This year, [Rob] Dewey wants as many tri-county churches as possible to sign up to remember first responders on 9/11 this year. The 15th anniversary falls on a Sunday, and many people will be in church at the time of the attack.

“What we’re trying to do is encourage the churches to remember our local first responders who have put themselves in harm’s way,” Dewey said. “This is a chance for congregations to say, ”˜We appreciate you.’ ”

Dewey, senior chaplain of Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy, serves with 40 departments in the tri-county area who respond to emergencies. He plans to spread the word to the first responders who he works with on a daily basis about which churches will be recognizing and celebrating them that Sunday.

Churches can do anything: a reception for first responders and their families, a color guard or honor guard, speakers who were connected to the attack, or include first responders in the service.

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Over the next two months, we will be reading and preaching through the Book of Nehemiah, taking an in-depth look at God’s faithfulness to Israel despite their rebellion. Set in the 5th century B.C., Nehemiah chronicles the return of exiled Jews to Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the city’s walls, and the renewal of God’s covenant with his people. As we find ourselves in an increasingly de-Christianized culture, we can learn much from how God sets his people apart in order to bring the nations in.

“These are extremely troubling times…”

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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.

The Syrian woman wore a floral-patterned, full-length dress and head scarf. She ducked inside her tarp-house. Moments later she emerged with a rug.

She placed it and a cushion on the ground, and motioned for Tullie to sit.

[Ann] Tullie, whose white blouse matched her curly hair, sat.

The refugee offered her tea.

“I guess she could tell I was tired and thirsty,” Tullie said Monday as she and her husband, Dick, sat on the sofa in their living room. Dick Tullie made the short-term mission trip with her, like he has about a dozen times before. The couple, members of The Parish Church of St. Helena, have performed mission work since 2004 in the United States, Central America and Africa.

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New from Bishop Michael Nazir Ali
Faith, Freedom & the Future

With unique insight and wisdom, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali surveys the current challenges facing today’s church and provides a compelling hope-filled vision of what a living Christian faith, and its comprehensive outworking, can offer society today. Bishop Michael boldly tackles a range of pressing and controversial issues with astute scholarship and understanding ”” including: the challenge of Islam, freedom and conscience, the ”˜modern family’, bioethics and the uncertain future of the worldwide Anglican Communion and, by implication, other mainline denominations.

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The church’s executive pastors met with Noble “over the course of several months” to discuss their concerns about his dependence on alcohol, which eventually resulted in his removal.
“In my opinion, the bible (sic) does not prohibit the use of alcohol, but it does prohibit drunkenness and intoxication,” Noble wrote to his congregation of 18 years. “I never had a problem drinking alcohol socially, but in the past year or so I have allowed myself to slide into, in my opinion, the overuse of alcohol.
“This was a spiritual and moral mistake on my part,” Noble wrote, “as I began to depend on alcohol for my refuge instead of Jesus and others.”
Noble’s addiction””and his church’s concern””are not new. Nearly one in five pastors report that they have struggled with addiction to alcohol or prescription drugs, according to a 2013 survey by Barna Group.

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About 2,000 members made the warm walk across the NewSpring Church parking lot in Anderson for each worship service Sunday morning.

Few were fully braced for the news that awaited: Perry Noble, the only senior pastor the church has known, has been removed from his duties for personal issues related to alcohol by the church’s leadership team.

Williamston Town Councilman Rockey Burgess said the news “did come as a shock” in the 9:15 a.m. service, even though recent rumors had prepared him to a degree.

“But the church isn’t made up of the preacher, and the church doesn’t worship the preacher,” he said. “The church is the people who go there, and we all love one another.”

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“I shuddered when I heard Eric Garner saying ”˜I can’t breathe.’ I wept when I watched Walter Scott turn and run away and get shot and killed from the back. And I broke when I heard the 4-year-old of Philando Castile’s girlfriend tell her mother, ”˜It’s OK. I’m right here with you,’ ” said Scott, referencing three of the dozens of black men killed by policemen over the past two years.

Scott found an outlet for his pain in a series of scheduled floor speeches this week aimed at starting an honest, if also difficult, conversation about race relations in the United States. His first speech Monday focused on how the wrongful actions of police officers should not overshadow the heroism of others. On Wednesday, Scott expounded on the theme in deeply personal terms.

“While, thank God, I have not endured bodily harm, I have felt the pressure applied by the scales of justice when they are slanted,” he said. “I have felt the anger, frustration, sadness and humiliation that comes with feeling like you’re being targeted for nothing more than being yourself.”

In addition to sharing his own experiences being profiled by law enforcement because of his skin color, he mentioned his brother, a sergeant major in the Army, who was accused of stealing his Volvo on a road trip from Texas to Charleston. He also spoke of a former staffer who was stopped so many times he felt compelled to buy a different automobile to avoid further scrutiny.

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Recent tragedies around the country have brought people together at various events to discuss the challenges this nation faces. In our own community, many individual citizens and citizen groups are coming together at various public events to mourn those lost last week in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas, and to call for an end to the violence.

The Charleston Police Department is working to ensure that participants in these gatherings are able to exercise their First Amendment rights safely and legally. It will also continue to ensure the safety of the public and businesses in the area.

In the face of tragedy, Charleston has been an excellent example for the nation and the world of how people can come together in love, respect, cooperation and brotherhood. This must continue if we are to move forward in these challenging times.

The City of Charleston and the Charleston Police Department will continue to work diligently with its citizens to keep everyone safe, maintain peace and order, and provide the right to all to express themselves under the law.

These goals will be accomplished by treating all citizens with dignity and respect while carryingout our policing roles and responsibilities in a fair and impartial manner.

The crowd who gathered for the memorial service for the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr. , 13th Bishop of South Carolina, held at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, Charleston, July 6, 2016, heard about “The faith of Christ that formed him, the man of Christ he became and the challenge of Christ Ed Salmon would offer.”

The Rev. Canon Dr. Kendall S. Harmon, the Diocese’s Canon Theologian who served under Bishop Salmon, gave the sermon. The two were friends and co-workers for more than 25 years in various settings.

The Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, 14th Bishop of South Carolina, served as the celebrant at the service.

“He was a shepherd,” said Harmon. “He saw the church as precious and served the church out of love, devotion, respect and admiration, doing it for the one who brought the church into being in the first place.”

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With these attacks being carried out by ISIS especially during the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan, lots of questions have been raised about Islam. This past January, I attended the Mere Anglicanism Conference where one of the premier speakers was Nabeel Qureshi author of Seeking Allah, and finding Jesus.

In his book he describes his dramatic journey from Islam to Christianity, complete with friendships, investigations, and supernatural dreams along the way. Engaging and thought-provoking, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus tells a powerful story of the clash between Islam and Christianity in one man’s heart”•and of the peace he eventually found in Jesus.

Now he has developed a study course. In this course he explores Muslim culture, the most common Muslim objections to Christianity, and the core doctrines upon which Islam stands or falls. Compassionate and clear this study develops in further detail the objections to Islam and case for Christianity that Qureshi introduced in his book.

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For the first time ever, readers of Travel + Leisure magazine voted the Holy City No. 1 on the planet in the tourism periodical’s World’s Best City ranking.

It’s also the first time a U.S. destination earned the honor.

Readers also selected Charleston as the No. 1 city in the U.S. and Canada for the fourth consecutive year.

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I would like to ask your prayers for the memorial service for Bishop Edward Salmon today at 4pm at the Cathedral of St Luke+St Paul in Charleston. I have the huge privilege and responsibility of preaching–KSH.

Found there:

Salmon, The Right Reverend Edward Lloyd, Junior– The Right Reverend Edward Lloyd Salmon, Junior, a longtime bishop in the Episcopal Church, died on June 29, 2016 after a lengthy battle with cancer, at the age of 82. Bishop Salmon, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of the South, in Sewanee, TN (C’56), and Virginia Theological Seminary (T’60), had his first job taking care of three small missions in Northwest Arkansas. He built the church in Rogers into a parish, and then moved to Fayetteville to be the assistant at St. Paul’s; when the then-rector retired, he became rector. After 11 years in Fayetteville, he accepted a call to be the rector of the Church of St. Michael and St. George, in St. Louis, Missouri. Ten years later, he was elected on the first ballot to be the 13th bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, a position from which he retired after 18 years, in 2008.
He came out of retirement several months later to serve as the interim Dean of Nashotah House Theological Seminary, in Nashotah, Wisconsin, then moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland, to become the interim rector of All Saints’ Church. From there, he returned to Nashotah House and became the 19th Dean and President; he retired from that position in January 2015. During his 55 years in ordained ministry, he served on many boards, including: Kanuga Camp and Conference Center, which he chaired for a term; Sewanee: The University of the South, where he also served a term as regent; Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where he was chairman for thirteen of his 22 years on the board; and The Anglican Digest, where he was chairman for 41 of his 44 years on the board. He is survived by Louise, his wife of 43 years, daughter Catherine, son Edward III (Theresa), and three grandchildren: Fiona, Celia, and Edward IV. He is also survived by family members from Natchez, Mississippi: sister Sarah, sister-in-law Virginia, niece Amelia (Ben), nephew Burl (Bob), and great nephew Gibson. Services: The funeral will be held at the Church of St. Michael and St. George, 6345 Wydown Boulevard at Ellenwood, Clayton, on Thursday, July 7 at 7:00 p.m.; a reception will follow in the Great Hall. There will not be a visitation; however, for those who wish to pay their respects or say a prayer, there will be a vigil kept at the Church of St. Michael and St. George, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6 and ending at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 7. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to The Anglican Digest, 805 County Road 102, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632-9705. Any clergy wishing to vest and process at the funeral should be vested in cassock, surplice, and white stole.

“He was a champion of the faith; a tireless churchman””whose principled wisdom, sagacious humor and razor wit were legendary and widely loved by the casual acquaintance as well as by his family and longtime friends,” said the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, 14th Bishop of South Carolina. “His warm and steadfast counsel, which was sought by thousands around the larger Anglican world, will be deeply missed even as his aphorisms will be long remembered.”

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Please keep the family of the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr. in your prayers. Bishop Salmon, who from 1990 – 2008 served as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, died on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 following a battle with cancer.

“He was a champion of the faith; a tireless churchman””whose principled wisdom, sagacious humor and razor wit were legendary and widely loved by the casual acquaintance as well as by his family and longtime friends,” said the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, 14th Bishop of South Carolina. “His warm and steadfast counsel, which was sought by thousands around the larger Anglican world, will be deeply missed even as his aphorisms will be long remembered.”

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Middleton Place hosted 52 applicants for U.S. citizenship at its annual naturalization ceremony Monday morning, where each person completed the final step in their application process. The new citizens came from 28 different countries, including Mexico, Russia, Thailand, Egypt, India, China, Canada and Peru.

Middleton Place, formerly home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, hosts the naturalization ceremony to provide Southeastern citizenship applicants the opportunity to be naturalized at a place imbued with American history. The applicants pledge allegiance just in time to celebrate their first Independence Day as American citizens and to vote in their first presidential election.

“It was time to get into a country where I can exercise my rights,” Hines, 40, said. “It gives me a voice.”

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We are forever grateful for the #Charleston9. Today, we remember their ultimate sacrifice 9 years ago. pic.twitter.com/H9DUQ8NGyE

— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) June 18, 2016

On the one-year anniversary of the shooting deaths of nine members of Emanuel AME Church an Ecumenical Service was held at TD Arena in Charleston, SC.

Check out the pictures from the event.

Read the response of a number of South Carolinians to the massacre including former Charleston Mayor (10 term) Joseph P. Riley Jr.

Their hearts and minds were full of grace, always searching for ways to more fully live the life that God was leading them to. They met each week at Bible study.

Those nine people attending the Wednesday Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME opened their doors and hearts to a man that was full of racial hate and bigotry and he took their lives.

On this anniversary, our minds turn again to those whose lives were touched by those nine beautiful people ”” their families, co-workers, friends and members of the community.

We also remember the survivors, and pray that they all find peace and comfort in our thoughts for them.

Through the leadership of the families, this remarkable community showed the world what the grace of forgiveness and community solidarity can do. What manifested itself worldwide was an outpouring of love.
We would expect nothing less than this from our outstanding community.

There are two important ways we can act together at this time of great sadness to honor the memory of the Emanuel Nine.

First, we cannot rest until a responsible handgun law is passed, at the very least eliminating the loophole that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase a gun legally.

Second, we must work hard to support the construction of the International African American Museum on one of the most sacred sites of African-American history in this hemisphere. This museum will teach the untold story of the inhumane practice of slavery and the remarkable endurance and contributions of those who were brought here. The museum will honor the Emanuel Nine, and the goodness of their lives will instruct countless people in the years to come.

The nine lives taken at Mother Emanuel AME touched each one of us. We will continue to remember them and their courage and sacrifice for the rest of our days.

Led by Norris, audience reads the names of the nine #EmanuelAME victims aloud: pic.twitter.com/cWuVXyf1eq

— Deanna Pan (@DDpan) June 17, 2016

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with a deep trust in the sovereignty of God and an abiding belief in his call that I write to you today to tell you that I have accepted the call to be the next Rector of St. Helena’s Church in Beaufort, South Carolina. On Sunday, the vestry and I met with Bishop Lawrence and decided that my last Sunday will be August 7. I have the utmost trust in God’s guiding hand for Good Shepherd, trust in our Bishop, and trust in the Vestry and Staff for this next season of ministry.

Because these last ten years have been formative for me and for my family; because the life of Good Shepherd has been intertwined in every way with our lives; because you have been so generous and kind to us; because we have been partners in the Gospel; and because of so many other reasons; this announcement is hard to make. You are a treasure to me, Tara, and our girls. Our hearts break at the thought of leaving, as they simultaneously swell at the thought of following God’s call.

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1 year ago today, a mass shooting at #EmanuelAME Church changed who we are as a community. https://t.co/Ql3OrtRIUw pic.twitter.com/QcioKe9xkE

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) June 17, 2016