St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Saturday, October 11, 2008:

• No parish activities today.

The October issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for October 2008.

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, October 12, 2008:

• Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m.;
• Nursery Opens at at 8:45 a.m.;
• Sunday School for All Ages at 9:00 a.m.;
• Choral Eucharist with Holy Baptism at 10:00 a.m.;
• Luncheon Reception Hosted by the Ivey Family at 11:30 a.m.;
• Bulb Planting with the Gardening Group at 12:30 p.m.;
• Children’s Chapel at 10:00 a.m.;
• Celtic Eucharist at 5:30 p.m..

Today in the Episcopal Church we commemorate St. Philip, Deacon and Evangelist. Wikipedia tells us that Philip the Deacon is not to be confused with Philip the Apostle, and offers this biographical sketch of the saint we commemorate today:

Philip the Evangelist appears several times in the Acts of the Apostles. He was one of the Seven Deacons chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 6). He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, converted Simon Magus, and met and baptised an Ethiopian eunuch in Gaza, traditionally marking the start of the Ethiopian Church (Acts 8). Later, he lived in Caesarea Maritima with his four daughters who had the gift of prophecy, where he was visited by Paul (Acts 21), though the account may refer to Philip the Apostle.

He is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (6:5) as one of “the seven” who were chosen to attend to certain temporal affairs of the church in Jerusalem in consequence of the murmurings of the Hellenists against the Hebrews. After the martyrdom of Saint Stephen he went to “the city of Samaria”, where he preached with much success, Simon Magus being one of his converts. He afterwards instructed and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch on the road between Jerusalem and Gaza; next he was “caught away” by the Spirit and “found at Azotus” (Ashdod), whence “passing through he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea” (Acts 8). Here some years afterwards, according to Acts 21:8-9, where he is described as “the evangelist” (a term found again in the New Testament only in Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 4:5), he entertained Paul and his companion on their way to Jerusalem; at that time “he had four daughters which did prophesy”. At a very early period he came to be confounded with the apostle Philip (see above); the confusion was all the more easy because, as an esteemed member of the apostolic company, he may readily have been described as an apostle in the wider sense of that word.[1] A late tradition describes him as settling at Tralles in Asia Minor, where he became the bishop of that church.

The following is the collect today from Lesser Feasts and Fasts:

Holy God, no one is excluded from your love, and your truth transforms the minds of all who seek you: As your servant Philip was led to embrace the fullness of your salvation and to bring the stranger to Baptism, so give us all the grace to be heralds of the Gospel, proclaiming your love in Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.