~ the e-SPIRE Newsletter ~ September 24, 2017 ~ The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Click HERE   if you would like to view the printed version of this newsletter.

Wednesdays Alive! Begins Tonight A New Worship & Fellowship Opportunity at St. Philip's 5:30 p.m. Holy Communion Rite II Join us on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the church for an informal, “come as you are” service of Rite II Communion, prayer and praise. Prayer stations will be available during the service for those seeking God’s blessing and intercession, and the service will be followed by supper in the Parish Hall. Come and be part of this midweek opportunity for worship, praise and fellowship! Nursery is available in the Parish House, room 108, for ages 3 and under. Questions? Contact the church office at 843-722-7734.

Click HERE to see more photos from Rally Sunday! Many thanks to Nancy Egleston for all the great pics!

Rector's Bible Study Resumes Thursdays at Noon in the Parish Hall Please join the Rev. Jeff Miller on Thursdays as he continues his weekly Bible study series on Acts:  A Blueprint for Ministry Today. The study meets each week at noon in the Parish Hall, starting tomorrow, September 21. Bag lunches are available for purchase. All are welcome! Questions?  Call the church office at 843-722-7734. 

Fall 2017 Ministry Offerings Brochure The 2017 fall ministries brochure contains info about the Bible studies and Christian education opportunities available at St. Philip’s Church this fall. This brochure can be picked up in the church office, the Parish Hall, or in the church narthex. Click HERE to browse the brochure in flip-view from our website. Click HERE to view a printable PDF version of the brochure.

Kanuga Registration Ends Friday! Registrations Will Be Taken Through Sept 22 St. Philip’s Church will return to Kanuga this fall, on the weekend of October 20-22. The theme of this year’s parish retreat at Kanuga is “The Spirit of Hospitality,” using Hebrews 13:2 as our focal point. The Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence will be our guest speaker. We pray that God will use this retreat as a way of stirring up our hearts by showing us His great love for us, so that we, as a people, will be equipped through the Holy Spirit to demonstrate that same love to others. We have a limited number of spaces still available in cabins, but the Inn is full. Registration will close this Friday, September 22. Cost: $160 Adults, $50 Youth (ages 10-18), $25 Children (ages 5-9), and Children under age 5 are free. For more info or to register: submit the registration form on our website, www.stphilipschurchsc.org/kanuga-2017 . Or, you may click HERE to print a paper registration form and mail it to the church office with a check. Mail registrations to St. Philip's Church, Attn: Felicia Lescow, 142 Church Street, Charleston, SC 29401. Questions? Call the church office at 843-722-7734 or contact Angela Clark .

Miracles Follow the Plow by A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)   Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness on you. - Hosea 10:12 The fallow field is smug, contented, protected from the shock of the plow and the agitation of the harrow. Such a field, as it lies year after year, becomes a familiar landmark to the crow and the blue jay. Had it intelligence, it might take a lot of satisfaction in its reputation: it has stability; nature has adopted it; it can be counted upon to remain always the same, while the fields around it change from brown to green and back to brown again. Safe and undisturbed, it sprawls lazily in the sunshine, the picture of sleepy contentment. But it is paying a terrible price for its tranquility; never does it feel the motions of mounting life, nor see the wonders of bursting seed, nor the beauty of ripening grain. Fruit it can never know, because it is afraid of the plow and the harrow. In direct opposite to this, the cultivated field has yielded itself to the adventure of living. The protecting fence has opened to admit the plow, and the plow has come as plows always come, practical, cruel, business-like and in a hurry. Peace has been shattered by the shouting farmer and the rattle of machinery. The field has felt the travail of change; it has been upset, turned over, bruised and broken. But its rewards come hard upon its labors. The seed shoots up into the daylight its miracle of life, curious, exploring the new world above it. All over the field, the hand of God is at work in the age-old and ever renewed service of creation. New things are born, to grow, mature, and consumate the grand prophecy latent in the seed when it entered the ground. Nature’s wonders follow the plow. Click HERE to read the full article.

Children’s Ministry Worship Bags Beginning this Sunday, September 24th, Children’s Worship Bags will be offered for use during Sunday worship services. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis.  The worship bags are provided to enrich children’s experience during worship in the “big church” and to equip parents to help them better understand the Bible lesson and sermon. Here is what you will find in St. Philip’s Worship Bags:  • The Sunday Paper Junior , which provides a summary of the Gospel in simple drawings the children can color. On the back of The Sunday Paper Junior you’ll find a Note to Parents that provides some grown up theological reflection on the Gospel for the day.  • “My Sermon Notes” is designed specifically for older children so that they may engage with the Bible readings, sermon and service.  • A four-pack of Crayons that children may use to color.  • Chenille sticks to keep active fingers busy with little noise. Feel free to take home the contents of the worship bags. However, as you leave, please return the plastic worship bag to one of the wicker baskets in the back of the church.

Diocesan Women's Retreat September 22-24 at St. Christopher Camp & Conference Center   The Women’s Retreat will be held at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center. The Speaker will be Karen Mulder of Wisdom of the Wounded, an organization dedicated to supporting caregivers and those in need of care during crises. Every woman is a caregiver at every age. Karen gives us many ways to be better caregivers by connecting with God, connecting with our families, and connecting with friends and neighbours. The theme of the retreat will be Connections. To Register: Click HERE to visit the Diocesan website.

Diocesan Men's Summit September 30 at St. Paul's Church, Summerville Join Bishop Mark Lawrence from 9:30 a.m. - noon at St. Paul’s Church for Men’s Summit II . He’ll be speaking about the Christian life and the heart. How our relationship with Christ affects all other relationships in our lives, those with family members, with co-workers, with friends as well as how we manage our lives - our work lives, our times of leisure. Come join with men from across the diocese to learn and grow with one another in Christ. To Register: Click HERE to visit the Diocesan website.

LAMB Youth Event - An Evening with Suzy 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 8 High school and middle school youth are invited to a special dinner with Suzy McCall, founder and Spiritual Director of the LAMB Institute. The event will include a time of fellowship, worship, dinner, and hearing from our beloved missionary. The event will be held at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church,  53 Meeting Street, in Molly Wier Fellowship Hall.

MISSING PORTABLE PROJECTOR SCREEN The church owns a nice portable projector screen that is housed in a silver rectangular case on wheels, and is typically stored in the back of the Chapel, behind the last row of pews. We discovered it missing when we planned to use it for a class this past Sunday. Perhaps it was borrowed and just not yet returned? If you have seen it or borrowed it, please contact the church office, 843-722-7734.

Hand Tools Needed for Nicaragua   Dr. Dana Heikes’ son, Dana III, has been living and working in a seaside hamlet, Popoyo, on the western coast of Nicaragua. He has noticed that many young men are willing to work, but cannot afford to purchase tools. Can you help? If you have small electric or hand tools that you can donate, please contact Dana Heikes, MD, at 843-530-2209.

Do you have a loved one that you would like added to our prayer list? Please provide their names by calling the church office, 843-722-7734 .

We pray for the sick: Debbie Anderson, Elaine Bonner, Barrett Brannen, Capers Cross, Sally Fine, Tracy Graudin, Ben Hagood, Bee Hamrick, Morgan Hathaway, Kelsey Lipscomb, Joe Livesay, Jim Lyons, Betty Owens, Alfred Pinckney, Kathy Ravenel, Benjamin Schools, Marie Stallworth, Michael Walsh, and Lindsay Wing. We pray for our expectant parents:  John and Sallie Robinson, Charles and Mary Baarcke, Chris and Dorothy Blalock, Zack and Larsen Spinelli, Ryan and Anna Streett. We pray for protection for:   Becca, Janie, and Wills Baird, Graham Blunt, Colby Broadwater IV, Ellis Domenech, George Hoefer, Edward Pritchard, and Stephen Wathen, serving in our Armed Forces. We pray for our home missions: Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, Eagle Harbor. We pray for our world missions:  For Suzy  McCall and LAMB, for the medical missions to Honduras, for Martha Vetter's mission to victims of genocide and AIDS in Rwanda, for Water Mission, and for St. Jean Baptist, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.

Congratulations Congratulations to Matthew and Margaret Clarke on the birth of their daughter, Margaret Manitta Clarke, who was born August 26, 2017.

St. Philip's Regular Weekly Worship Services

The 16th Sunday after Pentecost Collect for the Day (September 24):  Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  Lectionary Readings for Sept. 24: Jonah 3:10-4:11  Philippians 1:21-30  Matthew 20:1-16  Psalm 145:1-8

Sundays 8:15 a.m. – Holy Communion Rite I, in the Church 10:30 a.m. – Holy Communion Rite I, in the Church (on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays)            10:30 a.m. – Morning Prayer Rite I, in the Church (on the 2nd and 4th Sundays) Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. – Morning Prayer, 1928 Prayer Book, in the Chapel 10:00 a.m. – Healing & Holy Communion Rite II, in the Church 5:30 p.m. – Wednesdays Alive! Holy Communion Rite II, in the Church Lay server schedules are sent out quarterly, one month prior to the start of each quarter. Click HERE to view the current fall schedule. If you are unable to serve, please make an effort to find a substitute, and let  Felicia Lescow  in the church office know who will be substituting for you.

Click HERE to view our dynamic church calendar, which is updated daily.

Click HERE to view this week's static calendar, as it appears in the printed version of the inSPIRE.

S T. P HILIP'S C HURCH 142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 722-7734 | www.stphilipschurchsc.org Church Office Hours 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday | 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Friday

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