Pastor Tim’s Message: November 2025

November is always a month of Thanksgiving, and we have much to be thankful for here at St. Philip. November 2nd is All Saints’ Sunday, and we will remember before -- and give thanks to -- God for all our dearly departed loved ones, but especially members of our church family who have died over the past year: Margaret Ann Feilke, Sarah Wilson, Marilyn Caple, Ernst Werner, David Wahlstrom, and John Zeok. They were all people of strong
faith and deep witness.

We are thankful for our new NC Synod Bishop, Emily Hartner, who will be installed on Saturday, November 15, at 2 pm, at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte. All are invited and welcomed to attend.

Our North Raleigh Interfaith Group will hold its annual Interfaith Thanksgiving worship service on Monday, November 24, at 7 pm, at St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church on Falls of Neuse Road. This is always a grand opportunity to come together with Jewish, Muslim, and Christians of different denominations to worship God and fellowship with each other. Again, all are invited and welcomed to attend. We would love to see
you there!

We are thankful for the faithful service of our Church Council members who will be concluding their terms at the end of the year: Paul Augustowski, Barbara Black, and Don Alexander. And we welcome our three newly elected Council members: Wayland Smedley, Laura Bunte, and
Rev. Janet Kraatz.

 Personally, I am thankful for all of you, our faithful, generous, and service-oriented disciples of Jesus Christ here at St. Philip. You constantly inspire me by the witness of your lives. I remain forever thankful to our staff here who serve so tirelessly and are of invaluable assistance to me: Jane Gue, Kai Thurow, and Regan Wang. I don’t know where we would be without them.

A final reminder concerning two things: Please do not forget to fill out and submit your Estimate of Giving cards, if you have not already done so. You may do so online or by mailing it to the office (or delivering it in person). These cards are extremely important for – among other things – helping establish our church budget. We thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Also, November 30 will be a Fellowship Sunday for us, as it is a fifth Sunday of the month. We will have, therefore, one worship at 10 am, followed by light refreshments. We look forward to seeing you there, as we warmly greet those who worship at a different time than we normally do.

Sharing the Love of Christ,
Pastor Tim