Nearly all of South Carolina’s 750 long-term care facilities will be visited by pharmacists by month’s end to offer COVID-19 vaccine shots to residents most vulnerable to dying of the disease, health officials said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, hospitals are stepping up their efforts to vaccinate everyone else eligible in the first phase — which newly includes several thousand parents of medically fragile children — even as appointments for doses continue to exceed statewide supply.

Gov. Henry McMaster has warned repeatedly this week that if hospitals don’t get doses in arms faster, he’ll suspend their money-making elective surgeries so they can focus their efforts on vaccine distribution. As of Tuesday, major hospitals had more than 50,000 doses left on hand to administer.

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#South_Carolina Hospitals pick up #COVID #vaccination efforts, but available doses can’t come close to meeting demand: https://t.co/7nX3F8QfsL

— Raymond DuBois (@Rndubois) January 21, 2021

The sermon starts about 42 minutes in.

Watch it all.

“After spending time in and out of a children’s home, Nathan Harris-Waynick found his forever home at age 12. His forever family was there to cheer him on as he was accepted to the University of South Carolina and even offered a spot on the football team.”

After spending time in and out of a children’s home, Nathan Harris-Waynick found his forever home at age 12. His forever family was there to cheer him on as he was accepted to the University of South Carolina and even offered a spot on the football team. https://t.co/3UEnxeTqAf

— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) January 17, 2021

From there:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

With division and strife intensifying in our nation, the National Mall in Washington, D.C. closed, and thousands of National Guard Troops assembled in our nation’s capital from credible threats of violence, and with concern for state capitals across the country growing, I am joining with our Archbishop Foley Beach and other ACNA Bishops calling our clergy in the diocese to join me in genuine intercessory prayer for our nation.

Please spend some time with your leadership considering how you and your congregation can together pray for our nation, our elected officials, and for peace in our land, not only this coming Sunday, but throughout this next week. There is of course the Great Litany as well as multiple prayers in the Book of Common Prayer for our nation, government, and civic leaders.

Thirdly, just last week I visited the Billy Graham Library outside of Charlotte. The various exhibits reminded me of how a Christian leader who has a Kingdom focus can span across political divides (Dr. Graham was a confidante to every single U.S. President from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush regardless of his political party), as well as international boundaries and cultures with the Gospel message and witness. He sought to be God’s man first and therein tempered his political speech or language accordingly. This of course may not be your calling or ministry but it did remind me and I hope reminds you, to remember who we are in Christ and whose we are. May our passion for God’s Kingdom shape how we speak in the pulpit, in written communication, and on social media.

Yours in Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence
The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina
Anglican Church in North America

When a man/woman/church/diocese finds the right vocation under God, it is as if a caged eagle soars — Bishop Mark Lawrence #Assembly2017 pic.twitter.com/yLkLMLj51G

— Kimberley Pfeiler (@CanonKimberley) June 27, 2017

South Carolina is expanding who’s allowed to give COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to get shots into arms faster amid escalating frustrations with the state’s slow rollout.

A pair of major hospitals say they could vaccinate up to 10,000 people a day — three times more than their current capacity — with added help to administer shots as shipments ramp up.

Meanwhile, the state’s public health agency is giving up on contact tracing of those infected after becoming overwhelmed with a sharp rise in COVID cases.

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To ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations, SC expands who can give the shots https://t.co/MCF5HmVekF

— Holy City Sinner (@HolyCitySinner) January 15, 2021

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Task Force released new numbers from 2020 showing the scourge is not going away and COVID-19 has only made things worse, as traffickers prey on the most vulnerable.

Traffickers look for vulnerabilities and exploit them. Fresh data from the report on how victims become ensnared by traffickers shows most of the time it starts with an ad for a job. Other times the trafficker is familiar with the victim– an intimate partner or the victim becomes indebted by receiving a loan. Soon the victim is coerced, manipulated and trapped.

“It presents a public health and a public safety issue that violates basic human rights,” said Attorney General Alan Wilson at a press conference from the Statehouse on Jan. 11.

Read it all.

Today is #WearBlueDay for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Our office just released the HT Annual Report, which you can read at https://t.co/fzF7DwW58v. Goes into the scope of the problem in SC and what’s being done about it. ⁦@DHSBlueCampaign⁩ pic.twitter.com/sLCAJ9Ortd

— SC Attorney General (@SCAttyGenOffice) January 11, 2021

You can listen directly there and download the mp3 there.

Divinity arrive… XXI
Baptism of Jesus by Fra Angelico (1395-1455)#art #apaintingeveryday pic.twitter.com/V2qlbuQsQv

— Rietje Bakker (@fietje_10) January 15, 2016

From there:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I send this communication to you while I am presently attending the ACNA College of Bishops Meeting (via Zoom). The violence at our national capital yesterday took place while we, as bishops, were in deliberations to consent to newly elected bishops (bearing witness to the fact that the church’s work goes on). Nevertheless, we paused our deliberations briefly to pray. Archbishop Foley Beach then issued a call for the church to pray. You will find his call to prayer here.

Bishops Guernsey and Dobbs, ACNA bishops in the DC area, prayed this morning the Great Litany* before the National Capital on behalf of our church. I join with our Archbishop to encourage our congregations and parishioners, as they are able, to pray the Great Litany for our nation and for God’s intervention as our society descends into increasingly aggressive actions and suspicion, and where trust of one another continues to be in short supply.

Yours in Christ,
Bishop Lawrence

'Join us this Sunday, November 22, 2020, as we, in the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina, give thanks for the work and #ministry of our #Bishop in the 13th year of his Consecration, the Rt. Rev. Mark Joseph Lawrence' https://t.co/1lQuJWNHeY #lowcountrylife pic.twitter.com/jAmqhJtT06

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) November 22, 2020

She spent the previous weekend reading the Constitution, poring over the 12th Amendment and Title 3 of the U.S. Code. She wanted to understand exactly what they said about Congress’ power in the coming vote to certify electors.

It wasn’t confusing. Their role was ceremonial.

If we don’t follow that, she thought, we aren’t a nation at all.

She could not go along with the president and much of her party.

Mace had long ago learned some things about courage. Her father was a brigadier general, a war hero, the most decorated living graduate of The Citadel.

But nothing fueled her courage like a day when she was 16 years old. A friend and classmate sexually assaulted her. Afraid and ashamed, she’d blamed herself. She’d feared what other people would think.

She dropped out of high school. Her fire faded.

But then, she rediscovered her courage, a new and stronger kind, one that didn’t blame herself and wouldn’t bend to fear of what other people thought. She returned to school, earned her diploma and, in 1999, became the first female to graduate from The Citadel’s Corps of Cadets.

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Nancy Mace’s first 100 hours in Congress: threats, violence and challenging Trump https://t.co/o7dxc57XFg

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) January 8, 2021

I will take comments on this submitted by email only to KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.

You can listen directly there and download the mp3 there.

One the little joys of the Epiphany happens at Compline:

Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven;
to be praised and glorified above all for ever. pic.twitter.com/FlX1Dtx7Jw

— laudablePractice (@cath_cov) January 5, 2021

The Charleston Harbor tidal gauge logged more records in 2020.

It recorded 68 tidal floods — the second-most ever at the station.

The highest year, when water levels reached 7 feet or higher 89 times, was in 2019.

The database of flood events maintained by the National Weather Service dates to 1953.

2020 also brought the highest ever amount of “major” tidal floods, when water levels rise to 8 feet, causing significant disruption in the region. That happened seven times last year, which is an even more remarkable milestone considering the region was not directly affected by a hurricane.

While 2020′s records are just one data point, it’s another sign that tidal flooding in the city driven by man-made climate change is worsening. The pace of flooding is speeding up, according to institutions such as the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which has plotted an exponential trend of higher seas for Charleston.

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While 2020′s records are just one data point, it’s another sign that tidal flooding in the city driven by manmade climate change is worsening. https://t.co/Ts25zkXN7V

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) January 5, 2021

The sermon starts about 25 1/2 minutes in; listen carefully for a great H A Ironsides story about San Diego in the 20th century (not the 19th, as I misspoke).

You may download it there or listen to it directly there from Saint Philip’s, Charleston, South Carolina.

Twelve Artworks of Christmas

Today's choice also nods to the winter solstice – this beauty is one of just nine painted landscapes by Rembrandt, and the only nocturnal one.

Image: Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Landscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, 1647. pic.twitter.com/hP0qn5xw5D

— National Gallery of Ireland (@NGIreland) December 21, 2020

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ….” Titus 2:11-13

Joshua Christopher Davidson first saw the light of day in December 1922, the third child of Jack and Helen Davidson. He was born at his parents’ home on Evans Avenue, and so close to midnight that no one could ever say if he was born on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. He was baptized on the sixth day of January 1922 at St. Stephen’s Church on 8th Avenue near Walnut Street in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He spent his first Christmas Eve 1923 at home with his mother and siblings, while his father, Jack, and his paternal grandparents attended the Midnight Communion service at St. Stephen’s.

1933 Josh was 11 years old. The Depression Years. In the spring of the year, FDR began his famous Fireside Chats. And although the average worker was making 60% less than the pre 1929 wages, the hope of the New Deal had somehow lifted peoples’ spirits in the Monongahela Valley. Young Josh sang that Christmas Eve in the Boys Choir. It was his first Christmas Eve at the Midnight Service—and if you had asked him years later, he would have told you it was the best Christmas of his childhood. When he opened his present on Christmas morning, he grinned from ear to ear. It was the pocketknife he had been admiring all fall every time he went into the five & dime. He spent the lion’s share of the day whittling a piece of wood into a miniature manger for the baby Jesus.

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Merry Christmas Eve to everyone celebrating. Hope yinz were good n'at, or else Santa may not come dahn the chimney. This is another view from the winter solstice, which featured an incredible sunrise from the incline, with #Pittsburgh and the tree glowing under colorful skies. pic.twitter.com/jfpj7TVb5O

— Dave DiCello (@DaveDiCello) December 24, 2020

Hundreds of green duffle bags were stacked in piles, like bags of mulch, at the ticket counters.

A sea of young trainees in camouflage masks and Army uniforms marched through the Columbia Metropolitan Airport ushered by drill sergeants through security. Some eager soldiers grabbed hot coffee and sugar cookies handed out by volunteers. A few of the privates moseyed to their terminal gate early, taking time to charge their cellphones or text loved ones.

It’s a stressful process filtering 6,000 soldiers and trainees out of Fort Jackson to points across the country during a pandemic. But it’s all for a good reason.

These service members were heading home for the holidays.

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It’s a stressful process filtering 6,000 soldiers and trainees out of Fort Jackson to points across the country during a pandemic. But it’s for a good reason.

They're heading home for the holidays.https://t.co/29ad5Gq45Q

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) December 24, 2020

Nearly 3,600 South Carolinians tested positive for COVID-19, authorities announced Wednesday, worrying the experts who’ve warned against holiday travel and gatherings.

The state has only surpassed 3,000 cases per day a couple times, but authorities have warned that another surge in cases could come two weeks after the holidays.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has urged Palmetto State residents to stay home for Christmas, modify holiday traditions using Zoom or sticking to single-household celebrations. Those who choose to attend gatherings should get tested and avoid traveling with others if possible.

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Nearly more 3,600 South Carolinians tested positive for COVID-19, authorities announced today, worrying experts who’ve warned against holiday travel and gatherings.https://t.co/NLgMyTyE0R

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) December 23, 2020

It starts about 28 minutes in, and includes a short video clip near the start on the Virginia teacher of the year.

I got vaccinated because I believe in the science that created it, while acknowledging the limitations that any study or research endeavor bears.

I got vaccinated because I believe it will make it safer for me to come home to my family and not harm them or others in the community.

I got vaccinated because I believe it is a very very small, but necessary step that many of us will take as citizens to help our society stabilize and move forward to the work ahead.

I got vaccinated because, as my father would likely say, I was fortunate enough to have the option.

Read it all.

https://t.co/IyJ6ProkPK

— Aorta Dude (@DrZeigler1) December 19, 2020

Including: An Advent Meditation

The Marriage
of the Virgin
By The Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, Bishop, The Anglican Diocese
of South Carolina

Read it all.

Tucked away in a conference room on the second floor of the Conway Medical Center, Dr. Stephen T. Brady initially joked that he wasn’t going to look as Jennifer VanAernem stuck a needle in his left arm — representing the first FDA-authorized Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doled out in Horry County and across South Carolina on Monday afternoon.

But Dr. Brady didn’t take his eyes off his arm — that needle represented history and, more importantly, hope.

“People have pandemic fatigue, isolation fatigue, plus it is incredibly emotional for families to make the decision not to be together during the holidays,” Dr. Brady said. “The only problem is that you have to realize that not being together for this holiday may mean that you have many more in the future with those relatives to be with.

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JUST IN: The first doses of the FDA-authorized Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in South Carolina, at Conway Medical Center.https://t.co/KB7vW9jekV

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) December 14, 2020

The sermon starts about 27:10 in–listen carefully for a great story from the state of New Hampshire which you likely haven’t heard.

During the Unity Services lunch, the tables aren’t separated by church or race.

“Whatever comfort zone we had was torn down,” [Louis] Fowler said. “It wasn’t a racial thing. It was fellowship.”

Simmons agrees. Having the chance to bring up subjects like Floyd’s death is what really pulled him in. He is new to the Ministerial Association and has only been the pastor of Central Missionary Baptist for two years.

While connecting with different community members through the Unity Services, he is able to relay how serious and scary things like police violence can be for the Black community.

“Those are tough subjects to talk about,” he said. “But that’s what Christian unity is all about.”

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At least once a year, local Black churches swap pastors with predominantly White churches in town to bridge cultural community gaps.https://t.co/YCd4eUffIm

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) December 13, 2020

With cases of COVID-19 climbing to record highs, South Carolina’s health care leaders and Gov. Henry McMaster pleaded with residents to continually wear masks and socially distance this holiday season to stem the deaths of loved ones, noting help is on the way but still months off.

While South Carolina is expected to receive enough doses in the coming days to vaccinate at least 200,000 people, that won’t be enough for even everyone eligible in the highest-priority group, which includes front-line medical workers and nursing home residents, McMaster said.

“It appears many people have let their guard down. I know we have fatigue, but now is not the time for us to let up. Now is the time to redouble our efforts,” he said, cautioning that widespread vaccination “will be a slow process all over the country.”

But he reiterated he will not shut the state down again, as he did for roughly six weeks in the spring with one of the nation’s shortest stay-at-home orders.

Other states where Democratic governors ordered longer shutdowns and recently clamped down again have ruined their economy and killed hundreds of thousands of businesses, the Republican governor said, adding those actions did not ultimately stem the spread there.

“There’s a better way, and we all know what that is,” he said, indicating the mask in his hand.

Read it all.

“It appears many people have let their guard down. I know we have fatigue, but now is not the time for us to let up,” @henrymcmaster said.https://t.co/MoPKuOnzSX

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) December 10, 2020