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The Adventure Begins – Welcome Pastor Laura

Pastor Laura will begin her ministry as Associate Pastor at St. Philip beginning on Monday, August 12. Feel free to stop by the church office during the week of the 12th to greet and welcome her to this community of faith. Pastor Laura’s first Sunday in worship will be August 18th and will again be an opportunity to introduce yourself.

This truly is an exciting time at St. Philip as we seek to answer God’s call to live like Christ – to live like that. Ask questions, make suggestions, practice hospitality, and pray without ceasing knowing that God’s got us and will guide possibilities into the future.

More exciting news about Pastor Laura’s new journey with St. Philip, including ordination and installation invitation can be found in this special edition of The St. Philip Invitation.

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Newsletter Worship Assistants

Worship Servers August

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St. Philip Invitation – August

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News Newsletter

Scamming and “Phishing” Attempts Targeting Congregations

Congregations of various denominations have reported that their members are receiving scam emails that are requesting gift card donations for a charitable cause. Religious groups and congregations are becoming easy targets for these types of scams.

Phishing is a form of “social engineering,” whereby a hacker with bad intentions sends an email (or text or phone call) pretending to be someone the recipient trusts and asks the recipient to take an action which can have adverse effects. In the case of targeting congregation members of churches, the scammer disguises themselves as the pastor or a lay leader in the church. Sometimes, scammers request money. Other times, they invite the recipient to click a link or open an attachment that can trigger malicious code.

A good rule of thumb with emails you’re not expecting is to reach out to the sender through another method of communication. Do not reply to an email request. Do not click on a link, or send money, gift cards, or provide checking account or credit card information without clarifying from the trusted source.

For more on this particular gift card scam, read this article from The Christian Post.

To get a better sense of what to look for when receiving unsolicited emails, try this Google Phishing Quiz.

Hackers are getting more sophisticated every day. The best defense is to pause and look for warning signs before responding to any unsolicited email, text, or phone call.

If someone in your contact list reports that an email has been sent appearing as you, it’s advisable to alert your entire contact list. You may use this message as a warning:

I’ve been informed that today an email that appeared to be me was sent out to many of you stating I am traveling and needed money in the form of gift cards.

I am not traveling. I do not need gift cards. This is a scam. Please do NOT reply to any email you received requesting gift cards, either from me or other people. Please do NOT send gift cards to the scammers sending these emails.

If you need help or have questions, please call Laura in the church office.

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Newsletter Worship Assistants

St. Philip Worship Servers – June

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News Newsletter

St. Philip Invitation – June/July 2019

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Newsletter Worship Assistants

St. Philip Worship Servers – May 2019

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News Newsletter

St. Philip Lutheran Invitation – May 2019

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Newsletter Worship Assistants

St. Philip April 2019 Servers

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News Newsletter

April 2019 St. Philip Invitation