Grandparents have a unique opportunity to pass down wisdom, values, and faith to their grandchildren, including how to handle money from a biblical perspective. With today’s culture promoting instant gratification and excessive spending, grandparents can help their grandchildren develop a strong foundation of financial stewardship based on God’s Word. By instilling key biblical principles and providing age-appropriate financial guidance, grandparents can shape the next generation into wise and faithful stewards. ...
St. Philip’s first GriefShare course finished up at the end of April. What a privilege it was for me, Juanita Orvin, and Gerry McCord to facilitate this strong grief support program! Thirteen participants completed their work each week, covering topics such as “What is Normal?”, “Loneliness and Sadness,” “Self Care,” “Anger,” “Regrets,” “Questions for God,” “Hope and Resilience,” and more. Here’s what a few folks said about their experience:...
Have you ever stopped to just wonder at Jesus––his childhood, his miracles, his death and resurrection, his plan for a second coming? Last week at St. Philip’s, 65 children ages 4–11 and over 30 youth and adult volunteers did just that! ...
Worship with us in the Parish Hall on Trinity Sunday! The Rev. Andrew R. O'Dell is preaching; read on for in-person and online worship details....
Worship with us on Pentecost! The Rev. Jeustin C. Hare is preaching; read on for in-person and online worship details. ...
The World Missions Committee and Uganda Christian University Partners are offering St. Philippians a chance to go on pilgrimage to East Africa October 17–29! We will be spending the majority of our time with our ministry partners at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono, about 12 miles east of the capital, Kampala, and we will conclude our pilgrimage with a full African safari at Murchinson Falls National Park to observe Uganda’s treasure––its wild animals on the savanna! We will be on the lookout for kob, giraffes, elephants, baboons, warthogs, and even lions and leopards. When we take a boat ride on the Nile to Murchinson Falls, keep your eyes peeled for hippos, beautiful birds, and crocodiles....
Worship with us on the Sunday After the Ascension! The Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller is preaching; read on for in-person and online worship details. ...
Worship with us on the Sixth Sunday of Easter! The Rev. Andrew R. O'Dell is preaching; read on for in-person and online worship details. ...
Worship with us on the Fifth Sunday of Easter! The Rev. Justin C. Hare is preaching; read on for in-person and online worship details. ...
At the announcements during the 10:30 service on Sunday, May 11, campaign co-chair Maybank Hagood, flanked by co-chairs Karen Phillips and Martha Freshley, took to the eagle to share that a few days earlier, the campaign had raised pledges and donations surpassing that mark. The congregation responded with a very enthusiastic round of applause....
A few weeks ago, on All Saints Day, I stood with dear African friends, Theo and his wife, Paula, while singing the beautiful hymn “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus.” In verse one, the lyricist writes, “Hark! the songs of holy Sion thunder like a mighty flood; Jesus out of ev’ry nation hath redeemed us by his blood.” Truly, Jesus has redeemed us out of ev’ry nation. His ...
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In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he exclaims, “I sowed, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” The Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Nyanza, Rwanda, is in the business of sowing and reaping, but there is no doubt that this couldn’t happen without our Lord giving us the growth, whether physically or spiritually. We thank Him, knowing that He is the ...
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As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we know that God calls us to humble ourselves, to share our bread with the hungry, to free the oppressed and to provide clothing for those living on the margins of society. While living in Rwanda for almost six years, I took this mandate seriously. I lived on the main street of a town called Ruhengeri, which is situated in the no...
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In Rwanda, there is a saying that some of you may have heard: Water Is Life. In the Bible, water symbolizes a multitude of spiritual themes, including repentance, salvation, God’s provision, and service. If you were to undertake a thematic study of water in the Bible, it’d be difficult to exhaust all of your resources....
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My Bible study has been examining the life of David. My favorite chapter is 1 Samuel 16, where the Lord sends the prophet Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the future king of Israel. When Samuel meets Jesse’s tall and handsome oldest son, he thinks, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But God cautions, “Do not look on his appearance or the height of ...
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Introducing Hakizima: One of my former pupils at Sonrise School for Orphans is called Hakizimana. He is a sensitive, compassionate young man whose parents died during the genocide. Understandably, he had his own hopes and dreams and merely wanted some reasonable way to “make it” in life. When he graduated from Sonrise High School, he returned to his village deep in the...
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When the war in Ukraine burst upon the global stage, many Americans were stunned by the tragic events occurring there. Even in distant places like Rwanda, reports of the Ukrainians’ blistering reality have spewed out like shock waves into their homes. Many Rwandese have only recently learned about the ethnic connections between the Ukrainians and their Russian families a...
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Ishmael rejoiced in his newfound love for Christ, but he also wrestled with memories of a terrible crime he had committed twenty-five years earlier....
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Each Sunday morning during worship, we pray for “victims of genocide and AIDS in Rwanda.” The Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Nyanza, Rwanda, is a non-government organization (NGO) that reaches out to these victims, most of whom are desperately scarred—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Many suffer from PTSD, but they now experience a sense of belongi...
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This past Saturday night, May 22, Mount Nyiragongo erupted in Goma, Congo, just across the border form Rwanda. The volcano is only one hour’s drive from my home in Rwanda, where I lived for almost six years. This town is named Musanze, but it was named Ruhengeri when I lived there. You can easily find it on a map and see how close it is to the volcanic site....
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