Thank you to all who dropped supplies off at church on Sunday and at the office yesterday––you helped give children in need in our community a great start to their school year! We have great news for anyone who wasn't able to donate: you've got one more day! Tricounty Family Ministries has had a change in their schedule, so we have an extra day to collect.

If you're able, please drop supplies off at the church office today (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)! Your faithful Home Missions Team will deliver to Tricounty in North Charleston.

The church office has resumed its regular five-day schedule! We hope you'll come by to say hello! Clergy will be available to meet by appointment.

Dear parents and families,

Please allow me to introduce myself: I'm Chris Walchesky, the new Assistant Director of Music at St. Philip's. My wife and I live in West Ashley with our 16-month-old daughter, Cecilia. We're thrilled to be here!

As you probably read last week from my colleague, Pat, we're starting up our choir rehearsals again on October 7 and 8. We're excited to begin our programs again. We're asking everyone to use this form to sign up.

We don't have a specific date that the children can resume singing in our Sunday morning worship, but we hope to know soon. We understand that with the virus, many of us are faced with unique circumstances. If you plan not to have your children return, please email me using the link below. This will help us tremendously. If you have any further questions, I'm happy to help!

God's peace to all of you!

I had a good four-mile jog this morning over these rolling hills and country roads near this farmhouse where we are staying for a few days. I stopped occasionally to take photos of the farmlands, hillsides and distant mountains, as well as the wildflowers along the road, or just to walk awhile to take things in and appreciate the scenery—to learn again to be attentive. 

Lord, I am so oriented to making minutes, hours, and days “count”, which is not always the same as being attentive or even less getting “… a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) No, my focus is often more about getting things done or frankly sometimes just getting to the next thing. Even now, I find myself experiencing some inner stress that I will not make this vacation day “count”—while having no specific criteria for what “counts” or “matters” means or even looks like. Is it doing something like my morning jog over these rolling hills, farmlands and country roads? Yes, I believe so. Is it some reflective journaling—such as what I’m doing now? Yes, I think that is something that matters. But how much? And when is it that I’ve written something that I can point to on a vacation day and say, “That’s it!” that paragraph, that journal entry counts? Do other people even think in these terms or look at life from this perspective?

Last year, our small-group Bible study examined the account of Moses when he met God on Mt. Sinai and returned to the camp with a shining, transformed face from this amazing encounter. We also studied 2 Corinthians chapters 3 and 4, where Paul highlights seeing the “light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

This fall, we will review some of these themes from our previous Bible study. Then we will branch out to study how seeing God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ helps to transform our hearts so that we might image Him more dearly and clearly to others. Join us as we examine these themes and more using the stories of Scripture to inspire and encourage us. All are welcome!

Questions? Contact Martha Vetter, facilitator: marthavetter@gmail.com or (828) 773-5352.

Youth in 6th–12th grade,* you're invited to youth group this weekend! Like last year, we'll have prayer, music, and games, but we'll be keeping our masks on for the whole evening, so we won't be eating dinner. We aim to keep our youth safe both physically and spiritually––our first weekend back was a great success!

Please read the complete guidelines below, which contain safety requirements and drop-off/pick up protocol, and contact St. Philip's Youth Minister David Gilbert (843-708-3795) or Associate Youth Minister Sarah Silcox (843-566-2805) with questions.

Who: You, participating in a Zoom-based class led by Pringle Franklin, author of Hope & Healing in Marriage; Pringle has taught marriage seminars/classes in church settings in Charleston, SC, and Paris, France.

What: A nine-week study of the stories of real couples dealing with a mixed menu of struggles and issues such as infidelity, alcoholism, abuse, loss of love, destructive anger, the death of a child, and chronic illness.

When: Two class sections are available: Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. or Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Classes run from the first week in October to the second week in December.

Where: Join via Zoom from home or wherever you happen to be.

Why: To gain inspiration, hope, encouragement, and insight; to strengthen your marriage and your relationship with God.

How: To register, send an email to HopeandHealinginMarriage@gmail.com. Or use Facebook to send a message to our page, Hope & Healing in Marriage. The class is free; participants will want a copy of Hope & Healing in Marriage, available on Amazon in the USA and most of Europe (in English).

Last Friday, the 19th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, the Rev. Justin Hare used Psalm 77 to show us that to feel true hope in the midst of suffering and despair, we must put our trust in God. Yesterday, the Rev. Brian McGreevy shared the surprising story behind "Amazing Grace."

Devotions are posted to the news section of our website at 7:00 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Click the top link below if you've missed any and need to catch up; click the bottom link if you'd like the devotions delivered to your email inbox and haven't yet signed up.

Are you looking for a deeper way to connect with the Body of Christ during COVID-19? Consider joining the Thursday morning Centering Prayer group in its weekly Zoom meeting at 8:00 a.m. This group convenes for one hour, and the heart of the meeting is an opportunity to practice 30 minutes of contemplative (silent) prayer, resting in the presence of the Christ with others who are also earnestly seeking Him. Afterwards, group members discuss their experiences and share insights and prayer requests. This is an opportunity to bond with the Lord and a group rooted in peace.

For more information, please contact Pringle Franklin, group facilitator, at franklin.pringle@comcast.net or (843) 270-5585.

Start by following St. Philip's on Instagram and liking our page on Facebook. You'll receive lots of suggestions for connecting with other St. Philippians!

Call Juanita Orvin, who will connect you with a prayer minister who will pray for your concerns over the phone.

juanitaorvin@gmail.com or (843) 884-4018

Call Suzanne McCord, head of the prayer chain, and she will pass your request on to members of the chain.

suzanne1959@gmail.com or (843) 224-1630

It seems like there's a new hurricane threat every week––are you prepared? We never know how bad the effects of a natural disaster will be, so we must prepare ahead of time, even if that means preparing to get help afterwards. This is where the St. Philip's Disaster Relief Team comes in. The Team's mission is to provide help, assistance, and hope to our parishioners and neighbors in times of extreme crisis by offering comfort and minor emergency repairs.

We have a network of parishioners who are willing and able to respond when they are called via our phone tree. We have two points of the phone tree and geographic coordinators for most of the tri-county area already in place. We are always happy to welcome new volunteers!

We pray for the sick: Harold Arnold, Jr., Dotsy Boineau, Kelsey Brockbank, Katie Burris, Elizabeth Flowers, Mary Forbes, Robert Gould, Janet Hanger, Jonathan Hanger, Dan Kohn, Reed Kurtz, Mac Leppard, Joe Livesay, Alan McNeel, Rogers Moore, Mason Paul, Harold Robling, Benjamin Schools, Mike Walsh, and Lindsey Wing.

We pray for protection for Becca Baird, Chris and Julia Beasley, Graham Blunt, Henry Clayton, Ben Colyer, David Daughtridge, Hayes Fair, George Hoefer, Andrew Kane, Horry Kerrison, Charles Kirkman, Frazier Kulze, John Mason, Philip Middleton III, Jackson Miller, Ned Montgomery, Edward Pritchard, and David Scott serving in our Armed Forces.

We pray for our home missions: Star Gospel Mission, Tricounty Family Ministries, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, St. John's Chapel, and the Open Door Ministry.

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.