Name Address Phone Email Accept this pledge as an expression of gratitude for all the blessings of this life and for the blessings God calls me to be. I pray for the grace to honor the practice of proportional giving: Given: Total Pledge for 2026 to St. Philip Episcopal Church: Weekly Monthly Quarterly Annually Click Here to Confirm your Pledge. May The Lord bless and keep you!

CELEBRATE WITH US THE HOLY EUCHARIST - To worship God in the Anglican Tradition- WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Morning 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Contemplative Service (no music) 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist with Music Podcast (available after service) Wednesday 12:15 PM Healing Service with Eucharist CHILD CARE IS NOT PROVIDED AT THIS TIME. READ MORE >> Important Links: Worship Services, Meditations and Articles Worship this Week Archive of Sermons Fr. Terry Hosting"Faithfully Memphis" Archive of Fr. Terry's Meditations and Articles

Worship Lay Ministries During times of Worship, there are several lay participates who actively contribute to our Holy experience. These people are Parish members and their ministry actions represent the worship community with Holy participation. If you are interested in serving the ministry of the church in any one of these capacities, please contact the Church Office: office@stphilipmemphis.org . Acolytes An important ministry for our youth and adults is to serve as Acolytes. The word “acolyte” means “helper”. With the Acolytes’ responsibilities, they perform valuable services in helping those in charge of the Worship. At the beginning of the service, they are lighters of the candles and extinguishers of the flame at the end. During the processional, they may carry candles (torch bearers), banners, or the cross (crucifers) as the ministers and choir enter or exit the church. The Acolytes assist with the Gospel Procession when it is read from the center of the church. They also help with receiving the offerings from the congregation and assist the priest with his or her duties at the Altar. St. Philip welcomes worshipers who want to become a part of this vital ministry. Training is scheduled at convenient times for participants. Ushers Parish ushers are persons who help ensure a smoothly running church service and who ministers to people in a variety of practical ways. Their duties include greeting people as they arrive for the service, assisting people with special needs, collecting the offering. St. Philip provides a pocket tag that easily identifies our ushers. As the worshipers arrive, the ushers will act as doorkeepers, greeting each person with a smile, shaking hands, and handing out bulletins. They are also available to answer visitors’ questions and extend extra help in seating those who need the assistance. They are ready to assist anyone in the congregation who might need help, to aid latecomers in finding a seat, and to inform those in the sanctuary of any urgent matters. The ushers will always present first-time visitors with a welcome gift bag. As a part of the liturgy, the ushers are responsible for taking up the church offering and then walk back toward the alter during a hymn of praise. They hand the plates to the Verger who then presents it to the Rector who blesses the tithes and offerings. Also, they count the number of worshipers so the Rector will know the amount of bread and wine to prepare for the Eucharist. After the service, ushers will again be at the door to greet the congregation as they leave and provide assistance as needed. The ushers will then make sure that the sanctuary is tidy, the thermostat is adjusted, and the lights are shut off. The heart of an usher is that of a servant, and he/she does this work for his Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:24 ). The church usher has a true love for the people of the Parish and a desire to promote an atmosphere of reverence and worship in the house of the Lord. . Verger Ministry The term verger usually refers to a member of an Anglican Church who takes on the extra duties of planning the details of services, participating in religious processions, and can substitute for any worship role except Priest or Deacon. The word verger comes from the ceremonial staff or rod that the verger carries during these processions — in Old French, a verge is a "twig, branch, or wand of office." Vergers serve the church in a ministry of welcome. Often a visitor to a new parish church will see the verger in a simple black cassock moving about the church before the worship service, checking fonts, candles, and in general prepping the church for solemn worship. The verger is usually the first person a visitor meets and cheerfully responds to any inquiry concerning the upcoming service, church facilities or current program offerings. Logistically, a verger’s support allows the clergy more time for pastoral and sacramental responsibilities. Many of the other typical verger duties include assigning, training and checking in lectors, chalice bearers, acolytes and prayer intercessors. The verger coordinates with the altar guild and funeral guilds, checks lighting, and the Priest’s vestments and liturgical hangings. Above all, he/she works behind the scenes making sure that everything runs smoothly during the liturgy. All of the Verger's duties are specific to the church in which he/she serve and can evolve through many years under the direction of the rector. Lay Eucharistic Ministers (LEM) Lay Eucharistic Ministers are licensed by the bishop to administer the consecrated elements of the eucharist. Lay eucharistic ministers may be licensed to administer the consecrated bread and wine at any celebration of the eucharist in the absence of a sufficient number of priests and deacons to assist the celebrant. They may also be licensed to go from a Sunday eucharist or other principal celebrations of the eucharist to share the sacrament with members of the congregation who were unable to be present at the celebration because of illness or infirmity. Lay eucharistic ministers may be licensed for either or both ministries. This ministry is understood to be an extraordinary ministry, and is not to take the place of the ministry of priests and deacons concerning the administration of the eucharist. Lay Readers The Lay Reader volunteers to read the Scripture Lessons during worship services. The Book of Common Prayer directs that laypeople should read the lessons preceding the Gospel. The readers at St. Philip are provided a printed copy of Lessons well in advance so they may practice their reading. All scripture readings are derived from the Episcopal Church Lectionary . Oblation Bearers Oblation Bearers are responsible for processing the oblations (the bread and wine to be offered for consecration) to the altar during the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion). They also represent the entire congregation in which we offer our lives to God as a “reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice.” Offering Counters The Offering Counters count the Sunday and special service offerings and prepare the receipts for bank deposit. They document the giving for the finance secretary who then enters the information in the church finance database, preparing a record for each giver.

Our "Coffee Hour" St Philip is known for its hospitality and “coffee hour” following the Sunday worship services is a small way to make a big difference by welcoming our guests and visitors. This is usually much less than an hour, but sharing a cup of coffee and a donut among those with whom we worship deepens our relationships with others as a faith community. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the Parish Hall immediately following the services. Our Coffee Hour Hosts make this happen! This ministry comes with minimal Sunday morning responsibilities and is always looking for volunteers to help. If you are interested, contact the Parish office: office@stphilipmemphis.org

Receiving Communion All baptized Christians are welcome to receive the Blessed Sacrament if they so desire and are prepared. If you do not wish to receive the bread or the wine, cross your arms over your chest and the priest will give you a blessing. To receive Communion, kneel at the Altar rail, if able, and hold your hands one on top of the other with your palms up. The priest will place the bread in your hand. If you wish to receive the wine by intinction (dipping the host in the wine), continue to hold the bread in your hand and the L.E.M. will dip it in the wine and place it on your tongue. If you do not wish to receive the wine, cross your arms over your chest and the L.E.M. will pass by. If you are unable to come to the Altar, please notify an usher and Communion will be brought to you.

Feel-Good Giving 2 Corinthians 9:5; 7: So I (Paul) thought it was necessary to urge these brothers and sisters to go to you ahead of me and get ready in advance the gift you promised to make. Then will it be ready when I arrive, and will show that you give because you want to, not because you to have to. . . You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. . . A few years ago, a Christian denomination did a study concerning stewardship. The study included various realms of giving, which included the offering of money, time, and talents. What the study concluded was that the people felt a sense of guilt with what they were giving. So contrary to a popular stewardship theme among many congregations, “Give until it hurts”, the real pain was because people felt, as individuals, they could do more, a lot more, than what they were doing. In terms of donations, let us consider “Feel-Good Giving” -- Giving until it feels good! Stewardship is a time of spiritual self-reflection. It is when we take a moment to prayerfully reflect on our commitment to God in terms of sharing our time, talents, and money. As we take this spiritual inventory of ourselves, we need to prayerfully consider what to donate. After all, it is a spiritual promise to our Lord. In this vow, let us look upon stewardship with joy. After all, it is true thanks to God. Donations of our time, talents, and money should be “Feel-Good Giving”.

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GIVING ONLINE Pledges and Donations Debit or Credit Card Giving We are excited to offer online payments for offerings through Tithely. Click on the secure link for pledges, discretionary fund, Memorials/Honorariums, and Altar Flower offerings. You may also give general donations. It will open up a secure checkout page on Tithely. Enter the amount of your offering and choose the fund from the drop-down menu. Enter your first & last names, your email address and credit card information. There is also a MEMO line for any additional information such as a name for a memorial offering. A confirmation email receipt will be sent to you confirming your payment. Please note that there will be a 3.5% charge to St. Philip for the use of this service. You may elect to pay this fee. CLICK HERE TO GIVE BECOME A VOLUNTEER Volunteer is defined as a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task. There is something more to becoming a person who freely gives time and effort to the work of Christ at St. Philip. The feeling of the heart (sometimes called the reason of the heart) is the foundation of being a volunteer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is our challenge to respond to that feeling. Yes, it is our faith that brings us to give our actions freely. HOW YOU CAN HELP The most important thing you can do is to PRAY ! This is a simple act that will make our ministries grow in the parish. When we pray, the Lord hears us. We need workers who will spend the time in the various ministries at St. Philip. If there is something you want to do, speak to a Vestry member or Ft. Terry. The still small voice of the Lord calls you from your prayers. How will you respond? As you pray, be aware that the Lord may call you into a leadership position. It is a simple matter that sometimes you can go beyond your comfort level. Many times, leadership is not sought out, it just happens. Leadership results from of a prayerful harmony of events. Be open to hear a call that rises from your prayers. Read More >> WE NEED YOUR HELP The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” ( Matthew 9:35-38)