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J<\/span><\/span>onathan Myrick Daniels, Priest, Martyr A Pastoral Word<\/span><\/span><\/b> My Sisters and Brothers:<\/p>\n As you may know, yesterday the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, Bishop of our neighboring Diocese of South Carolina, called a meeting of his clergy to discuss the future of the diocese in the light of resolutions D025 and C056, passed at General Convention 2009. [D025, affirming, in accord with the canons, the openness of the ordination process, and C056, calling for collection, over the next triennium, of resources for blessing same-sex unions and for \u201cgenerous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church,\u201d\u009d \u201cparticularly in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are legal.\u201d\u009d]<\/p>\n Because of the historical and social ties between our two dioceses, what happens in one diocese affects the life of the other; and because recent secular news reporting on the Episcopal Church has been filled with inaccuracies and misleading phrases, I want to provide for your firsthand information Bishop Lawrence\u2019s complete statement to his clergy. I also refer once more to my website comments on General Convention as a reminder of my own position on these issues.<\/p>\n Follow this link for my comments<\/span><\/b><\/a>, and this one for Bishop Lawrence\u2019s statement<\/span><\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n In closing, let me say that my most immediate concern about all this is for you, my clergy, and what you may face this coming Sunday morning. Holding a faithfully comprehensive middle ground on such intense issues is difficult and costly; yet, it is the ground that I believe must be tended and done so with great care. I am grateful to you, the clergy of So, even though I am away from the Diocese at this time, I nonetheless send you my deepest care and affection and a blessing, hoping that this message is a tangible reminder that we are in this together and that our God is the God of deliverance and new life. Please join me, as I know you do, in praying that we may use our firmly rooted trust in God to be courageously open to receiving the Holy One\u2019s gracious life and will.<\/p>\n –(The Rt. Rev.) Dorsey Henderson is Bishop of Upper South Carolina<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Priest, Martyr August 14, 2009 A Pastoral Word My Sisters and Brothers: As you may know, yesterday the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, Bishop of our neighboring Diocese of South Carolina, called a meeting of his clergy to…<\/span><\/p>\n
\n August 14, 2009<\/span><\/span>