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A federal judge has granted The Episcopal Church’s motion to intervene in a lawsuit over false-advertising and related claims against the bishop of a breakaway group that left the Church in 2012.
The federal case, known as vonRosenberg v. Lawrence, has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel, and currently is scheduled to proceed to trial in March 2018. Judge Gergel was assigned the case after the death of Judge C. Weston Houck in July. The lawsuit was filed in March 2013, a few months after Mark Lawrence and a breakaway group announced they were leaving The Episcopal Church. The suit involves a claim of false advertising under the federal Lanham Act. At that time, Bishop Charles vonRosenberg was the only bishop recognized by The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. By continuing to represent himself as bishop of the diocese, Mark Lawrence is committing false advertising, the lawsuit says. Bishop vonRosenberg retired in 2016, and his successor, Bishop Skip Adams, was added as a plaintiff in the case earlier this year. This month, The Episcopal Church filed a motion to join the case as a plaintiff, saying it has an interest in the litigation because of Bishop Lawrence’s “misuse of marks owned by the Church.” On Thursday, Judge Gergel ruled in favor of the motion. Bishop Lawrence’s attorneys had argued the motion should be denied, in part because it wasn’t timely. Since the onset of the litigation in 2013, Lawrence’s attorneys twice moved to delay the case. Both times, Bishop vonRosenberg appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which agreed and sent the case back to federal court in Charleston to be heard. “Defendant's vehement objections to the timing of the motion for leave to intervene must be taken with a grain of salt,” Judge Gergel wrote. “The four years of delay preceding his answer to the complaint occurred on Defendant's motion. He cannot now claim he is prejudiced by the delay he requested.” The federal case is key to resolving trademark issues that were not addressed by the state courts in the lawsuit that the breakaway group, calling itself the “Diocese of South Carolina,” filed against The Episcopal Church and its local diocese in 2013. That case went to the South Carolina Supreme Court, which ruled August 2 in favor of The Episcopal Church and its diocese, The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. On the issue of service marks, the five state Supreme Court justices were divided, and the opinions noted that these should be determined in the pending federal proceeding. Attorneys for all parties attended a scheduling hearing Thursday with Judge Gergel in preparation for trial in 2018.  On August 17, The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd hosted "Summerville Stands in Unity," a vigil for Heather Heyer, for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and for the terrorist attack in Barcelona. Organized by students in the congregation, the service included prayers and music. A bake sale and free-will donations raised about $1,500, which was donated to the Charleston NAACP and the Jewish Federation of Charleston.
A local TV report on the vigil is here, and the Summerville Journal-Scene also published an article about it. See an online photo album of the vigil here.  From July 30-August 9, the Ven. Calhoun Walpole led a group of pilgrims to Spain to walk the final stage of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage road. The "Camino de Santiago," as it is popularly known, has been a pilgrimage road traveled by Christians for well over a thousand years.
The trip began in Madrid, after which the pilgrims traveled by bus to thetown of Sarria where they began their walk. The pilgrims covered over 70 miles in five days. The travelers reported that the rolling hills of Galicia proved challenging, but the scenery was breathtaking, and the experience of walking together was very spiritually rewarding. A highlight of the journey was celebrating the Eucharist in a garden in thesmall village of A Rua on the evening before the last day of walking. With sore legs and blistered feet, the pilgrims arrived in Santiago de Compostela on August 6, spending a day touring the medieval city and its beautiful cathedral before returning to Madrid for the flight home. Everyone who went on the pilgrimage is eager to share stories of their time, so if you're interested in learning more about their adventure, don't hesitate to ask! All agree with a bit of local wisdom that was learned along the way: "Everyone is having their own journey, but all are on the same road." – The Reverend Rob Donehue Traveling with Fr. Rob and Archdeacon Walpole were fellow pilgrims Davis Donehue, Abbey Wright, Julian Wright, Christian Basel, Trish and Mike Ward, Ben Walpole and Jay Walpole.  The 21st Annual Forma Conference will be held in Charleston, January 24-26, 2018. This conference will equip Formation leaders, whether lay, ordained, full-time, part-time, or volunteer, to better navigate the racial and social justice issues we face as a church and society. Rev. Dr. Harvey's groundbreaking book, Dear White Christians, and her upcoming release, Raising White Kids, will be the backbone of our time together. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michael Curry, will preach at our closing Eucharist. The conference will also feature plenaries from Heidi Kim and Rev. Chuck Wynder and their work: Becoming Beloved Community.
Forma is a grassroots association of members of The Episcopal Church and kindred individuals and institutions. Forma supports, networks, advocates for, resources, and celebrates Christian formation leaders in their Christian formation ministries. Learn more about their work here. Registration is now open online here. Scholarships are available. Please contact Andrea McKellar in the Diocesan Office at 843-259-2016 or [email protected] for more information about the conference or scholarship opportunities.  The official "Call to Convention" was sent to the leaders of all our congregations on August 10, inviting everyone to attend the 227th Annual Diocesan Convention of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina November 10-11, 2017 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Hilton Head Island.
Our theme will be “The Wisdom of the Body," and we look forward to welcoming our Convention Preacher, the Reverend William Redfield. Read more about him, and learn about what's happening at Convention, on our Convention Page. Save the dates for deanery meetings Pre-convention deanery meetings are an important preparation for Convention, and everyone is encouraged to attend one (you are welcome to attend one outside your deanery if it suits your schedule better). Saturday, September 30 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Thomas, North Charleston (Peninsula Charleston/West Charleston deaneries) Wednesday, October 4 at 6:00 p.m. at The Episcopal Church in Okatie (Southern Deanery) Sunday, October 8 at 3:00 pm at St. Alban’s, Kingstree (Pee Dee-Waccamaw Deanery) Topics include:
The Episcopal-AME Book Study continues to meet at Grace Church Cathedral on Tuesdays from 5:00-6:00 p.m. We are now beginning to read The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South by John T. Edge of the Southern Foodways Alliance. Toni Tipton-Martin notes, “Edge sets a table where everyone is welcome and every story matters. The Potlikker Papers inspired me with renewed hope for unity not just in Edge’s beloved South but anywhere there is food to eat and people to eat it.”
This Friday, August 18, at 12:00 p.m. in the Bishop Guerry Chapel at Grace Church Cathedral, Holy Eucharist will be celebrated in observation of the feast day of William Porcher DuBose. DuBose was a South Carolinian, graduate of The Citadel, and founder of the School of Theology at the University of the South. He is considered by many to be the greatest theologian ever produced by the Episcopal Church. He was also Bishop Guerry’s teacher, and later his colleague, at Sewanee. The following are a few quotations from DuBose:
 The Reverend Jill Williams
to Porter Gaud School, Charleston The Rev. Jill Williams has been accepted as a canonically resident priest in the Episcopal Church in South Carolina. She is the Lower School Chaplain at Porter Gaud School in Charleston. She was ordained in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts in 2007. She holds a BA in Theatre and English from Florida Southern College, a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary and a certificate of Early Childhood Education from Ashworth College. Most recently she has been teaching music at East Cooper Montessori. She lives in West Ashley with her husband, Andrew, and their two sons. Local Episcopal Church leaders gathered at Grace Church Cathedral on Friday to listen, ask questions, and offer prayers following this week’s state Supreme Court decision on church property in eastern South Carolina.
Three leadership bodies of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina – the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, and Trustees – held a joint meeting for about 2 hours Friday. About 50 clergy and lay leaders were able to attend in person, while several more attended via conference call. The topic was the decision, issued Wednesday, that a breakaway group cannot take the property of the Diocese of South Carolina or 29 of its parishes out of The Episcopal Church. On Friday, the court granted the breakaway group an extension of time to file a petition for rehearing; that deadline now is set for September 1. Normally the deadline is 15 days, but The Episcopal Church in South Carolina agreed to allow doubling it to 30 days. At Friday’s meeting, Bishop Skip Adams, Provisional Bishop of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, talked about the many emotions that he and others are feeling as a result of the decision, and urged leaders to stay focused on the mission of the Church. “Our mission has not changed as a result of the decision. We still have gospel work to do,” the Bishop said. “However the legal work unfolds, we have to be who we are.” He encouraged the leaders to keep praying, worshiping, and doing their outreach and mission work. He also called on leaders to continue the spirit of reconciliation, with graciousness and respect for all, including the people in churches that were part of the breakaway group. “Our desire is to pray with our Lord ‘that we all may be one.’” Diocesan Chancellor Thomas S. Tisdale Jr. gave the leaders an overview of the lawsuit, which was filed by the breakaway group in January 2013 against The Episcopal Church and the local Episcopalians who reorganized the continuing Episcopal diocese after the breakaway group departed. Chancellor Tisdale said the decision has significance on a national level because of the constitutional issues involved. Importantly, it upholds the understanding that The Episcopal Church is hierarchical. “That decision was made loud and clear,” he said. It also makes clear that the diocese led by Bishop Adams and the assembled leaders is the true diocese of The Episcopal Church in this region. The decision is not considered final as long as avenues of appeal are open. A potential request for rehearing, and the possibility of further appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court – there would be a 90 day deadline to petition the court after the state Supreme Court decision reaches finality – means that it may be some time before any actual changes take place resulting from the ruling. Bishop Adams outlined the tasks of diocesan leaders during this time of waiting. He encouraged them to communicate and encourage conversations in their churches, while discouraging speculation and rumors. He also asked them to continue to pray for all who are affected by the decision, and to take care of themselves and one another through some of the difficulties that lie ahead. “We need to be good pastors of one another for the sake of the people,” he said. The gathering concluded with Noonday Prayer in the nave of the cathedral. The service opened by singing the words from the Hymnal 1982: “The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.” Episcopal Church leaders from across eastern South Carolina will gather on Friday at Grace Church Cathedral to review the South Carolina Supreme Court ruling on church property and assets and consider the next steps toward resolving the division and confusion resulting from a breakaway group’s lawsuit against The Episcopal Church.
Bishop Skip Adams called the meeting on August 2, hours after the court issued the ruling. Friday’s meetings will include a joint gathering of the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, and Trustees, three bodies of clergy and non-ordained elected leaders. Bishop Adams also has called a meeting for the leaders of nine congregations that organized as mission churches since the 2012 breakup left them without buildings where they could worship as Episcopalians. Both gatherings will give local Episcopalians an opportunity to discuss the complex, 79-page court decision, which includes separate opinions written by all five Supreme Court justices who heard the case. The decision cannot be viewed as final until all possible steps toward an appeal have been resolved. There are few steps that the diocese can undertake until the court decision is considered final, Bishop Skip Adams said Thursday, making it difficult to answer people who are understandably wondering what happens next. Once some of the legal questions are resolved, the hope is that conversations can begin with leaders of the congregations that aligned with the breakaway group. “We continue to be guided by the hope of reconciliation,” Bishop Adams said. “We are committed to finding a path that will allow people to continue their life of faith as Anglicans in the Episcopal Church.” The Bishop called for prayers for all the people of the diocese in a pastoral letterissued on August 2. That letter will be read aloud in each of the 31 Episcopal Church congregations that make up the continuing diocese. Wednesday's ruling upholds the Episcopal Church’s position that it is a hierarchical church, rather than a congregational one in which a vote within a church congregation can override church law and polity. Churches that adopted the Episcopal Church’s governing documents as part of their governance were then bound to those laws, including the so-called “Dennis Canon.” That canon requires that church properties be held in trust on behalf of the diocese, to be used for the benefit of the Episcopal Church. According to the ruling, the continuing Episcopal diocese will control all diocesan property of the Diocese of South Carolina, including Camp St. Christopher, along with 29 of the parishes who aligned with the breakaway group and sued the Episcopal Church in 2013. The court found that these parishes had “acceded” to the Dennis Canon. The court ruled that seven other parishes involved in the lawsuit had not acceded to the canon, and could retain their properties. (The 36 churches named in the decision are listed below.) In many cases, these properties were the results of gifts made by Episcopalians over many years, given with the intention that they remain with the Episcopal Church. In defending itself against the lawsuit filed by the breakaway group, Episcopal Church leaders were charged with a duty to protect the assets of the Church from being removed and used for other purposes. Under the Episcopal Church’s hierarchical system, when Bishop Mark Lawrence was consecrated as bishop, he was charged with caring for the diocese and its assets on behalf of The Episcopal Church. After he and his leadership took actions aimed at removing the diocese and numerous parish properties, then-Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori placed a “restriction” on his ministry in October 2012, effectively suspending him, and asked him to explain his actions before a disciplinary panel. Instead, he announced that he and the diocese, clergy, and parishes were no longer a part of The Episcopal Church. The breakaway group then filed a lawsuit against The Episcopal Church and the group of local Episcopalians who reorganized the continuing diocese. Eventually, 36 parishes joined the suit. In 2015, TECinSC made a settlement offer that would have given up any claim to those parishes’ property, in exchange for the breakaway group handing over the diocesan property and assets. The offer was rejected, and TECinSC moved forward with its appeal to the state Supreme Court, resulting in Thursday’s decision. Subject to the final ruling, parishes listed in the opinion are as follows: Seven named as not subject to the Dennis Canon: Christ the King, Waccamaw Prince George Winyah, Georgetown St. Andrews, Mount Pleasant St. John’s, Florence St. Matthew’s, Darlington St. Matthias, Summerton St. Paul’s, Conway 29 named as subject to the Dennis Canon: All Saints, Florence Christ Church, Mount Pleasant Christ-St. Paul’s, Yonges Island Church of the Cross, Bluffton Epiphany, Eutawville Good Shepherd, Charleston Holy Comforter, Sumter Holy Cross, Stateburg Holy Trinity, Charleston Old St. Andrew’s, Charleston Church of Our Saviour, John’s Island Redeemer, Orangeburg Resurrection, Surfside St. Bartholomew’s, Hartsville St. David’s, Cheraw St. Helena’s, Beaufort St. James, James Island St. John’s, John’s Island St. Jude’s, Walterboro St. Luke’s, Hilton Head St. Luke and St. Paul, Charleston St. Matthew’s, Fort Motte St. Michael’s, Charleston St. Paul’s, Bennettsville St. Paul’s, Summerville St. Philip’s, Charleston Trinity, Edisto Island Trinity, Pinopolis Trinity, Myrtle Beach New deacon reflects on summer program at Canterbury Cathedral
The Reverend Jason Roberson, Deacon and Curate at Holy Cross Faith Memorial in Pawleys Island, spent the first two weeks of June at Canterbury Cathedral in England. He participated in the annual Anglican Scholars Pilgrimage program in residence at the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, forming part of a group 26 priests, deacons, and seminarians from 15 different provinces across the Anglican Communion. Each day the participants attended Matins, Holy Communion, and Evensong in the cathedral and took part in daily Bible study, lectures, group discussions, and guided excursions to historic and sacred sites in the area. The Anglican Pilgrimage program aims to foster unity and to strengthen relationships across the Anglican Communion by the sharing of challenges, successes, and resources among clergy and seminarians. One important part of the program was the opportunity to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Members of the group spent an hour with him at Lambeth Palace in London, and they were able to ask questions about the Anglican Communion and about issues facing the Church today. The topic of division and schism was discussed during the meeting, both in the context of the Episcopal Church in the United States as well as in the Church of England and other provinces. The Archbishop commented, “We must be able to disagree without hating each other.” He expressed his commitment to facilitating the process of reconciliation and of healing across the Communion, wherever division exists. The Anglican Communion Office in London coordinates an extensive range of programs, organizations, and ministry networks that fall under the umbrella of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Some of these ministry and outreach programs focus on issues such as gender-based violence, women in Church and society, and human trafficking. The website of the Anglican Communion is a valuable resource at both the parish and diocesan level: www.anglicancommunion.org. Jason shared some of his experiences from Canterbury at Holy Cross Faith Memorial on July 16 and 23 in a forum called “It’s a Privilege to be an Anglican.” “As Episcopalians, it’s so important for us to remember that we are also Anglicans,” Jason says. “It is a fundamental part of our historic identity and of our shared mission with other Anglicans across the world. It is a privilege to be an Anglican and to share in such a broad depth of resources for ministry, outreach, and for helping those in need. “As our presiding bishop Michael Curry has said before, the Anglican Communion is all about relationships,” Jason says. “These are relationships that help us to better carry out God’s mission here in South Carolina and abroad.” |
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- Home
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About Us
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Ministry
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- Commission on Ministry
- Title IV Concerns
- Outreach
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