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Diocesan News

Community of Hope program offers lay pastoral care training in Upper SC

Upper SC's first Community of Hope class

In the mid 1990s, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas, began a program to train pastoral care workers for churches and institutions. Called the Community of Hope, this program is based upon Benedictine spirituality. Over a period of 14 Saturdays, candidates become part of a circle of prayer, concern, and worship as they receive training in various aspects of pastoral care. This Christian community continues after their commissioning as lay chaplains. In this “Circle of Hope” they share in complete confidentiality events from ministry in their own congregations in order to improve their abilities as caregivers, as well as to continue in regular worship together. 

On April 22, 2007 Bishop Henderson commissioned the first Community of Hope class for our diocese in a service at  St. John’s in Columbia. Planning is under way for the 2007-2008 class to begin in September 2007. Classes will be held at three different locations: in Columbia, Greenville, and Rock Hill.

For information and application materials contact:

Columbia Group: Margaret Jennings Todd, maggiejenn@aol.com;

Greenville Group: The Rev. Kathryn Tiede Hottinger, 864.271.8773 ex.155 or Peggy Parham, 864.242.5403, mkparham@charter.net;

Rock Hill Group: Jim Welsh, jimwelsh_2000@yahoo.com), Gene and Sarah Meyer, Meyere@asme.org.

Follow this link to learn more.
 

All Souls, N.E. Columbia mission, holds last worship on the Feast of Pentecost

DEC accepts recommendation to sell structure, contents, land

Ending a unique and arduous four-year journey All Souls, Upper SC's N.E. Columbia mission church, held its last worship service on the Feast of Pentecost.

In 2006 Bishop Henderson appointed the Rev. Rich Biega as missioner to the All Souls project for the purpose of making an overall assessment of the situation there.  Biega made a thorough review of the ministry, focusing on average Sunday attendance, monetary support from the congregation, the costs associated with continuing the program as structured versus a re-start in a rented public facility, as well as a review of primary needs in the community that might serve as a basis for future directions for the All Souls ministry.  Biega’s review also took into consideration the ongoing debt service, as well as the fact that a major note used to fund the ministry would come due in the near future.

As a result of the study, Biega recommended to the All Souls congregation, to Bishop Henderson, and to the Commission on the Diocese that the most promising scenario for a successful ministry trajectory would be to sell the All Souls structure, its contents, as well as the building site, and to re-start the initiative in a rented public facility, such as a school.  The consensus of the congregation and its leadership team was that those worshipping on a fairly regular basis at All Souls, numbering from 20 to 30 persons, had no enthusiasm for a re-start in a new facility.  With heavy hearts, the leadership team elected to set Pentecost 2007 as the last day for scheduled Sunday worship at All Souls. 

The Diocesan Property and Insurance Committee was asked to see that an appraisal of the building and property be made to serve as the basis for a recommendation to the Commission on the Diocese.  The appraised value of the site was approximately $880,000.  An analysis also indicated that it would cost $60,000 to disassemble the building, as well as requiring the equivalent of three tractor trailers to store it.  In the light of these findings, the Commission on the Diocese recommended to Bishop Henderson and the Diocesan Executive Council (DEC) that the building and land be sold and any net proceeds be set aside for future mission initiatives.  This recommendation was accepted by DEC.

A sale and/or transfer of the building to Gravatt was proposed, but an assessment by members of the Gravatt Transition Board indicated that the building did not meet their needs.

The building and site were then listed with a commercial realtor.  The terms for a contract for sale of both the building (to be disassembled or demolished) and land were negotiated and finalized between the diocese and a purchaser in May 2007.  The terms of the sale will be finalized in October when a zoning variance requested by the purchaser is scheduled to be considered.  The net proceeds from the sale will be just over $80,000, based on what has been an estimated overall multiyear investment of around $1.6 million in the All Souls project.  The contents of the building have been transferred to and / or purchased by congregations of the diocese, with some equipment still available for purchase.

Taking the All Souls experience into consideration, the Commission on Congregations has decided to formulate and recommend to DEC a diocesan policy for how new congregations will be developed in the future.

News from the Bishop Gravatt Center

Gravatt begins new chapter, seeks executive director

Gravatt seeks new executive director

Click here for the job description.

Thanks to the foresight and generosity of the Diocesan Executive Council (DEC),  Bishop Gravatt Center is now an independent entity, in ownership of the camp and conference center, in charge of its own funds – and its own destiny.  The Center continues, however, to be committed primarily to serving diocesan needs for a quiet, removed, and comfortable place for conferences and retreats – and for continuing the tradition of offering summer camp to the youth of the diocese. In fact camp, which opened June 3, is anticipating one of its best attendance years in its 58-year history.

Gravatt has new by-laws, a new board, including Bishop Henderson and the Rev. Clyde Ireland, director of Gravatt for 15 of its grandest years, and is embarked on a new course of mission and service. Plans have been approved by the board to refurbish the cabins, add new restrooms to the dining hall, and completely renovate Cole Lodge. A new, second conference facility, a larger replica of Cole Lodge, is  planned for readiness to accommodate Clergy Conference in the fall of 2008.

A major priority of the board is the construction of a chapel, which, it is hoped, will be funded by private subscription, of which early contributions are already being gratefully received. It is possible that a later capital funds drive will help provide for continued repairs, updates and expansions of the existing infrastructure; the construction of other new facilities; improvements in signage and the entrance to the Gravatt campus; and the provision for an enlarged, full-time professional staff.

In November of 2006, The DEC voted to separate the operation of Gravatt from the activities and responsibilities of the diocese. In an action designed to “envision, empower, and endow,” as it was described at the time, Gravatt became a separate corporate entity, loosely attached to the diocese legally, firmly attached to the diocese as to mission and purpose. A new provisional board was named and given the twin assignments of evaluating and planning Gravatt’s present and future, and managing the facility during its transformation from an  “unappreciated and depreciated” facility into a “new” and vital part of diocesan life.

To those ends, the board, now comprised of five members out of an eligible total of nine, has been meeting twice monthly since December, with one meeting always “on campus.” It was early discerned by the board that one of Gravatt’s greatest assets, aside from  its long history of dual service as camp and conference center, is its staff. A more loyal, hard-working, and Christian group of energetic and enthusiastic people would be hard to replicate. And it is ultimately upon them, along with the interest, support, and involvement of the diocese, that the vision of the current directors will indeed, be blessed, enabled and funded. Pray for Gravatt and those dedicated to its future and growth.

Calling All Gravatt Staff Alumni!

Mark your calendar for April 19, 2008!  Yes, we really mean 2008.  We're planning a Gravatt Staff and Volunteer Reunion.  Plans are in their infancy, and we are so grateful to Christine Tibshrany Koutrakos, who has agreed to chair this event. 

Please help us locate former Gravatt staffers and volunteers.  Forward this information to alumni you know, or send us their contact information directly.  And be sure we have your up-to-date information too!  Send your name, mailing address, telephone number, email address and years you were on staff or served as a volunteer to gravattreunion@gmail.com, and let us know if you'd like to volunteer on the Reunion Commitee.

Province IV Women’s Conference held June 4-6, 2007 at Kanuga

By Cai Armstrong

The annual Province IV Women's Conference, June 4-6, sponsored by the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, NC, and the Province IV Episcopal Church Women, began with a reception, dinner and a business meeting. Brenda Albinger, a gifted musician and teacher, led the music. The Rt. Rev. C. FitzsSimons Allison, retired bishop of South Carolina, served as chaplain. His sermon on lies we tell ourselves and how to avoid them was inspiring and useful to participants.

The Rev. Tina Lockett, director of admissions and dean of students at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministr,y delivered the keynote address. The keynote topic was Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking bread and prayers.”  Her theme was that God’s dream for all of us is to be in fellowship with him and each other—community is not an organization but a way of living.

Key information from the conference includes:

•   --The next ECW Triennial is July 8-16, 2009, in Anaheim CA
.

--Communiqué, the national ECW publication, appears 3-4 times a year, and it’s free.  Order it on the ECW Web site.

--In 2006, 202 UTO applications totaled more than $8M; donations and interest were $2.4M.  104 grants were made. The gap between the needs and amount given is growing.

--The Church Periodical Club National Books Fund made 59 grants for $19,000.

--National ECW tools include the how-to kit for starting or reviving an ECW branch, the Women of Vision kit, and Beijing Circles.

SC State Day at National Cathedral

Time's running out!

By Nell Barr

Our once-every-four-years special SC State State Day at National Cathedral, coming up on July 15, promises to be exciting and one of the best we have ever had. Four years ago, in November 2003, we had more than 300 people attend, and the staff at the cathedral said that it was one of the best State Days they had ever had.

Everyone from South Carolina is invited to join our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson, Jr., for this special time, which coincides with the 100th anniversary year of the cathedral, which was begun in 1907.We are hoping to have acolytes, with church banners, in the procession from every church in our diocese. Please contact the Rev. Bob Chiles  (803.736.0866) immediately if acolytes from your congregation are planning to attend.

State Day preacher will be South Carolina native the Rev. Canon William ("Bill") H. Barnwell, National Cathedral's canon missioner. Barnwell, born in Charleston, is a graduate of Sewanee and Virginia Theological Seminary. He is the author of In  Richard's World.

Another opportunity for this weekend is a contemplative pilgrimage through the cathedral and grounds on Saturday morning, July 14, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Pilgrimage costs are $25 for adults, $20 for youths and seniors, $15 for National Cathedral Association members. (Visit the link above for more info and registration instructions.)

The Arpad Darazs Singers, members of the Palmetto Mastersingers, folks from the choirs of St. John's, Florence, St. John's, Columbia, and St. David's, Columbia, and others  will offer a prelude to the 11:00 a.m. State Day service (beginning at 10:30 a.m.). Following the service there will be reception for all South Carolina visitors and an opportunity to take guided tours of the cathedral.

It's a great time to visit the nation's capital and our National Cathedral.  Still Hopes in West Columbia is sponsoring a four-day bus tour centered on State Day. A few spaces are still available. Please contact Still Hopes (803.796.6490) if you are interested. St. David's, Columbia, also has few spaces to offer on their bus. Contact the church at 803.736.0866.

 

 

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