Bishop Search Profile and Nomination Form Now Available

December 12, 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ…

Peace to you, and grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Nominating Committee for the Ninth Bishop of Upper South Carolina invites you to learn more about who we are and the bishop we seek through the pages of our Diocesan Profile. Explore our diocese in detail. Within the profile you will find underlined blue text that is hyperlinked to information about us and our ministries.


In assembling the profile, we sought input from laity and clergy throughout the diocese through an online survey. The thoughts of those who responded are entwined around the portrait presented and quoted throughout the profile. You will see that while we are diverse in our views, in the sizes of our congregations, and in our worship styles, we are of one mind in our wish to be a diocese woven together in unity and love.

The fabric of our diocese is strong and resilient, despite being stretched and tested by this unique time in history. An apt metaphor of our diocese is a quilt of diverse ministries knit together by the desire to carry on effectively the work begun by prior generations.

COVID-19 has forced parishes to make tough decisions and move into new ways of being church. The use of technology has quickly evolved in our churches and ministries over the past months. Our next bishop will need to be comfortable weaving together our desire to honor traditions of worship and love of liturgy and the reality of taking advantage of technology as part of the fabric of worship. Our next bishop will lead us through a time that will call for creativity and change in the way we minister to our local communities and share the Good News of God in Jesus Christ. There will be opportunities to weave new ministries together and reinforce existing ones.

We look forward to the process of discernment with those who wish to explore a call to be our next bishop. It is no small step to put yourself, and your family, forward in the exploration of what God has in store for us in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina.

We will pray for you. We ask that you pray for us, for the process of discovering our new bishop and for all who will work together in ministry in this diocese.

Faithfully,

Ms. Melissa Langford, Co-Chair The Rev. Grant B Wiseman, Co-Chair
The Rev. Scotty Brock Ms. Susan Pretulak
Mr. John Cantey The Rev. Patricia Sexton
Ms. Shawn Dunham Mr. West Summers
The Rev. Charles Jenkins Ms. Corliss Wise
The Rev. Mia McDowell The Rev. Raphiell Ashford, Alternate
Mr. Larry Moore Ms. Lillian Hardaway, Alternate