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Bishop Asks to 'Join Our Voices' for Change Following Texas School Shooting

5/26/2022

Following yet another horrific mass shooting in our country, this time senselessly taking the lives of 19 fourth graders and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley calls on the people of the diocese to "work across all lines of difference to stand up for gun safety and gun reform" and other actions that can bring about real change.

Bishop Woodliff-Stanley closes the message with a call to action: "It is past time for us to join our voices as people of faith with others, so please speak to your neighbors, engage your political process, use whatever gifts and skills you have to be a part of the movement for change." Watch the full message by clicking the image above.

The Episcopal Public Policy Network and the Office of Government Relations of The Episcopal Church have shared a number of resources on how to take action and push for change. Learn more on The Episcopal Church website at this link.

Chancellor to Retire After Decades of Faithful Service

5/26/2022

Thomas S. Tisdale, Jr., who has served the Diocese of South Carolina under five bishops, is retiring from his role as chancellor. He will continue to remain available as outside counsel on all legal matters with which he has been involved to date. Responding to the announcement, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley offered gratitude for the chancellor’s selfless service, “Tom has been an outstanding servant of our Lord and of this diocese for five decades," said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. "His vision, experience, and determination have been instrumental in building our capacity to continue being the Church under the most trying of circumstances. In this first year of my ministry, Tom has been a trusted advisor to me. By his gentle humor, sound counsel, and gracious demeanor, he welcomed me into the diocese. I am forever grateful to him. Tom’s tireless and highly effective efforts and his deep knowledge and love of The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of South Carolina have made it possible for our Episcopal faith to grow and flourish in this area of the state. He has given much of his life to ensure our future.”

Tisdale was first called to serve as chancellor in 1971 by the Rt. Rev. Gray Temple, and through the decades he has continued to serve the diocese faithfully when called upon, most recently leading our diocese through the difficult days of the schism that began in 2012. His legal experience and knowledge, along with his faithfulness to The Episcopal Church, has proved invaluable. The Chancellor also guided the diocese through the election of its fifteenth bishop, despite lengthy delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “It has been a joy to work with Tom over this past year, and I only wish our time working together would continue, but I understand his desire to step back at this time,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley.

Plans are now underway to honor Chancellor Tisdale for his loyal service to the Diocese of South Carolina at the 232nd Diocesan Convention in November. As he steps back from this role, Mr. Bert “Skip” Utsey has agreed to serve as Acting Chancellor. Utsey has worked with the Chancellor on the diocese’s legal team for the last few years, most recently representing the diocese before the South Carolina Supreme Court in December 2021.

“I am so grateful that Skip Utsey has graciously agreed to step into this role as Acting Chancellor at this time, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “He has been an integral part of the legal team these past few years. His in-depth knowledge of our diocese and all current legal issues will be very helpful during this time of transition. I am also thankful that Tom will remain available to assist Skip and our legal team as outside counsel moving forward.”

The changes are effective immediately, and plans to honor Chancellor Tisdale at the Diocesan Convention November 18-19, 2022, will be announced in the coming months.

Bishop Calls Barry Ronan as Diocesan Treasurer

5/25/2022

Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called Barry Ronan to serve as treasurer to the Diocese of South Carolina. After a 46-year career in healthcare, of which 24 years were as a chief executive officer, Ronan retired in March 2021 and moved to South Carolina to be closer to family. “After being retired for a year and still very much enjoying my family, I realized that there was capacity to volunteer my time in service to the community and church,” said Ronan. He quickly became an involved member at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston and began volunteering for Camp Happy Days.

When Bishop Woodliff-Stanley asked him if he might be interested in serving as treasurer of the diocese, a role previously held by the Rev. Dr. James Taylor (who moved to Florida at the end of the year when called to serve as rector at St. George’s Episcopal Church in The Villages), he considered it an honor.

“I have always considered my past roles in the church—which included chairing a church building committee, serving as financial secretary, as well as serving as a member of church council—as a calling in service to God and assumed each role as such,” explained Ronan. “I am so looking forward to this opportunity in applying my past experiences in leadership, finance and strategic visioning to the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.”

Highlights of Ronan’s long career included bringing three hospitals together to form a health system, building a new state of the art hospital in 2009, and managing an annual budget of over $350 million. “I am so very grateful that Barry has agreed to serve the diocese as treasurer,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “We will no doubt be blessed by his extensive business experience and financial knowledge.”

Ronan will begin his role as treasurer on June 1, and the Rev. Dr. James Taylor and Canon Andrea McKellar will work with him to assure a smooth transition. Fr. Taylor will continue serving as diocesan comptroller through the end of 2022, with Cn. McKellar beginning to transition into that role after her sabbatical this summer.

An Important Message from Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley

5/19/2022

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:

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.

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.

Diocesan Staff Members Transitioning to New Roles

5/11/2022

As we continue forward in the first year of her episcopate, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called Andrea McKellar, who currently serves as Diocesan Ministry Developer, to be Canon for Finance and Administration. Cn. McKellar has served in a number of roles since joining the diocesan staff in 2014. She will assume the responsibilities for financial oversight, office operations, grants, diocesan events, and parish support. In recognition of her long service to the diocese, she will be taking a six-week sabbatical at the beginning of the summer, and will assume these new roles when she returns on August 1.

“Canon McKellar has been an outstanding leader for our diocese helping to guide us through the challenges of the past decade with skill and grace,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “I am grateful for the work she has been doing and thrilled that she has agreed to take on a new set of responsibilities for a new season of ministry. Her background as a small business owner and a valued member of the financial team of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church position her well to oversee our financial operations of our diocese. It is my joy to name her as Canon for Finance and Administration.”

As Cn. McKellar shifts her focus toward financial and administrative duties, the responsibilities as transition officer will be handled by the Rev. Cn. Philip Linder, who serves as Canon to the Ordinary. Cn. McKellar has begun to work with Cn. Linder so that he can already begin to assume the responsibilities of the transition ministry, effective immediately.

“As we continue to realign our work for a new season, I’m grateful and excited that Canon Linder has agreed to serve as transition officer,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. As Canon to the Ordinary, Cn. Linder supports the Bishop and the Diocese’s work in healthy governance, leadership and development, and pastoral connections. In addition to his new role as transition officer, Cn. Linder is responsible for the following: the ordination process and Commission on Ministry, clergy licenses to officiate and permissions for remarriage, Constitution and Canons, and oversight of Title IV proceedings.

The Rev. Dr. Jim Taylor will continue his role as Comptroller during this time of transition.

Calvary, Charleston, Seeks New Rector

5/10/2022

Calvary Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston seeks to call their next rector. They are a church that continues to embrace God’s Holy Spirit to work within us and through us for the continued development of each saint and the community at large.

Calvary has an important African-American heritage, one of substantial significance in this community and throughout the state. The church is grounded in the Great Commission which spreads the gospel to all people within a diverse community. More information can be found on the Episcopal New Service listing at this link.

Clergy News: The Rev. Sandra Moyle

5/4/2022

The Rev. Sandy Moyle has been named as Interim Rector of St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Conway. Rev. Moyle will be leading weekly worship services as well as offering pastoral care and guidance to the vestry. She began this work in April and will be serving until the end of the year. She previously served St. Catherine's in Florence and Holy Cross Faith Memorial in Pawleys Island.

St. Anne's, Conway, is located at 2104 Main Street and worships each Sunday at 8:30 am and 10 am. Services are also shared online through their Facebook page and on Zoom. Organized in 2013, St. Anne's was recognized as a mission church in 2014 and became a parish of the Diocese of South Carolina in 2018.

Bishops And Deputies Meet for Province IV Synod

5/3/2022

Bishops and deputies from 20 dioceses of The Episcopal Church in the southeastern United States met last week at Camp McDowell in the Diocese of Alabama for the Province IV Synod. The event brought together those preparing for the 80th General Convention that will take place in Baltimore, Maryland this July to hold elections, hear from speakers on current issues, and hear resolutions.

The Rev. Dr. Wilmot T. Merchant, II, Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, North Myrtle Beach was elected as Province IV Clergy Representative to Executive Council. He will serve for a term of 5 years from 2022-2027. The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church is an elected body representing the whole church. The Executive Council has the duty to carry out programs and policies adopted by General Convention and to oversee the ministry and mission of The Episcopal Church. The Executive Council is comprised of twenty members elected by General Convention (four bishops, four priests or deacons, and twelve lay leaders) and eighteen members elected by Episcopal provinces.

Speakers led plenary session and workshops on topics such as Racial Justice, Church Planting, BI-vocational Ministry, Property Insurance, and Creation Care. Diocesan Ministry Developer and Chair of the Deputation, Andrea McKellar, led a workshop on the Budget of The Episcopal Church that will be presented at General Convention by Program, Budget, and Finance. Resolutions were passed to create an Endowment Fund for Church Planting in The Episcopal Church and create a uniform maternity leave policy that provides equity between lay and clergy employees. A third resolution to increase funding for provinces did not pass.

Our deputation will be meeting next via Zoom on Wednesday, May 11. They plan to meet regularly as they prepare for General Convention. They encourage anyone interested in specific legislation at General Convention to contact the deputation via chair Andrea McKellar at [email protected].

The Diocese of South Carolina will be represented by the Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley and the previously elected deputies in the lay and clergy orders.

Lay Order:

Andrea McKellar, St. Stephens, Charleston, Chair
Mark Szen, All Saints, Hilton Head
Thomas Miller, St. Marks, Port Royal
Deb Harris, Holy Cross Faith Memorial
Christina Donovan -1st Alternate, Good Shepherd, Summerville

Clergy Order:

The Very Rev. Dr. Adam Shoemaker, St. Stephens, Charleston
The Rev. Dr. Canon Wilmot Merchant II, St. Stephens, North Myrtle Beach
The Rev. Roy Tripp, St. Marks, Port Royal
The Rev. Bill Coyne, St. Stephens, Charleston
The Very Rev. Wil Keith – 1st alternate, Holy Cross Faith Memorial, Pawleys Island