BISHOP LAWRENCE'S SWAN SONG
The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina is holdings its annual meeting today, 11 March 2022. This is its tenth annual session. The ADSC was formed in 2012 when the majority of clergy and laity of the Diocese of South Carolina left the diocese, and the Episcopal Church, to form a new denomination resolved to keep non-celibate gays and women from equality and inclusion in the life of the church. By federal court order and injunction of 2019, the ADSC is not allowed to claim to be in any way the pre-schism diocese. The Episcopal diocese is the only legal and legitimate heir of the old diocese.
I can find no mention of a livestream on the ADSC website of today's meeting, so I assume there will be none.
The highlight of today's conference will be Bishop Mark Lawrence's swan song address, his last as bishop. This address will be posted on the ADSC website at some time. Afterwards, I will return with comments on it. I expect it to be a review of his fourteen years as bishop, nine as head of the breakaway contingent. It will be interesting to get his take on the monumental events of these years and what he sees as his legacy and the future of the new denomination.
On tomorrow, "Chip" Edgar will be ordained and consecrated a bishop by ADSC's parent, the Anglican Church in North America. This will be a self-generated event since the ADSC and ACNA are not in the Anglican Communion and are not recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Tomorrow's event will be livestreamed. I expect to make a report on it here.
Apparently, Lawrence will resign as bishop by the end of this month and Edgar will become the diocesan bishop of ADSC. This makes Lawrence's address of today all the more germane.
NOTE. 12 March, 6 p.m. Lawrence's address still has not been posted on the ADSC website. I expect we will have to wait a few more days until we have it. I will return with comments after it appears. Interesting to note that Lawrence played only a minor role in today's consecration and said nothing on his own. He stepped aside and allowed Edgar to take the bishop's throne. I did not hear the word "coadjutor" once in today's proceeding.
