The Diocese of South Carolina will hold its 224th Annual Convention in Charleston, March 13-14. Nearly 400 clergy and delegates representing 53 churches across the eastern and coastal part of South Carolina will participate.

“We have so much to celebrate as a diocese,” said the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, 14th Bishop of the Diocese. “Coming together at the Convention gives time to express our gratefulness to God, celebrate the life and growth in our congregations and move forward in spreading the Gospel and shaping Anglicanism in the 21st century.”

The Convention begins Friday, March 13 with a 5 p.m. worship service, open to the public, at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul. The Rt. Rev. Rob Martin, Bishop of the Diocese of Marsabit, Kenya in the Anglican Communion will be the guest preacher. Martin has previously visited the Diocese and churches in South Carolina have partnered with the Diocese of Marsabit to help build churches there.

On Saturday, March 14 at 9:30 a.m. the convention will reconvene at the Charleston Music Hall for the business portion of the meeting, at which time participants will approve an annual budget, elect officers and address other business.

Prior to the start of the Convention, on Friday, March 13 from 1-4 p.m. the Diocese is offering six free workshops, open to the public at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.

• Cultural Shifts in Marriage: What is Christian Marriage? - The Rev. Dr. Stephen Noll, a retired professor at Trinity School for Ministry, will review the basics of the Church’s traditional teaching on marriage and compare it with the “ethic of intimacy” that prevails in contemporary Western society.

• Sharing the Gospel - Langdon Stewart, an Australian on staff at Church of Our Saviour, Johns Island, who has years of experience leading evangelism workshops worldwide, will give practical training on how to share the gospel.

• Hands-On Mission Locally and Globally - Sharon Steinmiller, Director of the New Wineskins Missionary Network, will offer practical ways participants can get involved in missions locally and around the world.

• Confirmation, Catechism and the Formation Process - Former Dean/President of Trinity Seminary in Ambridge, PA, the Very Rev. Dr. Peter Moore and the Diocese’s Director of Faith Formation, Peter Rothermel will examine materials and methods for passing the faith to the next generation.

• Engaging Younger Generations in Smaller Congregations - Dave Wright, a sought-after speaker on youth ministry who serves as the Diocese’s Coordinator of Youth Ministry, will look at ways smaller churches can build effective youth ministries.

• What is Anglicanism: Conversations on Affiliation - Bishop Mark Lawrence, the XIV Bishop of South Carolina and the Rev. Dr. Canon Kendall Harmon, the Diocese’s Theologian-in-residence, will tag-team, “What is Anglicanism: Conversations on Affiliation,” which explores the distinctiveness of Anglicanism and looks at possible options for diocesan affiliation.

The public is invited to register for the free workshops at www.dioceseofsc.org and clicking on “Convention Information.”