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~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
July 7, 2024
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 9
no printed inSPIRE this week
no inSPIRE or eSPIRE next week
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Happy 4th!
Church office closed tomorrow and Friday
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The church office will be closed tomorrow and Friday in observance of Independence Day. In the event of a pastoral emergency, please contact the Rev. Bill Christian at (843) 327-0791.
O Lord God, by whose providence our fathers won their liberties of old: Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to exercise these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
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Sunday: Adult Forum Summer Series Continues
9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall
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Join Guv Gottshalk and Steve Graudin at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall on Sundays through August 4 for a video-based series, “Life Changing Prayer: Approaching the Throne of God” by Jim Cymbala, founder and pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church in Brooklyn, NY. Following the video, there will be time for discussion and questions on the video or any topic relating to prayer.
Please note that this series will not be streamed or recorded for copyright reasons.
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Theology on Tuesdays
July 9 ~ 7:00 p.m. at Henry's on the Market
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Endless Summer Youth Group
Wednesdays beginning July 10 ~ 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall
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Youth group is BACK on Wednesdays starting next week! ALL rising 6th–12th-graders will be enjoying games, fellowship, prayer, and teaching. We won't be eating supper, so please eat beforehand. Questions? Contact David Gilbert. | |
Other Upcoming Events and Registrations | |
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Open Invitation To Sing with the Choir for a Day!
Men Sing: July 28
Women Sing: August 11
We are calling all friends of the choir, retired choir members, young folks, and anyone who loves to sing to join us for an open choir Sunday this summer. Come to the choir room (second floor of the church office building) at 9:00 a.m. for a 45-minute rehearsal and vesting, followed by a quick run-through in the church prior to the 10:30 a.m. service.
Registration is preferred to help us plan, but walk-ins will be warmly welcomed! Questions? Contact Paul Reese.
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Shine The Light Campaign Update
by Campaign Co-Chairs Martha Freshley, Maybank Hagood, and Karen Phillips
| "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." ––Matthew 5:14–16 | |
Our Shine the Light Campaign officially commenced on April 20, 2023, with a goal of $21.5 million. When we announced our campaign, we had already secured donations and commitments for $10 million, and we currently have donations and commitments for $15.9 million! Praise God that 350 donors have stepped up and out in faith thus far. After fourteen months, we are so grateful to be 74% complete. If you have not already done so, please join us in the critical effort to prepare for St. Philip’s future.
Above: Scaffolding in the narthex allows construction workers to make necessary repairs.
Through prayer and discernment, each of our Shine the Light participants is making a crucial difference in the future of St. Philip’s. First, we will make a “generational fix” to our historic campus, restoring and repairing our facilities in such a way that routine maintenance will secure our campus for future generations––those fixes are already underway! Second, we will be completing a much-needed addition to the Parish House, one that will significantly increase the size of the Parish Hall (our second-floor meeting/dining room) and add multi-purpose classrooms on the first floor. Third, we will prepare future generations of students in the Charleston community with the recently announced classical Christian school.
Our Shine the Light campaign gives each of us the opportunity to pay it forward to future generations of St. Philip’s parishioners. Please join us today with a pledge (up to three years) or donation.
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Pledge forms and donation checks may be mailed to the church office:
St. Philip's Church
Attn: Shine the Light
142 Church St.
Charleston, SC 29401
Questions about your pledge or donation? Email Denise Pickford or call her at (854) 429-1944.
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Another Successful Blood Drive!
by Connie Rink, Home Missions Team
A huge THANK YOU for choosing to donate, volunteer, and help spread the word for our blood drive! Not only did we meet our goal of 45, we exceeded it by reaching a whopping 50 units collected! This is our second-most successful blood drive ever at St Philip’s! With a number of walk-ins, Power Reds, and 17% new donors, we were able to finish strong. What that means for our Lowcountry hospitals and patients is that up to 150 lives have been positively impacted or saved, which is super awesome!
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We had the pleasure of a visit from US Ambassador (Ret.) Tom Carter, who is a Red Cross of South Carolina board member. He spent time personally thanking our donors and stellar Red Cross team as well as raising awareness for the continual need for blood. While about 37% of the US population is able to give blood, only 3% choose to donate. Ambassador Carter shared that he often asks folks to consider whether one of their loved ones might need the gift of blood at some point. This is exactly the inspiration for a young lady who donated blood at our drive, who shared with me, "I remember how much blood my dad needed to complete his treatments for cancer and want to help others in need.”
If you are able, please consider signing up for our next drive on Tuesday, September 24, to give the gift of life!
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Summer Reading for Grandchildren
C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia": A Creative Way to Share the Gospel Through Stories
Are you concerned about your grandchildren growing up in the current culture? Enjoy listening to this podcast by our own Brian McGreevy as he explains how C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia can help break the spell of secularism enchantment. Gift your grandchildren the series and challenge them to read the books this summer. Maybe offer an incentive prize or host a movie night to watch "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" or "Prince Caspian" on Disney Plus. Afterwards, enjoy a conversation with them, asking in what ways the story of Aslan is similar to the story of Jesus. For older grands, create a Chronicles of Narnia trivia game and have parents join in for more fun and conversation. Get creative as we continue to be intentional in nurturing the faith of our grandchildren!
Pictured above: The Generations Ministry lending library located in the Parlor of the church office building. Please stop in?
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Weekly Service Information | |
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Midweek Morning Prayer
Wednesdays at 8:00 in the Chapel
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This Sunday's Service and Class Information | | |
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The Rev. Brian K. McGreevy is preaching at our services of Holy Eucharist at 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday School is in summer recess. Guv Gottshalk and Steve Graudin's summer adult forum series begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Nursery and children's church during the 10:30 service are available year-round. | |
Does ANYONE Work in the Summer? | |
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It's getting a little hard to keep track of where everyone is right now--we just know that from week to week, several staffers are somewhere other than in the church office. Roving Smile Ambassador Marshall, who keeps up with all the St. Philip's news, decided to follow suit and also take some vacation time this summer. He let us know of his plans/whereabouts via email:
I thought I would join the other staff members and also take a little time off from my Sidewalk Smile Mission in the countryside of NY (no sidewalks!) to explore rural pursuits. I considered swimming, but too cold and too deep. Nature study (aka frog hunting) and hill climbing are fun. On warm days, I like to chill out and become one with nature. I also went to summer camp. Nice NY dogs but they bark differently than we do in Charleston. ❤️ Marshall
Marshall, it's always so lovely to hear from you––but we can't wait to see you back on Church Street! In the meantime, keep 'em straight up there!
If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you already knew about Marshall's well-deserved summer vacation. But if this is news to you, why not take a minute right now to give us a follow so that you, too, can be among the first to hear about schedule changes, special events, and all the latest church office news?
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IMPORTANT DATES
July 10–August 7 ~ Endless Summer Youth Group (Wednesdays 6:00–8:30)
July 17 ~ Getting the Band Back Together: Summer Praise Music Night (5:30 p.m. in the church)
July 28 ~ Men's Choir Sunday (all men of the parish are invited to sing with the choir!)
August 11 ~ Women's Choir Sunday (all women of the parish are invited to sing with the choir!)
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Never miss a sermon!
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We pray for the sick: Lisa Allis, Harold Arnold, Elizabeth Bowles, Judith Carr, Diane Christensen, Karen Collins, Sheppard Davis III, Alice Dupre, Mary Forbes, Larry Fowler, Emily Meyer Hall, Ricky Hanckel, Myron Harrington, Dana Heikes III, Larry Huff, Marvin Kirkland, Rena Mack, LaVonne Marshall, Sarah Marshall, Amy McGreevy, Alice Stender Powell, Newton Quantz, Ann Rhett, Fran Sanders, Esther Spade, and Pat Wardlaw.
We pray for our expectant parents: Laura and Bucky Parks, Ruben and Katie Pérez-Phillips.
We pray for protection for those serving in the armed forces: Becca Baird, Janie Baird, Henry Clayton, David Daughtridge, Eric Gaines, Andrew Kane, Quin Kane, Horry Kerrison, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, Edward Pritchard, Nathaniel Rollings, David Scott, and Asada Williams.
We pray for our home and world missions: Lowcountry Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hope to Home, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, Star Gospel Mission, 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.
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Collect for Sunday:
Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things that are right; that we, who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Readings for Sunday:
- 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
- Psalm 123
- Mark 6:1–6
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ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH
142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 722-7734, www.stphilipschurchsc.org
Church Office Hours
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Friday
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