Madison Kuzia Named Chief of Staff

Bishop Chip Edgar has appointed Madison Kuzia to serve as the Diocese’s new Chief of Staff, effective July 15. Madison will continue serving as his Executive Assistant, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office, leading strategic initiatives, and strengthening the systems that support our ministry. In a note to the clergy Bishop Edgar wrote, “I am confident that Madison’s gifts of leadership, team management, and vision for our operations will have a far-reaching impact, strengthening our team so that we are well equipped to serve you, your congregations, and the mission we share across our Diocese.” Madison and her husband, Elijah, have been married since 2018 and enjoy traveling together, spending time on their family’s farm, and making music.

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The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/9iYyYdfDMf #parishministry #lowcountrylife #faith #ACNA #communication Madison Kuzia Named Bishop Edgar's Chief of Staff [diocesan photo] pic.twitter.com/UwgdeknZjn

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) July 28, 2026

As many are aware, the Final Order from the trial of Bp. Ruch in 2025 (the 71-page document, not the decision itself) left many concerns about how the trial was conducted. After consulting with the Provincial Executive Committee, our Diocese proposed two resolutions to be considered at Provincial Council. One called for the public release of the full trial transcript. The other called for the public release of the final investigation report already commissioned by the Province. 

The two resolutions to the Council, that were the result of the work of our Bishop and Standing Committee with the Executive Committee of the ACNA, were consequently withdrawn without prejudice on the day they were to be debated and voted upon. This withdrawal was not the result of any attempt to thwart the purpose of these resolutions, nor did it represent a lack of resolve on our part. Rather, God opened a door for us to gain fuller access to the proceedings of the Ruch trial through the above-mentioned agreement with the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. We are now in a very favorable position with our chancellor Ben Hagood taking the lead in the inquiry.

Because all of this happened on the ground in Tulsa and Bishop Edgar was the only one of us present, he took the lead in the negotiations. The Standing Comittee President was informed of the opportunity on Wednesday night and was an early part of the decision to withdraw the resolutions. The Standing Committee and Bishop regret the lack of process these deadlines prevented as well as the void of information that existed in the aftermath. We wholeheartedly believe that the work of this inquiry and its release to the Standing Committees of the Province represents a large step forward in our quest for transparency.

With the trial of the Archbishop currently set to begin on September 7, we will again redouble our prayers for the health and welfare of the Anglican Church in North America and our Diocese. 

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The ACNA has posted a "Potential Timeline" for what may happen procedurally after the trial of Abp Wood, assuming it goes ahead with its currently scheduled starting date of September 7. pic.twitter.com/tJraKclI2i

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) July 15, 2026

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Finally, I wanted to update you on Provincial Council and Assembly with a particular eye towards the Resolutions our Diocese presented to the Provincial Council.

You likely heard that our two resolutions to Provincial Council that came from a meeting of our Standing Committee and the Executive Committee of the ACNA, were withdrawn without prejudice on the day they were to be debated and voted upon. This withdrawal was not the result of any attempt to thwart the purpose of these resolutions, nor did it represent a lack of resolve on our part. God opened a door for us to gain an even fuller access to the proceedings of the Ruch trial through an agreement with the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. We are now in a very favorable position with our chancellor Ben Hagood taking the lead in an inquiry into those proceedings.

This all happened on the ground in Tulsa. It began with an offer that answered what we had originally requested—a review of the courts process. It became a conversation about the nature of the review and how this inquiry would proceed. I kept Shay Gaillard, President of the Standing Committee, informed of these matters, and he offered his counsel and advice. After Provincial Council, I went on a retreat and haven’t had the opportunity to update you until now. I believe, and the Standing Committee has affirmed this, that the work of this inquiry and its future release to the Standing Committees of the Province represents a large step forward in our quest for transparency.

I wanted to send this letter before I leave town so that you would be up to date on these matters. I also want you to pray for the trial of the Archbishop currently set to begin on September 7, for the health and welfare of the ACNA, and for our Diocese.

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ACNA legislative news: Bp Chip Edgar (South Carolina), joined by Bp Chris Warner (Mid-Atlantic), withdrew the diocese's 2 resolutions seeking the release of the Ruch trial transcripts & the eventual third-party report on the Ruch investigation. 🧵 https://t.co/lYhxW83zqL pic.twitter.com/NH7xhk0rsG

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) June 18, 2026

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham — South Carolina’s senior senator who in his decades-long tenure rose to the highest levels of influence on the global stage — died the evening of July 11 in Washington, D.C., after what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness” that the D.C. medical examiner in its preliminary review later ruled to be a torn aorta.

An aortic dissection is a tear in the body’s main artery. The examiner attributed the dissection to underlying cardiovascular disease, though the official cause and manner of death remain pending while toxicology and microscopic testing are completed.

Graham’s death comes as he was seeking reelection to a fifth term this year and also just days after reaching his latest birthday on July 9. He turned 71.

“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a news release shortly before 2 a.m. July 12. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

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The shocking sudden death of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appears to be from an aortic dissection — a rare condition where the main blood vessel tears and ruptures. It is rare and can be treated surgically. https://t.co/ptyfaGemca

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) July 13, 2026

“So I’m going to try two things just to get your juices flowing. So the first thing I want to do, we’re in Mark, we’re still in the first nine chapters, so we’re mostly in and around Galilee. And we’ve said in chapter 10, he goes from Galilee to Jerusalem, and then chapter 11, he’s in Jerusalem basically to the end.
So it’s got a nice geographical break up, nine chapters, a transition chapter, and then the final five chapters. And if you know Mark, you know that chapter 16 ends very abruptly at the resurrection. And they were afraid, that’s the last word of Mark’s gospel, which people like to change, so they wrote a whole other edition at the end.

The two things that I want to introduce just to get your juices flowing, the first thing I want to do is I want to say something about this word CLAIM. And we’ve talked about Jesus’ authority again and again. So what we’re going to confront today is something very interesting, and it’s kind of an interesting way to go about Mark’s gospel.”

“So one of the things that Mark is acutely trying to do, especially at the beginning of his gospel, is to give us an incredibly broad and deep sense of Jesus’ authority. And we’ve talked about this again and again and again. We’ve talked about his authority in chapter four and chapter five and into the beginning of chapter six.
And you’ve got these four stories. So four ends with the stilling of the storm. Five begins with the garrisoned demoniac.
Then you get the story of Jairus’ daughter at the end of chapter five, which is interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood. And she’s healed. And then at the end of chapter five, you get the raising of Jairus’ daughter.
So you have Jesus’ authority over nature, stilling of the storm, peace be still. Jesus’ authority over evil and demonic, the garrisoned demoniac. Jesus’ authority over sickness, which is the woman with the issue of blood.”

“And then you have Jesus’ authority over death itself with the raising of Jairus’ daughter. And the whole point is Jesus Christ is Lord. So when Matthew’s gospel ends, before the Great Commission, I point this out all the time, the Great Commission is, go therefore into all nations and baptize them and teach them all that I’ve commanded you.
You know that very well. But what is often left out is what he says before that, which is, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And you remember one of my favorite illustrations of the Lordship of Jesus is one of the great Dutch theologians of all time [Abraham Kuyper] who’s speaking at the Free University of Amsterdam, and it’s at a secular university.
And he says in the middle of this lecture, in this very secular place, he says, there is not one square inch of the whole of creation where God does not say, this is mine, this belongs to me. So one of the things about the image that Jesus is being given in Mark is, he has an authority and he makes a claim. And this is the thing about meeting Jesus…the Jesus that you meet in Mark’s Gospel is anything but safe, right? They don’t feel safe in the back of the boat, the Gerasene demoniac doesn’t feel safe, and Jairus doesn’t feel safe with his daughter getting ready to die and then she actually dies. So there’s this huge claim and it’s again and again, Jesus has claim over the, over the synagogue, he has claim over the, my father’s house is being made a den of robbers.
He has claim over the Old Testament scriptures. So Jesus Christ is Lord, but it’s not a neutral Lord. It’s Jesus Christ is king.
One of my favorite lines from the Book of Acts is, these people are proclaiming that, that there’s another king and that everything belongs to him. They’re, they’re proclaiming not that Caesar is king, but that Jesus is king. So they’re, they’re seditious.”

“That was one of the accusations of the early Christians, is these people are completely seditious and undermining the public order, because they’re proclaiming that somebody else, aside from our government, has ultimate authority. And that’s a constant theme. Now, here’s the thing about this morning’s text that’s so important is, what I want to do is just for a second, I want to combine this idea with a counter idea.
And the counter idea is this. So Jesus makes claim, Jesus has authority, Jesus Christ is Lord. So this is a positive affirmation, right?
Okay, now, here’s, this is us, okay? We don’t have any claim. So part of the power of what Mark is trying to portray is, not just that Jesus has a claim over absolutely everything, right, but that at the same time we do not have any claim….

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Jesus said to the Canaanite woman, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” -Matthew 15:28 #GospeloftheDay “Jesus and the Woman of Canaan” by Michael Angelo Immenraet (1673) #CatholicArt pic.twitter.com/F3FKNVXoNi

— Lady of Good Counsel (@ofgoodcounsel) August 7, 2019

Wendell Gilliard spent the hottest days of his childhood summers praying for a cool breeze.

Gilliard, a state lawmaker who represents parts of the peninsula and West Ashley in the S.C. House of Representatives, grew up in Charleston’s low-income housing before it had air conditioning. His family would cool off by purchasing a large block of ice and setting it in the middle of a room surrounded by fans and open windows.

“ That was our air conditioning,” Gilliard recalled. “Mom would always say, ‘ You need to stay still and pray for a cool breeze.’   Then, when everybody stayed still in that one room, you would notice the curtain would pick up from the breeze, and everything changed.”

Charleston Housing Authority properties now have air conditioning, but many households across the state still don’t. As South Carolina enters the dog days of summer, heat-vulnerable residents — who are predominantly elderly, those with chronic illnesses and the “homebound,” per the S.C. Department of Public Health — face life-threatening risks.

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July through mid-August are historically the hottest time of year in South Carolina. For some households, the dog days of summer can be deadly — a risk that's growing with each passing year. https://t.co/DTeNvoEZck

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) July 9, 2026

The Rev. Mary Ellen Doran, who has served as the Rector of Trinity, Pinopolis for the past four years, is stepping down and moving, with her husband, Keith, to Greenville. In a note to the congregation (sent in April), she wrote, “Over the past few months, Keith and I have been praying and seeking guidance from the Lord as to our next steps. I have been reminded of the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1, ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.’ With his recent retirement, and a number of other events in our lives, we have recently purchased a home in Greenville and will be relocating sometime between the middle and end of June.” Rather than retiring, MaryEllen is “taking some time to be quiet, and to wait upon the Lord for the next ministry he has for her.” Trinity has begun the search process. Please keep the Dorans and the parish in your prayers during this time of transition.

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The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/Or0HM9qESb 'The Rev. Mary Ellen Doran, who has served as the Rector of Trinity, Pinopolis for the past four years, is stepping down and moving, with her husband, Keith, to Greenville' [Diocesan… pic.twitter.com/fGjaHbzEFg

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 23, 2026

Bishop FitzSimons Allison is now in his 99th year. His mind, though not as quick as when I interviewed him in 2022, – “The Lion in Winter” (Allison was 95) – remains profoundly alert to the times in which we live. He is a living witness to nearly the entire arc of the modern Anglican crisis — from the pre-revisionist Episcopal Church through the Singapore consecrations to the founding of the ACNA. Very few people alive can speak to that history from personal experience.

Christopher FitzSimons Allison was born on March 5, 1927, in Columbia, South Carolina, the son of James Richard Allison and Susan Milliken FitzSimons. He attended the University of the South at Sewanee, though his studies were interrupted by service in the United States Army during World War II. He was discharged and returned to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949. He then earned a B.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1952 and a D.Phil. from Christ Church, Oxford, in 1956. He married Martha Allston Parker on June 10, 1950.

Early Life and Formation

Academic Career

Ordained deacon in June 1952 and priested in May 1953, Allison went on to become one of the Episcopal Church’s most respected patristic scholars and Anglican historians. Following his Oxford doctorate, he served as associate professor of church history at the University of the South, Sewanee, from 1956 to 1967, and then as professor of church history at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria from 1967 to 1975.

Parish Ministry and the Diocese of South Carolina

He then served for five years as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in New York City — one of the most prominent evangelical Anglican parishes in the country — before being called to lead the Diocese of South Carolina. He was elected at a special meeting of the Diocesan Convention on May 17, 1980, and consecrated Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina in a service attended by approximately 2,500 people at the Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston. The Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, served as chief consecrator. He became diocesan bishop in 1982 and served until his retirement in 1990.

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Giving thanks for the life and ministry of retired bishop of #southcarolina C. FitzSimons Allison who is (I can’t fully believe it) 99 years old pic.twitter.com/A6CYBFIEV3

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 22, 2026

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Monday, 15 June 2026
The Commemoration of Evelyn Underhill

To the Faithful of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina,

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Beth and I are in Tulsa as we begin meetings of the College of Bishops today and tomorrow and then Provincial Council meets Wednesday evening through Friday at noon. We have a strong delegation from the diocese—Canon Bob Lawrence, John Benson, and Justin Johnson—making the trip to Tulsa as well, and I write to ask your prayers for us as we head into these meetings. There is also an upcoming specially called Provincial Assembly which will be held as a Zoom gathering on Thursday, June 25. Again, we have a strong delegation for that meeting, including a strong Youth Delegation. The people representing our diocese at that gathering will be clergy delegates, Canon Laura Bowman, John Burwell, Claudia Carucci, Dean Shay Gaillard, Ryan Landes, Cindy Larsen, Canon Jim Lewis, Zach Miller, and Hamilton Smith; lay delegates, John Benson, Janis Breazeale, Anna Bruner, Katherine Cannon, Dr Ashley Bryant Harbin, Joy Hunter, Cathy Jacobs, Justin Johnson, Jessica Smith; and youth delegates, Elliott Arscott, Gabriel Collier, Edward Hart, Ben Shelton, Amelia Cannon, Cole O’Keefe, and Julia Dubay.

Title IV Revisions

There are three significant issues to be dealt with by the Provincial Council, which, if passed there, would go to the specially called Assembly for ratification in order to take effect. The first is the well-publicized and widely discussed Title IV revision, really a complete overhaul, of our disciplinary canons. The result of this process is a set of disciplinary canons addressing everything from making it easier to bring a charge against a bishop or a priest (the current ACNA canons make it unbearably complicated) all the way to clearly defined and canonically required procedures for how the courts must conduct their business. Such canonical requirements, absent until now, contributed to the level of distrust and frustration marking our Province today. I completely support these revisions, and have been impressed with the rigorous and transparent process undertaken by the Province to get us to this point—a year-long process with several cycles of revision and feedback that was open to the entire Province and resulted in thousands of suggestions that were considered and resulted in significant improvements from revision to revision.

Winston Churchill once said, about architecture: “First we shape our buildings. Afterwards our buildings shape us.” Similarly, I am hopeful to see how these new canons will shape us in the days to come into a stronger and more transparent Province.

Title I Changes

A second change, again necessitated by the weakness of our current canonical structure, concerns the succession of authority when an Archbishop is unable to carry out his duties for any reason, health, or, as we have been enduring, inhibition from ministry due to disciplinary proceedings. This change will clarify not only who is next in line to take on the responsibilities of that office, but who is next after that; this is precisely the situation we have recently had to deal with, and our Canons were not helpful. This change will clarify that process, as well as the scope of authority that accompanies the succession, and, again, I am fully supportive of it.

Ratification of the Provincial Constitution and Canons Committee

It’s the third proposal about which I have some concern, and I ask your prayers for God to be at work, guiding all of us who will be voting. This proposal involves changing—more precisely ratifying a first vote of a change approved by last year’s Provincial Council—to our current Governance Task Force (GTF), making it a Provincial Constitution and Canons Committee, ensconced in the Canons, and not simply a policy of the Province. My concern is that this is being done by this Provincial Council—well and good—to be ratified by the specially called Zoom Assembly (mentioned above).

When the College of Bishops voted to hold this specially called Assembly, the understanding was that the purpose of it was simply to ratify the Title IV revisions (again, see above) so they could take effect immediately and correct the many problematic aspects of the current canons. In the past few weeks, this Assembly has been laden with more than that. I worry that we, as a Province, have not had enough  time to reflect on, and perhaps, offer constructive feedback, to these proposed changes. What was the great strength of the process of Title IV revision, has not been as robust for this revision.

Resolutions Proposed By the ADOSC

In addition to these Canonical changes, our diocese has proposed two resolutions for Provincial Council’s consideration and vote. One is a call to have the transcript of the court proceedings in the recent trial of Bishop Ruch released publicly (with necessary redactions to protect witnesses as needed) and the other is to have the final report of the Lathrop investigation—looking into the whole investigative process leading up to that trial—released publicly as well, when it is complete. Our goal in proposing these resolutions is simple: we hope to see trust that has been deeply eroded over the past few years restored in the Province as it continues to navigate challenging waters. 

As we head into these meetings, I am aware that we, as a diocese, have not been afforded the luxury, as most other dioceses have, of thinking of these things in the abstract. People in our diocese have been directly affected by the insufficiencies in our current canons and have been negatively affected by them. 

So, I’m writing to ask you to pray, to give you some important insight into what you can be praying about, and to let you know how I, as your bishop, am processing all that we are facing in these upcoming two weeks. Pray that God’s will be done, and that, however the matters are resolved, the witness of the Province to the gospel of Jesus will increase and grow, and that the Church would be strengthened.

Blessings,

(The Rt. Rev) Chip Edgar

Brad Carr Named Licensed Lay Pastor for St. Paul’s, Bennettsville

On Sunday, June 7, St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Bennettsville began a new season when Bishop Edgar formally appointed Brad Carr to serve as their full-time Licensed Lay Pastor. Funding for the position came, in large part, through your gifts to the Thrive Together Initiative. 

Brad looks forward to attending Trinity Anglican Seminary where, beginning in August, he will be enrolled in the church-based MDiv track.  The hybrid program offers most of its course work online, but he will participate in winter and summer intensives on the Ambridge, PA campus. 

Given St. Paul’s great need for a pastor after years without one and given that Brad is uniquely suited to serve in this role, Bp Edgar has approved his doing distance theological education rather than residential education.  

Brad and his wife, Kim, South Carolina natives, grew up in the Pee Dee area and are looking forward to this new season of ministry. They have three children (ages 14, 8 and 6). Look for a story in the upcoming Jubilate Deo. 

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The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/vOHzkFc7AU [Brad Carr, diocesan photo) #parishministry #faith #lowcountrylife pic.twitter.com/OOAhOwbyFR

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) June 9, 2026

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3/3 The Holy Trinity censed by angels, a c1400 vaulting boss in the cloisters of Norwich Cathedral. Today's the feast of the Holy Trinity. pic.twitter.com/xURXZIYdZ4

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) May 31, 2026

Bishop Edgar described the complainants as “credible and trustworthy” and joined those urging the senior bishops to impose an inhibition, noting that “an inhibition makes no judgment as to guilt or innocence … Rather, it is an acknowledgement that continued ministry in the face of serious charges further damages the reputation of the Church.” The diocesan Standing Committee followed on 14 November with a letter of its own standing with the bishop and the complainants and urging the College to inhibit Wood.

The South Carolina position hardened with experience. On 24 March 2026, Bishop Edgar and the ADOSC Standing Committee wrote formally to the ACNA Executive Committee demanding transparency. The letter, occasioned by concerns arising from the December 2025 acquittal of Bishop Stewart Ruch (a separate ACNA trial in which the court found that the prosecution had not met its evidentiary burden, set out specific demands:

• That “the standard of avoiding any appearance of impropriety” be upheld among all provincial staff in pending and future proceedings;
• That those involved in allowing a court member in the Ruch trial to access prosecution files without the prosecutors’ knowledge or consent be recused from all future disciplinary proceedings, “particularly those involving Archbishop Wood”;
• That a complete transcript of trial and pretrial proceedings, including unedited video or audio, be released;
• That all motions, court rulings, and the three pretrial investigations be made public;
• That the identity and engagement letter of any investigator be disclosed, with appropriate confidentiality protections for victims.

“Those who would deny a public response to valid questions,” the diocese warned, “insisting the province is best served by withholding answers — do so at the risk of destabilizing the very foundation on which their authority rests.” Edgar added: “Lack of trust and mutual suspicion erode our communion and weaken our witness to a watching world. But our communion and witness are strengthened by a commitment to transparency and truth that is above reproach.”

That earlier framing places the present moment in unusually sharp relief. South Carolina has consistently asked for procedural rigour, transparency, and a posture of belief toward the complainants. Bishop Ashey’s lectures — delivered to a general audience the week before a dispositive motion was heard in the trial of his client-of-conscience — were perceived by some bishops as cutting in the opposite direction: prejudging the verdict, attributing improper motives to colleagues, and casting complainants as merely terminated employees.

Read as a whole, the 8 May letter is more than a routine clarification. It is a public acknowledgement, on the record, that:

• No bishops have signed the presentment, contrary to impressions Bishop Ashey himself helped create;
• The five senior diocesan bishops who joined Dean Dobbs’s inhibition did so on the merits, not under social-media pressure;
• The Title IV revisions now before the College are being deliberated on their substance, not from institutional self-protection;
• Predictions of “exoneration” have no proper place in public commentary about a pending bishop’s trial;
• The complainants were not, as Ashey had suggested, simply “terminated employees”;
• His role with Archbishop Wood is volunteer and personal, not provincial, and any judgment on the Archbishop’s compliance with the inhibition belongs to the Dean and the College.

Ashey’s renewed offer to recuse himself from the College of Bishops “until after all procedures with regards to Archbishop Wood are concluded” is significant. He had made the same offer earlier and was declined; the public revival of the offer effectively returns the question to Dean Dobbs and to a College that, in the weeks since the lectures, has had to navigate its own discomfort with the optics of one of its members serving as personal counsel to an accused archbishop while continuing to sit and vote among those who will, in due course, receive the Court’s verdict.

What the letter does not address is the substantive accusation, attributed to Bishop Ashey in The Living Church‘s reporting, that “the province did not forward all of the evidence, including exculpatory evidence, to the court.” If that claim is maintained, it sits uneasily alongside the seven items Bishop Ashey did withdraw. If it is not, it deserves its own clarification.

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Bishop Ashey withdraws lecture claims about Wood Trial in letter to ACNA Collegehttps://t.co/3l3JWv1o0q pic.twitter.com/NPamXRmZSZ

— George Conger (@GeorgeConger8) May 27, 2026

The Rev. Dr. JT Hewitt Called as Assistant Rector & Scholar in Residence at St. John’s Church in Florence

The Rev. Dr. JT Hewitt has accepted a call to serve as the Assistant Rector & Scholar in Residence at St. John’s Church in Florence. JT is a Florence native and Furman graduate who holds multiple postgraduate degrees, including a PhD in New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Since receiving his doctorate in 2018, he has served in higher education—first at the University of Aberdeen and most recently as Lecturer in New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh. Before moving to Scotland, JT was ordained in the Presbyterian Church and served as Assistant Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to that, he served at Grace Church Anglican in Seattle, Washington. He is married to Andrea, and together they have four children: Henrik, Avonlea, Madeleine, and Nikolai. Read the announcement.

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The latest edition of the #Anglican diocese of #Southcarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/dKIY12ZmpK #parishministry #media #religion #churchlife [on the bottom right the Rev. Dr. JT Hewitt new Assistant Rector & Scholar in Residence at St. John’s Church in Florence, SC] pic.twitter.com/EMztfKN3e4

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) May 27, 2026

Between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, South Carolina’s population grew at a rate of 1.5 percent, faster than any other state in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[1]

South Carolina has consistently recorded rapid population growth, ranking in the top six among all states in each of the last five years for percentage change. Within the last five years, South Carolina’s population growth peaked at a rate of 1.9 percent between July 2022 and July 2023, which was also the third fastest growth rate in the country.

There are three major components to state population growth: natural change, which is calculated by subtracting the number of deaths from the number of births; international migration, which is the number of people moving from outside the country; and domestic migration, which is the number of people moving from another state within the country.  

From July 2024 through July 2025, South Carolina’s population increased by nearly 80,000 people. Births in the state exceeded deaths for the first time in the last five years, by 564 people, therefore having a small effect on the natural growth of the population. 

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Where Americans moved to and from in 2025.

Massachusetts experienced the most loss of any state, Kansas the most of any Republican state, and South Carolina grew the fastest of any state. In contrast, Delaware grew the fastest of any Democrat state.

Republican states dominated… pic.twitter.com/XiJnads08m

— AF Post (@AFpost) May 25, 2026

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Louis Galloche, The Pentecost, 18th Century pic.twitter.com/QMy0ifvNiK

— Solas (@solas_na_greine) June 8, 2025

The South Carolina standing committee also criticized Bishop Ashey for other comments he made during the lecture that “prognosticat[ed] about the outcome” of the pending case against Archbishop Steve Wood and “promoted falsehood” about its complainants. Ashey is advising Wood as he awaits trial on canonical charges of personal and sexual misconduct.

In a lengthy retraction sent to the church’s bishops a week later, Ashey apologized for his speculation that Wood would be exonerated and for his “inaccurate” portrayal of the complainants, some of whom now belong to the Diocese of South Carolina, as “aggrieved” terminated employees. Of the complainants formerly employed under Wood at St. Andrew’s Church, Mount Pleasant, none were terminated, and all resigned, though Wood asked most of them to stay, one complainant told TLC.

While the province contends that the Council is without authority to govern the court’s protocols with regard to the Ruch documents, the Council’s main item of business at its June meeting will be a vote on a comprehensive Title IV revision that fully restructures the church’s disciplinary bodies and their procedures.

If passed, the new canons will phase out the current seven-member Court for the Trial of a Bishop and replace it with a tribunal from which smaller panels are drawn, and will introduce norms of public trial procedure=—two features also found in Episcopal Church canons.

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New for @Livng_Church: The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina calls for the release of documents related to the trial of ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch as the church's fraught process for revising Title IV comes to a vote.https://t.co/zzTJB5SM4h

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) May 20, 2026

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are writing to you today on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina to ask you to pray. As schools close and many scatter for the summer, it is easy and natural to lose track of important provincial gatherings that will occur this season. We are writing to remind you that much is at stake in our Province and for our Diocese, and to ask you to pray for:

The May 19 Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) Executive Committee Meeting
The May 20 hearing in the Archbishop Wood case in Charleston, SC
The June 15-17 College of Bishops Meeting in Tulsa, OK
The June 17-19 Provincial Council Meeting in Tulsa, OK
The June 25 virtual Provincial Assembly
The July 20 Trial for Archbishop Wood in Charleston, SC

As we remind you to pray for these important events, let us commend to you the work of our Diocesan Standing Committee on your behalf. We have maintained a strong and united call for accountability in the Province. In the past three weeks, members of our Standing Committee have met with the Executive Committee of the ACNA and Bishop Julian Dobbs, the Dean of the Province, via zoom, and have shared our concerns with members of the Executive Committee who visited with us in Charleston. The Executive Committee in many ways shared our concerns and encouraged us in the action steps below.

We are currently working for you and for justice and transparency in the Province in the following ways:

1. We have submitted resolutions regarding the public release of the transcript of the Ruch trial and the findings of the independent investigation to the Executive Committee for consideration at Provincial Council.
2. We are seeking to build a coalition of other ACNA dioceses who share our concerns about the work of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop and the importance of transparency.
3. We are doing everything in our power to ensure that the complainants in our Diocese receive fair treatment and transparency in the process. To that end, we want to publicly say how disappointed we were when a video (see details here) of a lecture given given by an ACNA bishop promoted falsehood about the complainants as well as prognostication about the outcome of the trial. While he apologized privately to the College of Bishops and granted permission for his apology to be shared, we believe that, given the wide dissemination of that video (now removed) he should disseminate his apology as widely, and we call on the Province to address this matter.

Please do pray for us and for the Standing Committee. The spiritual warfare that surrounds a struggle for the heart of the church is always intense. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Blessings,
 
The Rt Revd Chip Edgar
Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina

The Very Revd Shay Gaillard
President of the ADOSC Standing Committee

A Message from the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina’s Standing Committee about recent #ACNA matters–'We have submitted resolutions regarding the public release of the transcript of the Ruch trial and the findings of the independent investigation to the Executive Committee for… pic.twitter.com/Dbij8ONxzY

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) May 16, 2026

Smith Institution as Rector of St. Luke’s, Hilton Head, June 10

By the grace of God and the consent of the people, Bishop Chip Edgar will institute and induct the Rev. Greg Smith as the 8th Rector of St. Luke’s Anglican Church on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 5 p.m. Your prayers and presence are welcomed. A “Hog Heaven” barbecue reception will follow the service. Clergy are asked to wear red stoles. 

Read it all.

The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/GJKo9DxCcO #parishministry #media Greg Smith will be Instituted as Rector of St. Luke’s, Hilton Head, June 10 pic.twitter.com/XFLHnVPwcs

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) May 6, 2026

You may listen directly here:

Or you may download it there.

‘“Do we see and know Jesus as the subversive king? Do we see and know Jesus as the subversive king? That’s my subject.
One sentence, Jesus is our subversive king. I have two points. You ready?
One, he’s subversive. Two, he’s king. We’re all together?

Now, we have a problem. Every preacher has a problem. This is the hardest week to preach every year by far.
It’s the most important week in history. In all of history, it’s the most important week for Christians worldwide. And as if all that isn’t enough, it’s the most important week in the life of the most important person in history.”

“So this is a big deal. And the problem for the preacher is it’s like a smorgasbord. There’s so much good food, you can’t even take it all in and you have to choose.
So the whole point is you’ve got to learn to focus. So I’m just giving you one angle, one camera lens shot, but it’s an important one. So think with me about subversiveness and kingship for just a moment.
Let’s take them each in their turn. First of all, Jesus being subversive. That word subvert is deliberately chosen.
It’s a very strong word. It means to shake at its very foundation. It means to ring from the inside out.”

“It means you get with something and you interact with it in such a way that after you leave, it’s never the same again. It’s like putting a human being in a washing machine for a long time, and then taking them out the other side. It’s a traumatic, life-changing event when you’re subverted.
And Jesus is coming into Jerusalem. And after this week, Jerusalem is not going to be the same. Caiaphas is not going to be the same.
Pilate is not going to be the same. The world isn’t going to be the same, and none of the disciples are going to be the same. And we’ve got to understand why….”‘

You may listen directly here:

Or you may download it there.

29th March is Palm Sunday: the Entry into Jerusalem. #PalmSunday
BL Arundel 157; Psalter; 13th century; England, Central (Oxford); f.8v @BLMedieval pic.twitter.com/JiJAgn0Vny

— Ennius (@red_loeb) March 28, 2026

But why does God care who we sleep with? Let me give you three reasons

1. He cares because he created us

To understand the purpose and limits of sex, we have to refer to the creator of sex: 

God himself. Yes, as one writer puts it, “sex was God’s idea, not ours. It’s not something we discovered behind God’s back…. His first command to humanity in the Bible involves and necessitates sex!” Genesis 1:28: “Be fruitful and multiply!” So, if you are married, have sex and feel free to have it often!

2. He cares because he loves us

God is all about love. He love us, and he longs for us to love him too. We’re designed to live lives of love. Ultimate reality isn’t grounded in cold submission to an authoritarian deity but in heartfelt response to the God who wants his universe pulsating with love. God cares who we sleep with because he cares that we really do love each other well, and that might mean loving in a different way to how we feel. Christopher Yuan, author of the excellent,

“Holy Sexuality and the Gospel”, (and a man who wrestles with same-sex attraction but who’s chosen the biblical call to chastity), puts it this way,  “Human emotions can’t be the determining factor for any gift from God.” No,  Jeremiah 17:9 says: “the heart is deceitful above all things”. And as Ashley Null says, summarizing the theology of Anglican reformer Thomas Cranmer, “What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.” So be careful when people say “Listen to your heart.”

Yes, sex matters to God because people do. He cares because misusing sex can cause profound hurt and damage. He cares because He regards us as worthy of His care. 

And, in fact, that care is not only seen in telling us how we should use sex, but also in how He makes forgiveness and healing available to us when we mess this up.

3. He knows what’s best for us

This is a hard one for many of us to accept. But, Jesus is for you, and even his difficult directives are for your good….

Read it all.

A young Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross on the set of The Legacy in 1978, the film where they met and fell in love. They've been together ever since. pic.twitter.com/y84yc97LhM

— History Defined (@historydefined) September 21, 2025

So many ways we could choose to begin. So I just put two sets of things up on the board in terms of getting your juices flowing. So we’re in Mark, we’re in the early part of Mark, in and around Nazareth Capernaum area, and we’re building a picture of Jesus.

He’s done a lot of healings and a lot of miracles in various settings. He’s been preaching. And then in Chapter 4, he does all this teaching of the parables of the kingdom.

And then when we get to the end of Chapter 4, we get this building picture of the fullness of who Jesus is. You have the stilling of the storm, the Gerasne demoniac at the beginning of Chapter 5, and then at the end of Chapter 5, you get this very interesting double dynamic. It’s two stories, but they’re woven into one, because Jairus’ daughter is sick, and he comes to Jesus and says, my dear little duaghter is sick.”

“And then while he’s on the way to Jairus’ house, this woman who has this issue of blood touches his garment. And then while he’s doing that, Jairus’ daughter dies. So at the end of the chapter, he raises Jairus’ daughter.

So if you’re following, this is stilling the storm, Lord of the deep. This is the Gerstein demoniac, Lord of demons. This is the woman with the issue of blood, Lord of disease. And this is finally Jairus’ daughter, Lord of death. And this is all very deliberate on Mark’s part. He’s trying to give you a sense of the greatness of the one with whom he had to do….”

“So we have a problem, which is we can’t conceive of what a perfect person would be like. But when you meet a perfect person, which is what Jesus actually is, and he’s the only one that ever is, no surprise, they don’t fit neatly into any box that you try to put them in. It’s not what you expect.

It’s not the way that you would think it would go. There’s all sorts of aspects of Christ’s character that are always bursting the bubble of the people that are around him. He’s full of wonder. He’s full of power. He’s full of compassion. He’s got all these characteristics.

But the one thing that you have to say is this is not a made up story. You could never imagine anybody like this. And I’ve given you this before, but Mark 7 is one of my favorites, which is he has done all things well, which is what you would expect to be said about a perfect person.But you have to think about the magnitude of what that actually means when you’re talking about Jesus, because he’s got three years of public ministry. And think about all the things that he’s done in every situation. That means when he’s in front of Caiaphas, he does that well.When he’s in front of Pilate, he does that well. When he’s feeding to 5,000, he does that well. So here he is with the Gerasene Demoniac.

We’re in the second of these four incidents, which are really manifestations of the power of Christ. So this is all about Christ’s power. Power over nature, power over the demonic, power over sickness, and therefore the Lord of Health, and power over death.”


“And Jesus’s power is getting bigger and bigger as the passage is moving on. Now, what we, so I want you to turn to the actual Gerasene Demoniac, which is what we had last time. So the first thing is just to get back into the story and remind ourselves of the degree of the transformation that we’re dealing with.

So what I want you to do, you already know the story because we dealt with it in some detail last time, but I want you to remember that this guy is described as a raving lunatic, somebody who’s gashing himself, somebody who has supernatural power, somebody that nobody in the town wants anything to do with. He’s like a giant dark ogre that kind of lives in the spectral world of this horrible graveyard. And you start to add up all the things that you know about this guy.

He’s writhing, he’s got supernatural strength, he cries out day and night, he lives in a graveyard. If you had any one of those characteristics true of you, we’d probably think of sending you for mental help at a minimum, possibly to a mental hospital very quickly….

You may listen directly here:

Or you may download it there.

And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” LK 4:38-44
Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, 6th cent. pic.twitter.com/TMN2kpQjfA

— SaintsandScripture (@Saint_of_theDay) September 4, 2024

The ADOSC initially proposed sending three Standing Committee members and the Dean of the Province (also serving as Chancellor) to meet with three ACNA representatives. The diocese subsequently clarified, however, that it would meet only with its full Standing Committee present and with no promise of confidentiality, given that its sole purpose is to bring transparency to the province’s process of justice.

The ACNA Executive Committee responded by proposing that a delegation visit the ADOSC instead. Bishop Edgar and the Standing Committee declined that offer. The Executive Committee then invited Bishop Edgar to attend their next regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 21.

The Executive Committee further stated that it would not revisit the outcome of the Ruch trial, re-examine the merits of the charges, or assess the internal processes or rulings of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop or any other judicial body.

In his response, Edgar wrote: “Lack of trust and mutual suspicion erode our communion and weaken our witness to a watching world. But our communion and witness are strengthened by a commitment to transparency and truth that is above reproach.

“We therefore urge you to join us in seeking clarity and truth in these matters, and to work diligently alongside us so that, together, we may pursue reconciliation, restore confidence, and ensure that God is glorified in all we say and do as a Province.”

Read it all.

South Carolina Bishop Chip Edgar’s Diocesan Convention address–'after five years, a verdict was reached in the trial of Bp Ruch, (Diocese of the Upper Midwest). Our diocese was drawn into that fray last summer, and again in December when verdict was issued, as one of our own,… pic.twitter.com/zQKnUkz3al

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) March 20, 2026

Please read it all carefully and follow all linked documents–KSH. You may find the current list of all the current Standing Committee members there.

Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Gathers in Myrtle Beach for 2026 Convention; “Becoming Mature in Christ”–Bishop Chip Edgar stressed the importance of intentional Christian formation in both his sermon and his address during the 2026 Convention of the Anglican Diocese of South… pic.twitter.com/In4eeLdbDy

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) March 20, 2026

St. John-Holy Trinity Impacts Friends in the DRC

In this brief video, created by New Wineskins for Global Missions, the Rev. Bisoke Balikenga of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, shares the story of Hearts for the Congo, a ministry that grew out of a chance connection at the New Wineskins Conference and a friendship with Julia Marshall of St. John-Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Charleston, SC.

Read it all.