t now be a great time to experiment? We can’t wait to try them––next year.
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Above left: Mrs. Emily "Miss Em" Whipple with one of her famous Lady Baltimore cakes. Above right: Queens of the Dessert Room Cantey Foxworth, Betsy Grimball. Monti Hanger, and Elizabeth Dixon.
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Next Thursday, May 7: National Day of Prayer
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Would You Like Someone to Pray With You?
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To pray WITH someone:
Call Juanita Orvin, who will connect you with a prayer minister who will pray for your concerns over the phone.
To ask for prayer FOR someone:
Call Suzanne McCord, head of the prayer chain, and she will pass your request on to members of the chain.
Both options are always confidential.
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Never miss a sermon!
Click below to subscribe to our Sermons podcast.
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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, Gus Croome, Ed Dibble, Elizabeth Flowers, Robert Gould, Janet Hanger, Jonathan Hanger, Jane Jilich, Gene Lesesne, Joe Livesay, Kimbrough McEniry, Peter Moore, Sharon Nix, Benjamin Schools, and Lindsey Wing.
We grieve with and pray for Irene Rowe and family on the death of her mother, Patricia S. Rowe, on April 24.
We grieve with and pray for the family of John Thomson Witsell, Jr., who died on April 27.
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
Sunday:
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of thy people; Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calleth us each by name, and follow where he doth lead; who, with thee and the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings for Sunday
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- Psalm 23
- 1 Peter 2:13-25
- John 10:1-10
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ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH
142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401
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HERE
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