​Aided by private donations and an emergency grant from Episcopal Relief & Development, the Episcopal Church in South Carolina is responding to needs in the Pee Dee-Waccamaw Deanery of the diocese as flooding continues to ravage communities in our state following Hurricane Florence.

The Rev. Rob Donehue, priest-in-charge of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Conway, served as the lead in applying for a short-term relief grant on behalf of our diocese from Episcopal Relief & Development. An initial amount of $11,000 was approved Thursday. In the application, Fr. Donehue shared needs in Horry and Georgetown counties and detailed ways that the grant could help the flooded communities.

"I spoke with one woman in her 80s who told me that she doesn’t think she’ll have a home to return to," Fr. Donehue says. "She said that most of her neighbors will have lost everything and don’t know what they’ll do, but 'by the grace of God, we’ll get through.'" (Read a report from Fr. Donehue below.)
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Some of the organizations that were named in the grant are Shepherd’s Table, a soup kitchen in Conway, Helping Hands of Georgetown, Smith Medical Clinic in Pawley’s Island, and Waccamaw Animal Rescue Clinic.

Additional funding to support the area is coming from private donations, including a large anonymous gift to our diocesan Disaster Relief Fund, Bishop Skip Adams said.

"We are so grateful to this generous donor for helping us reach out to our neighbors who are suffering because of flooding," Bishop Adams said. "We're also thankful for the assistance we are receiving from Episcopal Relief & Development, and for all the people and churches here and across the Church who continue to give so generously in the aftermath of Florence."

Ways to give:
Diocesan Disaster Relief Fund & Episcopal Relief & Development 

A Diocesan Disaster Relief Fund has been established for donations to be used specifically within our diocese for flooding and other disaster relief. To make a gift online, click here and choose "Disaster Relief " as the selected fund. Checks also can be sent to the Diocesan Office, with "Disaster Relief" in the memo line, to PO Box 20485, Charleston, SC, 29413.

Episcopal Relief and Development also continues to collect donations for its Hurricane Relief Fund, which benefits areas in the Carolinas affected by Florence and other storm-ravaged communities. Make a donation here.

Volunteers may be needed soon to help with removing debris and damaged building materials at homes. People can use Episcopal Relief & Development's Ready to Serve signup form. 

A report from Conway

The Rev. Rob Donehue, priest-in-charge of St. Anne's, Conway, wrote this email Wednesday night about the situation in communities affected by flooding, and how assistance to the disaster relief fund can help.

I went today to the Whittemore Park Middle School in Conway. It has been turned into a shelter for folks who were evacuated from the Bucksport community. Bucksport is almost completely flooded - for the third time in four years. The people there are getting by as best they can, but the facilities at the school are far from adequate. For the first five days, there was no hot water. A church brought in a mobile shower unit, but it’s barely meeting the need. 

With the school district hoping to get students back in school as soon as possible, it is likely that people will have to be moved to another facility within a week. But even the Red Cross workers don’t know where that might be. The simple reality is that Bucksport residents will be in emergency shelters for many weeks before they can even begin to think about returning to their community to rebuild.

I spoke with one woman in her 80s who told me that she doesn’t think she’ll have a home to return to. She said that most of her neighbors will have lost everything and don’t know what they’ll do, but “by the grace of God, we’ll get through.”

Another Bucksport evacuee sheltering at the school told me his home was severely damaged in the flood after hurricane Matthew. FEMA gave him $12k for it, but that didn’t even cover half of the repair expenses. He took out a loan, which he is nowhere near paying off, and he only recently finished repairing his house when Florence struck. He can’t afford to take out another loan now and does not know what his future looks like. Those are just two stories from the @150 refugees at just the one facility I visited today. There are undoubtedly many similar stories.

Most of the residents of Bucksport live below the poverty line and do not have flood insurance. 

I spoke with my contacts from CAP, Shepherd’s Table, and ECHO today, and they are all worried that, even with assistance from state-run food banks, they are going to run out of food within a week. People are coming to these organizations asking for help with gas money, rent money, etc., and there simply isn’t enough funding to meet the needs. 

New Directions in Myrtle Beach is being completely overwhelmed by the calls for assistance. Their homeless shelter in Myrtle Beach is full, and they are having to turn people away. Most of the people they are seeing are not homeless in the conventional sense - they are poor and flooded out with nowhere else to go. The director of the facility said that if they had the funds to put people in a hotel even for one night, they would be happy to do that. FEMA housing will likely alleviate some of the problem, but that’s not in place yet. 

As we were wrapping up noonday prayer at the First United Methodist Church, a fawn ran across Main Street and through the churchyard where we had our service. I learned later that it crashed through a window at the Dollar General three blocks away. This story is a good example of what happens when wildlife is displaced by flooding, and I think it highlights the problems that animal shelters across the county are dealing with. When the waters rise, we tend to forget that it’s not just people that are displaced. 

The Episcopal Relief & Development grant will help us to provide some people with a sense that there is solid ground to stand on and that it hasn’t all been washed away in the flood waters. It’s a good thing to be able to tell people that we are here for them, but it’s an even better thing to be able to show them that we really mean what we say. 

I communicated with the Rev. Jason Roberson, the Rev. Randy Ferebee, Charlie Jordan, Mary Jeffcoat, and the Rev. Cn. Dr. Wilmot Merchant [leaders of area Episcopal churches] to get an idea of who needs immediate help. Their input was invaluable for identifying aid agencies in Horry and Georgetown counties that are struggling to meet people’s needs. 

Pax,
Rob 

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina (TECSC) will continue the Open Conversation series with a Facebook Live Open Conversation on October 11, 2018 from 6:30-7:45 p.m.

TECSC coordinated this live open conversation in response to the three previous Open Conversations held in July in Bluffton, Conway and Charleston.

“I invite everyone to join me and four other leaders in The Episcopal Church in South Carolina for the opportunity to ask questions and share ideas,” said the Right Rev. Gladstone B. Adams III, Bishop of TECSC. “This is an effort to keep an open flow of communication among all the people who care deeply about the Episcopal/Anglican churches in this part of South Carolina.”

The Facebook Live Open Conversation is hosted by five panel members who will respond to the most frequently asked questions, as well as questions that can be offered online throughout the live video. The panel includes:

• Bishop Skip Adams of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina
• The Rev. Bill Coyne, Diocesan Missioner for Returning Congregations
• Hillery Douglas of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Charleston and a member of Diocesan Council
• Andrea McKellar, Diocesan Ministry Developer
• Archdeacon Callie Walpole, staff member at the Diocesan Office and Grace Church Cathedral

“My hope is that this conversation and events like it will provide pathways for the Holy Spirit to act through open hearts and minds, to bring about the highest degree of reconciliation possible ‘on earth as it is in heaven,’” Bishop Adams said.  

To view the live open conversation and engage with the panel, visit the TECSC Facebook page: facebook.com/episcopalchurchsc. The online meeting with the community will be a vital step on the path to reconciliation. Information regarding the Live Open Conversation will be posted to the TECSC Facebook page.

For more information, view A Historical Timeline of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina and the Frequently Asked Questions.

Two priests from The Episcopal Church in South Carolina recently traveled to Virginia Theological Seminary to participate in a new initiative called "Thriving in Ministry," preparing them to bring training and support to the clergy who will serve congregations that are returning to The Episcopal Church.

The Rev. William Coyne, Diocesan Missioner for Returning Congregations, and The Rev. Dr. Donald Fishburne, priest associate at Holy Cross Faith Memorial, Pawleys Island, completed the program at VTS in Alexandria, VA earlier this month. Their training will bring clergy who serve returning congregations access to the gift and expectation that they will be active participants in a "peer group learning environment." This process will support the vitality of the congregations they serve, according to Fr. Coyne.

The Thriving Initiative, supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., will serve as a catalyst to form Peer Learning Groups by providing tools so that South Carolina participants can identify and pursue their learning goals in ministry. 'Thriving' trained a cohort of Group Facilitators, including Fr. Coyne, and mentors including Fr. Fishburne, in new skills,  so that along with the peer group learning experience, each participant may choose to have a mentor.  

“I’m excited by the depth and breadth of the scope of this robust initiative, and the strong resources now available to us,” Fr. Fishburne said. "This new program will initially strengthen clergy, and through them — and ultimately through expansions of the program — lay professionals and lay leaders in congregations will also benefit."
 
Thriving in Ministry is a strong collaboration of church practitioners and seminary leaders. The Rev. Dr. David Gortner of the VTS faculty is the Principal Investigator for the program.  Its director, the Rev. Dr. Carol Pinkham Oak, draws upon her experience in parish ministry. Imani Kane is the Program Administrator for the program with her knowledge of community organizing, mentoring teens, and not-for-profit scholarship programs. ​Learn more about Thriving in Ministry here.

For information about returning congregations and The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, contact Fr. Coyne: [email protected] or (843) 614-0679.

Convention Speaker Becca Stevens and members of her Thistle Farms ministry will lead two workshops on Friday, November 16 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Charleston as part of this year's Diocesan Convention. ​

The morning session will be "Creative Justice: Letting love form our justice ministries that are responsive, practical, and inspired." The afternoon session is "Celebrating the Bazaar: How to develop models of ministry that work." 

Workshop leader Becca Stevens is the keynote speaker at our 228th Convention. Learn more about her and her ministry here.

The workshops are open to everyone. You do not have to be a delegate or a registered visitor at Convention to participate. Workshop registration is $25 and includes lunch. Check-ins will begin at 9:00 am at Calvary. The workshops will begin at 10:00 am and 12:45 pm. They will conclude in time for participants to attend afternoon Convention meetings at nearby Church of the Holy Communion.

Online registration is here. Convention delegates who previously signed up for the workshops as part of their registration package are already registered.

When the 228th Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina gathers November 16-17 in Charleston, "We want to practice hospitality and reconciliation at the deepest level," says the Rev. William Coyne, Missioner for Returning Congregations.

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina is inviting two representatives from each of the 29 returning congregations of the diocese to be guests at the annual gathering, which convenes at the Church of the Holy Communion in Charleston on Friday, November 16.

The special invitation is being extended to members of the 29 congregations affected by a 2017 court decision who wish to return to The Episcopal Church and remain in their church buildings, Fr. Coyne says.

To register, members of returning congregations should contact Fr. Coyne at [email protected] or (843) 614-0679. If more than two members wish to attend the Convention and the pre-convention workshops, they will be able to register as visitors. Visitor registration is open to the public, and all are welcome.

Although the implementation of the return of people and property has not yet been finalized by the state court, Fr. Coyne said, TECSC's desire to build bridges and reestablish healthy relationships is paramount.

"We hope people will join us at Convention and be recognized and thanked as we joyfully face the future together," he says.

Members of returning congregations also are welcome to attend the three Pre-Convention Deanery Meetings: October 6 in Port Royal, October 10 in Charleston, and October 14 in Myrtle Beach. Details are on the Convention Page. These meetings are the venue for learning about proposed programs and budget for 2019, nominees for diocesan offices, and proposed resolutions. No registration is required.

As severe flooding continues in the upper part of the diocese, Episcopalians there are planning how to gather for worship this Sunday, and working to reach out to those in need, both locally and in North Carolina.

In announcing Sunday plans, churches are emphasizing safety and encouraging people to heed local authorities. "If roads are closed and you are not able to attend church on Sunday, that's ok!" the Rev. Rob Donehue wrote on Facebook. Those traveling should also be aware that road closures are likely to make travel times much longer than expected. "Above all, stay safe, and remember to be kind to each other!"

Cheraw: The Cheraw  Worship Group will have Morning Prayer at its usual time and location, 10:00 am gathering and 10:30 am worship in the Community Room of First Bank, Chesterfield Highway. 

Conway: St. Anne's will celebrate Holy Eucharist at 10:30 am Sunday, September 23 in two different locations (they will not be in their usual location at Lackey Chapel):

For those who live on the Myrtle Beach side of the Waccamaw River, the service will be at the Ennis's home with the Rev. Barry Stopfel as Celebrant. For those living on the downtown Conway side of the Waccamaw River, St. Anne's will meet in "The Hut" Chapel at the First United Methodist Church (the brick chapel on the corner of 5th and Main), with the Rev. Rob Donehue, Celebrant.

St. Anne's also is planning to livestream both services on Facebook. 

Fr. Donehue also advised people who live closer to other area Episcopal churches that they can attend Sunday services there and be warmly welcomed:

Myrtle Beach: The Church of the Messiah worships at 10:00 am at 6200 N. Kings Hwy (the parish hall of St. Philip Lutheran Church) 

Pawleys Island: Holy Cross Faith Memorial, at 8:00 am and 10:30 am at 88 Baskervill Dr, Pawleys Island, SC 29585. Church leaders have been communicating with parishioners about the likelihood of flooding next week along the Waccamaw River, and encouraging people to check the Georgetown County website for updates.

North Myrtle Beach: St. Stephens, at 8:00 am and 10:30 am, 801 11th. Avenue North, North Myrtle Beach, SC. 29582. On Thursday evening, parishioners gathered for a potluck reception to give thanks and to pray for those still suffering the effects of the storm. 

Offering assistance

Direct donations of money to Episcopal Relief and Development (give online here) are still the best way that people who are outside the affected areas can help. Donations get the aid where it is needed more efficiently, and your gifts support local communities and businesses affected by the storm. People are asked not to send any goods (diapers, water, food, etc.).

Within their own local communities, several Episcopal churches have been partnering with or sponsoring food pantries and other outreach programs before the storm. Now, they are working to boost those efforts.

For example, the Rev. Randy Ferebee of Messiah, Myrtle Beach is calling September 23 "Bring A Can of Food Sunday" to collect canned carrots, peas, and any lift-top canned food that can be microwaved, for the local Helping Hands ministry.

People in The Episcopal Church in South Carolina continue to watch, pray and respond this week as flooding and the aftermath of Hurricane Florence are felt in the Carolinas.

Bishop Skip Adams and diocesan staff members are continuing to coordinate with Episcopal Relief & Development, and check in regularly with churches in the areas most affected by the storm. 

Damage assessments are ongoing, but so far, reports from church buildings included a few leaks, downed limbs and other minor to moderate problems. No services were reported as being canceled for September 23 as of Tuesday.

But while most of our diocese saw the storm come and go quickly, Florence's destruction is widespread, and continues to slowly unfold as rivers rise. 

At St. Catherine's, Florence, Warden Matt Robertson reported that many roads are closed due to flooding. He and church leaders are hearing reports of people whose homes are flooded out and looking at how they can assist.

In Cheraw, an area experiencing heavy flooding, Phil Powell of the Cheraw Episcopal Worship Group said the community is watching the Great Pee Dee after flooding left about half the streets impassible on Monday, well before the predicted crest.

In Conway, where floodwaters are continuing to rise, the Rev. Rob Donehue of St. Anne's said this morning that he is hopeful that roads in and out of the town will remain open. He has been contacting the local outreach ministries that St. Anne's supports, and is helping get information to his parishioners about how they can volunteer there.

St. Anne's normally holds Sunday services on the Coastal Carolina University's Lackey Chapel, but with the chapel closed along with the school during Florence, about 30 from St. Anne's gathered at the Donehues' home Sunday for Holy Eucharist. "It was the most people we've ver had in our house," he said. "Hopefully we will not have to do it again anytime soon."

Fr. Donehue is continuing to offer livestreamed daily Morning Prayer at 8:30 am and Evening Prayer at 6:30 pm on his Facebook page. 

St. Stephen's, North Myrtle Beach had closed during the storm, but at the last minute decide to have a Sunday service so about 14 people who had made it back home could gather. The Rev. Cn. Dr. Wilmot Merchant of St. Stephen's said the church is looking at stepping up its weekly efforts with a local feeding program in nearby Loris, another community that is threatened by flooding.

Church of the Messiah, Myrtle Beach, is expecting to return to its worship space at St. Philip Lutheran this Sunday after canceling last week. Their priest-in-charge, the Rev. Dr. Randy Ferebee, was encouraging members in Myrtle Beach to bring canned food for the local Helping Hands feeding program, as well as urging donations for Episcopal Relief & Development.

The Rev. Jason Roberson of Holy Cross Faith Memorial, Pawleys Island, said their church also decided on Sunday to have a special Eucharist with those who had either stayed or made it home. The church plans a campuswide work day Wednesday to clean up debris from the storm. 

A remarkable story from Florence was the hospitality of Kanuga, the Episcopal conference center in Hendersonville, NC, which housed 250+ people (and 17 pets) from Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community, who evacuated from Charleston on September 11. They returned to Bishop Gadsden on Monday and were expecting to be back on a normal schedule today (Tuesday). Read about the evacuation here. You can see photos of some of the special activities and worship they experienced at "Camp BG at Kanuga" on their Facebook page.
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Best ways to help

If you are not in an affected area, and want to respond to our neighbors in North and South Carolina who are coping with this disaster, the best way to offer help now is through the Hurricane Relief Fund: Make a donation here. (If you'd like to understand why this is important, please read this letter from Bishop Adams and the other bishops of the Carolinas.) 

If you wish to serve as a volunteer, you can sign up now at the Ready to Serve page. This form lets Episcopal Relief & Development keep track of offers to help and direct efforts where they're most needed.

Post-storm counseling available

Cigna insurance, which provides coverage through the Episcopal Medical Trust for church employees and families in our diocese, has reached out after Hurricane Florence with hepful information and resources, including counseling and mental health support. Please contact Lauren Kinard in the Diocesan Office if you have questions about accessing these benefits.

In addition, for all residents in areas affected by Florence, Cigna is providing access to its 24/7 telephone help line. Phone lines are staffed with qualified clinicians who are available to speak with people about how to cope with anxiety, stress or other issues. People who do not have health benefits or employee assistance program benefits with Cigna can call 1-866-912-1687 toll-free.

​The Episcopal Church in South Carolina has three seminarians attending schools of theology this fall as they prepare themselves on the path toward Holy Orders in The Episcopal Church: Christan Basel, Lauren Kay, and Charles Jenkins. This month we are sharing an update on each of them, along with their contact information. Please keep our seminarians in your prayers!

Christian Basel is at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA. He writes: 

I arrived at VTS to start my junior year just two short days after my last Sunday at Grace and began intensive classes in Biblical Greek that same week. The summer term at VTS was relatively quiet and allowed me to meet all my classmates and many of the faculty and staff around campus, as well as to get acclimated with the area and the rhythm of life at seminary. Now that the fall semester has started, things have picked up considerably with the rest of the students returning, a full worship and class schedule, and many activities.

For the first quarter this fall, I have been taking classes on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Liturgics, in addition to continuing Greek. In the second quarter of this fall, I will pick up Church History, Intermediate Musicianship, and a class on Iconography & Spirituality, along with Old and New Testament classes.

VTS is a place that reflects the whole Anglican Communion, with students from around the United States and several other countries. I have enjoyed the rhythm of daily worship with my peers in a variety of forms and am on one of the student worship planning teams for the fall. An important part of my first year is exploring the many local Episcopal churches on Sunday mornings. I have been to several different parishes, each with their own unique traditions and customs, and am thankful to see the full breadth of the Episcopal Church and its worship practices. There is such a great feeling of excitement and expectation in visiting so many different parishes, as I will be interning in one of these parishes next year.

Although I miss Charleston and South Carolina deeply, Alexandria is a wonderful city with so much to offer and even has its very own King Street. Being so near to Washington, D.C., is truly a blessing. It is such an enriching experience to be close to so many wonderful sights and opportunities, and there is always something guaranteed to see or do on Sunday afternoons after church.

South Carolina is always in my prayers and I look forward to sharing with all of you my experiences at VTS and all that I will learn and grow in to.
Peace!

Christian Basel
​[email protected]
Virginia Theological Seminary
3737 Seminary Road, Box 207
Alexandria, VA 22304

Bishop Skip Adams has joined the five other Episcopal Bishops of North and South Carolina in asking people to offer their assistance after Hurricane Florence through gifts to Episcopal Relief & Development.

In the letter, the bishops appeal to people not to send goods, or travel to the area to help. (Click the image above to download the letter.)

The letter emphasizes that the best way to offer help now is through the Hurricane Relief Fund: Make a donation here.

Those who wish to offer themselves as volunteers can sign up at the Ready to Serve page. Episcopal Relief & Development will need volunteers later, and this form helps the organization keep track of offers to help.