Anglican Leadership Institute, 09/2017 ACNA Provincial Assembly 06/2017 GrandCamp 2017, 6/17 Ordination of Denman Isgett, 4/30/17 DWM Gathering with Gloria Kwashi, 4/29/17 Ordination of Kate Norris, 3/17/17 View additional galleries.
Clergy Describe Bishop Lawrence on the 10th Anniversary of his Consecration
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Written by SCDiosAdministrator
To mark the 10th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence as the 14th Bishop of South Carolina, January 26, 2018, we asked the clergy of the Diocese to share one word they would use to describe him. The banner is filled with superlatives, including holy, faithful, steadfast, unflappable, hopeful, generous, valient, pastoral, wise, etc. The banner is hanging in the Diocesen office.
7:30 a.m. Registration Begins 9:00 a.m. Call to Convention
Certification of Delegates
There are two versions of the certificate: a printable version that you fill out and mail and an online version which may be filled out online and returned via email. If you use this version be sure to save a copy to your computer once it's filled out. Please return completed form by January 31, 2018.
Registration
Visitors are welcome, but seating in the visitor gallery is very limited. Alternates attending (in addition to your delegation) must be registered as a visitor. (Registration includes dinner Friday and lunch Saturday.) Cost: $75.00/per person for clergy and lay delegation $35.00/per person for visitors Register here.Deadline to register delegation is January 31, 2018.
Bishop Lowenfield Opening Eucharist Preacher
The Rt. Rev. Clark W. P. Lowenfield, Bishop of Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast, ACNA, will be the preacher at our service of Holy Eucharist on Friday, March 9 at 5:00 p.m.
Bishop Lowenfield is married to Tricia, and they have three daughters and two sons-in-law. He has served as senior pastor of churches in South Carolina and Texas for over 30 years. Clark is a graduate of Amherst College with degrees in Political Science and Economics and The University of the South-School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee with a Master of Divinity.
Resolutions
The following proposed resolutions represent some refinements needed to our Diocesan Constitution and Canons to reflect our membership in the Anglican Church in North America. They were adopted by the Standing Committee at their January 2018 meeting for presentation to the 227th Diocesan Convention in March.
If you have resolution(s) that you would like mailed out to the delegates prior to the Convention, I must have them no later than February 1st, 2018. We urge you to offer the Convention time to prayerfully consider any resolution that might be set forth, and to observe this deadline.
Further Information
If you have questions contact the Convention Coordinator Beth Snyder at (843) 722-4075 or [email protected].
A Joint Statement of The Bishop and Standing Committee of The Diocese of South Carolina
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Written by SCDiosAdministrator
It is with the weight of decision but conviction of heart and mind that I write to tell you the Standing Committee, after prayerful deliberation, and with my full support, has voted unanimously to proceed with a petition for a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court. I remind you that this long process first began with our stand for Gospel truth—holding firmly to the faith once delivered to the saints. All too soon, we were thrust us into a battle for Religious Freedom. As Justice Kitteridge has aptly stated about the State Supreme Court’s recent denial for rehearing “…to disallow a full court from considering the rehearing petitions is deeply troubling and, in my opinion, raises constitutional implications as the Court has blocked a fair and meaningful merits review of the rehearing petitions.” So we have before us our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ to which we are unwaveringly wedded; a civil concern for religious freedom for ourselves and others; and a public duty to petition for constitutional due process to be upheld. Any of these might justify taking the next step down this legal road. Together they make a three-fold cord not easily broken.
Diocese of South Carolina Denied Rehearing by South Carolina Supreme Court
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Written by SCDiosAdministrator
COLUMBIA, S.C. (November 18, 2017) – Today the Diocese of South Carolina (Diocese) was informed by mail that the South Carolina Supreme Court denied its motions filed for Rehearing and Recusal in its ruling in Appellate Case No. 2015-000622. Doing so finalized a sharply divided ruling that could deprive at least 28 parish churches of their right to properties some have held for over 300 years.
Statement by the Rev. Canon Jim Lewis: “We are deeply disappointed the Court did not see fit to recuse Justice Hearn. Her personal interest in the outcome of this litigation, beyond the normal matters of law, has clearly influenced its outcome. That is unfortunate not only for the Diocese but for all the citizens of this State with concerns for a fair and impartial judiciary. We also find it disturbing that the weight of the Constitutional concerns raised was not given further opportunity to be addressed. Church property ownership in South Carolina is now gravely complicated.
Amicus Brief Filed By Religious Leaders in Support of Diocese
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Written by SCDiosAdministrator
AMICUS BRIEF CALLS FOR REHEARING IN SUPPORT OF DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Misapplication of neutral principles of law leads to constitutional conflicts and property rights confusion.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (November 13, 2017) – Friday, a diverse group of 106 South Carolina religious leaders, representing 52 cities and many denominations, filed an amicus curiae brief in the South Carolina Supreme Court supporting the Petition for Rehearing filed by the Diocese of South Carolina (Diocese) and 29 parish churches regarding the South Carolina Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Appellate Case No. 2015-000622. Among the amici are representatives of Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, United Methodist, REC, Nazarene, Holiness and non-denominational churches, as well as the Executive Director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. The amici are represented by attorneys with Winston & Strawn as well as Michael W. McConnell, who is the Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. The brief addresses the Court’s misapplication of “neutral principles of law”, which presents both a serious threat to religious liberty and “leaves this state’s Church property law in disrepair and confusion.”
Statement by the Rev. Canon Jim Lewis:
“Friday’s brief illustrates well two essential problems with the current ruling of the Court. Because there is no legal consensus among the Justices, the ruling as it stands is, as stated in the brief, a “recipe for endless litigation.” As a consequence of misapplying neutral principles of law as intended by the U.S. Supreme Court, it violates rather than preserves, the First Amendment protections of religious liberty they are meant to ensure. Resolving these significant issues merits rehearing by the Court.”
The Rev. John Foster, III September 30, 1957 - December 21, 2017
Please keep the family and loved ones of the Rev. John Foster in your prayers. John d [ ... ]
The 227th Annual Meeting of the Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina will be held March 9 and 10, 2018 at Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant.
