VISIONING COMMITTEE

Visioning Committee Begins Work

March 21, 2017

The new Visioning Committee for The Episcopal Church in South Carolina has been appointed by Bishop Skip Adams and will meet for the first time on Wednesday, March 22 at Grace Church Cathedral.
 
In his address to the 226th Diocesan Convention in November, Bishop Adams outlined plans for developing a diocesan vision “with goals and strategies that enable us to continue to move into the new future God is preparing for us.” 
 
In presenting the idea to the Diocesan Council, Bishop Adams said the idea was to move forward in coordination with thegroups and committees already in place, such as the Futures Committee, Stewardship and Development, Strategic Planning, the Episcopal Forum and Under One Roof. The Diocesan Council unanimously endorsed the plan last fall, and the Bishop moved forward with selecting members for a new Visioning Committee.
 
Serving with Bishop Adams on the committee will be:
 
Bill Beak, Grace, Charleston
The Rev. Bill Coyne, St. Stephen’s, Charleston
The Rev. Rob Donehue, St. Anne’s, Conway
Jo Ann Ewalt, St. Francis, Charleston
Barney Forsythe, St. Mark’s, Port Royal
Shawan Gillians, St. Mark’s, Charleston
The Rev. Jean McGraw, St. Francis, Charleston
The Rev. Wilmot T. Merchant II, St. Stephen’s, North Myrtle Beach
Lugenia Rochelle, St. Philip’s Chapel/Voorhees College, Denmark
Sarah Tipton, Grace, Charleston
The Very Rev. Michael Wright, Grace, Charleston
 
“I am grateful to every one of you for your enthusiastic responses to my request that you join a group of God’s people from around the Diocese to consider the direction of our mission and ministry together in this part of God’s vineyard,” Bishop Adams wrote to the members earlier this month. “I think you will find that we are a most gifted and multi-talented group that will bring diverse perspectives, yet all with thecommon hope that we will continue to thrive as a community of faith through thetradition of The Episcopal Church.”

In describing the work of visioning in his Convention address, Bishop Adams said he does not have a pre-conceived plan. “I want to gather the people of our diocese together in conversation and discover the wisdom that is already among us, thewisdom of the body of Christ, and allow the Spirit to bubble up as she is manifested among us,” he said.

The appointments were made with input from around the diocese and with an eye toward creating a diverse and representative group both demographically and geographically, with a mix of lay and clergy members. While the initial meeting is set for Charleston, plans are to move the meetings around the diocese, or possibly meet by teleconference, as the work of the committee moves forward.

Diocesan Visioning Committee

March 21, 2017

Bill Beak, Grace, Charleston
The Rev. Bill Coyne, St. Stephen’s, Charleston
The Rev. Rob Donehue, St. Anne’s, Conway
Jo Ann Ewalt, St. Francis, Charleston
Barney Forsythe, St. Mark’s, Port Royal
Shawan Gillians, St. Mark’s, Charleston
The Rev. Jean McGraw, St. Francis, Charleston
The Rev. Wilmot T. Merchant II, St. Stephen’s, North Myrtle Beach
Lugenia Rochelle, St. Philip’s Chapel/Voorhees College, Denmark
Sarah Tipton, Grace, Charleston
The Very Rev. Michael Wright, Grace, Charleston

Members of the Visioning Committee at their first meeting, March 22, 2017 at Grace Church Cathedral.