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Stations of the Cross

Make your Lenten Journey a journey. This Stations of the Cross resource is intended to get people out of their homes to experience the story of Jesus’ passion and to consider the story of the neighboring community. This is for you to use in a way that makes sense for you. You can do it all by yourself. You can make it a family affair. You can create a caravan of folks.  Most importantly use this resource to deepen the relationship with Jesus who suffers, dies, AND rises for your sake and for the sake of the world. You may find the locations, scripture, and prayers here.

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St. Philip Invitation – March 2022

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Uncategorized Worship Assistants

March 2022 Worship Servers

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Uncategorized Weekly Devotional

Journey to the Stable – a Movable Advent Devotional

Let us journey to the stable to celebrate the newborn Prince of Peace! As we approach Christmas day, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are on a journey. Culturally, this season is one of busyness, consumerism, and activity. For the faithful, Advent is a season of hope, waiting, anticipation, and wonder. But Advent can also be a season of activity! We’re actively pondering God’s gifts of love as we approach Christmas. 

Use this resource to be active in the hopefulness, the anticipation, and the wonder as you explore the stories of how God’s love is made known in the coming of Jesus.  To give opportunity for deeper reflection and new insights from this powerful story, you are invited to visit stations throughout the Roanoke valley listed below. You may complete the stations in a timeframe that makes sense for you and your family. It would be helpful for you to bring a Bible, or look the verses up on your phone, and perhaps something to take notes with as you go about the stations. 

Each of the stations are listed with a coordinating text, short reflection and prayer. As you approach each station, read the scripture passage and see how this new place where you are reading it resonates or conflicts with the scenes of the text. You are then invited to move to the reflection and prayer. Take as long as you need at each station, give yourself time to delve into the story, the setting, and how God is speaking to you through them.

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COVID and Mask Updates at St. Philip

Greetings St. Philippians:

After new recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) encouraging both vaccinated, as well as unvaccinated persons, to resume wearing masks indoors in public places, St. Philip Church Council voted to reinstate the expectation of wearing masks indoors at St. Philip, beginning this Sunday, August 15. This decision was made in consultation with our regional health officials, advice from doctors, and in caring discernment of how God is calling us to love and serve the community. 

We continue to pray for the health, safety, and care for the community; our congregational community, our neighborhood community, and our global community. As always, connect and worship in the way that is best for you! We are called together to Live Like That (Christ): loving, feeding, and serving.

In God’s care, 
Pastor David and Pastor Laura

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St. Philip Invitation – August 2021

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Proposed Endowment Policy

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Protocols for Restroom Visits during Drive Up Worship

We are excited to be back at St. Philip for worship even if that is in the parking lot!  We miss you and care about every single one of you. Our plan is to worship in the safest way possible and our preparedness team is trying hard to think through logistics with that goal in mind. As you come for drive-in worship it is of course best for you to have used the bathroom at home before arriving, BUT if you need to use the bathroom at St. Philip we would ask you to follow the directions below:

  1. Please use the door at the side of the church under the portico.  As you enter, we are encouraging people to use the automatic door opening button by pushing it with your elbow.
  2. Use the hand sanitizer immediately inside the church building then proceed straight to the bathroom.
  3. When finished in the bathroom, wash your hands, as well as using a sanitizing wipe to clean the toilet handle. Take the sanitizing wipe with you to exit the bathroom using it to open the bathroom door and dispose of the wipe in the trash outside each bathroom.
  4. As you exit the building, again use the automatic door opener by pushing it with your elbow.

We know these protocols add steps to everyday processes, but it is important that we protect others. We truly appreciate your participation as we seek to put safeguards in place.

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COVID19 News Uncategorized

Newest Pastoral Update from St. Philip

Dear St. Philippians, 

In consultation with health agencies and the Virginia Synod, ELCA, on March 13, 2020, all in-person gatherings at St. Philip were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The St. Philip Church Council later extended this practice through May 17, 2020. We acknowledge that this time of physical distancing has been hard. We grieve the lack of in-person connections. One of the gifts of living in a community as St. Philip is being with one another. But even as we have missed being together physically, we give thanks that we have never ceased being the church! God has walked with us through this season and will continue to guide and comfort us in the days and weeks to come.  

As we are now entering the time of a phased reopening approach, St. Philip will operate under the following guidelines and practices. Please know that these practices were thoughtfully prepared in consultation with the relevant health and government authorities. We want to return in the very best way possible, and as frustrating as it might be, we need time to prepare to do that well.

As always, our mission as disciples of Christ is to live out the love and grace shown to us by God. We understand that mission during this time of pandemic to be one of love and care for our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable among us. While these plans are intended to be carried out, they may be revised at any point in response to new relevant information.

Phase One: Starting May 15

From the CDC Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith, “Phase 1: Limit gatherings to those that can be held virtually”

St. Philip’s Practices 

  • Continued suspension of in-person gatherings for worship 
  • Open Doors digital worship will be offered at 8:30 and 11:00am on May 17 then at 9:30am starting May 24. Additionally, the worship video is posted to Facebook and the church website. 
  • Conference call access offered for both services. 
  • Church Council is forming a COVID Preparedness Team to plan for, resource, and implement restrictions for in person gatherings of faith communities.

Phase Two: Beginning 2-4 weeks after the start of Phase One, to be announced by Governor Northam

From the CDC Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith, “Phase 2: Consider continuing to hold gatherings virtually… for vulnerable populations and consider video streaming or drive-in options for services.”

St. Philip’s Practices

  • Open Doors digital worship will continue to be offered at 9:30am. Additionally, worship will be posted to Facebook and the church website, as well as access via conference call 
  • Drive In Worship will be held in the church parking lot on a monthly basis, while still following important social distancing guidelines.
    • Worshippers may attend the worship service while seated in their cars with windows rolled up. Through a radio transmitter worship will be broadcast using the FM radio in the vehicle.  Windows must stay rolled up throughout the service to prevent the spread of the virus between closely parked cars. 
    • A worship bulletin will be emailed to the congregation in the week prior to worship that they are invited to print at home and bring to worship. For those unable to access email, bulletins will be provided at the church.
    • During the passing of the peace, worshippers who are wearing masks are invited to exit their vehicles and stand by them to wave a greeting of peace to the community. Social distancing is to be maintained during the passing of the peace. Worshippers not wearing masks should not exit their vehicles. 
    • Communion will be celebrated at the drive in worship service. Worshippers are asked to bring their own communion elements with them to worship. Worship elements include bread or, gluten free bread or crackers, and either wine or grape juice. 
    • The pastors will lead the service and walk by cars to greet worshippers. The pastors will practice social distancing while leading and interacting with worshippers. 

Phase Three: Will start at a later date to be announced by Governor Northam

From the CDC Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith, “Phase 3: Limit gatherings to those that can maintain social distancing and consider video streaming or drive-in options for vulnerable populations.”

St. Philip Practices

  • The pastors and congregational council will continue to consult state and federal health guidelines before making decisions about Phase Three operations. 
  • The sincere hope is to resume in-person gatherings in Phase Three. The pastors and St. Philip Council will consult the Bishop’s Office and all relevant state and federal guidelines about gatherings at the time. 
  • Online worship will continue to be offered in some form to serve the whole community. 

We know that this time of pandemic has not been easy. We miss worshipping with our St.Philip family and spending time with one another. We give thanks that this hard time will not last forever. In the meantime, we give thanks for one another, for the ways we are connecting during this time, and the love of God that holds us always. 

In God’s care, 

Pastor David and Pastor Laura 

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Zoom Meetings Update – Password Required

Many organizations, including churches, have increased their usage of Zoom meeting software exponentially over the past few weeks. To increase security for their users, Zoom is now requiring passwords for all meetings. All St. Philip Zoom meetings going forward will require a password – 24019. This includes Zoom Cafe Sunday morning at 9:30am, Youth Group, Monday Bible Study, etc. Below are the new links to those meetings. Thank you for your care and flexibility as we continue to adapt to this new way of being the church. Looking forward to beginning Holy Week and celebrating Palm Sunday with y’all tomorrow!

Zoom Cafe – https://zoom.us/j/135031599?pwd=UWtWSDRGdWh4MTZ6RCtYL0lPZXdIdz09

Youth Group – https://zoom.us/j/151785108?pwd=WEZlUlJQUWxseHBET1hXN0c2MkxWdz09

Bible Study – https://zoom.us/j/181894145?pwd=a0Q4ZUdqdHc1dDNzZ3hDb1BNR0Njdz09