GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL

As students prepare for a new school year, many Episcopal churches are joining with faith and community groups to collect school supplies for young learners in need. The school supplies above were collected recently by the members of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen, SC, to donate to a local school.

The Episcopal Church offers various resources to help local parishes promote and organize these back-to-school events. Find more here.

For more information on school supply drives and "Blessing of the Bookbags/Backpacks" services in the Diocese, check out this webpage.

MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND THE 229TH DIOCESAN CONVENTION

You are invited to our 229th Diocesan Convention on November 15-16 at the North Charleston Marriott! Everything you need to know about attending can be found on the Convention Page.

Each church registers its lay and clergy delegates together, so if you're a delegate, please check directly with your church leadership about registration, accommodations and other details. 

ELECTIONS AND NOMINATIONS

Convention delegates will be voting to fill several diocesan offices, and the Nominating Committee is inviting everyone's participation in the process, seeking wide and diverse involvement among the many talented people who make up our part of the Body of Christ in South Carolina. Find answers to questions about the nominating process and see the offices that are being filled by clicking the link below.

ARCHDEACON VISITS SOCIETY OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST IN CAMBRIDGE

One day last week Archdeacon Callie Walpole attended a Eucharist at the Society of St John the Evangelist (SSJE) in Cambridge, MA.  Callie describes the experience as one of "serendipitous encouragement." The celebrant, Brother Geoffrey Tristam, prayed for our diocese; and, afterward, quite unexpectedly, the other brothers present also offered their own assurances of support for us in South Carolina in the eternal work of rebuilding and restoration to which we are called—and in which we are all engaged on a daily basis. 

If you do not already, you can subscribe to receive daily meditations from SSJE, “Brother, Give Us a Word” at this link.

REGISTER TO ATTEND FORMA 2020

Save the date for the 2020 Forma conference, which will be held in Midtown Atlanta. This joint conference, featuring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, brings together groups from across the Episcopal Church to talk about formation, evangelism, mission, leadership and much more. Many from our diocese attended the 2018 conference that we hosted in Charleston, as well as the 2019 event in Indianapolis.

Registration is open and teams receive a discount. Register online through this link to be part of the TECSC team. Please contact Andrea McKellar at amckellar@episcopalchurchsc.org for more details.

NEEDED: FEEDBACK ON DIOCESAN BUDGET  

As part of a new, more inclusive process for developing the budget for our Diocese, Bishop Skip Adams and the Diocesan Council are asking members of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina to offer delberate and discerned ideas and suggestions for the 2020 Diocesan Budget.

An online form is available now through August 15 for providing input on what should be in the spending plan that will be proposed and voted on at the 229th Diocesan Convention in November. 

PRAYER CALENDAR 

Prayer Calendar: This week on our Diocesan Prayer Calendar, we are praying for Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community in Charleston, SC.

About the Prayer Calendar: The Bishop's calendar of visitations for 2018-2019 have ended, but through the summer we continue to pray weekly for institutions of our Diocese. We also continue to pray for our fellow Anglicans worldwide on the Anglican Cycle of Prayer. 

The first part of the Bishop's visitation schedule and the 2019-2020 Diocesan Prayer Calendar are now available, with dates through the remainder of 2019. Because of the bishop transition, dates in 2020 will be published as soon as they are finalized. Find the prayer calendar here (August dates are on the 2018-19 calendar). 

UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS 

August 15: Feast of St. Mary the Virgin at the Church of the Holy Communion, Charleston. For more information, call 843.722.2024 or email office@holycomm.org. 

August 17: Whole Hog BBQ Fundraiser for St. Francis Episcopal Church, to be held at the Holy Spirit Lutheran Church pavilion at 3075 Bees Ferry Road, Charleston from 5-6:30 on Saturday, August 17. Come enjoy a plate of chopped pork barbeque, rice, baked beans, cole slaw, roll, dessert, and a beverage while raising money for outreach efforts. Call 843.284.8838 for tickets. Details here.

August 24: Women's Ministry Pot Luck Brunch at St. George's Episcopal Church, Summerville, at 10:30 a.m. Ms. Sylvia Johnson, a cousin of the late Rev. Dr. Clementa Pinckney, the Mother Emanuel AME Pastor (and SC State Representative) who was killed in the church shooting in June 2015.  She will share her journey of faith, her personal testimony to the goodness of God over the past four years of complicated grief associated with multiple losses beginning with the violent death of her beloved cousin. Bring a dish to share.

September 14: Charleston Pride Parade and Festival. A group with St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Charleston, will participate and gather at Wragg Mall at 8:15. The festival will take place in Brittlebank Park after the parade. Please email  Diane or Pat if you plan to attend. 

October 30-November 3: Fall Flower Festival at Grace Church Cathedral. Registration is now open for three seminars by floral designer Lee Berrill of England offered October 30-November 1. Displays of the dozens of flower arrangements at the cathedral will run through All Saints weekend (November 2-3). Find details here. A printable form is here. 

LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE OF PRESIDING BISHOP MICHAEL CURRY'S WAY OF LOVE PODCAST

As Jesus went to the highways and byways, he sends us beyond our circles and comfort, to witness to the love, justice, and truth of God with our lips and with our lives. We go to listen with humility and to join God in healing a hurting world. We go to become Beloved Community, a people reconciled in love with God and one another.

Take a moment to listen to Episode 8 of "The Way of Love" with Bishop Michael Curry: Go - Learning to Live Like Jesus through this link.

COLLEGE BOUND? GET CONNECTED WITH CAMPUS MINISTRY

Do you know a graduating high school senior who will be headed to college this fall? The Episcopal Church in South Carolina would like to help connect them with a church or campus ministry. Visit our College Ministry Page and fill out the contact form. You'll find information for colleges in our Diocese (College of Charleston, The Citadel, Voorhees, Coastal Carolina and others), as well as the Diocese of Upper South Carolina (which includes Clemson, the University of South Carolina, Furman, Converse, Wofford and other Upstate schools).

UPCOMING EVENTS