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~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
July 21, 2024
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 11
no inSPIRE or eSPIRE next week
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In the wake of the shocking violence in Butler, Pennsylvania, this past weekend, let us turn our hearts to the Lord and pray for our nation and its leaders in these times of volatility and uncertainty. The following two prayers may be of help, the first of which Archbishop Steve Wood invited the ACNA to pray this weekend, and the second of which we prayed at St. Philip’s this past Sunday:
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail. We pray for the families of those who were killed or injured during the violent attack in Pennsylvania and pray for a full and speedy recovery for former President Trump. Have mercy on our nation, O Lord, and be Thou always our shield and our defender, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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TONIGHT
Getting the Band Back Together:
Summer Praise Music Night
5:30 p.m. in the church
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We know you've been missing your Wednesday evening worship and praise music, and guess what? Your praise team has been missing it, too! So join them for an evening of prayer and musical praise TONIGHT at 5:30 p.m. Come as you are, of course! | |
Endless Summer Youth Group
Wednesdays through July 31 ~ 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall
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Youth group is BACK every Wednesday through July! 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. | |
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 23 ~ 7:00 p.m. at Henry's on the Market
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You may be experiencing a bit of déjà vu looking at next week's ToT topic, but we promise the topic IS correct. Last week's ToT was cancelled because of the flooding downtown, so Justin and Brian's two very special guests took a rain check and will be sitting down with their fellas next week instead!
So young adults, come enjoy pizza (provided along with water), beverages of your choice if you'd like (cash bar), and a discussion about marriage, dating, and singleness, and as always, ask any questions you'd like anonymously through a texting app. Park for free in the church lot on the corner of Cumberland and Church Streets––and bring a friend!
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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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Nothing New Under the Sun
by Barbara Bellows Rockefeller,
Classical Christian School Planning Committee
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“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
–– Ecclesiastes 1:9
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On May 5, the Reverend Jeffrey Miller’s exciting announcement that St. Philip’s Church is planning a classical Christian school contingent upon successful completion of the Shine the Light Campaign was met with exclamations of “What a great idea!” and “Good News indeed!” That this was a splendid, much-needed innovation was the widespread consensus rippling through the large, curious crowd in the Parish Hall. That the school would be located in the church’s somewhat mysterious adjacent State Street property (once it was renovated) also sounded intriguing. But then the larger question settled in. What exactly is a classical Christian school?
Our dream is a school dedicated to raising up students to be ambassadors of Christ steeped in the best traditional and classical learning. The object is to teach students how to think and how to learn. We will strive for the three-fold ideal of the Christian church, family, and school working in harmony.
Rather than an innovation, our proposed classical Christian school is actually the flowering of a seed planted over three hundred years ago. Around 1710, about the time that the colonial Assembly first took up the question of building a new brick church to house the expanding congregation of St. Philip’s parish, the need for a school to provide religious and moral instruction for children also emerged as “a source of great solicitude” among Charleston’s inhabitants. Many believed that given the nature of the raucous port city, “leaving the young to their own pursuits and to the influence of evil example” would inevitably lead to “the decay of piety and morals.”
| Our Shine the Light Campaign: Now is the time for all of our parish family to come together with every gift pledge, large or small, as we celebrate God's work here at St. Philip's and prepare for future ministry. Whether it's a few dollars from a child's lemonade stand or a more substantial gift, every person in our parish family matters, and we want everyone to be part of this generational opportunity to shine the light. If you haven't yet pledged, now is the time--as the old song says, "This little light of mine; I'm going to let it shine!" We need all those lights together to shine brightly for the Gospel! | | | |
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A Report from the 2024 La Gonâve Haiti Partnership Conference
by Suzanne McCord, World Missions Committee
My husband, Gerry, and I just returned from the 2024 annual meeting of the La Gonâve Haiti Partnership at Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. You may remember that last year St. Philip’s was pleased to host the annual meeting. This annual conference is held in a different partner church each year.
A partnership by definition works when partners are sharing the work. Prior to the COVID pandemic and the civil unrest in Haiti, our Haitian partners would travel to the US to join us at the annual meetings, and each partner church would travel to Haiti to spend a week or so. However, over the last five years, the “old ways” of conducting our business have changed. Thankfully God knew what was coming and provided a new way for us to stay in touch. The partnership was able to get a computer lab installed on the island, and it was up and running prior to the COVID shutdown. So over these last five years, our communication has actually increased due to regular and high quality Zoom meetings. We also now have a wonderful Creole interpreter, so communications with our partners in Haiti are actually better and more consistent than ever.
Unfortunately, we all miss the face-to-face interaction and the hugs, and new people to the partnership are missing out on the experience of traveling to visit our partners in Haiti in person.
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House of Prayer: July Prayer Points
by Frenchie Richards, St. Philip's Prayer Team
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” ––Isaiah 56:7
“The effective fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much.” ––James 5:16a
Answered Prayers (Thank You, Lord):
1. For the increase in the financial gifts for the Shine the Light Campaign. 2. For continued blessings that Theology on Tuesdays has been for our young people. For Justin and Brian’s leadership. 3. For Guv and Steve’s adult forum series on “Life Changing Prayer” by Jim Cymbala. 4. For the classical Christian school plans. For the planning committee and subcommittees. 5. For our clergy, staff, and Vestry. 6. For the new parish nurse ministry with Susan Keller leading. 7. For the support raised ($7000) for Bed #1 at Star Gospel Mission. 8. For Justin’s time in Wittenberg, Germany, studying the Heart of the Reformation. Thanksgiving for safe travel and new relationships. 9. For the new Archbishop of ACNA, Steve Wood, and great thanksgiving for Foley Beach’s years of service.
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Teaching Position Open at St. Philip’s Preschool
St. Philip’s Preschool has an opening for a teaching position! This is a five-day, 8:15 until 12:15 commitment, from August through May. Please email preschool co-directors Lee Moore (lmoore@stphilipschurchsc.org) or Angela Clark (aclark@stphilipschurchsc.org) or call (843) 722-7610 if you would like to apply.
St. Philip’s Preschool offers a safe, loving, Christ-centered learning environment with a craft/activity-based curriculum for children ages three months through three years.
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This Sunday's Service and Class Information | | |
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The Rev. Andrew R. O'Dell 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. | |
Père Brian Ne Parle Pas Français Comme Une Vache Espagnole* | |
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If you've been hanging around St. Philip's for a while (no matter your definition of "a while"), you've probably noticed that we are always striving to be the best disciples we can be--to draw people to Jesus in every way we can, whether that's through worship, Bible studies, fellowship, or our podcasts.
And sometimes that means that we look to other churches to see how they're succeeding. Recently, Pam Dickson, whom you'd probably best recognize when she's playing the flute but who also serves as one of our Open Door docents, brought back a little inspo from a church in France, and the Rev. Brian McGreevy, who once upon a time practiced international intellectual property law in France, translated it for us during staff meeting yesterday (because there was more to it than "turn off your cell phones"):
It is possible that by entering this church, you will hear the call of God.
However, it is unlikely that he will contact you by telephone.
(We all got a nice little laugh at that.)
Thank you for silencing your phones.
If you want to talk to God, go in, choose a quiet place and talk to him.
But then it took a little turn:
If you want to meet him, text him while driving.
Welp, there's really no wrong place for a PSA, right? And that last line is...facts.
If you follow St. Philip's on social media, you probably already messaged us to let us know we need this sign hanging up in St. Philip's (before you saw that last bit about texting and driving...even though...should that change anything?). 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?
*If there's anything offensive in this French idiom, please blame Google and not your eSPIRE editor's ignorance.
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IMPORTANT DATES
July 17, 24, and 31 ~ Endless Summer Youth Group (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!)
August 25 ~ Goodbye, Summer! (young adults and families) ~ 3:00 p.m.
September 8 ~ Rally Sunday (10:30 a.m. service only, lunch to follow)
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We pray for the sick: Lisa Allis, Elizabeth Bowles, Judith Carr, Diane Christensen, Karen Collins, Sheppard Davis III, Mary Forbes, Larry Fowler, Emily Meyer Hall, Ricky Hanckel, Myron Harrington, Dana Heikes III, Marvin Kirkland, Rena Mack, LaVonne Marshall, Sarah Marshall, Amy McGreevy, 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:
O God, who declarest thine almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running to obtain thy gracious promises, may be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; 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:
- Isaiah 57:14-21
- Psalm 22:23-31
- Mark 6:30-44
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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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