Make/Equip/Send: The Stories that Shape EDUSC

Raphiell Ashford, Rector of St. Luke's, Columbia, reflects on where he sees signs of new life in his congregation and community.

Hannah Flack, Director Of Youth Ministry at Christ Church, Greenville, offers our latest reflection on signs of new life this Easter season.

Kris Neely, a parishioner at St. Christopher's, Spartanburg, reflects on where he sees signs of new life in his community.

Click here to view more of Kris' artwork.

The Rev. Janey Wilson, rector of Our Saviour, Rock Hill, reflects on where she sees signs of new life in her community.
Click here to visit the Amazon wishlist page to support Our Saviour's Little Free Pantry.

We're launching a new video and podcast series where we're asking folks from around the diocese to reflect on this question: Where do you see signs of new life in your families, communities, and congregations? Today Bishop Waldo kicks off the series with his reflection.

Bishop Waldo preached about God's contagious love at Trinity Cathedral's Easter Eucharist on Sunday, April 12, 2020.

The Rev. Mitch Smith preached a powerful sermon at Caitlyn Darnell's ordination last night, calling her (and all of us) to participate in God's mission in this time and place.

At the end of our Pre-Lenten Clergy Retreat, we gathered for eucharist and the renewal of ordination vows. In her sermon, the Rev. Janey Wilson (Our Saviour, Rock Hill), talked to us about her call, Samuel's call, and our call to follow Jesus.

Cameron Vivanco, EDUSC missionary in Ecuador and founder of Education Equals Hope, is facilitating our 2020 Pre-Lenten Clergy Retreat at Camp Gravatt. In her opening session, she shared her story and invited us to look for God in the midst of our stories.

Our 97th Diocesan Convention was held Nov. 8-9 at Christ Church, Greenville. Bishop Waldo's sermon during the convention Eucharist helped focus us on our call to be Baptized for Life.

Resources from the 97th Diocesan Convention:
https://www.edusc.org/97th-diocesan-convention/

EDUSC partnered with the SC Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation for the 2019 Equity Summit, a space for those actively engaged in race equity and inclusion efforts across the Southeast to lean on and learn from each other. In one session, Dr. Catherine Meeks, Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, spoke with us about moving from racial reconciliation to racial healing.

Links from this episode:

• SC Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation
• Equity Summit
• Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing
• EDUSC Race & Reconciliation Committee

St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Greenville, S.C., recently celebrated it's 50th anniversary. Bishop Waldo's sermon that day focused on how we as disciples discern who we are, where we are going, and why.

Click here to learn more about the history of St. Peter's.

If you've ever planned a funeral for a loved one, you know how difficult that can be. This week I sat down with Patricia Sexton, rector of All Saints, Cayce, to talk about her work with the South Carolina Funeral Consumers Alliance.

Links mentioned in the show:

• South Carolina Funeral Consumers Alliance
• Funeral home price surveys
• The Episcopal Church's efforts around race and reconciliation
• Sacred Ground study series

EDUSC clergy and spouses recently gathered at Kanuga for our annual Fall Clergy Conference. This year, Donald Romanik from the Episcopal Church Foundation led us in a discussion of stewardship as a way of life. I hope you enjoy his opening plenary from the conference, focusing on Transformative Stewardship.

EDUSC's Committee on Environmental Stewardship and Justice is committed to providing information and resources to assist congregations in initiating or continuing programs that reflect care for creation.

The group recently hosted a one-day conference on environmental stewardship, and Rob Brown (Rector of St. Matthew's, Spartanburg) led a session on the theological foundations of creations care.

Voorhees College and the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina recently received a grant from the United Thank Offering for the Voorhees College Campus Community Initiative, a two-part project to develop a new Welcome Center and update the existing Wellness and Fitness Complex.

We sat down with Charlene Johnson, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and Athletic Director, and Ronnie Hopkins, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, to discuss what all can be accomplished through this partnership.

Read more about the partnership here: https://www.edusc.org/blog/crossing-boundaries-creating-community/

This past Saturday we celebrated the ordination of Jenn Pilat, and the preacher was the Rev. Dr. Mark Jefferson. Dr. Jefferson is the Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Virginia Theological Seminary.

You can learn more about Dr. Jefferson here: https://www.vts.edu/academics/faculty-and-vice-presidents/the-rev-mark-jefferson-phd

This month we talk with EDUSC alum Alan Yarborough, who was involved with Canterbury at Clemson University and has worked with our teams in Cange, Haiti. He now serves as Communications Coordinator in The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations.

Show notes:

Canterbury at Clemson
https://www.holytrinityclemson.org/ministries/canterbury/

Cange, Haiti
https://www.edusc.org/cange-haiti/

Office of Government Relations
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/office-government-relations

Civil Discourse curriculum
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/ogr_civildiscoursecurriculum_full.pdf

Worship can be a powerful way to encounter the living God. Our stories intersect with God's story as the gifts of God are celebrated and shared by the people of God. In his new book, Gifts of God for the People of God, Furman Buchanan, rector of St. Peter's (Greenville), explores and reflects on each element of Holy Eucharist, the service most often held on Sunday mornings.

Moving from the first spoken word of the service—blessed—to the last phrase—Thanks be to God—Buchanan explains the theological and scriptural elements of the service, helping newcomers and longtime members alike gain a deeper understanding of this gift of God.

Click here to pre-order the book from Forward Movement.

The Rev. Suz Cate, Rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Clemson, S.C., shares her sermon from Easter Sunday, "Let Your Alleluias Rise."