‘At a moment in history God broke through an adolescent girl’s womb in the Ancient Near East,
eternity intersected with time,
the supernatural became the natural,
the author of the story entered as a character in his own book,
and, in the memorable words of JB Phillips which I have always loved, we became the visited planet.’

–Yours truly from the morning sermon

Adoration of the Shepherds by Dutch painter Matthias Stomer, 1632. pic.twitter.com/KnJq38VjXy

— Archaeology & Art (@archaeologyart) December 24, 2021

For all 4 Advent and Christmas Eve services throughout the diocese today.

You can listen directly via the link above or via downloadable podocast there.

Today's pick: Caravaggio: St John the Baptist (1604) https://t.co/4GpRchR5GI pic.twitter.com/n9obXdpmzL

— Art and the Bible (@artbible) May 7, 2021

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

David Cumbie of Church of the Apostles, Houston, called to be new rector of Holy Cross, Sullivan's Island #SouthCarolina https://t.co/0ylo4poNBE #parishministry #lowcountrylife #anglican #religion #faith #transition #leadership #marriage #family #children #texas #acna pic.twitter.com/oAsFYduwBZ

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 18, 2023

Groundbreaking for The Parish Church at Habersham

Read it all and enjoy the video.

Cathedral Hymns, a collection of musicians and artists connected to the Cathedral of St. Luke & St. Paul has released a single Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. We hope this enhances your Advent worship and waiting.

Read it all.

Today, the Very Rev. Chip Edgar was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Edgar will be in line to succeed Bishop Mark Lawrence who has served as the Diocesan Bishop since January of 2008. https://t.co/sWtfMa8Okl pic.twitter.com/dsz2zpSXht

— Anglican Diocese of SC (@anglican_sc) October 16, 2021

There is precious little assistance from the government for families who need a home health aide unless they are poor. The people working in these jobs are often woefully underpaid and unprepared to help a frail, elderly person with dementia to bathe and use the bathroom, or to defuse an angry outburst.

Usually, it is family that steps into the breach — grown children who cobble together a fragile chain of visitors to help an ailing father; a middle-aged daughter who returns to her childhood bedroom; a son-in-law working from home who keeps a watchful eye on a confused parent; a wife who can barely manage herself looking after a faltering husband.

Mr. [Frank] Lee finally found two aides on his own, with no help from an agency. Using the proceeds from the sale of his stake in a group of restaurants, including the popular Charleston bistro Slightly North of Broad, he pays them the going rate of about $30 an hour. Between his wife’s care and medical expenses, he estimates that he’s spending between $80,000 and $100,000 a year.

“Who the hell can afford this?” he asked. “There’s no relief for families unless they have great wealth or see their wealth sucked away.” He worries that he will run out of money and be forced to sell their home of more than three decades. “Funds aren’t unlimited,” he said.

Read it all.

Facing a severe shortage of aides and high costs, people trying to keep aging loved ones at home often cobble together a patchwork of family and friends to help. https://t.co/o7DgtCZFzp

— NYT Science (@NYTScience) December 4, 2023

I am sad to say I had another brain freeze during this one and said Lamech was in the wrong chapter in genesis he is in chapter 4.

#ArtFortheWeekend

Leandro Bassano
c 1595-1596
The Last Judgement
The National Museum
Of Western Art
Tokyo
Japan@LuciaTassan @___Diamonddust_ @redne2013 @LuisaM56_ @angelicadisogno @GiuseppeTurrisi @alecoscino @mariaireneali @Hakflak @overlooki pic.twitter.com/5s5iXFZKfd

— Dil (@Asamsakti) June 27, 2020

I am sad to say I had a brain freeze during this one and mixed up Elijah and Elisha with reference to the Naaman story (2 Kings 5). My apologies.

The parable of the talents, depicted in a 1712 woodcut. The lazy servant searches for his buried talent, while the two other servants present their earnings to their master. pic.twitter.com/w5SEAtydJk

— 🌿_ (@rebeca6169) March 30, 2021

Clergy Reflect on the Recent Clergy Retreat

Our diocesan clergy met November 6-8, 2023 at the Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock, NC, for their annual retreat, with Bishop Chip Edgar as the speaker.

“This was one of the better retreats we’ve had,” said the Rev. David Dubay. “The teaching was valuable and practical, and we got a deeper insight into the direction we’re going as a diocese, both in clarity of vision and theology.”

“Bishop Edgar spoke about the effect encountering the Risen Lord had on Paul’s entire being and life,” said Deacon Joyce Harder. “Paul had mastered the Jewish way of life as well as the Torah. He had all the facts, but meeting the Lord caused Paul to view those same facts from a wholly new perspective. Completely humbled, Paul experienced and taught the church that in our weakness is God’s strength made perfect. We can become better pastors of people in our care operating out of gentle, compassionate weakness that reflects Christ’s heart of love for us in His sacrifice.”

“I didn’t realize how much I needed this clergy retreat,” said the Rev. Tripp Jeffords. “Refreshment in the mountains couldn’t have come at a better time for me! I was throughly impressed by the beauty of the Bonclarken retreat center and their fine staff. It was a great blessing to reconnect with friends and share in much needed fellowship with other clergy. Bishop Edgar’s talks on the life and ministry of St. Paul were much needed reminders of what healthy ministry looks like, lived under the power of the cross and Christ’s resurrection glory. It was an added blessing to hear Bishop Edgar share several examples of his own personal successes and failures in his many years of ordained ministry. Wonderful few days!”

Read it all.

Praying Together #ADOSC #ACNA pic.twitter.com/YABsXn9dCw

— Anglican Diocese of SC (@anglican_sc) July 16, 2023

We appreciate your prayers.

We threw a few questions Chris’s way:

Chris, a 2030 Hymnal?  Six years seems like such a long time. Why will it take that long?

Six years is a long time, yes, absolutely! I think several things are important to keep in mind about the process of creating a hymnal, which is not unlike the process undertaken to compile the 2019 Book of Common Prayer, which took a similar amount of time. Projects like this one are the production of a committee of people, representing different areas of focus in the worship life of the Church. Gathering people together, most of whom are musicians and clergy already engaged in full-time ministry in a parish setting, takes plenty of time!

There are 12 people on the Commission. How will the work be organized?

Our work will be divided among four sub-committees:

• Hymns of the Anglican patrimony (think hymns distinctive of the English Cathedral tradition, that which composes the repertoire of our latest hymnals of 1940, 1982, and the REC’s Book of Common Praise, 2017)
• Hymns of ecumenical/global significance
• Hymns, choruses, & spiritual songs of the last half-century
• Service music for BCP 2019, both ordinary and traditional language texts

Read it all.

Bishop Edgar And Chris Walchesky Named To ACNA Hymnal Commission https://t.co/SQXLAIlisJ [Saint Philip's, Charleston, SC; Molly Hare] #anglican #music #hymnal #parishministry #southcarolina pic.twitter.com/beO1XELXDt

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 24, 2023

Dear Holy Cross Family,

On behalf of the Vestry, it gives me great pleasure to announce that we have called a new Rector!

We discerned, and Bishop Edgar confirmed, that God has called the Reverend David Cumbie to be our new Rector. Reverend Cumbie accepted the Call. We anticipate he and his family will be here around the week of December 10th.

[The] Reverend Cumbie has been ordained for around 10 years and has been Rector of the Church of the Apostles in Houston, TX for the past 6 years.

If you look at the description of the type of Rector we were praying for in the Parish Profile, David is clearly who God wanted for us. David is a servant leader who will shepherd and lead Holy Cross with love and in step with the Holy Spirit. He and his family want to develop deep roots in the community and be here for the long haul. He has a background not only in small group ministry but also has developed children and adult education programs. He feels that discipleship is not just through small groups but also through education classes.

Reverend Cumbie asked us to share the attached letter which may be found there.

The Search Committee and the Vestry would like to express our gratitude for all of the prayers and support you have given us during this search process. Please continue to pray for the Cumbies and the Church during this time of transition.

Thank you,

Your Brother in Christ,

Darren Hartford

Senior Warden, Church of the Holy Cross

David Cumbie of Church of the Apostles, Houston, called to be new rector of Holy Cross, Sullivan's Island #SouthCarolina https://t.co/0ylo4poNBE #parishministry #lowcountrylife #anglican #religion #faith #transition #leadership #marriage #family #children #texas #acna pic.twitter.com/oAsFYduwBZ

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 18, 2023

Herewith the letter David wrote to the parish he serves in Houston-KSH.

Dear Apostles Family,

I am writing to share that I have accepted the Lord’s call to be the next Rector of Holy Cross Anglican Church in Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. We are so sad that our time at Apostles is coming to an end.

It has been an unexpected journey for us that began when we were contacted by Bishop Chip Edgar of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina who asked us to consider this call. We brought this ministry opportunity to the Lord and asked Him to reveal His will. In our process of discernment, the Lord has given us a deep peace and confirmed His call through his Word, wise counsel, and circumstances.

We love you, our Apostles family, and serving as your shepherd the past six years has been a joy and privilege. Leaving is heart-wrenching for us. We can’t begin to express how grateful we are for you. We have been through so much together — from Harvey to COVID, joyful celebrations and times of deep grief, growing in number and maturity in the Lord. We have witnessed and shared the love of Christ together.

Based on the counsel of our Bishop, we believe it would be most caring to Apostles for our departure to be within the month. I know this feels short, but we believe this will provide enough time for us to effectively hand-off responsibilities and say our goodbyes. It will also free Apostles to enter fully into an important time of transition and discernment. Therefore, my last day as Rector will be Sunday, November 5th.

I know there will be many questions as a result of this news. Bishop Lowenfield will help shepherd Apostles through this transition and work closely in support of our Leadership Council in the months ahead. Our Senior Lay Leader, Scott Phillips, and Junior Lay Leader, Mike Foderetti, will be sharing more information about the transition and I will be working with the staff team to help prepare them for this interim period.

Even as our time here ends, I take great comfort in knowing that Apostles will continue to thrive and bear witness to Jesus Christ, our True Shepherd. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” It has been a blessing to help water what others planted and God has grown. Apostles is blossoming into a beautiful, Gospel-centered, disciple-making community and we can’t wait to hear stories of God’s continued faithfulness.

Thank you for praying for our family and know that we are praying for you. Pray for one another and trust that God is faithful. He loves His church. All glory to Him.

Blessings in Christ,

(The Rev.) David Cumbie
Lead Pastor
Church of the Apostles

David Cumbie of Church of the Apostles, Houston, called to be new rector of Holy Cross, Sullivan's Island #SouthCarolina https://t.co/0ylo4poNBE #parishministry #lowcountrylife #anglican #religion #faith #transition #leadership #marriage #family #children #texas #acna pic.twitter.com/oAsFYduwBZ

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 18, 2023

The Parish Church at Habersham to Break Ground

Read it all.

The Parish Church at Habersham, #SouthCarolina, to Break Ground
The Parish Church at Habersham, #Beaufort, is delighted to welcome the Diocese to join them in a groundbreaking for their new church on October 28, at 1:00 p.m. Bishop Chip Edgar and the Rev. Jamie Sosnowski will be… pic.twitter.com/eJtj7FqlZu

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 18, 2023

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

An illustrated version of Psalm 23, from The Sunday at Home, a 19th-century compendium of religious texts. Ori
See more: https://t.co/XMQ2XnAj3q pic.twitter.com/YG10o7XEwC

— Wikipedia Awesome Pictures (@WikipediaAweso1) January 16, 2023

Diocese Moves to Purchase Land for Camp and Retreat Center

The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina is excited to announce they have signed a contract to purchase an 80-acre property on the north end of Lady’s Island, in
Beaufort County, to serve as the future home of Camp Jubilee, a diocesan camp and retreat center. The property, which is undeveloped, has one mile of waterfront on Broomfield Creek. Please join us in thanking God for showing us this new land and for all the blessings that will come from it. Additional information about fundraising opportunities will be coming soon.

Read it all.

Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Moving to Purchase Land for Camp and Retreat Center https://t.co/DldUEvojnd #faith #parishministry #anglican #religion #retreatcenters #realestate [Diocesan picture] pic.twitter.com/9KTEUErDPO

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) September 15, 2023

The congregation raised the entire $1.6 million needed to purchase the property outright in less than three months. Shelton remarked, “The faithfulness of the Lord brings all of us to greater faithfulness, obedience, and generosity every day. The Lord has been good to St. John’s Parish Church these last 15 months, and we are sure He will continue the good work He has begun.”

Senior Warden, Ben Dixon, said, “I feel extremely fortunate to be part of this process, one that we as a Parish have not undertaken in almost 300 years. It is exciting to own new property on which to build a church. It has also been a blessing to experience the steadfastness of our congregation as we stepped out in faith during this process. While this is only the beginning of our journey, we now have a place to call home, to minister to the people of Johns and Wadmalaw Islands, for many years – and generations – to come.”

Read it all and watch the video.