Diocesan News
The 86th Diocesan Convention
Business - Celebration - Leadership
October 17 - 18, 2008
The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and the adjacent Hilton Hotel will serve as our site for the two days of Mission and Ministry.
Friday, October 17th, will be focused on the business of the Diocese. Elections, the Statement of Mission (SOM), possible resolutions and changes to the Constitution and Canons will be the order of the day. In the evening there will be a grand celebration, complete with the Bishop's Awards recognizing Upper South Carolinians who have made extraordinary contributions to the life and ministry of our diocese.
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On Saturday, October 18th, the Bishop invites all those in various leadership areas of our congregations to come and be energized, empowered, and focused to take on the his "four goals for a seamless transition. This will be a time to come together for worship, to share stories of mission and ministry, and learn how each one of our congregations can move forward. Weaving the Story we all share and the stories of our faith communities will be the Rt. Rev. Charles F. Duvall . Throughout the day he will inspire and challenge us to enter into the story, so that in our leaving we will share it with others.
Make plans NOW to attend these exciting events! More information, including info on lodging, is available here.86th Convention deadline looms!
Nominations, proposed esolutions and amendments due to Diocesan House August 15!
Please remember that the deadline for submission of nominations, proposed resolutions and proposed changes to the Constitution and Canons is AUGUST 15.All forms are available for download from the diocesan Web site. Instructions for submission are printed on the forms.
Nominations, proposed resolutions, and proposed changes to the Constitution and Canons that are NOT RECEIVED BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON AUGUST 15 will not be published in advance of convention and will have to be presented from the convention floor.
New Upper SC Web site to be launched September 2
Our diocesan Web site, www.edusc.org, will have a whole new look come Tuesday, September 2. Designed to reflect the commission structure of the diocese, the new site will offer information and contact e-mails for every Upper SC group and ministry, along with policies, forms, registration venues, links and resources of many kinds. There'll be a church finder that's cutting edge, and a searchable calendar of everything that's going on in our diocese. And, yes, no more dancing menu! We're betting you're gonna love it!
Education for Ministry now enrolling new members
We believe that a gracious God calls us
into relationship to serve the world. We invite people into small, mentored
communities that help us understand our lives and shape our actions as we
deepen our Christian Faith. Through study, prayer, and theological
reflection we discover and learn how to exercise our gifts in ministry.
—Proposed mission statement for EfM, an extension program of The University of the South (Sewanee) School of Theology
Registration is beginning
for a number of Education for Ministry (EFM) groups around the diocese. To
learn more about Education for Ministry access the Sewanee Web site
www.sewanee.edu/EfM. Contact Betty Hudgens, diocesan coordinator for EfM at
hudgens@trinitysc.org to inquire about groups in this diocese or
contact one of the mentors listed below.
Libba Rhoad, St. Alban’s,
Lexington. 803.957.5809;
Zqueen123@aol.com
Terri Bailey, Trinity Cathedral, Columbia, 803.240.4826;
Terri.Bailey@usdoj.gov
Tom Faulkner, Greer,
tgf3@charter.net
Mary-Louise O’Day, Clemson;
mel@oday.net
The Rev. Sue Perrin, Church of
the Advent, Spartanburg;
sperrin@churchofadvent.org
Susan Pretulak, St. Matthew’s , Spartanburg;
david4614@charter.net
Carl Saalbach, St. Francis,
Chapin; carl.saalbach@juno.com
Gibert Kennedy, St. Thaddeus', Aiken;
gibert@bellsouth.net
Ann Hayden, Greenwood;
alhayd@aol.com
Nancy Wylie, Camden;
nwylie@bellsouth.net.
Upper SC's Thom Neal elected president of National Episcopal Cursillo Committee
St.
John's, Congaree, parishioner Thom Neal was recently
elected President of the National
Episcopal Cursillo Committee (NECC).
Neal attended Cursillo #72 in our diocese in 1996, and has staffed
several Cursillo weekends since that time, including serving as a lay rector
for Cursillo #95. He served on the diocesan Cursillo Council, serving his
last year as president. He has also served as treasurer to Council.
On the National level, Neal has attended several Episcopal Cursillo
Leader's Workshops (ELCWs), both as a participant and as staff, and has
attended several NEC Seminars. He was elected to NECC as the southeast
district lay representative in October 2006 and chosen president-elect of
the NECC at the quarterly meeting in Georgia in July 2008. I Neal will serve
as president-elect beginning October 2008 and will be installed as president
in October 2009.
Reflecting on his experience with Cursillo and his new position, Neal said:
"Cursillo was a watershed in my Christian walk. It is much more than an
organization. It is a way of living my faith. The Cursillo method has given
me structure and purpose. It is the hope of the NECC that Cursillo will
become a vehicle of reconciliation for the Church."
Congratulations, Thom Neal!!
ECW awards six Bena Dial Scholarships to Upper SC students
Thanks to the generosity of Upper SC’s ECW branches, ECW’s Bena Dial
Committee was able to award six Bena Dial scholarships this year. Bena Dial
scholars are active Episcopalians who must use the award to attend, as a
full-time student, an accredited college, vocational school, or graduate
school. Selection criteria are academic and extra curricular school and/or
community activities, church activities, and financial need.
This year’s recipients are Catherine McKenna Brandon, St. Michael and All
Angels’, Columbia; Anna Grace Fisher, Good Shepherd, Columbia; Emily Ann Helmich,
St. Bartholomew's, N. Augusta; Danielle Regoni, St. Margaret’s, Boiling Springs; Roddey Benn Smith, St. John’s,
Columbia; and Noah Benjamin Tassie, Christ Church, Greenville.
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Clara Gillentine, Bena Dial Scholarship Committee Chair, and Catherine "McKenna" Brandon |
Catherine “McKenna” Brandon plans to attend Winthrop University in
the fall and will pursue a degree in Information Design. She attended
Richland Northeast High School where she graduated from the Palmetto Center
for the Arts (visual art) Magnet Program and also from Inflolink Technology
Magnet Program, a prestigious and rigorous academic magnet.
Outside of school McKenna has contributed local area photographs for the
Free Times newspaper in Columbia. She has won numerous art awards, including
“outstanding photojournalist” from the USC College of Journalism and Mass
Communications Summer Institute (2007). She was selected to exhibit at the
Columbia Festival of Art, Sumter Gallery of Art, and the New Hampshire Art
Institute High School Drawing Exhibition.
McKenna has been a member of the St. Michael’s Royal School of Church Music
since she was five years old. Additionally, at her home church, St. Michael
and All Angels', Columbia, she serves as a senior acolyte
and Youth Committee leader.
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Anna Grace Fisher |
Anna Grace Fisher graduated from Irmo High School and has enrolled at the University of
South Carolina where she will be pursuing a dance major. She also was a cellist in the Irmo High
School Masterclass Orchestra and participated in the District V Honors
Orchestra.
She has been an active parishioner at Good Shepherd, Columbia, participating in the
St. Nicholas choir, serving as an acolyte, EYC, and as a Vacation Church School
teacher, in addition to participating in diocesan work trips to depressed
areas of South Carolina and Appalachia to repair houses for the poor.
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Emily Ann Helmich with ECW Bena Dial chair Clara Gillentine (left) and St. Bart's ECW president Carol Osteen |
Emily Ann Helmich is a graduate of Augusta Preparatory Day School, where she won the class awards in AP Calculus and English IV. She was selected to attend the Georgia Society of CPA’s High School Residency Program at Georgia Southern University, a program for students who are interested in a career in accounting. Also, she was selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine, a ten-day high school residency program at Emory University in the summer of 2007. She will attend Wofford College in Spartanburg and major in accounting.
Her church activities have included working in the church nursery, serving as lead acolyte, volunteering during Vacation Bible school and active involvement in the EYC. In the community, Emily has participated in many social service programs, such as the Golden Harvest Food Bank, Goodwill and the Soup Kitchen.
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Danielle Regoni (left) with St. Margaret's rector the Rev. Alan Leonard and diocesan ECW president Beck Sullivan |
Danielle Regoni, who attends St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, located in
Boiling Springs, will use her Bena Dial scholarship during the fall term at Wofford
College, where she will be pursuing a degree in biology with a goal
toward becoming a pediatric oncologist.
While attending Landrum High School, Danielle received many awards and
recognition to include National Honor Society of High School Scholars, Who’s
Who Among American High School Students, George W. Bush National
Presidential Highest Academic Honors, to name a few. She also was senior
class president and valedictorian.
She sets an example for young people in the church by serving as a lector
during Sunday worship services, helping with Vacation Bible School, and
hosting coffee hour after worship.
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| Roddy Benn Smith with the Rev. Fletcher Montgomery, St. John's rector, and rector's associate, the Rev. Mary Moore Roberson |
Roddey Benn Smith is a graduate of Dreher High School and a
member of St. John’s, Columbia.. He plays the guitar and sings in the contemporary music group at St.
John’s, sometimes singing duets with his father and also singing solo.
Additionally, Roddey is an acolyte team captain, active in EYC and Sunday
School.
While a student at Dreher, he participated in the theater, both
in school and in the community. He was also a member of the concert and
marching bands. Roddey has been active in the Boy Scouts of America,
receiving the Eagle Scout, Bronze Palm, and Order of the Arrow awards.
While attending classes at Furman, Roddey plans to study engineering and
music, and he will also participate in theatre. His interest in space and aeronautics,
he hopes,
will lead him to his goal, which is to become an aerospace engineer who designs and tests airplanes.
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Noah Benjamin Tassie with ECW Board member Phyllis Webb |
Noah Benjamin Tassie of Christ Church, Greenville, will be attending Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he will study music engineering. He is already completely immersed in music, playing the drums and running the sound board for contemporary Sunday services at Christ Church. Also, Noah is active in the Greenville County Fine Arts Center.
In addition to his involvement in music, Noah is interested in ancient Greek, the Bible, and mission work. His senior thesis topic at Christ Church Episcopal School focused on AIDS in Africa.
Safe arrival in Haiti
An update, and a thank you, from our woman on the ground, Jackie Williams
Christ Church parishioner Jackie Williams oversees the Artisan Center, part of out diocesan ministry at Cange, Haiti, and spends most of her time there.
The container packed in Greenville in May, filled with supplies for our ministry in Cange, Haiti, and environs,
has finally arrived. Hearty thanks to the following stalwark workers who packed all this up:
From Holy Trinity, Clemson, Dr. Beth Kunkel, Kevin Hughes, Cheslely Rowe, Peter Sparks;
from Christ Church, Greenville, Ian and Jane Clark, Reg and John Brooker, Ghislaine and Breck Warne, Don and Judy Lineback;
from Christ Church, Presbyterian, Anderson: Richard, Marcia, Colby, Caleb, Caitlin and Linnea Cash.
Still Hopes certified nursing assistant remembers her childhood and finds ways to help others
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Amy Maseuth (4th from left) and her two boys, present West Columbia and Lexington Safety Officials with more than 1,000 stuffed animals. |
Amy Mauseth was an abused child growing up in California. She was young and
her voice was so small, that she was not heard. After enduring years of
abuse, she was finally placed in a foster home and found some relief.
However, the home was only temporary and soon she found herself going
through a series of returns to her parents or to another foster home. “I
remember having to leave one place or another on a moment’s notice with
nothing but fear to accompany me,” stated Amy. “I needed comfort and
reassurance that I would be safe. I needed compassion and understanding.”
The idea for stuffed animals for children forced into uncertain and scary
circumstances was born out of Amy’s own experiences. “I remember how scared
I was and even today I see children being taken away into protection and see
the looks on those young faces,” said Amy. “If I had been given something of
comfort, like a soft, stuffed animal, I believe that would have given me
some reassurance that I would be safe. Just to bury my face in something
without confrontation and fear would have helped me through those uncertain
times,” remembers Amy.
With Amy’s desire to help others who are in crisis and with the help of the
employees at Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community, 1,000 stuffed
animals were donated to the Lexington County Protective Services. Members of
the West Columbia and Lexington Public Safety Departments went to Still
Hopes to receive the gifts for the children who will be given these stuffed
animals. “I want to thank the Still Hopes’ employees for their donations and
if we have helped the lives of children, I have accomplished my goal,”
stated Amy.
Today Amy is the mother of 4 boys, who keep her busy, in addition to her
work as a certified nursing assistant at Still Hopes. Thank you, Amy.