Category : * South Carolina

The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Enewsletter

The ADOSC Has Launched at CofC

We recently shared that an Anglican campus ministry was newly launched at The College of Charleston. This new ministry has a name, Campus Communion. Curious about ways to partner with Campus Communion or how to stay in the loop? Make sure you subscribe to the newsletter from Taylor Daniel, ADOSC campus minister. You can read his first full update here and don’t forget, subscribe!

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Media, Parish Ministry

Kendall Harmon’s Sunday Sermon–Have We Truly Heard the Depth of Jesus Radical Call to Forgive (Matthew 18:21-25)?

You can listen directly just above or you can download it also there.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * By Kendall, * Christian Life / Church Life, * South Carolina, Christology, Ethics / Moral Theology, Ministry of the Ordained, Parish Ministry, Pastoral Theology, Preaching / Homiletics, Sermons & Teachings, Soteriology, Theology: Scripture

Steadfast In A Shifting Tide: New Location For Good Shepherd, Charleston, South Carolina

As you may know, early this summer we were informed that the SC Supreme Court formally denied our petition for rehearing, effectively handing our buildings and property over to the Episcopal Church. We were the final church to hear this news, and in the few short months since the opinion was finalized what has happened has been nothing less than a miraculous series of divine interventions.

Soon to be nomads, we immediately began contacting and meeting with churches and businesses in our corner of West Ashley. After speaking with several pastors of churches located within two miles of the building, Pastor Joe Warring and the congregation at Northbridge Baptist Church were empathetic to our situation. They were quick to boldly and prayerfully step out in faith, as they saw our mission and vision to be worthwhile and consistent with their own. Their congregation voted unanimously to partner with us in an effort to work together and see the Kingdom of God grow. We reached agreements to be able to worship in their sanctuary on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m., and move our day school into their education building, which once housed a K-12 Christian school.

Although the school closed 15 years ago, the education building was still being used for their Children’s ministries on Sunday mornings. So now, every Friday we stow much of the resources in our Tots and 2K classes so Northbridge can use those spaces. The partnership has started strong, and I can only attribute that to God preparing the way. He has certainly ordered our steps and has not left us wanting.

While Northbridge could meet our day school and worship needs, we were still in need of office space for our staff. Thanks to the kindness of the Rev. Jeff Miller and the leadership at St. Philip’s, Charleston, we have been provided office space at 25 Cumberland Street, right next to our brothers and sisters from Holy Trinity. The Lord has provided us a constant reminder we are not alone.

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Moving to Purchase Land for Camp and Retreat Center

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Housing/Real Estate Market, Parish Ministry, Stewardship

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Enewsletter

Anglican Leadership Institute Convenes September 6

The Anglican Leadership Institute (ALI), which was born of a vision cast by Bishop Mark Lawrence, will begin its 11th session on September 6. Since the initial session in 2016, 151 Fellows have graduated from the Institute which brings emerging Anglican leaders together for a unique learning experience in principles of leadership built upon the foundation of Anglican Formularies and the Jerusalem Declaration. This session, which will meet at the FOCUS Study Center in Massachusetts, will bring together 15 participants (pictured below) from 12 different countries. Read more.

 

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Media, Parish Ministry

A Recent Kendall Harmon sermon–The most important question ever asked by the most important person to have ever lived (Matthew 16:13-20)

You may listen directly here

or you can download it also there and there is more if you are interested there.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * By Kendall, * South Carolina, Ministry of the Ordained, Parish Ministry, Preaching / Homiletics, Sermons & Teachings

A Prayer for the Feast Day of the Right Reverend Samuel David Ferguson (1842-1916)

Almighty God, who didst raise up thy servant Samuel Ferguson and inspire in him a missionary vision of thy Church in education and ministry: Stir up in us through his example a zeal for a Church, alive with thy Holy Word, reaching forth in love and service to all; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Posted in * South Carolina, Church History, Liberia, Spirituality/Prayer

Kendall Harmon’s Sunday Sermon–Do We Really Understand the Nature of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 13:31-34)?

You may listen directly here

or you can download it also there.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * By Kendall, * South Carolina, Ministry of the Ordained, Parish Ministry, Sermons & Teachings, Theology: Salvation (Soteriology)

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

Your Prayers Appreciated for the Messy and Painful Situation at Saint James Anglican Church, James Island SC

(Via email-KSH).

[Tim] Surratt Appointed Priest in Charge of St. James Anglican Church

The Rev. Tim Surrat, who had been serving as an Associate for Pastoral Care and Healing Ministry at St. Michael’s Church, Charleston, has been appointed, by Bishop Edgar, to serve as the Priest-in-Charge at St. James Anglican on James Island beginning August 1. The Rev. Toby Larson, Rector of Saint James, has taken a paid leave of absence from his duties for the duration of proceedings under Canon XXVIII of the diocese. Please keep St. James and all involved in your prayers.

The Rev. Canon Jim Lewis
The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

(Local paper) Charleston, South Carolina presents next steps, negotiation opportunities for $1B sea wall

After debate on Charleston City Council began to stir over the next steps for a proposed 8-mile sea wall around the peninsula, city officials presented a timeline for the project, as well as opportunities for negotiation.

Dale Morris, the city’s Chief Resiliency Officer, told members of a newly formed citizen commission July 27 that the city should be finalizing a design agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal partner on the project, in the next few months.

The agreement will dictate some broad priorities for the project, as well as the roles the two government agencies will play in the design process.

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Posted in * South Carolina, City Government, Climate Change, Weather, Ecology, Energy, Natural Resources, Urban/City Life and Issues

The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Enewsletter

Saint John’s Anglican, John’s Island’s One-year Celebration: “We Worship Unrestrained”

On July 16, St. John’s Anglican Church, Johns Island, celebrated – yes, celebrated – their one-year anniversary meeting in Haut Gap Middle School with worship, reflection, praise and an “incredible” BBQ luncheon. “The mood at our one-year celebration was joyful,” says Rector, the Rev. Jeremy Shelton. “We reflected on the faithfulness of the Lord over this last year.  The day was hopeful – we continue to look forward to participating in the building of God’s kingdom on John’s Island.  We remain expectant – In God’s timing we will have a permanent worship space, and in the meantime, we will continue to worship Him unrestrained.” See photos. 

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Media, Parish Ministry

The Parish Church at Habersham in the Diocese of South Carolina nears groundbreaking for new Common Worship building

I am pleased to update you that we have crossed another important milestone in the progress we are making towards our church sanctuary construction. Since the beginning of the initiation of our contract with Habersham Land Company, the transfer of the property has been contingent upon the financing.

As you know, we have raised the pledge commitments over a number of years, therefore a bridge loan from a lending institution was needed. More specifically, we needed to provide a loan commitment letter from a Bank to prove we could, in fact, build the building.

We have believed for a few months now, that we had enough money in pledges and cash on hand to prove that a bank would want to enter into a loan relationship with us. However, this past Wednesday, the first bank did extend a commitment letter to us. Therefore, what we hoped for and saw good reason to believe would happen, has happened. We have satisfied the conditions to close on the property.

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Housing/Real Estate Market, Parish Ministry, Stewardship

(Local paper) Gulf Stream and Atlantic ocean current system could collapse, causing seas to rise in South Carolina

The Gulf Stream is a mighty river in the ocean that powers past South Carolina with such force and momentum that it sucks water away from our coast, lowering our sea level by as much as 3 feet.

It’s also part of a much larger conveyor belt of warm and cool waters called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, a current system that moderates the Northern Hemisphere’s climate like a radiator in a car.

But because of a rapidly warming planet, the AMOC system could collapse between 2025 and 2095, researchers said in a new study published in the journal Nature Communications that’s raising alarms across the globe.

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Posted in * South Carolina, Climate Change, Weather, Ecology, Energy, Natural Resources

Kendall Harmon’s Sunday Sermon–What are we going to do about Hell (Matthew 13:24-30; 34-43)?

You may also find more there and you can listen directly or download it if you prefer.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * By Kendall, * South Carolina, Christology, Eschatology, Parish Ministry, Sermons & Teachings, Theology, Theology: Scripture

(Local paper front page yesterday)–“where love and harmony prevail over hatred and division”–Officials break ground for Emanuel AME Church memorial to victims of 2015 shooting

“This memorial is designed to have life and legs,” he said.

Mayor John Tecklenburg called the memorial a “sacred public space” and celebrated its potential to foster healing.

Chris Singleton, son of the late Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, said the memorial was a helpful way forward from tragedy.

Malcolm Graham, brother of the late Cynthia Graham Hurd, said the site is “where love and harmony prevail over hatred and division.”

“Together we can channel our pain into positive action,” he said. “As Cynthia would say, keep the faith, do the work.”

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Posted in * South Carolina, Death / Burial / Funerals, History, Parish Ministry, Race/Race Relations, Religion & Culture, Violence

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

(The State) An Army base once named for Robert E. Lee now named for 2 history-making Black South Carolinians

A preacher’s daughter and teacher from Columbia, South Carolina, sees a war break out and feels so compelled to serve she leaves school to enlist. She becomes the highest-ranking Black woman of World War II as a lieutenant colonel.

The son of Florence farmers and the youngest of nine siblings moves to Virginia after the loss of his mother. He’s drawn to the Black soldiers stationed at a nearby base and enlists in the Army at 17 years old. He becomes the first Black man to achieve the rank of lieutenant general.

Charity Adams and Arthur Gregg were both raised in South Carolina. They were years apart and their paths never crossed, but they each in their own way have influenced American military history.

Now, their names will stand side-by-side in perpetuity as the namesakes for a Virginia Army fort once named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

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Posted in * South Carolina, History, Military / Armed Forces, Race/Race Relations

(Local Paper front page) Waterway Woes–Filbin Creek in North Charleston is filth, tests show

Water samples raised alarms about Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant and James Island Creek years ago and spurred action.

But more recent testing shows Filbin Creek, where people fish, boat and crab, is far more polluted.

In one June test covering fecal bacteria, Filbin Creek’s reading was more than 120 times the state water quality standard, and no tested creek in the Charleston area has so consistently had bacteria levels exceeding the state standards.

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Posted in * South Carolina, City Government, Ecology, Energy, Natural Resources, Ethics / Moral Theology

(The State) Charleston SC ranks as the Third Best City in the USA for Air Qyality

Forbes Health recently compiled a study that analyzed various factors to find the U.S. cities where it’s easiest and hardest to breathe.

In the U.S. alone, 40% of the population lives in areas with poor air quality, according to the 2022 State of the Air report from the American Lung Association. So, which South Carolina city made the cut as one of the most breathable in the U.S.? Charleston earned the ranking of third easiest U.S. city to breathe in, the study shows.

The factors that helped Charleston obtain its ranking include: Ranked 13th in number of vehicle miles driven, Ranked 6th in elevation, and Ranked 28th in population density.

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Posted in * South Carolina, Energy, Natural Resources, Urban/City Life and Issues

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

(The State) For decades, South Carolina farmers have fertilized fields with sludge. It could be having toxic impacts

For years, farmers across South Carolina have used sludge from factories and sewage plants to fertilize the fields where crops grow and cattle graze.

Applied to thousands of acres since the 1990s, the sludge is billed as a cheap way to enrich the soil.

But increasingly, chemicals suspected of causing cancer, high cholesterol and other health problems are being found in the mucky waste. Scientists, environmentalists and some farmers worry that the pollutants in sludge, called PFAS or forever chemicals, are contaminating drinking water, poisoning crops and sickening people.

“We’re talking about cancer-causing chemicals that can get into surface water and, therefore, into drinking water systems or in fish people eat,’’ said environmental lawyer Ben Cunningham, who has pushed the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to tighten state oversight of sewer sludge.

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Posted in * South Carolina, Ecology, Energy, Natural Resources

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

(Local paper front page) South Carolina coastal cities prepare for Fourth of July holiday and ‘dirtiest day on the beach’

“It’s amazing what trash is left in our parks, both on our beach and in the interior of the park,” Wilson said, adding that park rangers cannot issue littering citations. “So much work goes in from volunteers to staff, both in parks and on the beach, just picking things up.”

In the U.S., the upcoming Fourth of July holiday typically brings millions of visitors to coastal beach areas for holiday festivities. The significant amount of litter and trash left behind has led the California-based Surfrider Foundation to dub July 5 as the dirtiest day on the beach.

Wilson, who has worked at the park since 1994, said she is bracing herself for what she will find that day. She urges the public to pick up their trash in order to protect the environment.

“A lot of times, we just throw up our hands and think, ‘What can I possibly do? I’m just one person.’ But everybody can make a difference,” Wilson said. “If you pick it up, that means an animal won’t.”

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Posted in * South Carolina, Energy, Natural Resources, Science & Technology, Stewardship

Great local paper story for July 4th–A lost Marine, Citadel grad and World War veteran. Sleuthing has finally brought him home after nearly 60 years

Her grandfather had been a mystery for as long as she could remember, his name an unanswered question, a frequent Google search.

All Sandra Sharpe knew about him was what others had told her.

“Good man,” they would say. “Fine soldier,” many recalled.

The rest was crumbs and brief glimpses of his life through out-of-place facts: He was a Marine and a general. He fought in World War I and II, and died suddenly of a heart attack in India during a round-the-world trip in 1965.

For decades that was all she could really find — nothing about a gravesite or even what town.

Until one day in 2012 when she discovered she wasn’t the only one looking for him.

Read it all.

Posted in * South Carolina, America/U.S.A., Death / Burial / Funerals, History, India, Marriage & Family, Military / Armed Forces

(Local paper front page) Increasing productivity through lunch

Thousands of people are working at the run of new warehouses and manufacturing sites spreading throughout the Charleston region in recent years and all of them need to eat.

Trouble is, many of those industrial buildings are located in congested or out-of-the-way areas that aren’t close to quick and easy dining options, leaving workers with limited choices when it comes to grabbing a meal during a short lunch or dinner break.

Now some businesses are recognizing that a full-bellied employee can be more productive than one who’s going hungry, and they’re adding food to the list of perks that workers can take advantage of without having to leave the factory. While the meal offerings aren’t necessarily priced lower than what a worker could find elsewhere, the convenience can add up to dollars in terms of time and travel expenses that are saved.

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Posted in * South Carolina, Dieting/Food/Nutrition, Economy, Labor/Labor Unions/Labor Market

Kendall Harmon’s Sunday Sermon–How can we be Encouraged to be a Community of Prayer?

Listen to it all, and the web link there for those interested in a podcast download option.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * By Kendall, * South Carolina, Sermons & Teachings, Spirituality/Prayer, Theology: Scripture

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer