THE NEWSLETTER of St. Philip Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Volume 59, Number 17 Houston, Texas September 8, 2015 Rev. Dr. John W. Wurster Pastor, Head of Staff Rev. Keatan King Associate Pastor Omar Rouchon Ministry Associate Dr. Thomas Goetz Director of Music Dr. Matthew Dirst Organist Alicia Chew Children s Music Associate Lorrie Castle Office Manager Denise Ferrell Bookkeeper Micah Meyers Communications Assistant Wilbert Parada Facilities Supervisor Dimas Parada Custodian Lorrie Castle Newsletter Editor philip-eye@saintphilip.net Please bring a side to Share. An Invitation to Join the Choir All of our choirs will soon be rehearsing on a weekly basis. St. Philip Church has vocal choirs for adults, youth (middle and high school), and grades 1-5 (Jubilate!). We have an adult handbell choir, as well, and youth are welcome to ring in the adult group. All interested singers and ringers are asked to contact our Director of Music, Thomas Goetz, via email: thomas@saintphilip.net, or phone the church office, to indicate your desire to participate. The rehearsal schedule is as follows: Adult choir rehearses Wednesdays, 7-9 pm, and rehearsals have already begun. Youth will have an alternating schedule, at 5 pm before youth group the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, and at 12:15 pm the 1st and 3rd Sundays. The first youth rehearsal will be September 13, 5 pm. Jubilate! rehearses during the first portion of the Sunday School hour, 9:30-10:00 am, beginning September 13. Bell Canto, the handbell choir, rehearses Mondays 7:00-8:15 pm, beginning September 14. Please be sure to contact the Director of Music to sign up, or to get answers to your questions. Thank you to the volunteers who give their time to our Sunday School Classes Godly Play (Age 3 - Kindergarten) Lower Elementary (Grades 1,2 and 3) Upper Elementary (Grades 4 and 5) Middle School (Grades 6-8) High School (Grades 9-12) St. Philip Adults (SPa) Church & Society Adult Bible Study Ruthie Waldrop, Joyce Fox, & Omi Ford Kara & Paul D Agostino Linda Bevill & McNair Johnson Elizabeth Elliott & Jack Lippincott John Lemen & Cathy Steward Greg Han & Randy Steward Stewart Coffman & Mickey Meyers Nancy Cook & Al Waldrop Introduce yourself and thank them personally on Rally Day, this Sunday. Presbyterian Women Open House St. Philip s Join Presbyterian Women for refreshments and fellowship at our Open House September 13th at 5:30 in the dining room area. Information on Bible study circles, mission projects and all the activities planned for the 2015-16 season of activities will be available. New members, visitors to St. Philip and all who may be a bit curious are urged to come and find out if you might be interested in taking part in our adventures!
Philip-Eye Page 2 September 8, 2015 In Our Prayers Joe Anne Berwick - residing at Belmont Melba Cazes - Pam Taylor s mother in the hospital Steve Carmichael - lyme disease Jan Connor - recuperating from surgery Sandra Cooper - at home - cancer treatments Larry Dean - Seven Acres Lane Fletcher - recuperating from surgery Pat Fortney - cancer treatments Jamie Reed - cancer treatments at MD Anderson Martha Jenkinson - former member - pancreatic cancer Linda Joullian, Wayne Truxillo s sister - hospice Tom Mike Tomforde, Jr. - Hallmark HC Recuperating at home: Malcom Host Rusty Howard Chuck Johnson Jo Jones Bedford Vestal Penny Vieau Dick Weber MIDWEEK BIBLE STUDY RESUMES A new season of Wednesday Bible study with John Wurster begins September 16 with a focus on the Gospel of John. While containing some of the most familiar passages in the whole Bible, John also offers a distinctive, often complex, presentation of Jesus. The class will explore John in detail, noting its unique features and contrasting its claims with those of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The class meets weekly in the dining room at 10:30. Monday evening study group On Monday, September 14, at 5:30 p.m., we continue our discussion of Amy-Jill Levine s book Short Stories by Jesus, with chapter 3, The kingdom of heaven is like yeast. Besides conversation, our meetings include light food and drink, fellowship, and a brief prayer. We meet each second and fourth Monday, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., in the dining room (in the administration building, at the south end of campus). PRESBYTERIAN MEN S WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP The Men s Weekly Fellowship will meet every Friday in the Conference Room at 12:00 pm beginning September 18. They will study a book that will be chosen soon. Those men who wish to participate should bring bag lunch and refreshments provided. All men welcome, the group wraps up promptly at 1:00 pm. YOUTH NEWS The St. Philip Youth Group (grades 6-12) begins a new year on September 13. We will meet from 5:30 to7:30 at the church for dinner, fellowship and games, worship and prayer, plus learning activities based on our fall theme, The Sayings of Jesus. Youth choir will meet at 5:00p.m. i n room 105. A pool party is scheduled for September 19. For more information, contact Keatan King (keatan@saintphilip.net). Dear Friends, At the center of our Presbyterian tradition is a fierce commitment to education for all people. Loving God with all of our minds, as the Scripture directs, requires that we regularly engage in learning opportunities to grow in our understanding of God and the world God has made. Presbyterians have established schools in every corner of the globe over the past 500 hundred years. Many of the premier educational institutions in our county were founded by Presbyterians. Education, of course, is a big part of our life as a congregation. We devote significant resources to this ministry because faith and learning are inextricably linked. Most of our educational program happens on Sunday morning. Each week we offer classes for all ages using curriculum that is developmentally appropriate for each age group. Often the lessons for our children are based on the same scripture readings that we hear in worship. Our adult Sunday School classes address a variety of topics, including social issues, history, theology, and the Bible. The learning opportunities at St. Philip extend beyond Sunday School and include midweek Bible study, monthly book studies, Presbyterian Women circles, small group gatherings, lecture series, and more. For our children and youth, a primary location for Christian education is at home, for that is where they learn patterns and priorities. As this new education year dawns, I encourage you to claim your identity as a Presbyterian and find your way to a class of some sort. If you d like to sample a Sunday School opportunity, all of our classes gladly accept walk-ins. I especially invite you to the Making Sense of the Bible course I m offering for six weeks this fall. Surely, there is much for all of us to learn as we seek to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18-19). Educationally yours, Dearest friends at St. Philip, I m not sure it is possible to express to you how grateful I am to have met you and worked beside you. It was extremely hard to walk away from the friends and co-workers at St. Philip whom I have come to love so dearly. I cannot thank you enough for all your help in making my job easier and for your never-ending grace when I stumbled. I am grateful also that God has provided such an intelligent, warm-hearted, and committed person in Lorrie Castle to take my place. I have all confidence you will find her to be most wonderful. Sincerely, Laurie Fortenbery Thank you Notes
Philip-Eye Page 3 SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES FOR ALL Nursery and Preschool Infants and children through 3 years old 8:30 am to 12:30 pm - Room 106 Staffed by professional childcare providers SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES BEGIN AT 9:30 Age 3 - Kindergarten Godly Play Class - Room 104 Elementary Grades 1, 2, & 3 meet in Room 105 Grades 4 and 5 meet in Room 103 Middle School Grades 6-8 meet in Room 206 High School Grades 9-12 meet in Room 205 Jubilate with Children s Music Associate 1st through 5th grades 9:30-10:00 am in Room 105 with Alicia Chew Adult Classes CHURCH & SOCIETY - Room 201 Albert Einstein once stated, Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind. His statement is appealing to religious believers who want to accept science. But his formula doesn t tell us what are the challenges of interrelating the two enterprises. Nor does it tell us what has been their relationship in the past. The set of three classes that will kick off St. Philip s Church and Society class will address those matters by viewing science and religion in Western culture as being like Wrestling Brothers. The class topics will be: Sept. 20: Exposing the Warfare Myth Sept. 27: The Galileo Story: Great Drama -- Mostly False! Oct. 4: Ancient Wisdom Raises Her Head Today Everyone is welcome! September 8, 2015 MAKING SENSE OF THE BIBLE John Wurster leads this six-week adult Sunday School class beginning September 13. The class will look at the major themes of Scripture with the goal of developing a better understanding of how the whole Bible fits together. It s a class for Bible beginners, as well as more seasoned readers who would like to gain an appreciation of the deep connections at work in the entire book. The class meets in the dining room at 9:30, September 13-October 18. CCSC s Back-to-School Due to your generous donations, CCSC s Back-to-School program received $2,120. With this contribution, St. Philip sponsored 47 children with back-to-school supplies, a school uniform and a new pair of shoes. Volunteer Opportunities Lord of the Streets (LOTS) The next date for us to serve breakfast to the homeless is Sunday, September 20. We gather in the St. Philip parking lot at 6:30 am to carpool to Trinity Episcopal Church and are back at the church by 9:00 am in time for Sunday school. If this date is good for you, please call Janet Davis at 713.464.2385 to take part in this gratifying project. SPa CLASS - Room 200 The SPa (Saint Philip Adults) class is a fellowship of adults from all walks of life who gather for learning, dialogue, and prayer. ADULT BIBLE STUDY - Room 204 Currently the class is engaged in a study of Judges. The Bible study class utilizes the insights of a variety of scholars and texts to expand our understanding of God s message of faithfulness to His people. Nancy Cook and Al Waldrop lead the discussions. All are welcome. ARTS & CRAFT STUDIO Room 9 (old classroom wing) Please see our schedule on the St. Philip website. This class is a time for creativity and learning ways to express your joy of the Lord through the visual arts. You don t have to be crafty to join. Learn something new, teach something new and share in the gifts and talents given to us. Please contact Lori Murphy at 713.447.5320 if you would like to lead a class or if you have an idea for a project. Fellowship Opportunity Friday Phil-Up returns September 18th when we dine at Dish Society Restaurant (5704 San Felipe St. #100, 77057) at 6:30 pm. This is an opportunity for members of all ages to dine with one another in a social setting. When you arrive just asked to be seated with St. Philip.
Philip-Eye Page 4 September 8, 2015 Music at St. Philip Concert Series opens the 2015-2016 season with a recital by the exciting young organist, Patrick A. Scott, on Sunday, September 20, at 6:00 p.m. Scott was awarded the first prize as well as the audience prize in the American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Improvisation in 2014. His program will include an improvised symphony based on submitted themes. Dr. Scott holds degrees from Birmingham-Southern College and The University of Texas at Austin. He has also studied abroad in France and England. An active recitalist and accompanist, Dr. Scott has appeared in concert throughout the United States, as well as in France, Prague, Austria, and Great Britain. He serves as Assistant Organist-Choirmaster at the Cathedral of Saint Philip, Atlanta, GA. This concert is presented in partnership with the Houston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. As with all concerts on the series, admission is free, an offering will be received. The next concert in the series is The 8th Annual Concert for Peace, on Saturday, October 10, 7:00 p.m. This annual event combines music, poetry readings and moments of contemplative silence. Music will be performed by Melissa Givens, soprano, singing songs by Franz Schubert, Francis Poulenc, Ben Moore, and Moses Hogan. The St. Philip Choir, conducted by Thomas Goetz, will present A Little Jazz Mass, by Bob Chilcott, and Festival Sanctus, by John Leavitt. Poetry readings will be by Kevin Prufer, Professor in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston, and by Sandi Stromberg, poet and award-winning professional editor and magazine feature writer. Prufer will read three of his poems, Ars Poetica, Could Someone Please Check on My Mother, and The Rise of Rome. Stromberg will also read three of her poems, 300 Minute Elegy, Rough Ridges, Valleys, and Swinging. Season brochures are available in the narthex, or can also be found in downloadable pdf format on the church website: www.saintphilip.net/music. We invite you to take one or more brochures and mail or give them to friends. Concert news is also available on our Facebook page: Music at St. Philip Concert Series. Replacing the Great Willow Oak It has been so long since the great Willow Oak was removed from in front of the sanctuary that some of you probably are beginning to think we decided to leave the area as it is now. But we have not forgotten progress by committee is slow but we are ready to move ahead. The original plan was to choose one or more trees to replace the willow oak, but when the tree was finally removed, almost everyone was stunned at the size of the space it had filled. The next reaction was how wonderful it is to be able to see the façade of the sanctuary. After consulting with a specialist in trees and landscape, the advice we received was: first, you have a unique opportunity here, and second, you need a landscape architect. To make a long story short, we looked at several landscape architects and finally chose to work with Lauren Griffith, whose firm has planned, among other projects, Discovery Green, Sesquicentennial Park, Lakewood Church, and parts of the Children s Zoo and Hermann Park trails. She also has expertise in native plants and ecological planning. You can see more of her projects on the firm website, lgriffith@laurengriffithassociates.com. Because of the potential scope of the project, John Wurster asked the Property Committee to form a Task Force to work with Lauren Griffith on the plan for the area. With his advice, the Task Force is comprised of the following St. Philip members: Ginny Camfield, Walker Fair, Joyce Fox, Celia Morgan, Lori Murphy, Cathy Steward, Gary Whitney and Garry Willis. John Wurster will also meet with the Task Force. Ginny, Celia and Gary Willis are members of the Property Committee. Because of budget constraints at St. Philip, Lauren will work on the project in phases, and the first phase will be Schematic Designs and Design Development. She will meet with the Task Force members to listen to the ideas and wishes of the membership and present up to three designs in different price ranges, then develop one of these in detail. The congregation is invited to offer their ideas and suggestions throughout the process please feel free to contact any member of the Task Force at any time. Some of the ideas to date include: Keep open the sight lines to the sanctuary, move the sidewalk so it leads to the sanctuary, provide shade for the walk to the sanctuary, use environmentally friendly plantings, incorporate the St.Philip logo that was previously in the floor of our outside gathering space, use more trees, use no trees, incorporate a labyrinth, a columbarium, a water element. As the design progresses, we will make information available to the congregation, and we look forward to input from each of you. Even though we can t do everything, we hope that the redesigned space will offer a beautiful view from San Felipe and a welcoming entrance to St. Philip for all. Ginny Camfield, for the Property Committee
EqualExchange Chocolate is big business. But sadly, it is often an unjust business. Most mainstream chocolate comes from cacao plantations in West Africa, where forced child labor has been documented. When you choose Equal Exchange chocolates, sourced fairly and directly from small-scale farmer co-ops, you can make a positive difference while celebrating Halloween - and all year long. The Coffee Project folks will be in the gathering area, before and after the 11 am worship service on September 27th, to take your order for boxes of 150 bite-sized chocolate minis Dark or Milk, to be delivered October 18th and 25th. We will also have fair trade coffee, tea, baking cocoa and hot chocolate along with Guatamalan honey, Palestinian olive oil and tamari almonds. SEAFARER CHRISTMAS BOXES St. Philip will be participating in the 2015 Christmas Shoebox Program. We are collecting the following items to fill the Christmas boxes: 100 medium sized shoe boxes, hotel samples (of shampoo, conditioner, hand cream), socks, wash cloths, bars of soap, toothpaste/brushes, handkerchiefs, pencils, pens, paper, cards, paper clips, sewing kits, stick, cotton balls, band aids, cups, gloves, zip lock bags, small calendar, packs of tissues, decks of cards, razors, comb, flashlights, chewing gum, hard candy, rubber bands, a holiday card. The boxes will be distributed to visiting seafarers by volunteers and Chaplains working with the Houston Int l Seafarer s Center. Place your donations in the wishing well in the Gathering Area. Good Neighbor Healthcare Center We recently received a thank you letter expressing their appreciation of our 2015 contribution totaling $5000. Good Neighbor Healthcare Center has provided quality and compassionate primary medical, dental and health care services; a primary health care home to medically underserved populations; and health education in an environment of dignity and respect for over five decades. We at Good Neighbor are truly thankful for St. Philip s faithful and continued support, Ann Thielke, Chief Executive Officer. PHILIP-EYE info. Articles should be sent to Lorrie Castle philip-eye@saintphilip.net. Please take note: The deadline for submitting articles for the next PhilipEYE is Thursday, September 17. Also, contact Lorrie if you would like to receive the Philip-Eye online. You get the news faster, the church saves postage, and the impact on the environment is lightened just a bit. lorrie@saintphilip.net Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Houston, TX Permit No. 2396 Philip-Eye THE NEWSLETTER of St. Philip Presbyterian Church U.S.A.