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Bishop Rob Wright of Atlanta Speaks to Lay and Clergy Leaders at Calvary, Charleston

4/30/2025

 
The Rt. Rev. Rob Wright of Atlanta speaks at Calvary Episcopal Church in Charleston
Last Thursday, April 24, we were grateful to welcome the Rt. Rev. Rob Wright, bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta, to speak to a group of lay and clergy leaders from across our diocese, including a number of members from our Diocesan Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission. The event was offered as a "Lunch & Learn" session on "Christian Leadership in these Challenging Times" and was held at the historic Calvary Episcopal Church in Charleston, where the Rev. Ricardo Bailey serves as rector (Father Bailey served in the Diocese of Atlanta prior to the call to our diocese).

After the gathering, Bishop Wright and his wife, Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright, met with leadership from the Diocesan Racial Justice & Reconciliation Commission to talk about the initiatives, focus, and efforts that the group has produced since their beginning in 2020. He was quite impressed with their progress, offering Sacred Ground courses throughout the diocese, holding three Learning Days to share key moments of historical importance, organizing their group into key areas of focus, organizing racial justice pilgrimages, and more.

Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley created this event after hearing Bishop Wright speak on the dangers of Christian nationalism and God's call to us during these times while attending a recent House of Bishops meeting. When Bishop Ruth learned Bishop Wright was coming to SC for vacation, she asked if he would be willing to share that talk with members of our diocese during his time here. You can read his presentation to the House of Bishops online at this link. The presentation was also mentioned in the Episcopal News Service article about the gathering at this link.

Many thanks to Bishop Wright and his wife for spending some of their vacation time with us, and thank you also to the members and leadership of Calvary Episcopal Church for being such warm, welcoming, and gracious hosts!

View more photos from the visit on Facebook at this link.

For more on the meeting with commission leaders after the Lunch & Learn, read below...

Ms. Vermelle Simmons, who serves as co-chair of the Diocesan Racial Justice & Reconciliation Commission (and also on the Standing Committee) shared the following summary of the meeting with Bishop Wright after the Lunch & Learn. She also shared her own personal reflection on what she learned from the event with Bishop Wright.

Bishop Wright Meets With Commission Leadership
On April 24, 2025 the two co-chairs of the Diocesan Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission (Gail DeCosta and Vermelle Simmons) along with the chair of the Leadership Training (Nancy Laprada) met with Bishop Rob Wright (Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta) and his wife (Dr. Beth Sarah Wright of Thrive with Dignity) after the general Leadership Meeting at Calvary Episcopal Church with clergy and lay leaders of the diocese.

Dr. Beth Sarah-Wright will be the acting director of The Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing beginning May 1st. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss "Dismantling Racism Training." The meeting was very informative. After listening to all that the commission has been doing in the Diocese of South Carolina, Bishop Wright was impressed with the stats that were shared about Sacred Ground and Learning Day participation. The meeting was successful as we learned about some changes that are in process with some of the programing at the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing.

A Reflection on the Day, by Vermelle Simmons
​"Bishop Wright spoke to a group of approximately 40 leaders, clergy and lay, from around the diocese. His focus was on leadership and the Gospel. His message was very poignant and clear with visualizations from the crucifying of Jesus to leadership of today. Jesus understood his purpose was guided by God and not man."

"God gives us the tools to discern good and evil and to strive for justice and peace among all people while respecting the dignity of all. Understand that leadership can be exercised by anyone for any given reason, but through the Baptismal Covenant true purpose is revealed. When true purpose is revealed and acted upon a true leader emerges. It's only when we use the tools of our faith to deal with real life do we truly lead the way God demands of us. We then strive for justice, peace, respect and dignity of all mankind."
 
"The takeaway is that leadership is not what’s popular, but what is practiced purposefully through faith in God."

Diocesan Council Approves Appointments to Fill Vacancies Until Convention Elections

4/30/2025

 
The Reverend Michael Crandall and the Reverend Deacon Jim Pecoy - Diocesan Council - Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina
On the nomination of Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, at the last Diocesan Council meeting earlier this month, the group voted to fill two vacancies amongst their membership with the Rev. Michael Crandall, rector, St. George’s, Summerville; and the Rev. Deacon James Pecoy, St. Stephen’s, Charleston. The two new members fill vacancies created when the Rev. Mike Szymanowski and the Rev. Roy Tripp recently requested to step down from Council for personal reasons. Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley expressed her immense gratitude to the Revs. Szymanowski and Tripp for their service to the diocese, and she thanked the new members for their willingness to fill these openings and serve in this leadership role.

The Diocesan Council is composed of six clergy and six lay members elected by the Convention of the Diocese. Those newly appointed will serve in their positions until the next election at Diocesan Convention in November 2025. Beginning this year, the Diocesan Council committed to a change in format to meet in-person on a quarterly basis with a robust agenda grounded in the Strategic Vision of the Diocese, the diocesan budget, and the relationships among the various commissions and partnerships that make up our collective ministry.

Two Congregations Purchase Property for Future Church Buildings

4/16/2025

 
Messiah, Myrtle Beach purchases property for future church home
In March it was time for Messiah, Myrtle Beach; and just last week, it was time for St. Francis, Edisto Island to take a turn at purchasing property on which they plan to build their future churches! It's an exciting time in the Diocese of South Carolina!
​

Messiah, Myrtle Beach
When members of Messiah, Myrtle Beach learned in 2022 that they would not be returning to their previous church home (lost in the diocesan schism), they put their plans for the future in high gear. After gathering for church regularly for the past decade in temporary spaces, they assembled a Vision & Property Team that led them through this lengthy process, which including multiple meetings and retreats with Ann Fleming of the Episcopal Church Building Fund to truly discern their needs and options for the future. 

After a tremendous amount of vision discernment and property analysis, the team found a three-acre parcel that would make a great new church home located at the corner of 38th Avenue and the 17 Bypass. The diocese provided additional support as Messiah is one of our congregations that lost their church property, and the property purchase was approved by the Standing Committee in July 2024. The purchase became final when Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley signed the documents on March 17, 2025. 

The photos above show Bishop Ruth signing the documents, along with a map showing the location of the property, and a drawing of a possible church plan.

St Francis, Edisto Island, purchases property for future church home in the Diocese of South Carolina
St. Francis, Edisto Island
Over on Edisto Island, the church that began as The Episcopal Church on Edisto after losing their church home to the schism, officially changed their name to St. Francis Episcopal Church last year, not long after calling their first rector, the Very Rev. Joseph Smith. For the majority of the last decade, the congregation has rented the historic sanctuary of the New First Missionary Baptist Church for their weekly services, but they have longed to find something more permanent if they were not able to return to their historic church home. Unfortunately, they also learned in 2022 that they would not be returning, so they began thinking about a new space to call their own.

The search continued in earnest this year when the congregation located a five-acre piece of property at 505 Highway 174 on Edisto Island (which includes about three acres of marsh bordering on Fishing Creek). Over the last week, the purchase became official! Now the congregation will begin more focused discernment on what they will build, and also increase efforts to raise money for their Property and Building Fund. Learn more on their website at this link.

Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley and members of diocesan staff continue to work with congregations about their own property hopes and needs. It's an exciting time for growth in the Diocese of South Carolina.

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