The Diocese of South Carolina has long had an ecumenical spirit and a passion for healing the wounds in the Body of Christ.  One of our earliest bishops, Theodore Dehon, tended the flock of St. John's Lutheran Church on Archdale Street when they were without a pastor.  When St. Michael's was badly damaged in the Great earthquake of 1886, the congregation of St. John's returned the kindness by offering their own facilities for worship until repairs could be made.  As a token of appreciation, St. Michael's gave St. John's congregation a silver chalice, which is still in use today.
 
This spirit of ecumenism continues to flourish today.  Our diocese plays an active role in the Christian Action Council of South Carolina, the LARCUM dialogue (Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Methodist).  We have a working agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston on protocols for inter-faith marriage.  We have designed and implemented and inter-church baptismal certificate.  Our diocesan ecumenical officer, Fr. Dow Sanderson is also the Program chairman of the Charleston Christian/ Jewish Council, and is the chairman of the Charleston city-wide ecumenical Martin Luther King celebration and worship service.  He would be happy to speak to any Episcopalians in our diocese who wish to have a more active role and understanding in ecumenical and inter-faith activities.

Some of our upcoming ecumenical/Interfaith opportunities in the Diocese of South Carolina:
 
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Christian/Jewish Council of Charleston Thanksgiving Liturgy
Our host church this year is Morris Brown AME CHURCH. The Preacher is the Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone, new Catholic Bishop of Charleston.  The service begins at 7:00 PM
 
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Annual Ecumenical Worship Service in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The Worship service begins at 4:00 pm at the Morris Street Baptist Church, Charleston.
 
Sunday, January 24, 2010
State-wide Liturgy in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Sponsored by the South Carolina LARCUM).  Our preacher this year is the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence.  Our host church is Incarnation Lutheran Church, Devine Street, Columbia, SC.  The service begins at 4:00 pm followed by a reception.
 
For more information on these or other events, please contact our ecumenical officer, Fr. Dow Sanderson at 843 722-2024


The Rev. M. Dow Sanderson
Church of the Holy Communion
218 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 722-2024
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The Rev. Dow Sanderson, Ecumenical Officer of the Diocese of South Carolina, invites all persons interested in recent ecumenical trends to phone, write, fax or e-mail!