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....
The first of Australian author and speaker John Dickson’s two Sundays at St. Philip’s could not have been scheduled any better, as it coincided with a day when the children’s choirs of St. Philip’s were singing. “Kids sing” Sundays always put a few more folks in the pews, and sometimes those folks are people who have not heard very much about the Christian faith, perhaps even some who haven’t heard the facts of our savior’s very existence. ...
Each Saturday, the Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Rwanda holds a Children’s Bible and Breakfast Club at our ministry center. Using flannel boards and over 600 colorful flannel pieces, we teach a Bible lesson and then serve the children a breakfast of porridge or milk and bread. Sometimes, we have up to 250 children in attendance! We divide the children according to age, and one group plays games outside while the other group participates inside. Then, we switch the groups. It’s always a sweet time...
John thinks, writes, and speaks for a living. His journey has been an eclectic one. Starting out as the singer-songwriter for the 90s rock band In the Silence, he now works as an author and academic with a busy international speaking schedule (occasionally dabbling in his love of music). John is committed to delivering creative, engaging content, grounded in careful thought. With a first-class honours degree in theology from Moore Theological College and a PhD in ancient history from Macquarie University, John was a Fellow of Macquarie’s Department of Ancient History (2004-17), and now teaches “Historical Jesus to Written Gospels” at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies). During 2017-2020 he is a Visiting Academic of the Faculty of Classics at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. In 2019 he was appointed the Distinguished Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Public Christianity at Ridley College in Melbourne. ...
The Home Missions Team (formerly the Home Missions Committee) is a group of parishioners commissioned by the leadership of the parish to discern, communicate, and organize the parish’s local mission and outreach efforts. The Team leads by example and provides the congregation of St. Philip’s with opportunities to serve and minister to the people of Charleston by partnering with local Christian organizations who have demonstrated their ability to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors. In January, the Home Missions Team met for their annual retreat, a wonderful day of prayer, discernment and planning. The Team is investigating several organizations for possible partnership in 2020, so stay tuned! ...
One day in late November, a staff member discovered a crab and a giraffe left behind in the Parlor. They were siblings––we could tell by the way they bickered with each other. We tried to find their home through Instagram, but no one came forward. Some weeks later, we tried again. Still no luck. Although they were doing well with us, clearly trying to be on their best behavior while finding ways to be helpful around the office, we knew they missed their family (and they themselves were surely missed!), so we tried one last time. ...
I had an amazing time at the March for Life even though I was a little nervous going into because I didn’t know everyone going with St. Philip’s (or the other 800,000 people who were there). Just as I arrived at the airport, I received a text saying that our flight was delayed but that we should still head on over, which was an interesting start to my experience. At the airport, we prayed as a group, took lots of pictures, said our goodbyes to parents and loved ones, and headed to our gate. We made it through security even though there was an extra L in Lily’s name on her boarding pass. At the gate, we played Spicy Uno (which is Uno with interactive rules like “no talking when someone puts down a 7” or “slap the pile when someone puts down a 6”) and Catchphrase. ...
Evangelism. Up until one week ago, I was scared of that word. It carries so much meaning, so much responsibility. On Sunday, January 20, Canon J.John came and spoke at the Rector’s Forum and preached that morning. While I was unable to hear his talk at the Rector’s Forum (I’m definitely listening to it this week!), I heard his sermon. It was so spirit-filling and encouraging that I knew I had to attend his talk the following Tuesday. ...
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....
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. ...
Each Saturday, the Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Rwanda holds a Children’s Bible and Breakfast Club at our ministry center. Using flannel boards and over 600 colorful flannel pieces, we teach a Bible lesson and then serve the children a breakfast of porridge or milk and bread. Sometimes, we have up to 250 children in attendance! We divide the children according to age, ...
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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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I am grateful to several St. Philippians who have prayed for my little sparrow in Rwanda. Fraterine is a ten-year-old boy who, until the last year, has led a solitary life, away from school and simply drifting during the days because so many children made fun of his discomfiting, facial skin condition. Since discovering God’s little sparrow last summer, we from the Dufat...
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This past February, I returned to Rwanda for three weeks. For almost six years, I lived in Rwanda’s Northern Province, an area nestled in a chain of eight imposing volcanoes. Their towering spires appear to direct the earth’s timid gaze to heaven’s sublime and regal dominion. When they quake, fire and brimstone slide from their lips, demonstrating God’s almighty, o...
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