Diocesan News
Celebrating Bishop Henderson, Celebrating Lives Changed—87th Diocesan Convention registration now online
Come one, come all to celebrate Upper SC.
Friday day and evening, October
16,
and
Saturday, October 17
Carolina First Center, Greenville
Hosted by
St. Andrew’s, St. James’,
St. Peter’s, Greenville
Choose one, two, or all three events!
Childcare available (with a reservation) friday evening and saturday
Register by Sept. 25 & win this painting by Roger Hutchison!!
 |
"Convergence" Click to enlarge |
"Convergence," by Roger Hutchison.
In the artist's words: "'convergence-- the act of moving toward union."' This is my
dream for who we are as a diocese and who we are as a church.
The church will be coming together to celebrate the ministry of
Bishop Henderson...and we come together to look to the future -
together. There are big squares...and little squares...big
churches and little churches...and they are moving to the center
of the painting...forming the shape of a cross. The painting is
full of layers, textures, and many colors...just like the
church. The colors I chose reflect the church year...I also
spiced it up with copper and gold. "
"Convergence" measures 30X30 and is acrylic on canvas.
Our bishop is retiring at the end of the calendar year, so we're planning a very special celebration of his ministry on Friday, October 16, following the business day of our annual Diocesan Convention. Highlights of evening will be a gala dinner beginning at 6:30 and topped off by an “episcopal roast" (with emcee The Rev. Mike Flanagan) – including great surprises.
Saturday, October 17 will be a day of inspiring worship with The Very Rev. Michael Kinman as our preacher and our bishop as our celebrant. Choir members from around the diocese are encouraged to join the mass choir. Congregations are asked to bring and process their banners. In the midst of our liturgy, there will be hands-on workshops and programs for all ages, with amazing and gifted presenters from right here at home and from far away.
The more events you register for, the greater your discount. Those who register for two or more events, and by September 25, are eligible to win an original painting by award-winning Upper SC artist Roger Hutchison.
There will even be free childcare, with a reservation, for the very youngest on Friday evening and all day Saturday, with reservations. All Upper South Carolinians are invited to participate.
Mass choir forming for Diocesan Convention
Calling all Music Directors of the Diocese of Upper South
Carolina!
You and members of your Adult Choirs are invited to join a Mass Choir,
which will be a part of our celebration at Diocesan Convention of the
ministry of The Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson, Jr. and the life of this
diocese over the last 15 years. The music will be uplifting, yet very
accessible for choirs of all levels. There is the possibility of one
anthem that will take a small amount of preparation.
Diocesan Convention is being held in Greenville SC at the Carolina First
Center on Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17. The business of the
diocese will be conducted in the day on Friday and that evening will be
a special banquet honoring our bishop. On Saturday, October 17, the Mass
Choir will be leading our Celebration Eucharist, beginning with the
Liturgy of the Word in the morning and concluding with the Liturgy of
the Table in the afternoon. In-between the two will be a variety of
formational workshops and lunch. All participants in the day will need
to be pre-registered, www.edusc.org/Celebration.
On Saturday, registration begins at 8:30am and the day's festivities
conclude at 4pm. The choir will need to be present at the very beginning
of the day to work out the logistics of seating and procession. All
choir members will be able to take one of the many workshops offered for
the first session; however, there will be a choir rehearsal during the
second workshop session. Our Choir Director for the day will be Canon
Jared Johnson of Trinity Cathedral, Columbia!
If you and any choir members are interested in joining us, please email
Laura Rosier at laurar23@earthlink.net, or call 803.360.3536. We will
need the name and voice part (SATB) of all choir participants to plan
for seating and logistics. Details about hymns, service music, and an
anthem will follow shortly. Please plan to bring your vestments and a
black anthem folder. All music from the Hymnal will be printed in our
bulletin, but you may bring your personal copies of The Hymnal 1982.
If you have questions about the music for this event, please contact
Laura Rosier at the above email or phone number!
We look forward to singing and celebrating with you,
Laura E. Rosier
Director of Music
St. Michael and All Angels' Episcopal Church
6408 Bridgewood Rd.
Columbia SC 29206
Bishop search update
| October 16: Nominees announced |
| November 21: Walk-About, St. John's, Columbia |
| November 22: Walk-About, Christ Church, Greenville |
| December 12: Election |
The Search Committee continues to make good progress in the
discernment of nominees to present to Diocesan Convention as candidates
for bishop! The weekends of August 29-30 and September 12-13, teams of
three visited each of the nine nominees. Each team interviewed the
nominee, senior warden and/or other parish leaders, members of the
congregation, and other local clergy and/or community leaders; toured
the church and facilities; had dinner with the nominee and spouse; and
attended worship on Sunday at which the nominee celebrated the Eucharist
and preached.
Members of the Search Committee are attending convocation meetings to
provide education about the process and the election to both clergy and
lay delegates.
On September 29-30 and October 5-6, the nine nominees will meet with the
entire Search Committee in Charlotte, NC, a location selected due to
ease of access for those who must fly. Four of the nominees will attend
the first meeting and the remaining five will attend the second meeting.
On October 10, the Search Committee will meet to select the final four
to six individuals who will be presented as candidates for bishop on
October 16 at our Diocesan Convention. At that time, information about
the candidates will be posted to our website to provide information
about them to everyone in the diocese.
Two Walk-Abouts are scheduled for the weekend of November 21-22. The
Walk-Abouts are designed to allow voting delegates to the electing
convention, clergy, and other interested persons to meet the candidates
and ask them questions. On November 21, the Walk-About will be held at
St. John’s Episcopal Church in Columbia. On the afternoon of November
22, the Walk-About will be held at Christ Church in Greenville. For more
details, please click on “transition committee” in the left sidebar of
the website home page.
Diocesan Convention will be reconvened on December 12 at Trinity
Cathedral in Columbia for the election. The consecration is scheduled to
take place on May 22, 2010.
We encourage you to follow the process on our website at
www.bishopsearch.edusc.org.
St. Augustine of Canterbury, Aiken, welcomes new vicar
|
|
|
(click to enlarge) |
Fr. Drake comes to Upper South Carolina after having served for 25 years in the Church of England Dioceses of London and Southwark . His first celebration of the Holy Eucharist at St. Augustine's was celebrated the Eucharist for the first time at St Augustine’s on The Feast of the Ascension, Thursday, May 21.
Celebration of new ministry at St. Thaddeus', Aiken, October 1
|
A Celebration
of New Ministry |
Haiti World Mission update
The water system is running on borrowed time—Your contribution to the Gifts of Bread & Water Campaign can help
Read a letter from Bread and Water Campaign chair Dr. Earl Burch.
|
|
|
It all depends on this . . . |
Thirty years ago Upper SC decided to focus our world mission efforts
on a small village, Cange, in the poorest part of Haiti, the poorest of
the developing countries in this hemisphere. This long-term commitment,
plus partnership with such groups as Partners in Health of Boston, has
helped to make our efforts enormously successful, resulting in a
hospital that serves as a model for other such efforts world wide, an eye
clinic, a dental office, a school and a church.
All of our efforts have been built on the foundation of a water system
that was our first project in Cange. In late spring a crisis was barely
averted when the pump that pumps water to the village failed. Were it
not for the grace of God and the expertise and willingness of a
Greenville engineer who was willing to drop everything and fly to Haiti
to install a new pump, we could have had a major humanitarian crisis.
Fortunately a crisis was averted this time—barely.
If the dam fails or the rest or the system, which is composed of miles
of 25-year-old pipe,
fails, we will not be so fortunate. The system was built when the
village had 800 people. It now has 8000 people. Even when the system
works at its best, it averages only 4-5 gallons of water per person per
day. The World Heath Organization classifies any system with less than 5
gallons per day per person to be at crisis level. To put this in
perspective, the average American is estimated to use 30 gallons per
day.
Our Diocese has initiated the Gifts of Bread & Water capital funds drive to raise the
necessary funds to rebuild the water system and additionally to build a
production facility to manufacture nutritional products to help
alleviate the critical health problems associated with malnutrition,
which plagues Haitian children.
Please make your checks to the Gifts of Bread and Water and send them to
the Diocesan House in care of Julie Price. If you want to learn more
about this critical humanitarian effort, please contact Earl Burch,
Chair of the Gifts of Bread and Water. 864.639.4918,
eburch@innova.net.
He can provide you with information, pledge cards or arrange for a
speaker to visit your church or civic organization.
Donate to Gravatt—now it's as easy as shopping online!
What if Gravatt earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? Or
how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to Gravatt?
Well, now it can!
Gravatt is now a member of GoodSearch.com, a Yahoo-powered search engine
that donates half its advertising revenue to the charities its users
designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search
results from Yahoo, and the donations will add up. There is no cost to you
to participate.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Gravatt Camp and
Conference Center as the charity you want to support. And be sure to spread
the word. Thanks!