Another Rally Sunday has come and gone, and what a beautiful day of worship and fellowship it was! While the children convened in various places across campus for the first Sunday school after summer break, adults gathered in the Parish Hall for a ministries fair, enjoying coffee, breakfast treats, and fellowship while adding their names to sign-up sheets. It will be so exciting to see eager new faces ushering, reading lessons, acolyting, supporting our mission partners, and more!

Worship was glorious with bagpipes, brass, and gorgeous choral music. The message from the pulpit, “RSVP,” was surely life-saving for any in attendance who had not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Our rector, refreshed from his summer sabbatical, concluded with this prayer: “Gracious God, Heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise for the gift of your Son, for these gracious words, ‘Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy-laden,’ marvelous words, wondrous words, but words which require a reply. Grant us the grace, Lord, if we’ve never done so, to do so now, and if we have done so but wandered afield, to come back with all of our burdens, to lay them at the foot of his Cross, that we might find rest for our souls today. It is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.”

Following the service, during which we also commemorated September 11, we enjoyed our favorite Rally Sunday fare: Jimmy Hagood’s BBQ and Chef Connie Stahl’s delicious sides and famous cookies! And though we’d headed into the weekend a little concerned about the weather, the rain stayed away and the young and young at heart got to enjoy a jump castle. Soli deo Gloria! 

Our first youth group service project of the year is this Saturday! We will be participating in the 33rd annual river sweep. Each year we pull hundreds of pounds of trash out of the marsh––meet us at the pineapple at 9:00 and join the fun!

Please bring water, sunscreen, and a hat, and wear old clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.

Questions? Email David Gilbert.

Looking for a great way to get to know others in the St. Philip’s family? Consider joining a Foyer Group! Whether you are a longtime St. Philippian or a relative newcomer, we encourage you to participate to help strengthen the bonds of affection in our church family. A Foyer Group will consist of eight to ten persons, married or single, assigned at random, and meeting, on a rotating basis, in each other’s homes once a month for about six months to share a meal, conversation, and fellowship. If you were in a foyer group this past cycle (fall 2021), we will sign you up automatically unless you opt out.

Questions? Contact the Rev. Brian McGreevy at bmcgreevy@stphilipschurchsc.org or (854) 429-1938.

We are currently on a waitlist. Join at the link below!

This retreat is an opportunity for St. Philippians to be strengthened and nourished in their walk with Christ while receiving a message of personal encouragement from our very own bishop, the Rt. Rev. Chip Edgar. 

What to expect: A fun-filled, relaxing weekend including socials, lectures, worship, sing-alongs, family-style dining, recreation opportunities, and free time. On-site recreation includes kayaking, tennis, and hiking. Nearby Hendersonville offers apple-picking at orchards, shopping, golf, and more.

Get to know Valerie Elliot Shepard in these brief but powerful videos.

“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” ––Isaiah 56:7

“The effective fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much.” ––James 5:16a

Answered Prayers (Thank You, Lord):

1. For the successful return of our choir members and the folks who supported them by joining them. (Prayer: May their pilgrimage produce tons of fruit for the Kingdom and especially those who attended the services.)

2. For the safe and fruitful vacations that our clergy and their families were able to enjoy over the summer.

3. For a great celebration giving God all the glory on Rally Sunday.

Prayer Points for Local Needs

1. For extra measure of wisdom for the Rt. Rev. Chip Edgar, our diocesan bishop, and the Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. Pray they could work together in the final decisions that still affect many of the churches.

2. For the State Supreme Court NOT to reverse the decision releasing Old St. Andrews in Charleston and Church of the Holy Cross in Statesburg. 

St. Philippians, we have an opportunity to show hospitality to bishops who will be in the area for the New Wineskins Conference later this month.

The diocese is able to provide accommodations at Camp St. Christopher for the bulk of the visit, but they are in need of hosts for the weekends bookending that time, as well as for the most pressing period: Sunday, September 25, through Wednesday, September 28. Are you able to host one or more visiting bishops in your home for any or all of that time? If so, please email the Rev. Bob Lawrence at robert.stratton.lawrence@gmail.com.

Does your heart jump with eager anticipation when you hear a phone ring? Do you long to utter the words, “Please hold while I transfer you”? Are you curious about what St. Philip’s is like during the week?

Consider volunteering for a shift at the front desk! Front desk volunteers answer the phone (no worries, we’ll walk you through the steps), greet people who come to meet with clergy or staff with a warm St. Philip’s welcome, and partake of all the yummy St. Philip’s coffee they could ever want. And there are usually plenty of goodies left over from Bible studies or Wednesday night dinners to munch on!

We’ve set up coverage openings for morning and afternoon slots Monday, September 19, though Friday, September 30, in order to facilitate some much-deserved time away, but even a couple of hours of your presence would be a huge blessing! Click the link below or call the church office at (843) 722-7734 to sign up.

The Rev. William K. Christian III will be preaching this Sunday at our services of Holy Communion at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m.

Important Dates

September 20 ~ Fall blood drive

September 21 ~ C.S. Lewis class begins (7:00 p.m.)

September 22 ~ Rector’s Bible Study resumes (noon)

September 22-25 ~ New Wineskins Conference

September 27 ~ Theology on Tap

September 28 ~ Svyati Duo organ & cello concert (noon)

October 6 ~ LAMB Dinner Party with a Purpose

October 9 ~ Acolyte Training (after 10:30 service)

October 15 ~ Men’s Summit with Bishop Edgar (St. Paul’s Summerville)

October 18 ~ ECW Fall Dinner with guest speaker Valerie Elliot Shepard

October 19 ~ "Passing on the Legacy of Faith to the Next Generation" with Valerie and Walt Shepard (10:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall)

October 21-23 ~ Anglican Women's Fall Retreat

October 28-30 ~ Parish Retreat at Kanuga

November 5 ~ Lowcountry Walk for Life

November 6 ~ DATE CHANGE: Choral Evensong with the choirs of St. Philip’s and Christ Church, Mt. P.(5:00 p.m.)

We pray for the sick: Jean Carlton, Lidia DiPaolo, George Rawling Evans, Sally Fayard, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Robert Gould, Kathryn Heikes, Susan Hemminger, Robert Johnson, Robert Kizer, Alan McNeel, John Murray, Marijane and Kenneth Nichols, Molly Margaret O’Quinn, Bill Phillipps, Libby LeLand Puckette, Valerie Rouillard, Fran Sanders, Sydney Severance, Pete Sperr, Margaret Swanson, Judy Vandiford, Lindsey Wing, and Harrison Woods.

We grieve with and pray for the family of Richard “Dick” Taliferro Wright, who died on September 5.

We grieve and pray with the people of the United Kingdom in the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 

We pray for our expectant parents: Anna Gray and Ralph Baker, Felicia and Tim Evans, and Carter and Foxy Foxworth.

We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Chris and Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Eric Gaines, Morgan and Mason Herring, Andrew Kane, Quin Kane, Horry Kerrison, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Zach McFadden, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, Edward Pritchard, Nathaniel Rollings, David Scott, and John Self.

We pray for our home and world missions: Star Gospel Mission, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, Suzy McCall and LAMB, for the medical missions to Honduras, for ministry to victims of genocide and AIDS in Rwanda, for the Persecuted Church, for Anglican Frontier Missions, for Uganda Christian University Partners, for Water Mission and the Global Water Center, and for St. Jean Baptiste, our sister church, and the schools in Haiti.

Collect for Sunday:

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.

Readings for Sunday:

• 1 Timothy 2:1-8
• Psalm 138
• Luke 16:1-13