Blog Archives

Fall Fun and All Hallows Eve

10/26/2018

Decorated pumpkins on auction at St. Thomas, North Charleston in 2016.

As Halloween (All Hallows Eve) approaches, several of our churches are offering special activities for people of all ages, and inviting their neighborhoods to come enjoy fall fun with them. Here are some of the activities on tap this weekend:

Saturday, October 27

St. George's, Summerville: Fall Festival, 1:00-6:00 pm with games for all ages including a jump castle, corn hole, dancing, fish fry and hot dog plates, ice cream and a bake sale. St. George's Pumpkin Patch will be open.

Sunday, October 28

St. Thomas, North Charleston has its Chili Lunch and Pumpkin Auction, with creatively decorated pumpkins on auction to raise money for the church's summer Bible Day Camp and outreach. Hot dogs are available for non-chili eaters.

Grace Church Cathedral, Charleston: Blessing of the Costumes at the 9:00 am Family Eucharist. All ages are invited to wear Halloween costumes to the service for a special blessing and treats.

Wednesday, October 31

St. George's, Summerville: Trunk-or-Treat, 6:00-8:00 pm. Children are invited to collect treats from Halloween-decorated cars at the church.

St. Mark's, Port Royal: Trunk-or-Treat, 6:00-8:00 pm Children are invited to collect treats from Halloween-decorated cars at the church.

Hearing set for November 19 in Orangeburg

10/23/2018

A hearing will be held November 19 on the motions before 1st Circuit Court Judge Edgar W. Dickson on implementing the South Carolina Supreme Court's decision on church property matters. Judge Dickson's office notified all parties today that the hearing will take place in the Orangeburg County Courthouse.

The state Supreme Court decided in August 2017 to return the property of the Diocese of South Carolina and 29 parishes to The Episcopal Church and its local diocese, The Episcopal Church in South Carolina (TECSC). That decision was remitted to the 1st Judicial Circuit to be executed. In the past several weeks, both the Episcopal parties and attorneys for the breakaway group have filed motions and documents describing how they would like Judge Dickson to proceed.

The Episcopal Church and TECSC have asked the court to implement the decision, return the property and assets, and order a full accounting. TECSC also has asked the court to dismiss a related lawsuit filed by a breakaway group.

Clergy Transitions

10/16/2018

Bishop Adams and the Wardens and Vestry of St. James-Santee, McClellanville have announced that the Reverend Jill Williams will be the new Vicar of St. James-Santee beginning on the First Sunday of Advent, December 2.

The Rev. Williams is the Lower School Chaplain at Porter-Gaud, an Episcopal school in Charleston, and will continue to serve in that capacity. Previously she has served as associate rector of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Holden, Mass., and as missioner for Christian formation for the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. She holds a BA in Theatre and English from Florida Southern College and a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. She and her husband Andrew have two school-age sons.

The Reverend Caroline Goodkind will continue as interim vicar at St. James-Santee until December.

All Saints and autumn: Celebration and remembrance

10/16/2018

Autumn concerts and services around the diocese offer opportunities to celebrate new beginnings, mark the Feast of All Saints, and remember those who have gone before. Here are some events planned in Episcopal churches this fall.

Thursday, November 1 - All Saints' Day

Church of the Holy Communion, Charleston: Solemn High Mass for All Saints at 6:30 pm.
Grace Church Cathedral, Charleston: Holy Eucharist for All Saints's Day at 12:00 pm

Sunday, November 4 - All Saints Sunday

Grace Church Cathedral, Charleston: Choral Evensong for All Saints and All Souls, 4:00 p.m., with the St. Gregory Choir and music of Howells, Sumsion, and Brewer. A reception will follow the service. The Rt. Rev. Frank Griswold, 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, will give the homily.

All Saints, Hilton Head Island: Recital and Choral Evensong at 4:00 pm. A 30-minute festive organ recital will be followed by a sung service of Evensong with music of Michael Cogwill, Herbert Sumsion and Bruce Neswick.

Holy Cross Faith Memorial, Pawleys Island: All Saints Evensong of Remembrance at 5:00 pm, in memory of all those in the community who have died in the past year.

St. Stephen's, St. Stephen:  All Saints Sunday service and covered-dish picnic on the grounds at 11 am. Visit and enjoy the historic brick church, built in 1767.

Sunday, November 11

Grace Church Cathedral: Veterans' Day Concert: 'Music for the Greatest Generations,' 4:00 pm with the St. Gregory Choir.

St. Stephen's, Charleston, A Bernstein Choral Evensong with works of Leonard Bernstein, 5:00 pm  The St. Stephen's Choir and soloists Laura Ball, Margaret Kelly Cook, Scott Curry, and Sean Holleran offer selections from Bernstein's Mass, West Side Story, and Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. Service setting by Thomas Hampson.

Responses and replies filed in state court

10/15/2018

Memorandums, responses and replies have been filed as requested by Judge Edgar Dickson in the 1st Judicial Circuit, and all parties now await a hearing date on how the court will proceed with implementing the South Carolina Supreme Court decision on church properties.

The latest documents, filed on October 12 by The Episcopal Church and The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, ask the court to move forward with giving control of diocesan property and the property of 29 parishes to The Episcopal Church, as the Supreme Court decided in August 2017, remitting its decision to the 1st Judicial Circuit to be implemented.

"This Court has jurisdiction upon remittitur to enforce the mandate of the South Carolina Supreme Court, not to unravel it," according to the Omnibus Reply Brief filed by TEC and TECSC.

The legal filings also note that the breakaway group now acknowledges “they have repudiated their roles as trustees” in their Opposition to Motion to Dismiss the Betterment Action.

In September, Judge Dickson notified attorneys that he plans to hear all motions and petitions during the weeks of October 22 and 29. A specific hearing date has not yet been assigned.

In preparation for the hearing, the judge asked parties to file memorandums by September 24, which they did. Next were responses to those memorandums, which were filed earlier in October as follows:

Plaintiff’s Response in Opposition – Petition for an Accounting
Plaintif’s Response in Opposition – Petition for Execution
Plaintiff’s Response in Opposition – Motion to Dismiss
TECSC Brief in Opposition – Complex Case Designation
TECSC Brief in Opposition – Motion for Clarification & Further Relief

Replies to the response briefs were filed as follows:
Plaintiff’s Reply – Motion for Clarification & Further Relief
TECSC Omnibus Reply Brief – Petitions for Enforcement, Accounting, and Motion to Dismiss

Live Open Conversation: How to participate

10/9/2018

If you've never watched an event on Facebook Live, here 's a short video and some information about how to join our Live Open Conversation on October 11.

Helping with flood relief and assistance

10/8/2018

Churches around the diocese are still working hard to help our neighbors in the Pee Dee-Waccamaw Deanery whose homes have been damaged or lost in the catastrophic flooding following Hurricane Florence.

Churches in the area have been stepping up their long-standing outreach partnerships with organizations that provide food and other relief, including Helping Hands ministries in the Grand Strand area. And churches in other parts of the diocese are collecting money and goods, and beginning to organize volunteers.

On October 5, Diocesan Ministry Developer Andrea McKellar and the Rev. Rob Donehue of St. Anne's, Conway visited several sites, including the James R. Frazier Recreation Center in Bucksport, where they delivered a pallet of flood buckets donated by the United Methodist Church, and about $500 in gift cards to help people buy necessities.

According to Fr. Donehue, Bucksport is one of the hardest hit areas in the state, and many of the residents of Bucksport are going to be out of their homes for a long time. Rob and Andrea met with local leaders including the Rev. Cheryl Adamson from Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church, a long-time friend and partner in ministry with St. Anne's; Betty Gause, head volunteer and associate director at the rec center, and "Mother Mary" Moore, the Rev. Adamson's mother.

Archdeacon Callie Walpole was at St. Anne's to celebrate and preach on October 7. She and Fr. Donehue were joined by Lura Steele and The Rev. Canon Carl Andrews of Episcopal Relief & Development, who are assisting with the organization's "boots on the ground" efforts in the region and attended the service. They gave the congregation an updatte on the work Episcopal Relief & Development has been doing in hard-hit areas of the Carolinas.

Ways you can help

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

Meet the panelists for the Live Open Conversation

10/3/2018

The Right Reverend Gladstone B. (Skip) Adams III
Skip Adams was elected by acclamation and invested as Provisional Bishop of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina on September 10, 2016. Previously he served as the 10th Bishop of Central New York, the diocese that covers the central portion of the state of New York, retiring in 2016 after 15 years of service. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he is a graduate of Towson University and Virginia Theological Seminary. After his ordination in 1980 he served churches in New York, Virginia, New Hampshire and Maryland. He enjoys fly-fishing and fly-tying, reading, music of all kinds, camping and canoeing. He is interested in the Church and people in El Salvador, and serves on the board of Cristosal, an organization that works to advance human rights in Central America. His wife Bonnie is a registered nurse, and they have three adult children and two grandchildren.

Hillery Douglas
Hillery Douglas is a member of the Diocesan Council. He has served as a leader and singer for many years at St. Mark's in downtown Charleston. In 2012, he joined with other Episcopalians on the Steering Committee that helped reorganize the diocese, and served as its chairman. Hillery graduated from Allen University and taught science at W. Gresham-Meggett High School on James Island, where he coached the football team to a state championship. He worked as a chemist at the Charleston Naval Shipyard for 29 years and for 21 years he has owned and operated Earth Sciences Laboratory in North Charleston. Hillery served on many community boards, including 16 years on the Charleston County School Board, four of those as chairman. He and his wife Yvette have five grown children, 16 grandchildren and a great-grandchild

The Venerable
Calhoun (Callie) Walpole
Callie Walpole is Archdeacon of the diocese and vicar and subdean of Grace Church Cathedral, where she has served since 2009. A native of John’s Island, she grew up as a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church. She has taught Spanish at Burke High School and at Bishop England. Callie attended seminary at the University of the South, and served as assistant rector of Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church on Pawley’s Island from 2005-2009. She also served half-time as priest-in-charge at St. Mark's in Charleston in 2012-13 while serving as vicar at Grace. She was appointed archdeacon in March 2013, and serves as secretary to Diocesan Convention and as a resource person for other diocesan programs. Her hobbies include crabbing, reading, history, writing, and walking.

Andrea McKellar
Andrea McKellar is Ministry Developer on the Bishop’s staff. Her responsibilities include transition ministry, working with individuals and congregations through times of discernment and calling. She also is responsible for leadership development, Christian formation and youth ministry. Andrea joined the staff in January 2014 after serving as Director of Christian Formation at Old St. Andrews in West Ashley from 2011-13. Andrea grew up in coastal Virginia and moved to Charleston upon graduation from the College of William & Mary in 2000. In July, she was elected to a 3-year term on the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, and she is on the board of Forma, a national grassroots Christian formation organization. A lifelong Episcopalian, Andrea worships at St. Francis Episcopal Church in the West Ashley area of Charleston. Andrea and her husband Mark live in West Ashley with their two children.

The Rev. William (Bill) Coyne
Bill Coyne was appointed in June 2018 as Missioner for Returning Congregations, a new staff position working directly with Bishop Adams to assist parishes and missions that are returning to The Episcopal Church. Bill has served as a priest in the diocese since August 2015, when he was called as interim rector of St. Stephen’s, Charleston. He led that parish for two years through their successful call of a new rector last summer. In August 2017 he was named priest-in-charge of The East Cooper Episcopal Church, and is continuing in that role alongside his new responsibilities. Before coming to Charleston, Bill served for 15 years as Archdeacon of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, retiring in 2013 and then serving in two interim positions before he and his wife Janet moved to Charleston. The Coynes have three grown children and five grandchildren.

Continuing the Conversation on October 11

10/2/2018

The Rev. Bill Coyne (left) and Bishop Skip Adams meet to talk about preparations for the Facebook Live Open Conversation they will participate in on October 11 along with three other panelists.

Building on the three “Open Conversations” held in Conway, Charleston and Bluffton in July, 2018, The Episcopal Church in South Carolina will take a new step in the holy work of reconciliation with an online "Live Open Conversation" on October 11 on Facebook Live, the Rev. William Coyne says.

"This new event offers the possibility and promise of even more engagement from folks around the diocese and the churches of eastern South Carolina," says Fr. Coyne, who is Missioner for Returning Congregations for The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

Fr. Coyne recently reported to the Diocesan Council about this exciting new opportunity to use Facebook Live as an avenue for conversations with people who have questions and concerns.

“As we await the court setting in motion the implementation plan and timeline for returning congregations, we will continue to listen, share information, and collect contacts of those who wish to be partners in building the new future together,” Fr. Coyne told the Council.

The Live Open Conversation format allows the opportunity to listen deeply and talk to people in the pews, Fr. Coyne says. In keeping with same summer Open Conversation theme, participants will be not required to identify themselves or their churches, but may chose to do so. To participate, people can simply visit the TECSC Facebook page, www.facebook.com/episcopalchurchsc, on October 11 at 6:30 pm.

Contact Fr. Coyne at [email protected] or 843-614-0679. You also can learn more about reconciliation in our diocese by reading the Frequently Asked Questions document.