St. Philip the Deacon’s mission statement is Reach Out, Proclaim, Inspire.

It comes, in part, from the 8th chapter of the book of Acts, where St. Philip the Deacon encounters the Holy Ethiopian, struggling to understand a passage from the Prophet Isaiah.

Philip Reaches Out to the Ethiopian — “Can I help you?”

He Proclaims the Gospel to the Ethiopian — “Let me explain what you’re reading, and how it relates to a person named Jesus.”

And, finally, Philip Inspires the Ethiopian to go and do likewise. After Philip baptizes the him, the Ethiopian returns back to his home in Africa, where he spreads the message of the Gospel himself.

Reach Out. Proclaim. Inspire. They’re good words, and good to try to live into, individually, and as a community.

For another take on these words — out of the mouths of some children from St. Philip the Deacon — watch this video.

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