St. Philip's Church in the Highlands
 
Please note that we have changed the date of our fall cocktail party. The new date will be Saturday, November 6, from 5:30 to 7:30. I hope that this change will not be an inconvenience.
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The Harvest Sale is a yearly festival that includes baked goods, home made items, a raffle with fantastic prizes and the ubiquitous white elephants. Fitting in with the 'Soul Food" theme, this year's sale will include a chili cook-off. Bring your chili to put up against the best. The Harvest Sale is the perfect opportunity to do all of your holiday shopping; food, fun and gifts, in one convenient location. Plan now to be part of the fun. We need volunteers to help plan the sale and to solicit prizes for the raffle. We also need volunteers to help organize sale setup and pricing, cashier duties and cleanup after the sale. There will be an organizational meeting soon.  If you can help, call Judy Hayes at 845 526-3659 or email her at jlh119@optonline.net.  
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The St. Philip's Nursery School welcomed new preschoolers to the 2010-2011 school year while beginning its fiftieth year of operation. Children first attended St. Philip's Nursery School in September 1960, and held their first graduation in June of 1961.

"The Vestry at that time saw the need for a program to serve the young families in the community," recalls the Rev. Frank Geer. "The Parish House, which had housed the Garrison School kindergarten class, had space available in 1960. A St. Philip's parishioner, Anne Prentice, had a nursery school in her home, and the Vestry invited her to start the first St. Philip's Nursery School in the fall of 1960. It has been here ever since."

JoAnne Chadwick, Director of St. Philip's Nursery School, with the staff and volunteers, is planning a series of celebratory events during this anniversary year. First up is a special children's church service on Sunday, September 26 at 10:30 a.m. A cocktail party, anniversary yearbook, special children's play event, and an extra-special graduation are planned for the spring.

"We invite all former St. Philip's families to join us as this special year goes along," confirms Mrs. Chadwick. JoAnne Chadwick is the fifth director of the Nursery School, following Anne Prentice, Carol Seaboldt, Adele Williams, and Anita Prentice.

All graduates of St. Philip's and their families are encouraged to call 424-4209 to sign up for the mailing list for this year's events. They can also visit the Nursery School Web site at www.stphilipsns.org for further information.
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Soul Food Legacy 09/04/2010
 
Back in the 1960s, a new variety of American cuisine emerged into our consciousness. This cuisine consisted of food that was traditional to the Southern United States and especially to African-Americans. It consisted of staples such as rice, sorghum, sweet potatoes, turnips, and okra. In included new types of greens: dandelions, collards, kale, beet tops, mustard and pokeweed. Recipes relied upon lard and cornmeal and featured cuts of meats such as oxtails, ham hocks and pig's feet. The more daring recipes even included game: raccoons, squirrels, turtles, opossums, and rabbits. By the end of the decade, this cuisine had found a new name. It was called 'Soul Food'.   This name was in part a reflection of an era when the struggle of blacks for their Civil Rights was a central issue in American life. The term 'soul' became a definer of African-American culture. We had 'Soul Music', why not 'Soul Food'? But the word, 'soul', is about much more than race. It is about a spiritual reality that is at the center of human existence. 'Soul'  is about that nebulous something that lies at the core of our being. Having soul helps us to reach into ourselves, up to God and out to God's creation and other human beings. Soul is about connecting, and about community. It is about making the most of limited resources. It is about working together with people you enjoy on projects that you believe in. It is about looking in, looking up and reaching out. 'Soul Food' is about creating and sharing joy.
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On Sunday, October 3rd, we will be holding our annual service of the Blessing of the Animals. We will be honoring 'our horizontal brothers and sisters', both wild and tame with special readings, special music and, weather permitting, a procession around the churchyard. The service celebrates the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis lived in the twelfth century. He grew up as the son of a member of the Italian nobility. As an adult, Francis renounced his family and his wealth and became a monk.  He loved wild places and wild animals and is famous for his Sermon to the Birds.
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The Harvest Sale, to be held this year on Saturday, November 20, is a yearly festival that includes baked goods, home made items, a raffle with fantastic prizes and the ubiquitous white elephants. Fitting in with the 'Soul Food" theme, this year's sale will include a chili cook-off. Bring your chili to put up against the best. The Harvest Sale is the perfect opportunity to do all of your holiday shopping; food, fun and gifts, in one convenient location. Plan now to be part of the fun.  There will an organizational meeting soon. We need volunteers to help plan the sale and to solicit prizes for the raffle. We also need volunteers to help organize sale setup and pricing, cashier duties and cleanup after the sale. If you can help, call Judy Hayes at 845-526-3659.  
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Two Trees 05/31/2010
 
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Two Trees 05/31/2010
 
Two of the beautiful trees in our churchyard are on their last legs. We have consulted a number of tree experts in the community, all of whom have told us that the trees need to come down.  One of the trees is a beautiful oak with a hollow trunk that is right off of  driveway up to the church about halfway up.  The other is a maple on the other side of the driveway, a little farther down. It split in half a few years ago and the remaining half is not doing well.   It is always difficult to lose and old friend, but this work needs to be done.   We will plant new trees to replace those we are losing.
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 "I called an architect friend in Memphis. His answer was that it was nothing more than a tradition, especially with Episcopal churches. He added that if you go to a strange city, you can readily identify the Episcopal Church as the one with the red doors." 

"Red doors symbolize the blood of Christ, which is our entry into salvation. They also remind us of the blood of the martyrs."

"I suspect that the red doors are much like academic gowns: since there is no authoritative source about what they symbolize, you can have fun finding your own meanings in them."

"I too asked about the Red doors over the years. The only answer I ever got was that this is the color associated with the Holy Spirit."

"Red is the color of blood and there has always been an association of blood and spirit, I guess this makes some sense (but not a lot)."

"I heard several years ago that the reason for the red doors on Episcopal churches was to indicate that the mortgage for the church was paid off."

"My earliest Christian mentor (Yes, that goes back a while.) explained that the red door tradition originated during the Middle Ages in England when it was a sign of sanctuary. In those days, if one was being pursued by the 'shire reeve' (sheriff) could reach the church door he/she would be safe. Nobody would dare to do violence on hallowed ground. The red door was fair warning to pursuers that they could proceed no further."

"Anybody read about Passover lately? You remember how the children of Israel were to mark "the lintel of the door" with blood, as a sign for the Angel of Death to pass over?"
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One of the undiscovered treasures of St. Philip's is the 'Life Support Group' that meets in the church from 7:30 to 9:00 on Wednesday evenings.   The group was started seven years ago and had provided a wise and comforting environment for parishioners and community members who come to the group with a wide variety of life problems. In a controlled setting, group members are encouraged to talk freely about death, about illness, divorce, loneliness, about the decline and loss of loved ones; about the entire range of problems, challenges and joys that are part of the human condition.   It is a wonderful group full of wonderful people and if you feel it might help you, please give it a try. For more information, call Frank Geer at 845 424-3571. 
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