JOHN D. RUSSELL
JOHN D. RUSSELL/MORNING NEWS Priests process in on Friday, March 8, 2013, during the Holy Eucharest to start the Diocese of South Carolina 222nd meeting of the convention in Florence.
Diocese of South Carolina 222nd convention
The Diocese of South Carolina 222nd meeting of the convention in Florence kicked off on Friday, March 8, 2013.
FLORENCE, S.C. – In an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation, clergy and delegates of the Diocese of South Carolina gathered Friday evening for an opening Eucharist to their 222nd annual convention.
With a theme that focused primarily on moving forward after their split with the national Episcopal Church, spirits were high among the crowd despite the most recent developments in a legal battle over rights to the Diocese’s name, seal and property.
All Saints Church member Libby Phillips said she feels that the Diocese will now be meeting the needs of a group of people that would not be met otherwise.
“We are just so enthusiastic and excited about what’s happening,” Phillips said. “We’re looking to the future and growth and spirituality.”
Participants and clergy present seemed eager to accept Bishop Mark Lawrence’s call to focus on the future and let the courts decide the more complicated matters of the once-Episcopal affiliated group.
The bishop serves as the current head of the Diocese as it stands; however in a complaint filed this week, Bishop Charles vonRosenberg with the Episcopal Church in South Carolina has also claimed rights to serve as head of the Diocese as a national Episcopal-affiliated organization.
As part of the ceremonies, each of the area host churches for the convention, St. John’s of Florence, All Saints of Florence and St. Matthew’s of Darlington, led a processional of vested clergy, followed by Diocese clergy and Bishop Lawrence into the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center auditorium, where they gathered in front of a crowd of over 200 people.
The crowd, which consisted primarily of delegates and representatives of the 47 parishes and missions that currently make up the Diocese, were treated to a choir and orchestra which performed throughout the service.
The Eucharist sermon was given by retired Illinois bishop, the Rev. Keith Ackerman, who used a comparison study in his sermon between the recent events surrounding Bishop Lawrence and the similar events that surrounded Bishop Edward King, who served as bishop of Lincoln in England in 1885, when he was prosecuted for ritualistic practices before the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Rev. Ackerman drew a laugh from the crowd when they discovered he was not speaking of Bishop Lawrence after he listed all of the glowing characteristics of Bishop King as well as the things he was persecuted for without naming a name.
Ackerman said both bishops were wrongly accused and that their legacy would long outlive any legal persecutions.
“In the end, few remember the charges brought against Bishop King, but they do remember his ministry,” Ackerman said.
During the service the congregation participated in a number of responsive verses and also listened to a reading of scripture from Acts 20:17-35 which spoke of persecutions that may await those who go out and share the word of the Lord and also warned the reader to be aware of those in their own groups who distort the truth.
Rev. Andrew O’Dell of St. Matthew’s Church in Darlington said he was excited about the direction the Diocese is heading but that he also believes the group will continue to serve the needs it had always focused on.
“I think the Diocese is going to continue to be a place where people are going to be fed, both literally and spiritually,” O’Dell said. “People are going to be able to continue to come into a life-giving relationship with Jesus.”
In light of the recent split and the growing media attention, clergy met in a private workshop before the Eucharist that gave tips and pointers for how to deal with speaking to the media when questioned about the split.
After the service and exit processional, the congregation mingled with clergy in the atrium before heading across the street to St. John’s Church for a reception.
Many parishioners were able to meet with Bishop Lawrence and took advantage of the opportunity for him to sign their programs and pose for pictures with him.
Ginger Bergstrom, of St. Christopher’s Camp on John’s Island, said that the direction the Diocese is taking is a very good thing for the state of South Carolina and that the camp, which plays a significant role in the youth of the Diocese, hopes to continue to serve in that role as they have for the last 75 years.
“St. Christopher is the Diocese, it’s owned by the Diocese, it is the Diocese,” Bergstrom said. “I am very confident that the Diocese of South Carolina is an incredible expression of church and St. Christopher, as a ministry of that organization, is profound. As a place for the gospel to prosper and be expressed, St. Christopher is a place that does that all the time in a variety of different ways. One of the things that is compelling to me about St. Christopher is that it is part of the fabric of so many stories of people’s life of faith in this Diocese.”
Rosemary Drakeford, a delegate from the Church of the Holy Comforter in Sumter, S.C., said she saw a split with the national church coming for some time due to the differences in opinions, but that the split definitely has had an impact on relationships.
“It’s like a split in any family. It is very sad that people and organizations and the links that you had all over the country are gone, but a lot of that was already gone,” Drakeford said. “This probably came to my awareness about 25 years ago in going to national conventions. It’s just been a slow progression of trying to go in the right direction, but I think this is the right thing to do. My congregation was 90-95 percent with supporting the direction the Diocese is going.”
Day two of the convention will also take place at the Performing Arts Center and will focus on the more official side of the business as delegates and clergy from the Diocese hear an official address from Bishop Lawrence and vote on resolutions and new officers.
One of the most important votes will be on a second and final reading of the Diocese’s revised constitution which removes all references to The Episcopal Church. The group will also vote on the “Declaration of Life Statement” made by Anglicans for Life.
Meanwhile, in Charleston, S.C., the Episcopal Church in South Carolina met for its own convention only days after its presiding bishop, vonRosenberg, officially filed suit this week claiming rights and ownership over the Diocese’s name, seal and property.
Delegates of 19 parishes will be represented at the Charleston convention as well as many unofficial visitors from churches around the state who have not yet discerned which group they will be affiliated with in the long term.
Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans 