~ the eSPIRE Newsletter ~
December 8, 2019
The Second Sunday in Advent
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The Advent Drop-In is This SATURDAY!
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Yes, you read that right––the drop-in is on a SATURDAY this year!
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Ding Dong, St. Philip’s Youth Group Calling!
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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 top last year’s 600-pound total. Although this year’s total––upwards of 200 pounds––seemed like a big drop from last year (many folks were already out of town for Thanksgiving), David Gilbert discovered when he made the drop-off that afternoon that the food had come at just the right time, and Tricounty Director Sue Hanshaw was incredibly grateful.
Just the week before, Tricounty’s pantry shelves had been loaded down with food, but that week had been unusually busy, and the shelves were now almost bare. Because of the youths’ willingness to serve and the generosity of those who opened their doors to them, many people who would otherwise have gone hungry Thanksgiving week were able to be nourished. Thank you, God, for these kids and their leaders!
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If you would like to make a contribution to the Christmas Flower Fund as a memorial or in thanksgiving for a loved one, please click the link below and submit your information by this
Friday, Dec. 13. Forms are also available in the church office and in the narthex. You may pay online through the My St. Philip's portal of our website,
stphilipschurchsc.org, or you may drop off a check payable to St. Philip's Church at the church office or mail it to:
St. Philip's Church
Attn: Juli Garland
142 Church St.
Charleston, SC 29401
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The Open Doors of St. Philip’s
by Caroline Yahnite Newman
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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 needed for just two hours a week. I was new to Charleston and new to the Anglican Church, but I knew then that God was telling me to step out of my comfort zone and join the Open Door Ministry.
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The Wassail Bowl Reception
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Immediately following Lessons and Carols, please join us in the Parish Hall for our annual Wassail Bowl reception, where you may mingle with St. Philippian friends, family, newcomers, and guests while munching on refreshments. And of course there will be plenty of hot mulled cider––otherwise known as
wassail––to go around!
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Every year at Christmastime, the St. Philip’s Compassion Committee provides poinsettias to parishioners who have lost family members during the year, those on the prayer list, and those who are homebound and simply need to hear that we remember them.
We need your help to get them delivered!
As you’re leaving the Wassail Bowl, please go by the downstairs entryway of the Parish House and pick up as many plants as you can deliver. The assignments will be sorted by ZIP code.
Note:
Families who have lost loved ones this year are welcome to pick up their own poinsettias.
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Your Little Angel Could Be an Angel!
or a shepherd ... or a donkey ... or ...
Christmas Pageant, 4:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Service
Parts (both speaking and non-speaking) available for children and youth ages three and up!
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Available Now: Advent Devotionals Recommended by the Clergy of St. Philip's
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In the Collect for the first week of Advent, we pray that God would “give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light.” Preparing ourselves through Scripture and prayer and contemplation using an Advent devotional guide helps us to do just that.
This year, the St. Philip’s clergy recommendations for Advent devotionals are N.T. Wright's
A
dvent for Everyone: Matthew
and Timothy Keller's
Hidden Christmas.
Both books will be available in the church office for a suggested donation of $15 each (while supplies last).
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The Trees Are Coming THIS WEEK!
Home Missions Gift Card "Angel" Trees, lovingly provided by the St. Philip's Flower Guild, will be in the narthex on Sunday!
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When you come to church on Sunday, you will see two trees adorned with handcrafted ornaments attached to little cards with $25 written on the front and a Bible verse written on the back.
You are encouraged to take an ornament as a thank-you or as a reminder to bring back a gift card for Walmart, Target, Family Dollar, Big Lots, or Dollar Tree in the amount of $25 for a family in need or a Sanders-Clyde Elementary School teacher. (Advent/Christmas planning note: we've been told these ornaments make fabulous stocking stuffers and hostess gifts!) Click below for more details!
You may return the gift cards at any church service through December 15, or you may drop them at the church office through December 18.
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Jesse Trees Mark the Beginning of Advent
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St. Philippians of all ages had a great time at the Family Advent Event on Sunday! Thank you to all of the families who participated in making Jesse Trees.
Did you miss it? No worries. The basic pieces of the kit are available to download at the link below. We also have a limited supply of the actual kits
available by request
.
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Registration for this event is officially at capacity and we have several names on our wait list––it's going to be a fabulous afternoon! If you've already registered but now find that your plans have changed, please let the church office know so that someone from the wait list may fill your seat.
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Tonight's supper: Chicken Marbella
Next week's supper: Meatloaf
The December 11 service will be the last before Christmas recess
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December 12 will be the last Rector's Bible Study before Christmas recess
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Would you like to take another listen to Sunday's sermon? Or were you out of town and you missed it the first time? Sermons, the Rector's Forum, and more are available on our website,
stphilipschurchsc.org/sermons-classes.
Accompanying slide presentations for certain classes are also available for download.
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Never miss a sermon! Click below to subscribe to our Sermons podcast.
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SAVE THE DATE
Dec. 11 ~Last Wednesdays Alive! before Christmas recess
Dec. 12 ~ Last Rector’s Bible Study before Christmas recess
Dec. 15 ~ Last Rector’s Forum and Sunday School before
Christmas recess
Dec. 18 ~ Community Carol Sing and Lunch (12:30 p.m.)
Dec. 24–Jan. 1 ~ Church office closed
Dec. 24 ~ Christmas Eve Services
• 4:30 p.m. Christmas Pageant (
click here
to register your child)
• 7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist: Rite I (children’s choirs)
• 10:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist: Rite I (St. Philip’s Choir)
Dec. 25 ~ Christmas Day Service (10:00 a.m.)
Jan. 5 ~ Epiphany Fellowship Brunch (after 10:30 service)
Jan. 8 ~ First Second Wednesday Men’s Lunch (12 noon)
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Membership Directory
Are you looking for a fellow parishioner's contact information? Our directory is online! Click the "My St. Philip's" button on our homepage,
stphilipschurchsc.org
, to log in or sign up for an account. And for easy access on your phone, download the Church Life app!
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Do you have a loved one you would like added to our prayer list?
Please provide his or her name by calling the church office, 843-722-7734
.
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We pray for the sick:
Katie Burris; Elizabeth Flowers; Meredith Gale; Robert Gould; Tracy Graudin; Janet Hanger; Jonathan Hanger; Delia Hipp; Bobby Hood, Sr.; Gene Hunt; Patricia Irvin; Gene Lesesne; Barbara Lisle; Joe Livesay; Jacqui Luce; Peter Moore; Stuart Philp;Aranell Ray; Edmund Rhett; Benjamin Schools; David Smythe;
and Lindsey Wing.
We pray for our expectant parents:
Ryan and Jennie Emerson, Oliver and
Courtney Iselin.
We pray for protection for:
Becca Baird, Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Hayes Fair, George Hoefer, Andrew Kane, Charles Kirkman, Frazier Kulze,
John Mason,
Ned Montgomery, Edward Pritchard, and David Scott serving in our Armed Forces.
We pray for our home missions:
Star Gospel Mission, Tricounty Family Ministries, Life Resources, St. John's Chapel, and the Open Door Committee.
We pray for our world missions:
For Suzy McCall and LAMB, for the medical missions to Honduras, for ministry to victims of genocide and AIDS in Rwanda, for 10/40 Tribal Commission, for Water Mission, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.
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St. Philip's Regular Weekly Worship Services
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Collect for
the Second Sunday in Advent
:
Merciful God, who sent thy messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Readings for Sunday
:
- Isaiah 11:1-10
- Psalm 72:1-15
- Romans 15:1-13
- Matthew 3:1-12
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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
5:30 p.m. – Wednesdays Alive! Holy Communion: Rite II, in the Church (Sept.–June)
Lay server schedules are sent out quarterly, one month prior to the start of each quarter.
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.
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ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH
142 Church Street | Charleston, SC 29401
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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HERE
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