Shock and disbelief were the two immediate reactions Rev. Jim Lewis told the court he felt upon receiving an email in November 2012, under the name and seal of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, calling for a convocation of Episcopal Clergy in Charleston.
That’s because as Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of South Carolina, he knew the Diocese did not send it, he said.
After receiving another email under the same name and seal changing the venue, Lewis said he decided to attend the meeting.
“I decided to attend the meeting as an observer,” Lewis said. “Given the prior use of our seal, I felt there was reason to believe there would be further attempts by this group to assert itself as the Diocese of South Carolina.”