A letter from our rector, the Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller, announcing St. Philip's new Assistant to the Rector for Pastoral Care was mailed and emailed last week. Please click here to read that letter, and learn more about the Rev. Bill Christian in his bio below.

The son of a Lutheran pastor, the Rev. William K. Christian III was born in New Rockford, North Dakota, and raised in Wisconsin’s rural dairy land. He attended Concordia University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Concordia Senior College in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, earning his Bachelor of Arts in systematic theology as well as speech and communication in 1974. Bill received his Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1978 and was ordained as a Lutheran pastor in Denver, Colorado, that same year. In 1986, he graduated from Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, with a degree in Anglican theological studies, and was ordained as an Episcopal deacon and priest.

Bill served as pastoral care associate at The Church of St. Michael and St. George under the late Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr., who went on to serve as Bishop of South Carolina. Bill has also served as rector of two parishes: The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and School in San Antonio, Texas. He has been the executive director and pastor of Star Gospel Mission since 2001.

Bill enjoys working out, woodturning, working in the yard, and traveling. He and his wife, Sarah, have been married for 36 years and have been active members of St. Philip’s for five years. They live in Mt. Pleasant with their two adoring English Cockers, Maggie and Bella.

Jesus nudged me to write out the gospel in preparation for a Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) mission trip to Uganda in May of 2011. On a yellow legal pad I wrote the story of Jesus walking on the shore of Lake Galilee. He watched Simon and Andrew as they cast their nets into the sea and said to them, “Come follow me and I will make you into men who catch people instead of fish!”

Walking a little farther, Jesus found two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. Again Jesus said, “Follow me.” At once all of these fishermen left everything and followed Him!

Multiple yellow pages accumulated on my kitchen table recounting the message of the gospel to repent and receive forgiveness of sins, and Jesus and His authority speaking to turbulent seas, rebuking demons, and healing the sick, culminating in His death on the cross, shedding His blood, paying the price to redeem us, and bringing us to our Abba Father. The amazing Good News!

Our SOMA Team landed in sultry Uganda just a few days later. For Tom and me, the core of the mission was speaking at a Clergy and Wives Conference in the Ankole Diocese on the topic of marriage, “The One Flesh Relationship.”

Thinking we had completed the mission, I leaned back and relaxed in the Toyota van filled with young Ugandan priests and our team. We laughed and talked and ate samosas. After a precarious boat ride to see hippos, crocs, and exotic birds, we were back in our vehicle when Canon James Hinde asked our driver to take us off road.

Every day millions of people have to walk miles and miles just for water. Most of the time, the water they can find is contaminated and makes them sick. Water Mission, one of St. Philip's world mission partners, is changing lives, one community at a time, through their sustainable safe water solutions.

Each dollar raised by this event is going to make an impact through a safe water community development project! We hope you'll consider supporting our team by making a donation or registering to walk with us.

Questions? Contact team captain Jill Settle at (843) 697-0818 or jillasettle@gmail.com.

Now is the time to add your voice to the St. Philip's Choir! All voice parts are needed as we prepare music for Evensong and for our residency at St. Paul's Cathedral in London next summer. We have plenty of room to spread out in the Parish Hall as we rehearse safely in our masks. Please join us! New singers, please let Pat Gould know to expect you: (843) 364-9552 or pgould@stphilipschurchsc.org.

All children ages three and up are invited to sing with the children's choirs of St. Philip's! This semester, since no Sunday School is available, our young singers will learn Bible songs and study the corresponding Bible stories. Come learn and sing with us as we look forward to our concert in the church in April!

A man needs a deeper understanding of his masculine heart—and why God made him just like that. What if those deep desires in our hearts are telling us the truth, revealing to us the lives we were meant to live? A man must know he is powerful; he must know he has what it takes. The way we handle the heart is everything. Basic is not a retreat about the “seven things a man ought to do to be a nicer guy.” It is a four-day quest into the recovery of a man’s masculine soul, the release of a man’s heart—his passions and his true nature—all given him by God.

Questions? Contact Richard Moore.

St. Philip’s Preschool program is offered to the members of St. Philip’s Church and its surrounding community. This is one of the many ministries of the church provided to reach out to children with Christ’s love. The program introduces children to the church community and a Christian worldview. Parental participation is not only encouraged, but it is also crucial for the livelihood of this program. Early registration for the 2020-2021 school year is now open to currently enrolled students and members of St. Philip's; open enrollment begins February 15. Please click the button below to download and print the enrollment form.

If you have questions about the preschool or the enrollment process, please contact Angela Clark or Lee Moore at 843-722-7610 or lmoore@stphilipschurchsc.org.

Reservations for this Sunday's services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. open today at 9:00 a.m.

Childcare during the 10:30 service is available for infants and young people through age five, with limited capacities within each age group. You may register at the link below after first registering to attend the 10:30 service, or you may call the church office at (843) 722-7734 to reserve space.

In yesterday's devotion, the Rev. Justin Hare looked at the exorcism that Jesus performs in the gospel passage from this past Sunday, Mark 1:21-28, in order to bring clarity on what it really means to be a Christian.

Do you receive Fr. Brian's updates and weekly wrap-up emails? Click here to read his last wrap-up email, and if you'd like to join his email list, let him know!

All are welcome to join our rector, the Reverend Jeffrey S. Miller, as he continues his exploration of the Gospel of Matthew! Fix yourself a sandwich, grab your Bible and a seat on your sofa, and click the link below a few minutes before noon tomorrow. We can't wait to see you!

The clergy and staff didn't get to meet any new four-legged friends this week, but we did get to see the Rev. Marc Boutan yesterday! Even though he assured us ahead of time that his February 1 retirement from full-time pastoral care was not "goodbye" (he'll still be leading the praise team during Wednesday evening worship), it was still nice to have proof.

If you enjoy being among the first to know about schedule changes, furry visitors, sightings of recent retirees, and other important news, take a minute to click the buttons below to like or follow us now!

Call Juanita Orvin, who will connect you with a prayer minister who will pray for your concerns over the phone.

juanitaorvin@gmail.com or (843) 884-4018

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

February 3 ~ Wednesdays Alive! services resume

February 15 ~ Presidents' Day (church office closed)

February 17 ~ Ash Wednesday (services at 12 noon and 5:30 p.m.)

February 25-28 ~ Men's Retreat (Wild at Heart Basic Bootcamp) at St. Christopher

March 7 ~ Annual Parish Meeting

March 20 ~ Walk for Water (Riverfront Park OR place of your choice)

April 24 ~ Annual Women's Gathering (Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant)

We pray for the sick: Katie Burris, Harry Carr, Elizabeth Colwell, Glenn Corley, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Edward Good, Brooks Goode, Robert Gould, Jonathan Hanger, Clark Johnson, Joe Livesay, Connor Lowndes, Beverly Melvin, Leon Patat III, Deborah Pollak, Edward Pritchard, Jr., Mike Walsh, Carolyn Warlick, Lindsey Wing, and Charlie Yoho.

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, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, 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 Ministry.

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, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.