An Important Message from Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley

Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley is in Virginia this week attending the Living Our Vows program at the College of Bishops along with other newly-ordained bishops of The Episcopal Church. Though she is away, her thoughts remain with our diocese and our path forward in a complicated world. Following the tragedy of yet another racially-motivated mass murder through acts of gun violence in our country this week, Bishop Ruth shares a message calling us to respond to these acts in a meaningful way, moving beyond simply offering prayers and into action. As we consider our future together as a diocese, she also provides a brief update to the current status relating to the April 20 South Carolina Supreme Court decision. Bishop Woodliff-Stanley continues to work closely with the Strategic Transition Team and our elected diocesan leaders to frame the next steps.

“This is a season of great hope, and a season of great promise, as we look toward God’s future for us," said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. "It is also a season that will require much of us—a season that requires us to keep focused on the details and to be anchored in the deep peace that passes understanding and a deep hope in God’s presence and God’s goodness. So please join me in walking this path.” Watch her video message by clicking here or the image above. 

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Read a transcript of the bishop's message below:
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Greetings, people of the Diocese of South Carolina. I'd like to take a few moments to talk with you about two things of great importance to all of us. First, as we hold in our prayers those who have lost loved ones who went to the store to buy bread or milk and never came home in Buffalo, I ask you to join me beyond our prayers in action.
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This horrific tragedy reflects an intersection of three serious diseases in our country: the disease of racism and race hatred, the disease of gun violence, and the diseases of serious mental illnesses that plague our country. These three have converged in this horrific tragedy. Each requires our attention and our action. In the weeks and months ahead, we will be taking next steps as a diocese to be involved, and engaged in our communities to strengthen our mental health, to diminish the scourge of gun violence among us, and to continue the long arc of the extremely important work of racial justice.

Please join me in these efforts and join me as we pray for the people of Buffalo, as we also remember the people who lost their lives in Mother Emanuel here in Charleston in our Diocese of South Carolina. Please help me to walk a new path so that our children and our future will be brighter.

Secondly, I want to speak with you about where we are and the next steps beyond the court case that you all have lived with for more than a decade now. As you know, we received a decision on April 20th, a decision which caused for some rejoicing and for others elicited more grief among us. We are hard at work among our leadership bodies to take the next steps to make the transfer for those properties that will be coming back to us, and to make strategic decisions that support all of our local worshiping congregations, regardless of whether properties will be returning to them or not.

We have much work to do on many fronts. There's work that involves legal attention. There's work that requires financial expertise and property expertise. And then, of course, there is the work of leadership transition and determining what that needs to look like. And there are pastoral dimensions to all of this work. As you know, I have already begun meeting with the Bishop of the Anglican Church of North America, Bishop Chip Edgar, and we have now had our first meeting beyond just the two bishops with a small group of diocesan leaders from each diocese to seek to have an orderly transition of properties and of leadership.

Please keep us in your prayers as that process continues over the coming weeks and months and know that as soon as I can provide you with further details and updates, we will do so. This is a season of great hope and a season of great promise. As we look toward God's future for us, it is also a season that will require much of us--a season that requires us to keep focused on the details and to be anchored in a deep peace that passes understanding and a deep hope in God's presence and God's goodness. So please join me in walking this path. Thank you so much. God bless you. And I'll see you soon.