After completing her informal tour of all congregations of the diocese, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley wrote a letter to congregations that was shared with the key points of contact at each church. Read the letter at this link. 

The letter was an opportunity to express gratitude, and was sent along with the 2022 Declaration of Intent form for each parish to consider as they discern stewardship for the coming year. 

Read the text of the letter below:

December 15, 2021

Dear Episcopalians of South Carolina,

As we approach the Nativity of our Lord, my heart is filled with gratitude for the countless ways you have welcomed me and my family into your midst. Already, we are at home here. As I have listened to you all in our folding chair conversations across the diocese, I have been moved by your resilience, your creativity, and your bone-deep commitment to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in every place where you are planted. You are a blessing in your local communities as you give generously of your time, talent, and treasure.

Our work, in the Office of the Bishop, is to serve, support and expand your ministries at the local level and to leverage our collective voice for the gospel in South Carolina and beyond. We are developing resources to support your ministries in a range of ways—from training days for lay leaders, to formation opportunities for youth and adults, to educational offerings in racial justice, and strengthening resources to support excellent business practices—and more.

At Convention, we talked together about ways we abide in deeply rooted communities. Specifically, I have heard you express a desire to continue nurturing stable and safe, connected, courageous, visionary communities that allow us to serve those within and beyond our walls. We can do this work most effectively when we lean into God’s abundance, sharing from our individual resources to support a vision that enlivens and expands local ministries. I therefore ask you to join me in giving generously to the ministry of our common life.

If your parish or worshipping community is presently meeting or exceeding the 10 percent asking, we are grateful. If you are able to increase your giving, even a percentage point or two, we are grateful. If you are already stretching as much as you believe you can, we are grateful. For any gift you are able to make, thank you. Your gift will help us respond faithfully to God’s invitation to us into a new season in which we will build a bright and compelling future anchored in God’s reconciling love and liberating justice.

Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for who you are. You are a light to the world and a blessing to all among whom you minister. My prayer is that you will encounter anew our Lord in this holy season.

​Wishing you a Joyous Christmas,
Bishop Ruth

As we continue in the season of Advent and near Christmas, the Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has written a letter to the diocese providing an update to COVID-19 guidance for congregations. A copy of the letter can be viewed at this link.

The text of the letter is below:

December 10, 2021
 
Dear faithful people of the Diocese of South Carolina,

As we all continue to navigate this season of pandemic, I remain truly grateful for the many ways you have demonstrated care for others as we have remained cautious in the ways we have gathered and worshiped together. While the transmission levels now are much lower than they were this summer, we are still wise to continue to exercise caution, knowing that holiday travel and cold weather might cause a change in current trends.

To this end, I have consulted with the Standing Committee and their COVID Task Force that meets regularly with medical professionals for guidance in this pandemic. I am sharing a list of guidelines that have been suggested as best practices through the end of the year, with the hope that these can be revisited at the start of the new year, after the holiday season.
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• Continue encouraging all parishioners to get vaccinated. Consider providing assistance, such as transportation or access to medical resources, as necessary.
• Continue reminding parishioners and staff to stay home when experiencing any symptoms and seek COVID-19 testing at the onset of symptoms.
• As people become more comfortable with worshipping in person (making social distancing more difficult), consider holding outdoor services or adding services when/where appropriate.
• Continue to wear masks for indoor services and during office hours when others are present.
• Continue making hand sanitizer and face masks readily available for all.
• Continue maintaining social distancing between households of parishioners for indoor services.
• Participants should continue to wear masks covering mouth and nose when congregational or choral music is a part of a service.  This includes practice and preparatory sessions as well.
• Continue or implement online worship for adults and children as well as holding meetings virtually whenever possible.
• Continue encouraging parishioners to pass the peace without physical contact and maintaining social distancing.
• Holy Communion should continue in one kind only, or done in such a way as to minimize the potential for cross contamination.
• If coffee hour/fellowship time is reinstated, if weather permits, it should be held outdoors.
• Nursery, children’s chapel or Sunday school, leadership and families should continue exercising informed prudence and appropriate safety measures.                                         

 
 For specific information about your county, please see this link. Keep in mind that the CDC initially recommended indoor gatherings only when the positive test rate fell below five percent.
 
I remain grateful for your care for others, your prayers and your patience. 
 
Faithfully yours,

The Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley
Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina

Earlier today, the South Carolina Supreme Court held a hearing concerning the appeal filed by our diocese and The Episcopal Church in regard to the June 19,2020, order by Judge Edgar Dickson that essentially reinstated much of the lower court ruling that had been reversed by the high court in the Supreme Court decision from August 2017.

As the appellants in this case, attorneys for the Diocese of South Carolina and the Episcopal Church side were asked to speak first and were given 25 minutes for the first argument, and another 10 minutes for a rebuttal after the respondents were given 25 minutes to speak to their positions.

Over the course of the hearing, the justices asked many questions of both sides, covering a variety of questions before the Court, and time limits were extended. The entire hearing lasted approximately one hour and 30 minutes. The Honorable James Lockemy, Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, was an acting justice for the hearing today, in place of Justice Kaye Hearn, who has recused herself from further litigation between these parties.

“We are thankful that the South Carolina Supreme Court provided the opportunity for this hearing today, and we eagerly await their decision,” said Thomas Tisdale, chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.

Attendance at the hearing was limited due to COVID-19 precautions. Our diocese was represented in the courtroom by our chancellor, Thomas Tisdale, and Bert “Skip” Utsey. Mary Kostel, as chancellor to the presiding bishop, was present representing The Episcopal Church. Mr. Utsey, who presented our case before Judge Edgar Dickson in the hearings leading up to this time, was the primary speaker for the appellants.

The Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, watched remotely in Columbia, SC, near the proceedings and met with the attorneys afterward. “I am grateful for the outstanding work of our legal team, and I ask the people of the diocese to continue holding all concerned in your prayers,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley.

The South Carolina Supreme Court is expected to respond to today’s hearing after a careful weighing of the issues before them, including the information they learned today. There is no expected timeline for a response. The hearing was livestreamed by the South Carolina Supreme Court, and is now available on the Court’s website at this link.