Diocese of SC: A Pastoral Letter from Bp. Lawrence Regarding Upcoming Trial

Bishop Lawrence requested that the following letter be read aloud in congregations across the Diocese of South Carolina in Sunday, July 6, 2014.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace and Peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 1:3

I write on the eve of the upcoming trial between the Diocese of South Carolina and The Episcopal Church scheduled, God-willing, to take place in St. George, SC from July 8—18, 2014 and under the jurisdiction of the Honorable Diane S. Goodstein. Much work by our legal team under the leadership of Mr. Alan Runyan has already been done. The staff and members from many of our parishes, as well as the diocesan staff, have logged countless hours in the detail work of discovery. Much prayer has been invested by our clergy, vestries, intercessors, and the rank and file members of our congregations. For all of this I am profoundly grateful.

The path that has brought us as a diocese to this hour has been long and winding. Yet through it all we have been guided by a desire to be faithful to the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as we have received it ever striving to be mindful that we have been entrusted with this Truth, this Good News and rich heritage, in order to share it with those who have yet to come into the reach of Christ’s saving embrace.

Certainly we seek to protect our members and the legacy of former generations who under God’s sovereignty and grace have established this diocese and built our churches, more than a few even preceding the founding of The Episcopal Church; but it is of fundamental importance to keep in mind that ours is more than a clinging to heritage for the sake of the past. It is also for the sake of our future mission. It is so that our congregations, their buildings and properties, as well as such places as Camp St. Christopher, may continue to be beachheads and missionary centers for making known the redemptive power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ... the rest

A.S. Haley: South Carolina Court Reporters Will Be Busy on Monday  After a flurry of last-minute emergency motions and appeals, the so-called “Episcopal Church in South Carolina” rump group (“ECSC”) has run out of maneuvers to delay the start of the scheduled trial next week before Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein...