REJOICE! 

DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNOUNCES FIVE CANDIDATES FOR BISHOP

January 30, 2021. This morning, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina announced a slate of five candidates for the office of bishop of the diocese. Find the press release about this here .

Interesting to note that only one of the five is local, the Ven. Calhoun Walpole, archdeacon of the diocese. There is another woman, an African American, and two white men. All appear to be highly qualified for this post.

The walkabouts are scheduled for April 12-14. These may be "virtual." 

The election of the new bishop is set for Grace Church Cathedral on May 1, 2021. It too may be "virtual."

This is a beam of bright light in our long, dark night of crises. As everyone knows, the diocese has been shaken to its core by a traumatic schism, through no fault of its own. A group of people in the diocese years ago felt they knew better than the collective wisdom of the mother church. They insisted that open homosexuals and women were not equal children of God worthy of equality and inclusion in the life of the church. Instead, they joined a new denomination explicitly created to keep gays and women out of acceptance and power. Indeed, the bishops of the new church just a few days ago, reaffirmed their narrow stance. They even declared the absurdity that there was no such thing as a "gay Christian."

The Episcopal Church in lower South Carolina survived the assault of the insurrectionists. The Episcopalians from Georgia to North Carolina kept the faith of love for God and for neighbor. They stood against the storm; they stood for human rights when it was the hard thing to do. This is not the first time people have suffered for doing the right thing and it will not be the last.

Today is a moment for Christians everywhere to rejoice, most of all the Episcopalians of eastern South Carolina. A new bishop is on the way.