Church’s lawsuit prompts SC town to lift ban on worship services at public civic center

From South Carolina-

A lawsuit filed by a church against a South Carolina town last year for prohibiting worship services at a public facility has prompted the municipality to lift the ban.

Redeemer Fellowship of Edisto Island and the town of Edisto Beach agreed Aug. 19 to end the suit, which alleged the town violated Redeemer Fellowship’s right to free exercise of religion after the municipality banned all rentals for religious worship services at its Edisto Beach Civic Center.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the church in the case, commended the town for lifting its ban, which the alliance said was inconsistent with the town’s own statement that it welcomes “civic, political, business, social groups and others” to use its civic center.

“Churches shouldn’t be treated less favorably than other groups that want to rent facilities,” said ADF Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb. “Its previous policy that singled out one form of expression — worship — as inferior to other forms of speech was clearly unconstitutional.”

More here-

https://www.postandcourier.com/features/church-s-lawsuit-prompts-sc-town-to-lift-ban-on/article_d2a3530a-c5b7-11e9-b9a3-3758012a3532.html

Story of the Wesley brothers illustrates faith, humanity

From South Carolina-

The man was a giant, standing 20 feet tall. Glazed in gold, he clutched a Bible in his right hand and extended his left, open palmed, an invitation to come closer.

This is the image of the Rev. John Wesley that greets those who enter the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum and Library at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island. The founder of Methodism looms large on the very ground that he walked upon more than 280 years ago.

While the depiction is an impressive one, it’s not a true representation of the man. In actuality, Wesley was small framed, 5 foot, 3 inches tall, weighing in at 122 pounds. Like the statue compared to the reality of his stature, Wesley’s real life seems to oppose his untarnished legacy. In reality, Wesley was filled with a contradictions and shortcomings that plagued the pious yet all too human man.

More here-

https://thebrunswicknews.com/life/story-of-the-wesley-brothers-illustrates-faith-humanity/article_25b26437-51fc-52b1-ad12-b10ffdfa81f6.html

Losing Faith: Why South Carolina is abandoning its churches

From South Carolina-

South Carolina churches are shedding thousands of members a year, even as the state’s population grows by tens of thousands.

In the place we call the Bible Belt, where generations have hung their hats on their church-going nature and faithful traditions, an increasing trend of shrinking church attendance — and increasing church closings — signals a fundamental culture shift in South Carolina.

At least 97 Protestant churches across South Carolina have closed since 2011, according to data from the Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist and Southern Baptist denominations. An untold number of other closings, certainly, are not captured by these statistics.

Many churches are dying slow deaths, stuck in stagnation if not decline. And if they don’t do something, anything, in their near future, they’ll share the fate of Cedar Creek United Methodist, a 274-year-old Richland County congregation that dissolved last year; Resurrection Lutheran, a church near downtown Columbia that will hold its last service on Sept. 2; and the dozens of churches that sit shuttered and empty around the state.

More here-

https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article215014375.html

Read more here: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article215014375.html#storylink=cpy

Greenville First Baptist Senior Pastor Jim Dant says the Bible can’t be credibly used as an argument against same-sex relationships

From South Carolina-

The Bible tells me so.

Those who are against homosexuality often quote Bible verses — Leviticus 18:22, Deuteronomy 22:5, and Genesis 18-19, among others — to “prove” that it is a sin. But Dr. Jim Dant, senior minister at Greenville First Baptist Church, says there is no valid, Christian, biblical argument against same-sex relationships between consenting adults.

“People may argue against homosexuality and LGBTQ identities, relationships, and rights on political, economic, or personal morals, but the Bible cannot credibly be used as a weapon in these fights,” he said. “The minute you bring the Bible into it, there’s no valid argument.”

The impetus for Dant’s recently released book, “This I Know: A Simple Biblical Defense for LGBTQ Christians,” was that some members of Greenville First Baptist Church, which generated headlines in 2015 for how it addressed the LGBTQ community within its walls, asked for a simple-to-understand defense against those Bible verses that had become weapons against them.

More here-

https://greenvillejournal.com/2018/02/08/greenville-first-baptist-senior-pastor-jim-dant-says-bible-cant-credibly-used-argument-sex-relationships/

U.S. Supreme Court has rejected 8 other Episcopal cases. S.C. group hopes its case is different

From South Carolina-

The U.S. Supreme Court is known for refusing to review disputed constitutional issues until the right case comes along.

For the property rights battle dividing The Episcopal Church and breakaway groups nationwide, at least eight such cases have come and gone in as many years. The court has rejected each one.

But the Diocese of South Carolina, whose split has kept about $500 million worth of historic buildings in legal limbo, is praying for an answer from Washington after the state Supreme Court ruled that 29 properties from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head belong to the national church.

Attorneys in other cases have argued, to no avail, that it’s high time for the nine justices to iron out whether constitutional provisions on religious freedom bar state laws from applying to such land disputes.

But the court’s past resistance isn’t necessarily an indicator of how the South Carolina case will play out.

More here-

http://www.southstrandnews.com/state-news/u-s-supreme-court-has-rejected-other-episcopal-cases-s/article_c70d0ffc-d31c-11e7-a86b-bb9127d19f3b.html

A Message from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina

From South Carolina-

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina, having met together with our bishop, The Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, in Charleston this day, sends to all of our brothers and sisters of the diocese our love and our greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. We are so profoundly thankful for all who have fasted and prayed for our diocese and our Standing Committee during the past week from across South Carolina, throughout the Anglican Church in North America, and among all the faithful in global Anglicanism.

We have spent this time together in prayer and discussion regarding the decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court last Wednesday. In light of the conflicting opinions issued by the court, we met with the legal counsel for our diocese and have approved a strategy on how we go forward seeking clarity. We want you to know this: the legal process continues. We will be filing a motion for a rehearing from the Supreme Court, the deadline for which is September 1st. We are convinced there are compelling reasons to make this motion. There will be other avenues along with and following that action. 

More here-

http://www.diosc.com/sys/news-events/latest-news/804-a-message-from-the-standing-committee-of-the-diocese-of-south-carolina

Breakaway churches have 30 days to decide what happens with Episcopal Church lawsuit

From South Carolina- TV News video-

Leaders within The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of South Carolina are giving each other 30 days to decide where the lawsuit between the churches will go from here.

Wednesday’s ruling states that dozens of parishes that split with The Episcopal Church over theological issues, including the ordination of gay priests, cannot take valuable property with them.

Bishop Skip Adams with The Episcopal Church said a meeting was held Friday at Grace Church Cathedral with the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, and Trustees, along with three bodies of clergy and non-ordained elected leaders to review the top court’s ruling on church property and assets from a breakaway group’s lawsuit against The Episcopal Church.

“We’ve found some clarity in the ruling at this point,” Adams said.

Reverend Jim Lewis, with the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina (the breakaway congregations), said they have until September 1 to make a decision on whether they would like to have the case reheard.

“We don’t believe this is the end of this matter by any stretch,” Lewis said.

More here-

http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/36063816/breakaway-churches-have-30-days-to-decide-what-happens-with-episcopal-church-lawsuit

South Carolina: Breakaway Anglicans Must Return 29 Churches

From Christianity Today-

A conservative South Carolina diocese that left The Episcopal Church five years ago has been involved in a complicated dispute over its name, leadership, and land ever since.

Today, the Palmetto State’s supreme court decided that the Diocese of South Carolina—which contains about 50 churches and 20,000 parishioners and is now part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)—does not get to keep about $500 million worth of historic church properties that it claimed in the split.

The ruling declares that 29 local parishes cannot take their properties with them and must return them to the Episcopal Church. However, the breakaway diocese can continue to use its name, seal, and symbols.

A lower court decision in 2015 granted the conservative Anglicans “all their property, including churches, symbols, and other assets,” worth half a billion dollars. That same year, the breakaway diocese rejected an Episcopal attempt to settle the dispute by basically letting the conservatives keep their physical properties in return for giving up their intellectual property. They refused.

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/august/diocese-south-carolina-episcopal-properties-supreme-court.html

Breakaway South Carolina Diocese Joining Anglican Church in North America

From Christian Post-

A diocese that broke away from The Episcopal Church partly over ideological differences will be joining the theologically conservative Anglican Church in North America.

The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, which voted to leave The Episcopal Church back in 2012, is scheduled to formally join ACNA later this month.

In an announcement released Tuesday, the Diocese explained that should the affiliation be confirmed, they "will be the largest Diocese in the ACNA."


The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, which voted to leave The Episcopal Church back in 2012, is scheduled to formally join ACNA later this month.

In an announcement released Tuesday, the Diocese explained that should the affiliation be confirmed, they "will be the largest Diocese in the ACNA."
More here-


http://www.christianpost.com/news/breakaway-south-carolina-diocese-joining-anglican-church-in-north-america-176325/

Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina convention held in Bluffton

From South Carolina-

About 400 delegates and clergy members from across the eastern and coastal portions of the state flocked to Bluffton this weekend for the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina’s 225th convention.

The two-day annual gathering, held Friday and Saturday at the historic Church of the Cross in Old Town and Cross Schools on Buckwalter Parkway, was highlighted by a committee’s recommendation for the diocese to join the Anglican Church in North America.

Founded in 1785, the Diocese of South Carolina is one of the nine original dioceses of the national Episcopal Church and has been geographically split into two groups since 1922, with the other group known as the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. The original diocese now covers 24 counties, represents 53 congregations and roughly 23,000 members and is headquartered in Charleston.

More here-

http://www.blufftontoday.com/bluffton-news/2016-03-13/episcopal-diocese-south-carolina-convention-held-bluffton#.VuVP0sdNAhY

Henry Louis Gates: If Clementa Pinckney Had Lived

From The New York Times-

I have no doubt that had the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney lived, he would have become known — and celebrated — across our country for his leadership, rather than sealed immortally in tragedy, one more black martyr in a line stretching back to the more than 800 slave voyages that ended at Charleston Harbor.

I know this because I filmed a long interview with Mr. Pinckney — who was killed in his church in Charleston, S.C., along with eight congregants on Wednesday evening — for a PBS documentary series three years ago. It was clear that there was a reason this young man had been called to preach at 13, to minister at 18, to serve in the State Legislature at 23, and to shepherd one of America’s most historic black churches at 26, reminding us of other prodigies — and martyrs — for whom the Good Book has served as a bedrock of public service. He was 41 when he died.


More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/opinion/henry-louis-gates-if-clementa-pinckney-had-lived.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Is America losing its religion or are lines more clearly being drawn?

From Charleston SC-

Though still the dominant religious faith in the United States, Christianity is rapidly losing adherents, according to a Pew Research Center study released this week. At the same time, the number of people who identify with no religion at all continues to climb.

“This is happening nationally as well as right here in the Bible Belt,” said Herb Silverman, an atheist who is a retired College of Charleston math professor.

Researchers like to call atheists, agnostics or the otherwise unaffiliated the “nones” because when asked what their religious preference is, they're likely to say, “None.”

More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150515/PC1204/150519527/is-america-losing-its-religion-or-are-lines-more-clearly-being-drawn

Returning SC priest reinstated through new path for reconciliation

From ENS-

Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg of South Carolina has welcomed a returning member of the clergy back into good standing as a priest, hailing the reinstatement of the Rev. H. Dagnall Free, Jr. as an important day for The Episcopal Church and an encouraging step toward reconciliation in South Carolina.

On Tuesday, in a brief liturgy led by vonRosenberg, Free reaffirmed the vows he took at his ordination in 2010 and signed a formal declaration promising to conform to the doctrine, discipline and worship of The Episcopal Church.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/09/19/returning-sc-priest-reinstated-through-new-path-for-reconciliation/

Legal volley in Episcopal lawsuit continues with appeal

From South Carolina-

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, the local diocese affiliated with The Episcopal Church, has filed an appeal in an effort to add four individuals as parties to an ongoing lawsuit that could determine who ultimately has control of church property and other assets.

It's the latest legal volley between The Episcopal Church in South Carolina and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, the group that left The Episcopal Church in December 2012 because of theological and administrative disagreements, including a dispute over human sexuality and acceptance of gay clergy. The appeal could cause the postponement of the trial, set to start July 7 in Dorchester County.
More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140625/PC1610/140629565/1002/legal-volley-in-episcopal-lawsuit-continues-with-appeal

Judge impedes Episcopalians' efforts to portray conspiracy to leave church and take assets

From South Carolina-

A circuit judge delivered a blow Monday to local Episcopalians who allege that leaders of a group that disassociated from the national Episcopal Church in 2012 did so as part of a conspiracy to leave and take church assets with them.

Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein denied a motion filed by The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, which is the group in eastern South Carolina who remain part of the national church. They had sought to have leaders of the group that disassociated added as parties to a lawsuit between the two camps.

The majority of local parishes and clergy, including Bishop Mark Lawrence, disassociated from The Episcopal Church in 2012 after ongoing theological and administrative disputes. That group then filed a lawsuit against the national church to retain control of diocesan property and identifying marks.

More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20131230/PC16/131239945/1002/judge-impedes-episcopalians-efforts-to-portray-conspiracy-to-leave-church-and-take-assets

Church feels 'tremendous impact' after member charged with embezzling $55K

From South Carolina-

Charleston Police say a former church treasurer broke one of the 10 commandments at Calvary Protestant Episcopal Church over the last year. 51-year-old Stephanie Wright, of Moncks Corner, is facing charges after police say she embezzled $55,000 from church funds.

Wright turned herself in at the Charleston Police Department on Wednesday following a two-month investigation into missing funds at the Calvary Episcopal Church, located at 104 Line Street.

According to an incident report, the church's senior warden discovered that Wright, who served as the church's treasurer, had embezzled approximately $55,000 from the church between Jan. 2012 and Jan. 2013.

"The sums of money that were misappropriated... it's a tremendous impact," said senior warden Joseph Frasier.

Calvary Episcopal normally has 70-75 members at church each Sunday.

Police said documentation provided by the church showed Wright wrote numerous checks, primary to her mother, for fraudulent goods and services.

The warden told officers that in order for a check to be valid, it must be authorized by two individuals with signature authority. The warden said Wright would sometimes request a signature before making the check out to an unauthorized person, but most of the time she would just forge a signature.
More here-

http://www.live5news.com/story/22405242/woman-charged-with-embezzling-55k-from-downtown-church

SC Episcopal battle may go to federal court

From South Carolina-

The legal fate of competing Episcopal groups in South Carolina may be determined in federal court.
A series of actions aimed at determining which group holds the legal right to use the Diocese of South Carolina’s name, seal and property, as well as who can officially call themselves the presiding bishop over said group, has made a jump from a Dorchester County Circuit Court to a U.S. District Court in Charleston.

Meanwhile, local church spokesman say a California Episcopal case decided this week, in which a breakaway church was ordered to return property to the national church, probably has no bearing on the South Carolina case.

Complaints and responses, filed by both the Diocese of South Carolina, which disassociated from the national church last year, and The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, a smaller group of those wishing to remain with the national church, have been flying back and forth for months now. The most pertinent issue now at stake is whether the legal issues should be determined by a federal court or a South Carolina court.

When the Dorchester County Circuit Court issued a temporary injunction allowing the Diocese, led by Bishop Mark Lawrence, to keep rights to the name, seal and property, The Episcopal Church in SC responded by raising the question of whether a diocese even has the right to disassociate from the national church. The Episcopal Church in SC has held firm to its conviction that while individual members are free to leave the church, a diocese may not unilaterally leave or secede.

Bishop Charles vonRosenberg, head of The Episcopal Church in SC, said, “If the Diocese and the parishes were not validly withdrawn from the church, then Bishop Lawrence and the rest of the ‘current leadership’ are not the true leaders of those entities.”

More here-

http://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_0c3b53fe-b9be-11e2-a253-001a4bcf6878.html

Bishop vonRosenburg to visit Florence's Christ Church

From South Carolina-

The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg, bishop of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, will be at the historic Christ Church, on Highway 327 in eastern Florence County for a question and answer session on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

vonRosenberg’s visit is part of the deliberations among the congregation at Christ Church on whether to go with the breakaway Diocese of South Carolina or remain with The Episcopal Church. It is one of the few Episcopal congregations in the state yet to vote on the matter.
  
Doctrinal questions led to the separation. The situation is creating a split among South Carolina Episcopalians and is apparently leading to a situation in which there will be (at least) two sets of Episcopal churches in South Carolina.

More here-

http://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_7376c2b0-7b66-11e2-8774-0019bb30f31a.html

Scottish bishop preaches unity in South Carolina

From ENS-

Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney Robert Gillies visited Grace Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Feb. 10 for its “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan” service.

Gillies presented South Carolina Provisional Bishop Charles vonRosenberg with a crozier carved by John Jaffries from oak from Balmoral Castle. Jaffries, before his retirement, was gillie (fishing and hunting guide) to Her Majesty the Queen at Balmoral.

The Scottish bishop spoke in his sermon of the deep bonds of history and affection between the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church.

Gillies called the “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan” an “experience to end all experiences” in an official report about his trip. He noted that 500 people attended the 9 a.m. service and another 650 worshiped at 11 a.m.

The pipe band from the nearby Citadel military college of South Carolina led the procession into Grace for the annual service. More photos from the day are here.

More here-

Temporary restraining order bans use of Episcopal Diocese’s trademarks

From South Carolina-

 A South Carolina Circuit Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on Wednesday that prevents The Episcopal Church and parishes and individuals associated with it from assuming the identity of the Diocese of South Carolina.

The judge's order states, in part: "No individual, organization, association or entity, whether incorporated or not, may use, assume, or adopt in any way, directly or indirectly, the registered names and the seal or mark of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina."

The order specifically prohibits all but a handful of Diocesan employees, directors and trustees who are specified by name from using the Diocese's identity.

The judge effectively prevents TEC, a voluntary association, and the parishes who support it, from claiming to own or operate the Diocese of South Carolina, an entity that it insists it owns but whose very existence predates The Episcopal Church. The Diocese of South Carolina was established in 1785 and was a founder of TEC nearly five years later. The Diocese is a legally established South Carolina corporation and its trademarks are protected under state law.

TEC and several local parishes that remain associated with it have begun to assume the Diocese's identity and use its seals, name and trademarks on websites, ads in newspapers, and other documents sent to parish corporations and individuals, and in registration forms mailed to the parishes within the Diocese stating its intent to take actions at its upcoming meeting on Jan. 26.

More here-

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/20664384/temporary-restraining-order-bans-use-of-episcopal-dioceses-trademarks