Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley arrived in England earlier this week for the 15th Lambeth Conference, a gathering of bishops from across the Anglican Communion for prayer and reflection, fellowship, and dialogue on church and world affairs.  The theme for this year’s convention is “God’s Church for God’s World – walking, listening, and witnessing together.” It will be held from July 26 to August 8.

Check out this photo album on our Facebook page for photos from the bishop's time at Lambeth. We will continue to add to this album during her time there.

For this Lambeth Conference, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (who calls the bishops to the event) instituted a “Lambeth Calls” process in place of resolutions, which as reported by the Episcopal News Service (in this article) was “partly in recognition that the Lambeth Conference is not a legislative body and has no jurisdiction over The Episcopal Church and the other autonomous Anglican provinces.” Lambeth planners have described the calls as “short written statements that include declarations, affirmations and common ‘calls’ to the church and the world that the bishops want to make.” Each call was developed by a drafting group from bishops around the Anglican Communion on 10 subject areas including discipleship, the environment, reconciliation, and “safe church” principles.

When the study guide and drafts were shared on July 18, the Lambeth Call on Human Dignity generated deep concern from Episcopal bishops over language that seeks to affirm a 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution opposing same-sex marriage. Reflecting on the initial call about human dignity, our own diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, said “I am profoundly concerned that imbedded in this call is a statement from 1998 that does not reflect The Episcopal Church’s understanding of marriage and is an affront to our LGBTQ+ members. I am disturbed as I absorb the reality that we are being set up for painful division instead of substantive engagement across our differences.”

As a result of the response from bishops from several Primates and Provinces of the Anglican Communion, including The Episcopal Church and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, the Lambeth Conference issued a public statement on July 25 acknowledging the concerns about the Human Dignity Call and reporting that the drafting group would be “making some revisions,” noting also that bishops would be offered a third option in responding to the call: “This Call does not speak for me.”

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, who is attending his first Lambeth Conference as presiding bishop, alluded to the “rapidly changing” situation in a July 25 news release. After arriving in Canterbury, bishops from The Episcopal Church, came together on July 27 in the spirit of beloved community to listen to each other, share feelings, pray, and reflect together in light of the original and revised Lambeth Call on Human Dignity.

Acknowledging the disagreement from many of the participating bishops, planners of the Lambeth Conference significantly rewrote part of the preparatory “Lambeth Calls” document, eliminating language from an earlier draft that had affirmed a 24-year-old resolution opposing same-sex marriage. Read more on the Episcopal News Service at this link.

After the revised call was shared, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley expressed hope. “I am grateful for the revision as I believe it’s a more accurate depiction of the theological diversity on this issue across the Anglican Communion,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “I am hopeful that our time together will be spent engaging one another on the immense challenges and possibilities facing our world.”
 
Bishop Woodliff-Stanley also shared her thoughts about her first day at the Lambeth Conference. “My first day at Lambeth has included meeting people from several provinces, and spending time in a small group, listening, and learning from the experience of bishops from contexts that are very different from my own,” said the bishop. “My husband, Nate, and I also joyfully participated in a march organized by the LGBTQ community of the University of Kent, and enjoyed a wonderful evening of international food and fellowship.”
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Learn more about the Lambeth Conference on the internet at www.lambethconference.org/. And follow The Episcopal News Service at www.episcopalnewsservice.org for the latest news from Lambeth involving The Episcopal Church.

The Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called the Rev. Ramelle McCall to serve as Canon for Leadership in the Diocese of South Carolina, beginning on September 1. The Rev. McCall currently serves as rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Baltimore, Maryland, and also as urban missioner for the Diocese of Maryland. As Canon for Leadership, he will focus his attention on developing congregational vitality and evangelism, advancing the ministries of justice in the public square (furthering the work of racial, social, and economic justice), working closely with the Commission on Ministry to raise up lay and clergy leaders for our diocese, and developing leaders for the next generation, including serving as the key liaison with the Children and Youth Commission.

Bishop Woodliff-Stanley expressed great excitement about the addition to diocesan staff. “Since the first conversation I had with Ramelle, I’ve been excited about the possibility of his joining our team,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “Ramelle brings great gifts to help us build networks and capacity in our communities to strengthen our voice in the public square on pressing issues where the church needs to be present. His experience both as a parish priest and urban missioner will help us raise up strong leaders to build the Jesus movement now and with the next generation.”
 
The Rev. McCall plans to move to Charleston later this summer and looks forward to hitting the ground running when he starts on staff in September. “I’m excited about engaging the wonderful and gracious people of South Carolina and seeing what God is doing with them and how we can all work together into the future,” said Fr. McCall. “I'm excited about the evangelism side of my role and what that looks like, whether that be church planting or how to reimagine new spaces and worship in a unique setting.” He also looks forward to bringing a voice toward racial injustice and the opportunity to work with the youth of our diocese.

Fr. McCall brings a wealth of experience and a strong belief in the importance of building relationships to his new role. “I bring not only parish experience, but also experience in community organizing, bridge building, networking, and simply finding ways to engage people in ministry,” said Fr. McCall. “I like to meet everyone where they are to build a mutual relationship, with God playing a key role.”

Relationship building has been key throughout his ministry. “One thing I've learned as a leader is to never underestimate putting in the time and constant intentionality in building relationships,” said Fr. McCall. “In my experience, it doesn’t happen immediately, it takes time to build that relationship and truly build trust and mutual respect—and I know I have to earn that. Once that's earned, then you're able to move forward on the particular work all sides wish to accomplish. I've learned to be very patient and very pastoral in every particular relationship, knowing that while there's an urgency to act, it does take time to discern how you want that action to be done.”

A graduate of Wake Forest Divinity School, Fr. McCall is looking forward to returning to the Carolinas. He sees great potential for our growing diocese, and welcomes the opportunity to be a part of the staff Bishop Woodliff-Stanley is assembling in the first year of her episcopate. “It's an honor to join the staff as Bishop Ruth continues to build her team,” said Fr. McCall.
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Fr. McCall was awarded a Master of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University in 2006 and studied Anglican Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 2011 and began his ministry as interim rector at St. Philip’s in Annapolis, Maryland for a year before being called to serve as rector of St. Michael & All Angels in Baltimore, and chaplain to the Maryland Institute College of Art from 2012 to 2017. He has served as rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Baltimore and Urban Missioner for the Diocese of Maryland since 2017. He appreciates good food and enjoys playing pool, exercising, listening to great music, and singing karaoke. We look forward to welcoming him to our diocese in September.

​On Thursday, April 21, the day after the South Carolina Supreme Court handed down their latest ruling, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley reached out to the leader on the other side of the dispute, the Rt. Rev. Chip Edgar, to engage in conversation about how our dioceses can move forward for the benefit of the people of South Carolina. Both bishops have expressed a desire to move forward in a way that is different than what may have occurred in the past. “We really have an appetite to move into a new season marked by a different tone and tenor between our two communities, focused on the Gospel of Jesus and helping the people of this state,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley.
 
Both bishops are relative newcomers to the dispute that has lasted nearly a decade. Bishop Woodliff-Stanley took the helm of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina with her ordination in October 2021, and Bishop Edgar was ordained in March of this year as the second bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, which is aligned with ACNA, the Anglican Church of North America.
 
The Court’s decision will return 14 parishes to the historic diocese that left The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion in 2012, along with all diocesan property, while 15 breakaway churches will remain with the new ACNA diocese. The justices of the state’s highest court found that the 14 parishes did create a trust in favor of The Episcopal Church and its diocese, while the other 15 churches did not. Additionally, the Court found that all real and personal property held in trust by the Trustees of the diocese belong to the “Associated Diocese” – the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. These properties would include St. Christopher Camp & Conference Center on Seabrook Island. While the immediate next steps in the process are not yet clear, the two bishops hope that their prompt meeting will set a new tone for the relationship between the two dioceses moving forward.
 
For her part, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley says her focus is the same, regardless of this legal decision. “We remain focused on where God is calling us to be and this includes reconciliation across all sorts of divides; the important work of justice – primarily race justice, LGBTQ justice, and economic justice; and building the church of the future,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “Regardless of property issues, our vision and our common mission as a diocese will continue – the Gospel is bigger than all of the controversy and we will continue forward on the mission God is calling us to lead.”
 
The two bishops met with a reporter from the Charleston-based Post & Courier on Friday, April 22, and the publication shared an article at this link.

Download this release at this link.

On Wednesday, April 20, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that 14 South Carolina churches that were once part of The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina shall be returned, along with all real and personal property held in trust for the diocese, including the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Seabrook Island. The churches left the diocese in 2012 and later joined the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and yesterday’s news marks another milestone in a nearly decade-long legal journey that included a lower court decision in 2014 which was largely overturned by the state’s high court in 2017 and then further clarified with the decision yesterday.

Of the decision, the Right Reverend Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, said: “Their decisions will no doubt bring joy to many in our diocese, but for others, there will be grief in the possible finality of a loss they have been feeling for nearly 10 years.” She also added a hope for the future of the reconciled diocese: “…we now walk into a bright future, one in which we will focus on the reconciling power of the Gospel to transform injustice, to heal the brokenhearted, and to build God’s beloved community.”

The South Carolina Supreme Court, using a variety of determining factors, decided that 14 parishes (of the 29 previously named) did create an “irrevocable trust in favor of the National Church and its diocese” (the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina – the “Associated Diocese”). These 14 parishes are as follows: Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant; Good Shepherd, Charleston; Holy Comforter, Sumter; Holy Cross, Stateburg; Holy Trinity, Charleston; St. Bartholomew’s, Hartsville; St. David’s, Cheraw; St. Luke’s, Hilton Head; St. Matthew’s, Fort Motte; St. James, Charleston; St. John’s, Johns Island; St. Jude’s, Walterboro; Trinity, Myrtle Beach; and Old St. Andrew’s, Charleston.

Conversely, the Court found that 15 of the 29 parishes “did not create a trust in favor of the National Church or its diocese, and thus those 15 Parishes retain title to their real estate.” These parishes are as follows: All Saints, Florence; Church of our Saviour, John’s Island; Church of the Cross, Bluffton; Christ-St. Paul’s, Yonges Island; Epiphany, Eutawville; Redeemer, Orangeburg; Resurrection, Surfside/Myrtle Beach; St. Helena’s, Beaufort; St. Paul’s, Bennettsville; St. Paul’s, Summerville; St. Philip’s, Charleston; St. Luke & St. Paul, Charleston; St. Michael’s, Charleston; Trinity, Edisto; and Trinity, Pinopolis. 

The South Carolina Supreme Court has decided that all real and personal property, including the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center, have been held “in trust for the benefit of the National Church [The Episcopal Church] and the Associated Diocese,” meaning the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. The ruling further concluded that “The real and personal property held in trust by the Trustees is now held for the benefit of the Associated Diocese.”

On all matters and questions relating to “names, styles, emblems, and service marks,” the Court deferred to the federal court.  The U.S. District Court previously ruled in favor of The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina (also recognized as The Episcopal Church in South Carolina) in September 2019. This decision has been appealed, but any future rulings were stayed pending the outcome of this state case.

In her pastoral letter to the diocese sent hours after receiving the opinion, Bishop Woodilff-Stanley discussed the next steps for the diocese. “We are still working to understand the immediate path forward and promise to be in communication with you as our legal team helps us determine what comes next,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “May we focus together on reconciliation and the way of love as we journey together on the road ahead, centered in Christ’s love for all of us.”

The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina was one of the nine original dioceses that formed The Episcopal Church in 1785. The Episcopal Church, which encompasses 111 dioceses and regional areas in 17 nations of the world, remains the only denomination in the United States affiliated with the worldwide Anglican Communion.