Alpha Level

Alpha Conference 2010
The chance to see Nicky Gumble in person, how cool is that?!

I was fortunate enough to be able to see and hear Nicky at the Alpha Americas Conference June 22-25 in Chicago.

When Fr. Hamilton asked about the conference on Sunday after my return my reactionary first thought was “overwhelming” and where to start? After all the first day was 12 hours! I was wiped out physically by the time I got home on Friday afternoon… But emotionally, my mind was racing the whole way home. I can’t wait to begin implementing all I’ve learned and I’m so anxious to share with everyone.

Alpha is a huge part of the DNA of St. Michael’s and it is now my responsibility to build a team that can present the course according to the Alpha Recipe. I have been trained by the best, Heidi Alexander, and I have big shoes to fill but with your prayers and encouragement I know Alpha will continue to be a thriving ministry here. Alpha Introductory night is August 31st so mark your calendars and tell your friends. For more information contact me at rhonda@stmichaelschurch.net or 843-723-0603.

~ Rhonda Myers, Director of Connections & Alpha

Sociable Saints Independence Day Party
For all 100 or more residents of the Canterbury House

(Market at Archdale)

Friday, June 18th 5:00 – 7:00 pm

All are welcome to attend and enjoy the party. Bring heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts to share. For more information call Beverly Howell at 724-3425.

Alpha in the Workplace
After offering Alpha here at St. Michael’s now for over 13 years, we are finding new applications for this dynamic and spirit filled ministry. Three years ago, we started Alpha in the workplace at the Carolina Yacht Club, and this past Spring, started it at the Star Gospel Mission. Who would have thought it would so do well in these settings? This past May, another round of 15 wonderful people completed the course at the Yacht Club with a celebratory journey up the steeple of St. Michael’s. Plans are underway for the fall Alpha in the Workplace at the Yacht Club. If you would like to participate in the fall, join us for the kickoff on Wednesday September 8 by calling Rhonda Myers in the office.

Alpha at Star Gospel
It was a slam-dunk, a no brainer. Yes was my immediate reply to the question presented me from Heidi Alexander, the Director of Alpha. She asked in her Heidi-ish way in which, of course, only an affirmative would be your only true option. You really can’t say no. If you could, you obviously do not know Mrs. Alexander.

Star Gospel is the oldest Mens’ Christian Mission in South Carolina. It is a temporary home to 25 men who just happen to have fallen on hard times, be it economical, addictions, personal demons or simply bad luck. In any case, you or I (in our cozy lives) are only an incident or bad choice away from changing our mailing addresses to Star Gospel.

Pastor Bill Christian or “The Rev” as he is affectionately called by those at the Star, is the man in charge. He carries himself as such and must manage by “tough love” as this shelter is not by any means a flop house to those who stay there. Pastor Christian instructs these men in many lessons necessary for a meaningful and productive life, where accountability and responsibility along with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ are the core of his messages.

The Alpha Course at Star Gospel was a wonderful and enlightening experience. I thank God that one is unable to say “no” to Heidi Alexander. For the next few months, I was part of a little history making in St. Michael’s long and storied existence, along with Pastor Bill, as I was privileged to present Alpha to the Men of Star Gospel.

The gentlemen of the Star are a most interesting group of both young and old, with life experiences that could simply blow you away, and the most amazing part of it all was the expertise of the Lord’s Word and teachings that they possessed. Obviously much credit is due to Pastor Bill, but the convictions and worldviews of these men were astonishing. I was the one who had to re-evaluate my personal perceptions and stereotypical views of what I was to expect upon volunteering at Star Gospel: I thought I was going to help bring Christ to Star Gospel, but I quickly realized He was already there!

One of Alpha’s lessons that was put to the test was Prayer. For as many highs as I witnessed, there were also some lows, particularly when a fellow brother stumbled away from the Lord and back to his past - evident by his absence at the Sunday morning session. We were and are all praying a deep heart-felt prayer for a speedy recovery and return, for the Shepherd is always concerned for his lost sheep.

~ Greg Morris

The Holy Spirit is on the Move…

Once again it gives me great joy to report on the conclusion of another wonderful Alpha! This 2010 Spring Alpha was unique, as we were honored to have an unprecedented number of First-time-on-Team Members, and—Boy, oh, Boy—did they ever rise to the occasion. How do we know what a wonderful job they did? Over 120 guests attended weekly for all 11 weeks…the lowest attrition in any Alpha here at St. Michael’s. With our Celebration Supper at 160 guests!

It is important, of course, to take a look at the fruit a program like Alpha is producing. The parishioners of St. Michael’s make a tremendous investment in Alpha, and it only makes sense to see if it’s building God’s kingdom.

So is it? Consider this. There will be five new life groups coming out of this Alpha alone! These are people who’d probably never met 11 weeks previously, and by the power of the Holy Spirit they are now going to begin “doing life together,” with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of their relationship. Also amazing was this spring’s Youth Alpha. They had such a wonderful experience, in fact, that they are forming a Summer Life Group in order to spend more time together before going off to college. Were you in a Christ-centered Life Group the summer before college? I wasn’t…

It’s hard to say why God has chosen to bless so richly this simple course called Alpha, but He has. There is a saying among many evangelicals and missionaries that opines, “Go where you see the Holy Spirit already working.” That’s certainly the case with Alpha, and explains why over 13 million people around the world have completed the course!

As usual, the hard work was done by an amazing team of laity—from top to bottom, everyone pitched in and did more than was asked of them. I need to thank specifically Lizzie Davis, who did an amazing job as the Spring Director! What a delight Lizzie is for anyone who comes in contact with her. The Holy Spirit just overflows in her. Thank you Lizzie! Also a huge thank you goes to our Spring Core Team:
Peggy Hotchkiss, our Small Group Coordinator, Paul Lankeau, our Task Force Coordinator, David Crosby, our Weekend Away Coordinator in Pawley’s, Lisa Morris, our Dinner Coordinator

Spring Alpha Team included
Corey Morris Eliza Lewis Rivers Evans
Trey Garrison Ashley Causey
Emilee Smoak
Andrew Whitaker Courtney Bridges William Tamsberg
Kristen Moeller
Bernardo Perkinson Jennifer Scheetz
Katye Rhett Juliet Barry
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for carving so much time out of your schedule to work as servant leaders to build God’s kingdom.
Although this may be my last report on another successful Alpha, it won’t be the last one you’ll read. This ministry is at the DNA of St. Michael’s, and as The Rev. Hamilton Smith says, “We’ll be doing Alpha until Jesus Christ returns!”

Bless you all, and thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the St. Michael’s wonderful staff.

~ Heidi Alexander
Director of Alpha, Newcomers, & Transformational Ministries

Welcome – Newcomers Brunch

All over America, the Episcopal Church is shrinking—what was once considered a semi-aristocratic denomination has become the liberal denomination, where Bishops preach heresy openly, and even The Nicene Creed is being removed from service liturgies. As these Episcopal Churches turn their backs on God, God has ceased to shower them with the blessings their congregations enjoyed for generations.

But not at St. Michael’s! We entertained Newcomers Sunday, April 11th in the Kinloch Room after the 10:30am service, with 21 new faces.

During brunch, I asked 3 questions for our guests:
Their name
Why did they attend St. Michael’s?
Why did they come back?

The themes of their answers were…
The Gate
Alpha
The Sermons
St. Michael’s Mission

A special thanks to my partner in crime, Rhonda Myers who worked so hard to make the Newcomer’s Brunch special! Also to Emma Litzenburg and Will & Sarah Philips!

Welcome to St. Michael’s! ~ Heidi Alexander

I Love You Guys…

As I write a few words of farewell and thanks to the St. Michael’s family, I am struck by what I’ve heard at every Newcomer’s Event in the past two years—In short, we ask them what brought them to St. Michael’s, and more importantly, what inspired them to return. The answers are always one of the same: First, there’s the answer, “The people are so friendly! I felt like I was at home.” Second, “I could feel the Holy Spirit from the moment I walked in the door!” Third, “The preaching is so relevant, biblical, and inspiring.” And fourth, “The Alpha Course!”

Consider that! A Spirit-filled church, overflowing with loving people, being inspired to service through inspirational preaching… what more could you ask for?!!

As most of you know, I’m being called away from St. Michael’s to serve as a Regional Director for Alpha USA. I’m excited about the future, and sad to be leaving my church family… but I know St. Michael’s won’t miss a beat as I exit. You simply cannot find a Priest more committed to Alpha (and doing Alpha by the recipe) than Father Al. We have dozens and dozens of former Alpha Team members available to serve in leadership roles. We have newcomers joining at an amazing rate, all of whom will fill the Alpha team ranks to help others find their way to Jesus Christ. With the ongoing support of this congregation, St. Michael’s evangelical efforts thru Alpha will continue to thrive.

In fact, I believe all facets of St. Michael’s will thrive: How can it not? The Church has organized deliberate prayer covering everything it does… a Staff that is dedicated and works very hard to make St. Michael’s worship, programs, and vision become real … a Vestry committed to stepping thru the doors the Lord opens… and a team of Priests (even a Bishop!) who live and breathe the Gospel every day of the year.

I will miss serving and loving on each and every one of you through the 8 yearly Alpha programs & Trainings, Beta, Life Groups, Newcomers, Transfers & Parochial Reports, I Like Mike, Anglican Essentials & Confirmations, FPU, Cursillo, Tool Time, Communications face-to-face, through the Narthex, Welcome Boards, emails, Messengers, the Sunday Wraps, Emails, Phone Calls, & Annual Reports. Prioleau and I will pray for you daily. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work at this wonderful church, and the chance to become friends with such an incredible group of people!

As I always say to my Alpha Team, “Rock & Roll” & “Shake & Bake” I love you guys ~ Heidi Alexander

Star Gospel Mission Alpha Course

The Alpha Course at Star Gospel Mission has been an enormous success! Since all of our 25 residents are required to attend the worship service at the Mission each Sunday morning, everyone who lives here has the opportunity to participate. The men are thoroughly enjoying the presentations and the discussion time that follows the teaching has been highly stimulating.

Greg Morris (a St. Michael’s parishioner) and I have been very encouraged that the men have been so engaged in asking some rather deep, thought provoking, and often challenging questions. Many of them have also offered some incredibly astute insights into life, through their own traumatic experiences and crises, and their relationship with God. Everyone seems to walk away more enlightened and spiritually enriched. Greg has been a wonderful asset in assisting with the discussion following each talk and, I believe, has been most impressed with the depth of the discussions. The Spirit of the Risen Christ is truly at work in the lives of the formerly homeless men who reside here. True to our mission statement, the hearts and lives of men are being transformed through Jesus Christ in this place, thanks to a great extent because of the Alpha Course. We’re grateful to Al Zadig, Heidi Alexander, and the members of St. Michael’s for encouraging us to offer the course here at the Star Gospel Mission. It has indeed been a rich blessing for all of us.

Faithfully,
Your brother in Christ,

The Rev. William (Bill) Christian
Executive Director

Pawley’s Island: Where the Holy Spirit Showed Up!

If you were to attend an Alpha Conference where Nicky Gumbel was speaking, you would almost be guaranteed to hear him say words to this effect: “For your Holy Spirit Weekend, I implore you to make it a real weekend away—go out of town. Getting your guests away from their day-to-day lives enables them to better focus on the Holy Spirit, and you will see the Lord move in powerful ways. I promise you… once you’ve gone away for the Alpha Weekend, you’ll never go back to doing a day-away.”

At St. Michael’s, we heard that same advice year after year—and finally, two years ago, we made the switch to hosting our weekends out of town… Fall Sessions in Montreat, NC and Spring Sessions in Pawley’s Island. And guess what? It turns out that Nicky fellow knows a thing or two about Alpha: We would never go back!

The Spring Weekend, known as Alpha at the Beach, was run by our Weekend Away Coordinator, David Crosby, and held once again on Pawley’s Island, and the results were glorious. Over 70 guests attended, and the weekend featured time for learning, discussion, reflection, and even some free time to enjoy the beach. Father Hamilton gave four talks over the course of the Weekend:

Who is the Holy Spirit?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
How do I make the most of the rest of my life?

Needless to say, the Holy Spirit moved in a powerful way among many of the guests (all but 6 folks went up for prayer), and God’s Kingdom once again grew in numbers!
Events like this can only happen through the generosity of St. Michaelites like you—Christians committed to the Great Commission, who understand there is no wiser investment than the investment needed to bring another person to Christ. On behalf of the Spring Alpha Team, the guests, and Father Hamilton, thank you for your ongoing support of Alpha.
It is a joy to work for the Lord!
~ Heidi Alexander

Youth Alpha

“I enjoy Alpha because it presented topics to learn upon and gave me a new outlook on topics of my faith I had never thought about. It also brought me closer to my faith by helping me learn in a more personable environment.” Anna Catherine Thornley, Alpha Spring 2010 Guest

Alpha is an integral part of what goes on at St. Michael’s. Anyone that walks through our church can see the banners, photos or hear the announcements made in many services. When members of St. Michael’s youth group started asking about Alpha it brought excitement to many of us that volunteer with the youth. They had seen these banners and photos and asked how they could be involved, could they attend Alpha or was it just for “older” people? With St. Michael’s focusing on Heart and Home, the obvious answer was and is YES by all means let us feed the youth and the future of our church! I was honored that Susie Morrison, our youth minister, and the youth themselves, wanted me to lead their small group. In the past few weeks, we have had amazing discussions about our faith as followers of Jesus Christ and why we believe what it is we believe. I am confident that as St. Michael’s helps the youth grow we will see leaders emerge in our church, the community and the world and they will have Jesus as their solid rock and foundation and I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

If you are age 13-18, we welcome you to join us as we celebrate our spring Alpha. Come and see what we have been experiencing for the past 10 weeks! Alpha Celebration Supper, Tuesday, April 13th at 6:00pm!

~ Newman Lawrence

Finding His Way Home

Twenty years ago, when Richard Edmond moved to Charleston, he came for work. Little did he know the path that would unfold.

Ten years after arriving here, Richard became homeless. He doesn’t blame anyone but himself, and some bad decisions he made. He has lived on the streets of Charleston for a decade.
In 2008, Richard first came to St Michaels for the pizza meals after the 6pm services, and went on to join the men’s bible study on Sunday nights run by Doug Born. Richard often attended 2 or 3 services every Sunday. The Holy Spirit began working on him; in the fall of 2009, he attended Alpha, and even made the trek to Montreat, NC for the Holy Spirit Weekend. And that was when and where the Holy Spirit convicted him-- it was time to put his new faith into action, turn his life around, quit with any form of destructive behavior, and get off the streets. When he returned to Charleston, he announced his decision to the Alpha team. It was time for a new beginning.

Word circulated among the St. Michael’s staff and several laity that Richard had decided to start anew. After several weeks, it became evident he was serious about the decision-- and several people stepped in to help. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, these St. Michaelites gave time, talent, and treasure, and God used it in a big way.

Today, Richard lives at the Ansonboro house now on Society Street. He has filed for and will soon begin receiving his Social Security retirement. Richard continues to attend AA and the Anglican Essentials course to become a member of St Michaels Church. He will be confirmed by Bishop Lawrence this May into the Episcopal Church. And thanks to several St. Michaelites, he’s already begun accumulating the basics needed for “life under a roof.”

If you feel called to assist Richard with his life re-launch, his needs are simple, but many: He still needs: a bed, a mattress, pillows, sheets & bedding, end table, lamp, dresser, hangers, bath mat, shower rings, dishes, silverware, plates, toaster, floor lamp, and cleaning supplies, couch and a chair. Please contact Libby Culmer or Heidi Alexander if you have items you would like to donate: 724-7567

Every person is precious to the Lord. Thanks be to God that Richard has found his way home!

Newcomer's Brunch

Welcome All Newcomers!!

If you are a Newcomer of St. Michael’s Church, we would like to meet you and formally welcome you!

Please join us for a Newcomer’s Brunch

Sunday, April 11th at 12:15 pm

Immediately following the 10:30am service in the Kinloch Room (Childcare provided)

PLEASE RSVP by Monday, April 5th - 843-724-7567 or Email

Alpha

9:00 am to 5:00 pm for the next 30 years?

There’s got to be more!

There is… find out at Alpha!

Alpha Celebration Supper

Tuesday, April 13th at 6:00pm
Kinloch Room
Wine & Heavy Hors d’ oeuvres
Free childcare

Got Questions?
Email or Call 724-7567

An Absolutely Beautiful Afternoon

After Harriot Johnson did me the great honor of inviting me, a mere 48 year old, to the join the Sociable Saints, Sunday, March 7th, I was very excited to attend. I did wonder if the group would think that I and my husband Jim were trying to spy on their more ‘mature’ church activities. We were welcomed with open arms. Adele Grimball and Jan Beebe had organized a wonderful lunch with everyone contributing a dish. The view from Harriot’s house in the old village was spectacular; the sun was sparkling on the water as sailboats and ships moved about the harbor.

“After Sixty Your Life Begins to Fall Apart---or does it?” was the topic of Peter Moore’s talk Sunday afternoon. I thought he gave excellent insight into the expectations and realities many of us experience as we live each phase of our lives. He reflected on man’s attempts throughout history to conquer many frontiers at great cost. From our perspective the final frontier may appear to be death, of which many people are frightened. Peter reminded us that at death, as Christians we become free; that death is the beginning; that Christ’s resurrection is everything. His reflections brought to mind a quote by CS Lewis which reminds us that we are not of this world so much as in it: “Humans are amphibians - half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time.” What I heard in Peter’s message Sunday, was that death removes all earthly constraints and puts us out of time into eternity; the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ puts us at the beginning of eternal love, joy, and perfect peace with our Heavenly Father.

In that Peter’s message was one that Christians of all ages would have enjoyed hearing, I am looking forward to the next gathering of the Sociable Saints and I am eternally grateful to have been a part of this lovely event. Thank You Peter, and all you Sociable Saints.
~ Morgan Falk