Committee on Courtesy's Convention wrap-up cracks us up!

This year's Committee on Courtesy, charged with wrapping up Convention events and thanking our gracious and exemplary hosts from Christ Church, consisted of the Rev. Rob Brown, with assistance from his son Zach.

Fr. Rob began the report from the Committee on Courtesy this year with a new goal in mind. This year's report was set to be sophisticated and refined. Fr. Brown's son Zach refused to let his father fall into the trap of the "Urban Sophisticates" of Christ Church, Greenville. "Anglican Decorum" simply wouldn't do this year.

Armed with a Clemson hat and large amounts of camouflage, and a little Free Bird, Zach was able to bring the one-man Committee on Courtesy back the land of the good old boy.

Read the script in its entirety below.

Report of the Committee on Courtesy

 Bishop Henderson, distinguished members of the Diocesan Executive Council, delegates to Convention, and honored guests...

The Committee on Courtesy meeting in our Pre-Convention Planning Retreat held this year at The Cedar Creek Hunt Club just off Littlejohn Road on the Pacolet River over in Cherokee County---.

Voted 5 to 4 to apologize for the report given by last year's Committee Chairman.

While the redneck flavored humor of 2006 - with its list of "You might be an Episcopalian If Jokes" seemed appropriate in Spartanburg, we wish to assure you that here in the sophisticated - urban - setting of Greenville, South Carolina, surrounded by the polished and refined membership of Christ Church, our report will be a model of appropriate Anglican decorum.

Zach: Dad - dad.

Rob: Son, please don't interrupt.

Zach: But Dad, look, just like last year - I brought your camouflage hat and shirt...

Rob: Son, son, I'm afraid that won't work this year. You see just by spending 24 hours in Greenville one is actually immunized against traditional Southern behavior and anything which smacks of Good Old Boy-ism. You see, son. In Greenville - they know that once you're a Good Old Boy, it is just a short step into the world of the redneck...

Zach: But Dad…your mom was from Gaffney, I thought that made you genetically immune to Greenville?

Rob: I thought so too son, but I was wrong. It started last night ... as soon as I crossed the Greenville County line I found myself listening to All Things Considered on National Public Radio ... and then…well - I had white wine and quiche at dinner.

Zach: Dad no - how could you?

Rob: I couldn't help it son ... they kept playing all this music by Michael Buble.

Zach: Dad - didn't you try to stop it?

Rob: I'm sorry son ... it gets worse ... this morning for breakfast ...I tried to find a Waffle House - I really did - but its like they've all been hidden. Instead - I had to go to...... Starbucks.

Zach: What did you have?

Rob: A Grande Vanilla Bean Frappucino Light

Zach: No!!!
Rob: I'm afraid its too late for me son ...Greenville has changed me. I've become an…Urban Sophisticate.

Zach: No Dad - its not too late. You see I've brought Good Old Boy Kryptonite.

(Cue Free Byrd...... while playing bringing out a Clemson hat.)

Rob: I'm back!!!!!
Folks here are a few more ways to Tell ¬ You Might Be An Episcopalian**

If you think good sermons are exactly 12 minutes long, but great sermons are
5 minutes long - You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If - you routinely run into your minister at the Liqour Store.. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If - after attending a retreat hosted by Bishop Henderson, someone asks you what your favorite Madonna song is and you say Ave Maria. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If you have ever sneezed, had someone say God bless you, and find yourself uncontrollably making the Sign of the Cross. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If you have ever had to explain to your mother-in-law that being the Sr or Jr Warden does not mean you work at the County Jail. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If you have ever had to tell a visitor that “Agnus Dei” is not the name of the little old lady playing the organ. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If - everytime you watch a Star Wars movie and someone says, “May the Force be with you” you have an uncontrollable urge to say ¬ “And also with you.” You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If - after hearing the story of Martha and Mary, you’re convinced that while Mary would have been in EFM. Martha would have made a great head of the Altar Guild. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

If you have a WWDD – “What Would Dorsey Do” Bracelet. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

Finally ¬ and this one is for the folks at Christ Church, the Advent, and Trinity Cathedral. If you have ever paid off your pledge with stocks and bonds in order to avoid the capital gains tax. You Might Be An Episcopalian.

And now.

Whereas: We have debated, discussed, conversed and considered the fine points of Convention business.

Whereas: The Statement of Mission has been padded, poked, prodded, and passed.

Whereas: We have elected, installed and set apart various and sundry persons for various and sundry tasks.

Whereas: Bishop Henderson at long last kept one of his Convention Sermons to under two hours.

Be It Therefore Resolved: That the people of Christ Church, Greenville, are congratulated and commended for hosting this Convention and attempting to turn us all into Hair Moussing, BMW Driving, Latte Drinking, Big City Episcopalians. Better Luck Next Time, Y’all

**Special thanks to Jeff Foxworthy for inspiring this report of the Committee on Courtesy

The Address of the Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson, Jr., to the 85th Convention
October 27, 2007
Christ Church, Greenville

Sisters and Brothers, dearly Beloved—

Borrowing the words of St. Paul—these to the Christians in Rome—“ . . . Greetings to all of you . . . whom God loves and has called to be his dedicated people. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.

And in my own words: Welcome to another reunion of the delegates of the family of God—the Body of Christ—in Upper South Carolina. Once again we gather to discern the will of our Lord for this beloved diocese. May God bless the decisions we make and the actions we take as those “whom God loves and has called to be his dedicated people”—and may God by his grace redeem those actions or decisions of ours which he cannot bless.

This is the 13^th time we have gathered, the 13^th time I have addressed this convention. Scores of memorable occasions come to mind as I look out this morning—so many familiar faces, so many—what was the popular song of my youth?—so many “Moments to Remember.”

We have journeyed many miles together. I am reminded of the story of the aged missionary and equally aged wife who were sailing on a steamship back to America after a lifetime of ministry overseas. As their ship approached the dock in New York harbor, everyone lining the decks could tell that a splendid welcoming ceremony was awaiting them. A brass band struck up a John Philip Sousa march as the gangplank was lowered. But just as our two missionaries moved toward the gangplank, they were jostled aside by a splendidly dressed couple followed by a substantial and equally splendid retinue. This party was greeted by thunderous applause. A short speech was made, the band played once more and the dignitaries were whisked away in a shiny limousine.

 As the missionary couple, left standing on the dock with their luggage, turned to make their way into the great city, the missionary’s wife could not help but notice that a change that had come over her generally cheerful husband. She asked, “What is it, dear?” At first he denied that there was anything amiss, but after awhile he admitted that after all those years in ministry abroad, years of toil, hardship and anonymity, that he had actually hoped for a moment that the welcoming ceremony had been for them—that for once there would have been some fitting recognition of their life’s work. The missionary admitted he felt unappreciated and a bit sorry for himself.

 In a flash, his wife saw the life they had shared together play before her eyes—the joys, the sadness, the triumphs, the defeats. She grasped her husband’s arm, gave it a squeeze and smiled up into his face and said, “But remember, dear, we’re not home yet.”

Beloved, we’re not home yet. You and I have walked the road of mission together for quite some time now. There have been challenges and more than our share of joys. We are closer to the end of our journey together than we were when we began in 1995, but the one thing we must remember is this: We’re not done. “We are not home yet!”

 Nor is this old warrior quite ready to fade away. We are not home yet. Nor will we be until we are welcomed into the arms of God the Father. But we are in transition, still on the journey home—continually in transition throughout the spiritual journey which we call life. We are in transition in at least three critical respects: (1) We are in transition because the life of the Church is always in transition—“We are transfigured into [Christ’s] likeness, from splendor to splendor” (2 Cor. 3:18). (2) We are in transition from distraction to focus. And (3) we anticipate transition in leadership. All three transitions have significant consequences for us.

Transition through Transfiguration

This is our prayer on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, when the Gospel reading is the account of our Lord’s transfiguration on the mountaintop: “Grant . . . that we . . . may be . . . changed into his likeness from glory to glory.” Early in my episcopate we affirmed our determination to seek God’s grace to grow spiritually. Christian formation teachers and clergy from congregations around our diocese gathered time after time to help us focus on the spiritual journey of life. We knew that Christians are called to promote an ever-deepening understanding and ever-broadening practice of the Christian faith. So our goal, we said, is to grow more and more into the image of God in which we were created, after the example of Christ. That goal prompted the drafting of our spiritual vision statement: “We strive to be a people who love with the heart of Christ, think with the mind of Christ, and act in the world as the Body of Christ”.

 Long before you opened your hearths and your hearts to me, our holy predecessors (faithful lay people, bishops, priests, and deacons), had lived into a commitment to the Lord, to the Lord’s Great Commandment, and to the Lord’s Great Commission. We shared their recognition that faithfulness is incomplete without all of its components: intellectual belief in God, trust in God, and action on behalf of God. And we set about putting muscle and flesh onto the skeleton of our vision statement. So, building upon the groundwork of our predecessors, and within the framework of our spiritual vision statement, the people of our diocese prayed with each other, consulted with each other, and labored with each other to develop a plan which would put God’s vision to work. Prompted by the Great Commandment and the Great Commission we entitled our plan, “One Body, One Mission: Changing Lives.” And to celebrate, we gathered in Greenville for the “Great Gathering.” What a time—commitment and energy spilling out all over the place. “Our cup runneth over.” 

The consequence of transition through transfiguration is our very soul’s well-being—nothing less.

Transition from Distraction to Focus

 Much has happened in twelve years. Other issues and events emerged to challenge our broader mission—often distracting our focus and certainly affecting our common life. One of the painful consequences of this was a major impact on our stewardship. Prior to 2003 our diocese probably led all other dioceses in The Episcopal Church in percentages of pledges from congregations—led in both acceptance of and fulfillment of those pledges. One year the abundance was so great that we were able to return offerings to congregations. Since 2003, however, we have had to reduce our financial Statement of Mission—some still call it the budget—in every line item. “Every line item” included our commitment to The Episcopal Church. To my knowledge, for the first time in the history of Upper South Carolina we failed to provide our fair share in support of the mission of the larger family of which we are a part. Recently, thanks be to God and to you, our financial situation has improved. Thus, during the year 2008, we can now increase and strengthen the mission of our diocese to the levels of our former vigor. This means, significantly, that we can return to our full participation in the work of the Church beyond our diocesan borders. I urge you to support these commitments—all of them are the ministry of the Body of Christ—by passing the Statement of Mission. By doing so we acknowledge our belief that all of our resources, financial and otherwise, are gifts from God, and that our offerings are only a return of God’s money, God’s gifts to us. We show, too, that we are committed to faithful stewardship of those resources in communion with God’s one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church—that we know what it means to be part of something larger—one of the signs of a healthy Christian community.

 Beloved, it is time to reclaim our mission—no, to reclaim Christ’s mission. It’s time to refocus our fervor, resources, talents, energy and time on living into Christ’s first and second great commandments for us: to love God—then to love each other as we love ourselves; and to proclaim the Good News—making disciples, baptizing and teaching—spreading the joyful Kingdom of God one soul at a time.

 I repeat my determination that, with your support, we be a diocese which is mission-driven, not issue driven. We reclaim Christ’s mission at this time—we focus on our ministry in mission—not to avoid the issues that challenge us, but precisely to gain the necessary insight to respond faithfully to our Lord’s commandments and his commission to us. It is no secret that the Church is not of one mind on the issues surrounding human sexuality. But there are many, many issues about which Christ unequivocally calls us to action. Of those we are of one mind. As we engage in Christ’s mission, faithful to his call, I believe—no, I’m confident that we will gain the experience and the wisdom to be faithful to Christ’s call in matters of sexuality. If we have learned anything over the last four years, it is that resolution of these issues will take much more time—perhaps longer than our lifetimes. In the meantime, obedience to Jesus requires that we not be distracted from those pressing matters which demand our immediate attention.

 The consequence of transition from distraction to focus is a matter of faithfulness to Christ—nothing less.

Transition in Leadership

 Like death and taxes, transitions in leadership are inevitable. Each year we elect new Vestry members, new Council and Standing Committee members, new ECW officers, appoint new Sunday School teachers and Altar Guilds—you can add to the list. My point is that God continually provides the people whose gifts assure that, despite changes in individual participants, the “work [God] has given us to do” continues apace.

 The canons of The Episcopal Church require that bishops resign their diocesan position at age 72. I reach that age in January of 2011. As I said to this convention last May, I assume (hope?) that you will resist the urge to tar and feather me and run me out of the diocese on a rail prior to that date. On the other hand, I am so blessed by this ministry that you may have to drag me, kicking and screaming, from the cathedra—the bishop’s imposing and impressive chair—at our Trinity Cathedral. Nevertheless, the mission and love of Christ constrain us to be ready for a seamless transition from one bishop to the next. What must we do to insure that our mission and ministry—that the “work [God] has given us to do”—continue unabated—indeed, strengthened—for the present and future life and work of the Church?

 I repeat an experience I had at St. David’s Parish. In an open forum following a delicious breakfast, I was asked by a layman to name the goals I had twelve years ago at the beginning of my episcopate. I repeated them practically verbatim, recalling the seven goals I set out in my first convention address the very day of my consecration. But he startled me with another question: What, he asked, are your goals now? It took me some time to come to terms with that—to reclaim the clarity of our vision, and what it means for us now. I suppose that I had become so bogged down with bureaucratic details that the master vision had blurred. So I was reminded of the adage from the Book of Proverbs: “Without a vision, the people perish.” Possibly, without a vision, the bishop perishes . . .  

We have a vision: “One Body, One Mission: Changing Lives.” It, too, is in transition—of necessity, in order to meet the changing needs of the Church and of the world. Presently we have restructured the entire diocese into commissions to enhance our mission and the effectiveness with which we live into that mission and that plan. I have adjusted the job descriptions of my own staff in order better to support that development. But a vision we have, and I am committed to it.

 So: here is the response that I would give today to the communicant at St. David’s who asked me to identify my present-day goals, which I now hold out to you. There are four.

Four Goals for a Seamless Transition into the Future

 1. First, the Healthy Church Initiative. As the result of a generous gift to the bishop, to be used at my discretion, we adopted a program which will enable our congregations to assess their present life, ministry and mission; to discern the specific ministry to which they believe God is calling them today and in the future. Stated more concisely, perhaps: the objective is that every congregation have a specific and definitive plan for its mission, life, and ministry. Such a plan requires an identification of the resources, financial and otherwise, sufficient to implement the plan. The Healthy Church Initiative will accomplish that for us. It is available to every single congregation in USC, at no cost to either congregation or diocese—all costs are covered by the gift, which constitutes the HCI fund. As of the end of August, thirty-five congregations (or thirty-seven, depending on how one counts the Church of the Ridge), have either scheduled, begun, or completed work with our consultant, the Rev’d Tony Watkins. We celebrate their progress. We also celebrate the results of capital fund drives in those parishes for which they were deemed feasible. They have already produced gifts and pledges of some eighteen million dollars. Of the amount raised, we invite those congregations to pledge 10% to fund a Healthy Church Initiative Foundation, so that for the indefinite future we can continue to provide for our parishes and missions the support they need for mission effectiveness. But let me be clear about this. The HCI is not a fund-raising project. Its primary and overall purpose is to maximize mission effectiveness—that is, to enable congregations ever to be more and more effective in reaching and converting the unchurched, while simultaneously enhancing Christian community, spiritual growth, and renewal. It’s not about money, it’s not about maintenance. It’s all about mission!

 At last year’s convention I expressed my expectation that every one of our congregations would have participated, or at least enrolled, in a Healthy Church Consultation prior to the opening of this convention. That has not occurred, so now I shall be in consultation myself with the leadership of those congregations not yet participating. I expect and urge them to do so, or to engage in a suitable alternative, and, working together, to establish a timeline so that, in the foreseeable future, every congregation has a plan—and is at work putting the plan in action.

 2. The population of our state, including our diocese, is exploding. Projections by the Bureau of the Census affirm the growth our own eyes witness. Faithfulness to our Lord’s Great Commission and our own vision action plan requires that we develop a mission strategy to take advantage of this significant, blessed, and challenging opportunity to spread the Kingdom of God. Thus, our second goal—development of an effective mission strategy—is clear: to have in place a plan for planting new missions, and a strategy for assisting congregations already in place for assertive evangelism. An indispensable part of such a strategy is the further enrichment of our ministry with our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters—strategy not just for the future, but for here and now. I feel compelled to share with you that my visitations with the Spanish-speaking congregations of St. Mary’s, Columbia, and St. Francis’, Greenville, have been among the highlights of my episcopacy—joyful, exciting, inspirational.

 3. We cannot—we dare not, for our soul’s health, the health of the Church and the salvation of the world—we will not retreat from our commitment to Christian formation “from the womb to the tomb.” So, third, let’s present to the next bishop programs, wherever we have an altar—for growing in our understanding and practice of the Christian faith. “To think with the mind of Christ” requires knowledge—constantly growing knowledge and a comfortable familiarity—with Holy Scripture, the Tradition of the Church, and Reason—all under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 4. Finally, fourth, we cannot ignore the great opportunity that we have—unique to our day and time—to continue to “do the work that [God] has given us to do.” We are poised to make remarkable progress in the mission which Jesus Christ proclaimed for himself and—therefore—for those who now constitute his Body. In the synagogue, Jesus took up the scroll and read from the prophet Isaiah: to “bring good news to the poor . . . to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, [and to] proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”. This present and unique opportunity comes to us as the Millennium Development Goals. Episcopalians in USC are off to a great start in numerous, exciting ventures in mission associated with the MDG’s—some of those ways will be celebrated during this convention. This is not so much a goal in itself as it is a way to measure how effective we are in meeting the three challenges I have set before you: the Healthy Church Initiative, development of a mission strategy, and Christian formation. Our involvement in reaching the MDG’s is a thermometer for measuring our spiritual health and mission accomplishment—and, along with evangelism, a demonstration of our commitment “to act in the world as the Body of Christ.”

 The consequence of transition in leadership depends upon how we handle it. It can be disruptive and distracting and with diminishing emphasis on mission and ministry. Or it can be well-managed and intentional, and with stability and continuity—yes, growth—in continuing “to do the work [God] has given us to do”.

In All Respects, a Diocese Committed to Mission

 I am determined that the Body of Christ in Upper South Carolina continue steadfastly united in the mission of Christ, which is the mission of the Church. Indeed, Christ’s mission is your mission and mine by virtue of our baptism. As we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, so we are baptized into his mission. That mission is irrevocably dependent upon the unity of the Church. This is the clear and unmistaken teaching of our Lord, as summarized in his High-Priestly Prayer recorded in John 17, a prayer offered to his Father the night before he was crucified. “I ask,” Jesus said, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. . . . so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” The order and construction of this prayer speaks to the Church throughout all ages, in the midst of any controversy: mission leads to unity, and unity to mission.

 So it is that we are called by Christ to spread the Kingdom in his name, to rely upon the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, and to trust God the Father in all matters of judgment, leaving that judgment to him. It is within the context of that faith in the Trinity, and upon the promises of God, that, so far as I am concerned, we shall be a diocese driven by a passion for Christ and for Christ’s Kingdom, committed to spreading that Kingdom because we have Christ’s passion for souls.

 “We’re not home yet”. Our journey continues—a pilgrimage, really, one which takes us from one place to another, one stage to another, one development to another. Life is—again—a life of transition. Our individual journeys have a beginning and an end. But the journey of the Church, the Body of Christ, transcends lifetimes—yes—my ego is loathe to admit it—the journey of the Church transcends episcopacies. It began with the Day of Pentecost—the birthday of the Church—and disappears into our future. It began with the apostles as pilgrims, continued with generation upon generation of pilgrims—a journey walked by all who have preceded us and by those who follow us. I want this diocese to be as faithful and as dynamic in mission as, by the grace of God, we can be—not because it will earn us merit, but for the sake and blessing and effectiveness of those who succeed us as the Body of Christ in Upper South Carolina.

 In our journey, it is Jesus who is our North Star.

 Beloved, it is my most fervent desire that, when the time comes, I have the ability to deliver into the hands of my successor a vibrant, confident, and healthy diocese and episcopacy. But my desire is not sufficient. It requires the faithful commitment of each of you and that of each person in each pew in each congregation. I need your help to reach this point of clarity and promise.

 I conclude with the words with which I began—a reminder from St. Paul that we are those “whom God loves and has called to be his dedicated people.” As our journey home continues, let us by the power of God’s Holy Spirit become more and more “his dedicated people.” As our voices and our hearts sang this very day:

“Come, labor on. Who dares stand idle, on the harvest plain, while all around us waves the golden grain?

“And to each servant does the Master say, ‘Go work today.’

 “Come, labor on, No time for rest, till glows the western sky, till the long shadows o’er our pathway lie, and a glad sound comes with the setting sun,

 “‘Servants, well done.’”

elected for a two-year term to fill the seat vacated by the rev. timothy dombek

Nancy J. Kenney, St. Augustine of Canterbury, Aiken
The Rev’d Nancy Kenney has been at St Augustine since 2006, beginning as the deacon-in-charge and becoming priest-in-charge at her ordination in May of 2006. She received her M.Div. from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry.

Currently she serves on the Commission on the Ministry to the Baptized and has applied to start a chapter for the Daughters of the King at St Augustine, for which she will be chaplain. Additionally, she was one of the spiritual directors at Cursillo #107 and served was one of the chaplains at Gravatt this past summer.

In the community she serves on the Board of ACTS (Area Churches Together Serving), an organization that serves those in need in Aiken County.

ELECTION #7
UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH
CLERGY ORDER

One (1) member of the Clergy canonically resident to be elected for a one (1) year term to fill the unexpired term of
The Rev'd Jerry Dubose

Nicholas M. Beasley, Church of the Resurrection, Greenwood
The Rev’d Nicholas Beasley is a 1997 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of the South. He completed some seminary courses at Sewanee’s School of Theology as an undergraduate and in the summer program, before receiving his M.Div. from Yale. After earning a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt, he taught at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and plans some adjunct teaching in the Greenwood area.

He has served parishes in Greenville, SC, and Nashville, TN, and is now rector of Church of the Resurrection in Greenwood.

He has served Sewanee in the past as a member of the Board of Trustees (2002-2005), on the Community Relations Committee, as a member of his Five-Year Reunion Committee, and through the Off Campus Admissions Program in Nashville. He has also supported the University through the activities of Sewanee Clubs in Greenville, Nashville, and Atlanta.
 

ELECTION #8
UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH
LAY ORDER

One (1) Confirmed adult Lay communicant in good standing who is a member entitled to vote in a congregation of this diocese to be elected for a term of three (3) years

L. David Condon, Trinity Cathedral, Columbia
Mr. David  Condon, a lifelong Episcopalian, grew up an active member of Grace Church, Charleston. He earned a B.A. from the University of the South in 1982, an M.A. from the London School of Economics in 1985, and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1988.

He has practiced law in Charleston, moved to Washington in 1997 to take the position of deputy director of GEAR UP under Education Secretary Dick Riley, and in 2006 returned to South Carolina to become the first Executive Director of the South Carolina Association of Technical College Commissioners, a statewide organization dedicated to advocacy on behalf of the state’s technical colleges.

Over the years his contributions to Sewanee have included volunteering for the Off Campus Admission Program, service as president of the Sewanee Club of Charleston and class representative to the Sewanee Fund
 

ELECTION #9
TRUSTEES
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH HOME FOR CHILDREN (YORK PLACE)

Persons to be nominated for three (3) year term by the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Church Home for Children and confirmed by Convention.

Confirmed by Convention are the Rev. P. William Greeley (Bill) and Mr. Kirby Shealy III.

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE 85TH CONVENTION
Resolution from Matthew 25 Committee in support of:
 SOUTH CAROLINA FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS UNITED TO REDUCE TOBACCO USE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS: A major tenet of every faith is spiritual well-being and the promotion of good physical and mental health, and tobacco use undermines both,

 WHEREAS: Every year, more than-5,900 South Carolinians die preventable deaths caused by tobacco addiction, due both to smoking and other forms of tobacco use, and thousands more suffer from tobacco-caused disability and disease-,'

 WHEREAS: One in every five high-school aged youth in South Carolina is a current smoker (19%); 21 % of middle school students who have ever tried smoking did so before age 11; and another 6,500 South Carolina children become addicted smokers every year;

 WHEREAS: Exposure to secondhand smoke in workplaces and homes kills and/or harms thousands of South Carolinians every year;

 WHEREAS: 18% of pregnant women in South Carolina report smoking during pregnancy; and smoking nearly doubles the chances for an infant to be born at a low birth weight, which can lead to many costly, long-term health complications;

WHEREAS: South Carolina's health care expenditures caused by tobacco use total more than $1.09 billion each year, including more than $390 million in annual tobacco-caused expenditures by the State Medicaid program; and every South Carolina household, smoking or not, paid $578 to cover the costs;

 WHEREAS: The state allocates only $2 million to youth smoking prevention and cessation efforts, which is a fraction of the $24 million annual minimum recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);

 BE IT RESOLVED: That the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina endorses comprehensive and effective public policy measures recommended by the CDC and other experts to prevent and reduce smoking and other tobacco use in the state, particularly among children and pregnant women, including: 

·        Increasing South Carolina's cigarette tax rate to at least the national average of state tax rates ($1.07 per pack as of September 2007) to reduce youth smoking and help fund prevention and cessation programs and other health care needs;

·        Prohibiting smoking in all places of worship and workplaces, including restaurants and bars;

·        Funding South Carolina's tobacco prevention and cessation programs to at least the minimum level of $24 million per year as suggested by the CDC;

·        Eliminating any state government preemption of local efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use or its harms.

CHANGES TO THE CANONS ADOPTED BY THE 85TH cONVENTION

August 2, 2007

Offered by Diocesan Executive Council and Committee on Constitution and Canons
Bold print shows existing language; underlined text indicates proposed amendment

Title VI
 SECTION 2.  Each Convocation shall have as its presiding officer a Dean.  For each Convocation, the Bishop shall nominate two Clergy as candidates for Dean, and the voting members of each Convocation shall elect, from the two nominees, its Dean. Each Convocation shall have a Convocation Warden selected from the Laity of the Convocation by the voting members of Convocation. Upon the Bishop’s approval the Dean and  Convocation Warden shall be appointed and installed in their respective offices at the Annual Diocesan Convention.  Upon the approval of the Dean and Convocation Warden by the Bishop, they shall be appointed and installed in their respective offices at the Annual Diocesan Convention..  The terms of the office of the Dean and Convocation Warden shall begin with their installation and continue at the direction of the Bishop, not to exceed three years.  Vacancy in the office of the Dean shall be filled by an Acting Dean, appointed by the Bishop, to serve until the next Annual Diocesan Convention, and vacancy in the office of the Convocation Warden shall be filled by an Acting Convocation Warden appointed by the Dean who shall serve until the next regularly scheduled Convocation Meeting, at which time a Convocation Warden shall be elected to serve the unexpired term.

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