After walking through the bustle of preschool pick-up, one follows the signs up the outside stairs and through the upstairs lobby to the “big room,” the Parish Hall—the room that is the home for Rector’s Forum, Wednesday dinners, receptions, celebrations, and other crowded functions. But last Tuesday, the Parish Hall was quite cool and relatively quiet. There was a peaceful calm in that chilly room. A friendly, efficient atmosphere was evident as the team of Red Cross workers were going about their duties. Some  people were arriving to donate blood; some folks were already waiting to be called after having checked in. Many who arrived were repeat donors; some were here for the first time. Some were a little anxious. All were glad to be able to give an hour or so of their time to contribute to the blood bank—the gift of life for many.

The St. Philip’s blood drive is not only a type of home mission—an outreach to our community with donations going to the local blood bank to be used in times of emergency—but it is also a one-of-a-kind ministry of fellowship. The “regular” donors encourage first-timers. The Red Cross workers minister to all as they do the collections. They work efficiently and with compassion throughout the process.

Once donors have finished giving, they are instructed to make their way to the round table to sit and relax for a few minutes. There they find an excellent opportunity for fellowship as other donors tarry around the snack table, sipping water or apple juice and visiting—some catching up with each other since the last blood drive, others meeting and talking with folks they’ve only seen before from a distance.

Yes, the room was chilly (for the sake of the blood collection) and relatively quiet, but it was filled with love—the love of Jesus—a very tangible way for St. Philippians to give to the greater community.

Kudos to Connie Rink, who organized this and many previous blood drives here at St. Philip’s.  Many thanks to those who donated the gift of life via a donation of blood, and to those volunteers who have helped, or in the future might be willing to help organize, set up, and clean up for the next blood drive!

Be sure not to miss the next blood drive right here at our church home—an opportunity to give a life-saving gift!

A note from Connie Rink and the Home Missions Team

A huge THANK YOU for choosing to donate at our blood drive! The results are in with a fantastic response from St. Philip’s and our community, reaching 38 units collected! Last Tuesday’s blood drive combined with our June drive capped off 2024 with a total of 88 units! What that means for our Lowcountry hospitals and patients is that up to 264 lives have been positively impacted or saved, which is super AWESOME! Keep an eye on your inSPIRE for upcoming announcements of our 2025 blood drive dates!