Click the link below to read the St. Philip's eSPIRE, the email version of our weekly inSPIRE newsletter, which is packed with information about all that's going on in the life of our parish....
I love to cook. Browsing through recipes and then preparing them for my family and friends is one of my favorite things to do. To me, I am showing my love for them by taking the time to follow each step and make the preparations for a wonderful meal as my gift to them––and, of course, when my children were younger, to ensure their proper physical growth and health. Is preparing nourishment in the form of food for our bodies any different from being nourished spiritually? We are not just a physical body; we have a spiritual body that must be fed as well. Without food and water, we would die. Without feeding our spiritual bodies or souls, we would become empty and begin searching for, in many instances, the wrong things to feed our hunger, which could never be satisfied with just earthly things. God wants to nourish our souls so that we may have the proper spiritual growth and health....
If you prayed, volunteered your time, gave a gift, or supported Water Mission in other ways throughout the past year, then you helped us serve more than 600,000 people with safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in 2019. Together, we were the hands and feet of Christ. We… • completed safe water projects in 182 communities and 20 countries, • provided desperately needed safe water to survivors of natural disasters, • traveled to rural areas around the world to install sustainable safe water and sanitation systems, • and helped refugees fleeing violence and persecution. ...
Our family has purchased freshly cut Frasier fir Christmas trees from Wishon Tree Farm for several years. This year was no different. Our friends Faron and Ethan Atwood, a father and son from Sparta, NC, oversee this tree lot by the American Legion at 968 Folly Road every year....
With a heart for mission, the generous friends and family of St. Philip’s Church donated 315 gift cards this year! Teachers and families in need in our community were given these $25 gift cards that allowed them to decide how to spend their money. I am grateful and fueled by God’s guidance and devotion. ...
For many St. Philippians––as well as neighbors and visitors who worship with us annually––Christmas Eve is the most special day of the year because of the traditions we look forward to as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Christmas Pageant, the first of our three Christmas Eve services, is a time for the youngest members of our congregation to absorb the message of the Nativity as they themselves help deliver it....
If you were at the last ECW meeting in October, you may have heard me mention off the cuff that if we were to lose Gene Lesesne, the Tea Room could not go on. Gene is 82 years old, rides his bike almost daily 20 miles, was a Naval aviator, and flew for Pan Am Airlines as a commercial pilot until he went to teach at the Citadel in the PE department. He was married to Ann, who was a nurse instructor at Trident Tech until she was disabled by rheumatoid arthritis. He was her caregiver until her death just about five years ago. He has two daughters: Angela, who runs the preschool with Lee Moore here at St. Philip’s, and Jessica Martin, who attends and volunteered here as a Sunday school teacher for years. His first great-grand was recently baptized here. I do not know how long the Lesesne family has been attending St. Philip’s, but I know they have a legacy of serving quietly....
On a recent November mid-week, a small group of St. Philippians traveled up to the glorious mountains of North Carolina to attend a much-touted (by our beloved priest and C.S. Lewis aficionado, Brian McGreevy ) C.S. Lewis symposium. The conference was a packed time filled with insights and sharing to encourage us and engage us on our Christian journey. People from 28 states, England, and Malta were drawn to the beautiful village of Montreat for this experience, officially titled “C.S. Lewis: Influence and Relevance Today.”...
Last weekend, high school students from across the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina came together for “ReGenerate,” a weekend retreat at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island. The main verse for the weekend was Philippians 2:8-11, and our speaker, Nate Morgan Locke, a youth evangelist with Christianity Explored Ministries, talked about how sometimes we put on different hats (like different identities) when we are in different social scenes. He told us that as Christians, we should have the same integrity, rooted in Christ, in all of our social realms. Another strong point that he reminded us of is that we are never done growing in our relationship with Christ. There is always something that we can change and there are ways that we can continue to get closer and closer to Jesus!...
Once upon a time, there was a master violin maker whose greatest joy was to make the most beautiful violins in the world. With each new instrument that he created, he went to great effort and expense. When each was complete, he would spend many hours testing its limits by playing it as only he could. For he dearly loved each one. ...
When my son was in a terrible car accident in 2011, his life was in the balance, and with one phone call, the St. Philip’s prayer chain was alerted and I was able to get many people praying fast. I believe that through these prayers and many more throughout his recovery, he was saved and is now healed. St. Philip’s has had a prayer chain for about the last twenty years, and many of us have taken great comfort in knowing that our situation is getting prayed over “right now.” But now we have a new and improved prayer chain....
On November 2, St. John’s Chapel, a mission church of our diocese and one of St. Philip’s home mission partners, had its first community fundraising event. It was well attended and a huge success!unity...
If you didn’t make it to this year’s parish retreat in the mountains of North Carolina, then you didn’t get to witness the joys of that weekend, among them the laughter at Friday’s social and sing-along, the hum of conversation as the bonds of our church family strengthened over each meal, and whatever happened at the hoedown that made the Millers and O’Dells react the way they did in the picture above. There’s good news, though: one joy that you missed, the Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon’s program about prayer, is available on our “Other Classes and Offerings” podcast! You may also listen online at stphilipschurchsc.org/other-classes-and-offerings. ...
The 10th annual LAMB Dinner Party With a Purpose on October 24th was a very blessed night in the Lord. Thank you to all who prayed and helped make that night a true gospel success. There were many St. Philippians who came out even though they had to pack for Kanuga! Thank you. The theme for the event was God’s charge to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous ...” ...
Have you ever looked at a hymn, wondering about the lines, dots, and squiggly things on the page? Or wanted to know why the choir paused, increased volume, or changed pace? Well, I did. While I enjoyed making a joyful noise, aka singing, I found it difficult to sing an unfamiliar hymn. I wanted to participate more fully in worship by learning how to read music....
During Saturday’s program at Kanuga, the Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon gave the St. Philippians in attendance a homework assignment: write a psalm of thanksgiving for a person, a place, or an event. Below are some of the psalms we wrote. ...
September 15 was a joyous day at St. Philip’s: the anthems were glorious, the sermon was rousing, the bouncy house was hopping, and the BBQ was delicious and plentiful. Rally Sunday is a day that St. Philippians look forward to every year because it marks the return of Sunday School and the Rector’s Forum after what always seems like an endless summer. But Rally Sunday was a little different this year, because it was also the launch date of St. Philip’s new Hospitality Ministry....
When we moved to Charleston in 2010, we found a house on Church Street, a few short blocks from the church. Victoria turned three shortly afterward, and it was time to find a preschool. We found a spot for her at the little school at St. Philip’s, and we met Jo Hethcox, who invited Victoria to participate in the Cherub Choir. ...
Earlier this year, under the leadership of Deacon Gerry McCord, Kent Keller, and Tim Strickland, a St. Philip’s Disaster Relief Team (DRT) was created. There are about 20 parishioners on the founding committee. Our mission is to provide help, assistance, and hope to our parishioners and neighbors in times of extreme crisis. It is our plan to provide comfort and minor emergency repairs. Naturally, all volunteers are welcome!...
Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University is the class that helps you pay off debt, budget, save money, and give generously. Sit down with Tripp Hathaway and the Rev. Ryan Streett in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and learn about debt snowballs, emergency funds, wealth-building, and more....
The Resurrection Choir is accepting new members! The presence of this choir makes a huge difference at funerals. No rehearsals, no anthems, no audition! Just lead the congregation in singing familiar hymns at parish funerals. Please contact Pat Gould at pgould@stphilipschurchsc.org or 843-364-9552....
If you know of a parishioner who is sick, hospitalized, homebound, or otherwise in need of pastoral care or prayer, please call the church office at (843) 722-7734. ...
Last month, St. John’s Chapel, a mission church of our diocese, hosted “Unity in the Community,” an afternoon of BBQ, music, and fellowship that aimed to foster peace while raising funds for security in a neighborhood plagued by crime. St. Philip’s made a donation to the cause and helped promote the event, and the leadership of St. John’s was very grateful:...
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Preparations for this year’s Lessons and Carols service, which falls annually on the Third Sunday in Advent, began months ago when Pat Gould, the St. Philip’s Choir director; Jo Hethcox, director of the Cherub, St. Nicholas, Canterbury, and St. David Choirs; and Andrea White, the St. Cecilia Choir director, began choosing the anthems their choristers would be singing t...
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The Christmas Eve service is so beautiful and special to my heart for so many reasons. I was raised in a non-Christian home and didn’t come to the Lord until I was 22. I was visiting Charleston for Christmas (this was before Jordan Warlick and I were wed) and it was my first time meeting her parents, Bill and Carolyn Warlick. They discovered I wasn’t a Christian and st...
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Just before noon on Friday, December 6, the Parish Hall was abuzz with women of St. Philip’s, their guests, and other ladies from across our diocese, all of whom had come to enjoy an elegant luncheon while listening to renowned speaker Susan Alexander Yates deliver her Advent message: “Finding Peace in a Season of Uncertainty.”...
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On Saturday, December 7, Church St. was a parade of festively dressed folks as St. Philippians made their way to the rectory for this year’s Advent drop-in. All the elements that we have come to expect from the past couple of years were in place: plenty of egg nog; live garland on the mantles and banisters; baked brie, meatballs, pimento cheese, and lots of other goodies...
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During this Advent season, as we anticipate the beauty of Christmas, I am forever grateful to those who have walked alongside of me in this ministry to our friends at the Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Rwanda. As we have shared during the prayers on Sundays at St. Philip’s, the DO is a nonprofit organization that ministers to victims of genocide and AIDS. This ministry a...
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The Saturday before Thanksgiving, several St. Philippian youths met up with youth minister David Gilbert and youth leader Sarah Silcox to go door-to-door downtown to collect canned goods for Tricounty Family Ministries ahead of one of its busiest weeks of the year. The kids divided themselves into small groups and headed off in all directions to begin their mission to t...
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Remember when churches were open all the time? Remember how nice it was to go in and sit quietly in prayer? Remember the peace you felt? Well, the world is different now and our churches are closed and locked much of the time. I was at Bible study when Elizabeth Bowles spoke to us about the Open Door Ministry. She explained the desperate need for volunteers that were ne...
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