With an invitation from Bishop Mark Lawrence and an endorsement and welcome from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina, the Most Rev. Foley Beach, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America served as the keynote speaker at the annual clergy conference for the Diocese of South Carolina, October 19-21 at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center.

Archbishop Beach urged the clergy to take care of their interior lives and minister from that foundation.  

“Foley likened the interior life to the roots of a tree,” said the Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon, the Diocesan Theologian in Residence, who attended the conference. “Even if you can’t see it, it’s holding the tree up.”

Beach stressed the need for clergy to manage their private worlds. One of the more moving parts of his talk, according to Harmon, was when Beach shared about what happens when a clergy person doesn’t take care of his or her interior life. “He sees first hand the damage that’s done,” said Harmon.

A portion of the conference was spent in discussion concerning the Diocese’s possible affiliation with the Anglican Church in America. Clergy were free to ask questions of the Archbishop. The discussion was frank.

‘I was encouraged by many comments from the clergy of the diocese thanking me for inviting Archbishop Beach and for this opportunity to hear his teaching and have further conversation regarding the Anglican Church in North America,” said Bishop Lawrence. “I’d summarized these by paraphrasing their comments as—“It was the right invitation at the right time.’”

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Mr. Chuck Wilson, who is the co-chair of the Diocese of South Carolina's Liturgy and Worship Commission, a member of Diocesan Council, the Music Director at Holy Comforter, Jr., has, in his capacity as the Chairman of The Social Justice Consortium (SJC) of the Upper Lowlands announced the creation of a campaign for the relief of Sumter County flood victims. 

The South Carolina Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (SCHFMA) has donated funds to initiate the “SCHFMA Dry Shoes for Kids Campaign”.  Most people are aware of how to decontaminate clothing after a flood, but do not take into consideration that shoes left on the floor in homes also need to be cleaned and in some cases thrown away.  This program targets replacing shoes for school children in need.

HFMA is the professional body for the healthcare finance profession where members get practical resources, insightful thought leadership, support with personal growth and provide access to an influential network of healthcare executives.  In particular, The South Carolina Chapter of HFMA promotes several charity campaigns every year.  Mr. Woody Turner, Chapter President stated today “The SCHFMA takes every opportunity to give back to the communities that our hospitals serve, not only by providing high quality healthcare throughout the state, but by fulfilling many needs that are not as obvious as healthcare delivery.”  Barney Osborne, Chapter Treasurer commented “we have great expectations for this project and hope to expand the donation of shoes to other counties impacted by the flood.  If funds allow, we hope to expand these gifts to school children that lost clothing and other necessary items.”

The program will be administrated by the The Social Justice Consortium of the Upper Lowlands.  Established in 2007, The Consortium has worked with other social justice organizations in the low country in the past to provide water systems and basic necessities for the village of Wome, Togo, South Africa in conjunction with Brighter Day Charities, Inc.  Wilson stated “The recent historic flood has encouraged the Consortium to also focus on our needs of closer to home.”
This project has also received a small grant from the Women of Excellence program started in 2009.

Sumter School District Superintendent Dr. J. Frank Baker said, “We sincerely appreciate the efforts of the Social Justice Consortium and the SC HFMA chapter for this worthwhile project.  The Dry Shoe Fund project will go a long way in helping our students who lost so much during the recent flooding.  The need is there all over our community, and the school district is grateful to organizations such as the consortium and HFMA who support our students and help meet their basic needs.”
Donations may be sent to SJC, PO Box 548, Sumter, SC 29151 Attn: Walter Wilson Jr., or may be hand delivered to the following:

Church of the Holy Comforter
213 North Main Street
Sumter, SC
 
Bullock Funeral Home
1190 Wilson Hall Road
Sumter, SC

As Chief of Chaplains (LTC) for the South Carolina State Guard, the Rev. Dr. Donnie Hayes, Vicar of Christ Church, Florence, is on the front lines ministering to those affected by the historic flood.  He oversees a Chaplain Detachment of 50 who have been deployed to the serve in shelters and other flood-ravaged areas across the state.

 “The level of anxiety and fear is so high,” said Hayes. “People have lost everything. One of our biggest jobs is to listen and be a ministry of presence.”

The cross on their hats and jackets identify the chaplains as people of faith.  This past Wednesday, October 7, a group of four chaplains went from group to group in the cavernous gymnasium at AC Flora High School in Columbia visiting with the over 600 people who took shelter there.

 “Over and over we heard, ‘I can’t believe this has happened.  What are we going to do?’ said Hayes.

Hayes reminded victims of how Jesus calmed the storm saying, “Peace be still.” Often, after listening to victims’ stories and assuring them they will get through this he’s on the receiving end of hugs. “Then you walk on to the next person,” he said.

The chaplains are also helping with distribution of food, water and other supplies as well as ministering to soldiers, first responders and volunteers, many of whom are suffering from fatigue.  “Their physical and emotional strength is diminishing,” said Hayes.

“We’ve trained for this", said Hayes. “We’ve had classes, but to live it is 180 degrees different. What we’re letting everyone know is we will get through this. The Lord is here.  He is our strength in our times of adversity.  In Him, we have hope and assurance that replaces gloom and despair.”

There are many lessons that we take away from this "Great Flood of Fifteen".  One of the most important lessons I learned was "in the midst of our darkest moments, there is the light of Jesus Christ.  His presence helps us to face any challenge with a quiet confidence that all is well with our souls."

"On the way to Headquarters  Command in Columbia Thursday, I was overcome with grief knowing that I had sent chaplains in harm's way.  It was a daunting admission that one of my chaplains could be injured or not come back home to their families or loved ones.  This is the weight of the office.  It is shared by every commander.  We get through it by placing our trust in God.  He is the help in our time of need.  He is our strength.  We are reminded that God commands us to be strong and courageous for the men and women we serve in our parishes as well as our communities.  We serve a supreme commander who provides our every need in any situation."

On Monday, October 12, 2015, the Cathedral hosted a special presentation by the FBI entitled, “Active Shooter Awareness and Preparation.”  The presentation by Special Agent Robert Chadwick was created in response to the Emmanuel AME shooting and has been offered as a resource to churches around the state of South Carolina.  The talk addressed three areas.  

One was a summary of what has been learned from the study of 160 such incidents around the country https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/september/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents.
 
One of the key observations was that such shooters typically seek to isolate their victims inside a building while keeping the police out. That means escape is the first priority.  How to respond to an incident highlighted the importance of having a plan so one can be mentally prepared to respond quickly.  The three primary strategies are to either RUN, HIDE or FIGHT, in that order. The FBI video of the same title may be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/office-of-partner-engagement/active-shooter-incidents/run-hide-fight-video . (This video is also available here.) A key element of this part of the presentation was the explanation that law enforcement officers in such a situation have one objective: stop the shooter. That means two things.  First, that they will not be pausing to render medical assistance or to escort people to safety. Secondly, everyone is seen as a possible threat.  Expect to be asked to keep your hands up and in plain sight. Full cooperation is essential.

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