Rector's Corner
Dear St. Philip’s Members and Curate Readers,
I was on a Zoom meeting recently with other Sewanee: School of Theology alumni from this region of the United States, hearing about their vision moving forward from their Dean. I was struck with how easy it is now for so many people from so far away to jump in on a meeting and have a conversation that would otherwise not have been possible just ten years ago. Technology is one of those things, like everything else, that can be of great benefit to us or of great harm. During this pandemic, it has proved to be a lifeline of sorts to many around the world. I was reminded of just how useful social media was during hurricane Harvey at the time of my curacy in Beaumont. I was able to reach people quickly on Facebook in ways that a simple phone call would not allow at the time. Now, we’re at the point of being able, as a church, to reach people and even invite them to church without them having to live in or around Palestine! I have already had conversations and email exchanges with Episcopalians looking to move to Palestine in the near future!
Something else came out of that Zoom meeting with the Dean of the School of Theology. A hypothetical question was posed. One which I have heard before, but can’t seem to locate the reference. A question which that seminary is struggling to find ways to incorporate into its pastoral theology curriculum moving forward. It goes something like this: If a meteor took your church out, would the community notice? If the answer is a definite “no,” deep soul-searching would be in order. If the answer is a definite “yes,” that group of believers would be fulfilling its calling in that community. As we continue to move forward in ways that are different than they have been, we must continue to wrestle with how we fulfill our mission at St. Philip’s, not as individuals, but as a corporate Body of Christ, for that is how boulders are moved. We must always be willing to ask ourselves this challenging, hypothetical, but relevant question: If a meteor took St. Philip’s out, would the community notice? Every new day, the answer ought to be more “yes” than it was “no” the day before.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Fr. Justin Briggle +
The next DOK meeting will be held on Sunday, October 18th, after church in the Parish Hall. Social distancing and masks required. (Also available via Zoom for those who would rather meet virtually.)
Saint Mary’s Guild will be meeting via Zoom on Monday, October 19th.
The meeting time is to be announced.
The next ECW meeting is going to be on
Tuesday, October 13th at 9:45 a.m. via Zoom. More details on page 6 of the Curate.
October Birthdays
1 Jeanette George
2 Norwood Brenneke
6 Allyson Mitchell
7 Cad Williams
9 Kathryn Fagalde
10 George Monahan
16 Barbara Nemer
19 Caron Fraser
21 Bebe Beasley
24 Kathy Stites
24 Vicki Winkler
26 Lucie Broyles
30 Tucker Royall
Ushers - October 2020
Curt Winkler.
Ushers - November 2020
To be decided.
August 2020 Year-to-Date
Beginning Balance $73,589.87 $97,586.92
Total Income $14,407.74 $143,437.36
Total Expenses $16,829.16 $165,540.52
Ending Balance $71,168.46 $75,483.56
Please consider contributing for Altar Flowers on a Sunday morning in Thanksgiving for an anniversary, birthday, or other blessing or in memory of someone. To give please call Nancy Waggoner at 903-727-2030 or the Church Office at 903-729-4214.
Altar Guild:
Sept 26 – Oct 2 ------Team 4 Sara Minton, Kathy Stites, Hilda Garcia-Castillo
Linens: Jeanette George
Oct 3 – Oct 9---------Team 1 Nancy Waggoner, Sherry Snow, Lucie Broyles
Linens: Joanne Evans
Oct 10 – Oct 16------Team 2 Becky Myers, Cathy Summers, Julie Law
Linens: Kristern Knippers
Oct 17 – Oct 23------Team 3 Alex Nemer, Vicki Mayberry-Winkler
Linens: Vicki Mayberry-Winkler
Oct 24 – Oct 30 -----Team 4 Sara Minton, Kathy Stites, Hilda Garcia-Castillo
Linens: Jeanette George
Oct 31 – Nov 6-------Team 1 Nancy Waggoner, Sherry Snow, Lucie Broyles
Linens: Joanne Evans
Lay Minister Schedule:
October 2020 Reader/Server
Sunday 10/4 10:30 Pat Redding
Sunday 10/11 10:30 Scott Nicholson
Sunday 10/18 10:30 Phillip Morton
Sunday 10/25 10:30 Barbara Kolstad
Please consider joining our
Zoom Bible Study!
Description: Adult/Youth Christian Formation Class exploring the Gospel/Scripture each week, seeking relevance in our lives today as followers of Jesus. For Zoom meeting link details, please email
Subscribe to our YouTube channel at bit.ly/stphilipsyt to become one of our first 100, then leave us a comment, and be entered into a drawing to win this great gift package!
Hymn Singing: A Deeper Look, Part 2
Dear Parishioner’s of St. Philip Episcopal Church,
Last month we explored the attributes of hymn texts. This month, we will dive into the tunes we all know and love. When a composer is writing a new hymn tune, to use either with a pre-existing text, or to use with a text later, a few things must be kept in mind. One, is the meter of the text. The tune must be written in a way that the musical phrases can occur when the text phrases do. For example, look at hymn 212, set to the tune of Richmond. The meter of this hymn is 86.86. You will see that the text has a musical cadence at the same time the text does. “Awake, arise, lift up your voice” (8 syllables, at the same time a musical cadence). Continuing on, “let Easter music swell” (6 syllables, at the same time a musical cadence).
In the hymnal, there is a lot of information underneath the hymn. For one, the composer or poet of the text. Secondly, you will have the tune name, usually in italics, followed by the composer, and year of composition, if known. For example, hymn 371 tune name is Moscow. When musicians refer to the musical part of the hymn, they refer to the tune name. This is because all hymn texts can be set to different tunes if the meter lines up. Look at hymns 603 and 604. Same text, set to two different tunes. The meter of the hymn is usually found on the bottom right corner. If you have a long meter (LM, or 88.88) tune, you can sing any LM text to that tune. If you ever get curious about any of this, in the back of the hymnal you will find several indexes. Included are a tune index, metrical index (so you can cross reference hymn texts with the same meter), sources of hymn index, and more. I hope you have learned a few new things about hymnody to add to your appreciation of the art.
Joshua Lang, Organist/choirmaster
The October 13th Meeting of ECW will be held starting at our regular time of 9:45 a.m. for some social time together before we start our meeting (at 10:00 a.m.) on Zoom. I will be emailing you a link to join our meeting. Father Justin has been training me and other ladies of the church on how to be successful in continuing our meetings and fellowship.
The October 13th meeting will have guest speaker, Ginger Brown, speaking on her ministry.
Also we will be taking nominations for ECW officers for 2021. I regret at this time I will not be able to take on an ECW job in the 2021 year. Please email your suggestions for officers if you are unable to make the meeting. Please consult the person you are nominating before putting their name on the ballot. I can post them with time to vote. We can plan an installation of officers for our first meeting in January.
I continue to attend church in person and feel very comfortable in our church setting. I am planning on seeing you online, October13, or in church soon.
Joan Strominger
Rector: Fr. Justin Briggle jbriggle@stphilipspalestine.com Cell: (512) 799-9365
Parish Assistant: Ginger Brown Treasurer: Melissa F. Cox
Sexton: Martín Rodríguez Organist/Choirmaster: Joshua Lang
Vestry Members
2020
Joan Strominger
Gary Thomas
Terry Thorn, Sr. Warden
Jamie Ward
2021
Bill Fraser
Phillip Morton, Jr. Warden
Tucker Royall
Bob Snow
2022
Barbara Kolstad
Pat Redding
Mike Tisdale
Nancy Waggoner
Normal Office Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.
Closed Federal and Occasional Church Holidays
Phone: (903) 729-4214 Fax: (903) 729-8691
Facebook: www.fb.com/stphilipspalestine
Email: office@stphilipspalestine.com Website: www.stphilipspalestine.com