NOTES, 16 JULY 2021
Greetings, blog reader, on Friday, July 16, 2021. We have been following several topics lately; and it is time to check in on each of them to see what, if anything, is happening with them.
PANDEMIC. COVID-19 is still very much a part of our lives. After reaching a high point in January, the numbers of cases and deaths gradually declined in the U.S. until this month. July is seeing a new surge. Much of this has to do with vaccine reluctance. Three vaccines have been freely and widely available to the American public in the past six months. Yet, more than half the population has not been vaccinated. In fact, as of today, 48.2% of Americans have been fully vaccinated. Part of the low number has to do with the cut-off at age 12. Most of that low number, however, has to do with vaccine reluctance. Our southern states have the lowest rates. In South Carolina, only 40% of the population is vaccinated. Of all 50 states and D.C., Alabama is last, at just 33.4% (even Mississippi is higher!). That means well over half of the residents of Alabama are refusing to get vaccinated. I, for one, am completely baffled at why people are refusing. When I ask, I get one excuse after another, and they are just that, excuses. There is no rational reason for a person to risk dreadful suffering and death rather than taking a shot to prevent such. What is it with us southerners? I am at a loss.
SCHISM IN SC. Nothing new from the courts. All papers are now in at the South Carolina Supreme Court. We are waiting on the SCSC to do one of several things: decide whether to bring in a fifth acting justice, schedule a hearing, and issue a written decision. It seems to me the longer we go without word about a hearing, the less likely we are to get a hearing. The issue before the SCSC is the Church's appeal of Judge Dickson's order of 2020. Dickson overruled the SCSC decision of 2017 and ordered the local properties to remain in local hands. The SCSC decision had recognized Episcopal Church ownership of 29 of the 36 parishes and the Camp. So, in essence, the SCSC will decide who owns the properties, the breakaways or the Church side. All we bystanders can do now is wait. We should be used to that by now as time moves toward nine years since the schism. Common sense says the SCSC will uphold its own integrity and reassert its decision of 2017, but then, as we have learned by experience, one cannot always expect common sense to prevail. The schism is part of a much larger culture war going on in the world, and the court judges are not immune to it, as we see all the time from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, life moves on in the two warring camps. The new "Anglican" diocese is in the early stages of finding a bishop to replace Mark Lawrence. We know for sure the new bishop will not be a woman or an open homosexual, not in the white patriarchy of the ACNA. In the ACNA a new bishop has to be approved by two-thirds of the bishops of the ACNA.
In the Episcopal Diocese of SC, the consents are in for the bishop-elect, Ruth Woodliff-Stanley. The majority of bishops and standing committees sent in their consents within just half the time (120 days) allotted. The new bishop will be ordained and consecrated the XV bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina at 11:00 a.m. on 2 October 2021 at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston. I would like to attend but I expect it will be a bit crowded. Perhaps they will have overflow accommodations. On November 13, the EDSC will hold its 231st convention.
THE ADVENT. After a couple of tumultuous months at the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL, matters seem to be settling down there. The previous dean has departed the Advent, and although he invited parishioners to follow him into a new church of his own design, there does not appear to be a stampede out. He gave a long interview to al.com and has appeared on a couple of podcasts. I have been informed by a reliable source Pearson is not considering buying the Shades Valley Presbyterian property. However, he has said repeatedly he plans to set up a new church in the Birmingham area.
The Rev. Zac Hicks, the Presbyterian Canon for worship at the Advent, is still on leave. He is the one who denounced Rite I in the BCP as "anti-Christ." One can only wonder about his future at the Advent.
Meanwhile, the interim dean, the Rev. Craig Smalley, is working to implement the Covenant recently made between bishop Glenda Curry and the Advent. This will mean return to worship services in the BCP and to regular financial support. And, this means Pearson's "Our Liturgy" will be phased out. (Let's hope the hootenanny band gets the boot too.)
On the whole, we have many reasons to rejoice as we look around us. In spite of the persistent virus and vaccine reluctance, the pandemic is declining in America. People are out and about with a vengeance. The schism in SC will be settled in the courts one day even though we cannot know the future. The two parts of the old diocese are moving on with new leadership, making the best of an unfortunate situation. Life at the Advent is the calm after the storm. In all of these, we should not jump to conclusions. We are still in the long, dark tunnel we have been enduring for a long time now, but the light at the end is brighter than ever.
Every so often, I miss being in old Charleston and so I bring out my sweetgrass baskets to conjure up fond memories of the place (years ago I was a librarian in the South Carolina Room of the public library). Fortunately, I know the names of the artists who made these. The largest one is by Dorothy Brown, the others by Nancy German. These are not just baskets, they are works of art, and I'll bet the ones in the Smithsonian are no better than mine. Peace.
