VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - CHARLESTON, SC: Parishes are free to choose their own future, says bishop: The Bishop of South Carolina, Mark Lawrence told the majority of his clergy and parishes that they have been set free to go wherever they want ecclesiastically. He has made no decision as to what he and those who follow him will do.
Those who stay are free to opt out and free to decide their future, he said. The diocese, under Lawrence, still retains the name and legal seal of the Diocese of South Carolina. It will continue under that name and seal even though it is no longer a diocese of The Episcopal Church.
"Those who are not with us, you may go in peace; your properties intact. Those who have yet to decide we give you what time you need. Persuasion is almost always the preferable policy, not coercion. By God's grace we will bear you no ill," he told his diocese. Earlier in the year Lawrence issued a 'quit claim' to parishes allowing them disaffiliate from the diocese and choose their own ecclesiastical authority.
"We have many friends among the bishops, priests and laity of TEC, and we wish you well. Furthermore, I bear no ill toward the Episcopal Church. She has been the incubator for an Anglican Christianity where God placed me many years ago." He described his differences with the Episcopal Church as a 'lover's quarrel.'
"To all who will continue with us: 'Let us rend our hearts and not our garments.' Let us be careful not to poison the waters of our communities with our differences with TEC. We shall move on."
Lawrence said that having moved on the Standing Committee's resolution of disassociation, disassociation has been accomplished legally and canonically. "The resolutions before you this day are affirmations of that fact. You have only to decide if that is your will and your emotions will follow."
Canon lawyer Ross "Buddy" Lindsay told VOL that the situation with the Diocese of South Carolina is no different from the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMIA). "The Episcopal Church cannot get its hands on the properties thanks to the All Saints Supreme Court decision."
The Rt. Rev. Greg Brewer, a Communion Partner bishop and TEC Bishop of Central Florida who read Lawrence's speech described it as "heartbreaking."
Interestingly those overseas bishops who sent words of encouragement were all from the same jurisdiction: Egypt, North Africa, Horn of Africa - all under Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis. Lawrence has been cultivating this relationship for some time. This could indicate from where his future affiliation will come.
Without Anglican authority, the question then becomes: who will Archbishop Justin Welby recognize once he becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury? Welby visited with the TEC House of Bishops last spring and spoke favorably to them.
Another orthodox Anglican Bishop raised the specter of Katharine Jefferts Schori going into Federal court since there is a plurality of jurisdictions (NY vs. SC) and an amount at stake of more than $75,000. By going into federal court, she bypasses entirely the state Supreme Court Dennis Canon ruling and gets a new bite at the apple.
While Jefferts Schori cannot get her hands on parishes because the Dennis Canon has been ruled out of court, she could go for the diocese's downtown headquarters.
One thing is for sure, TEC's Presiding Bishop will now formally approach Bishop Charles vonRosenberg, a resident retired bishop in the diocese, to lead the rebel FORUM parishes, about a dozen, and form a new diocese with the same name as the current diocese. It is only a matter of time before Lawrence is formally deposed.
In his message to the diocese, Lawrence stated, "South Carolina has been and continues to be a microcosm of North American Anglicanism-with all that is good and vital, and all that is most troubling. In an address at the Mere Anglicanism Conference last January I noted that there were some six overlapping jurisdictions within the boundaries of our diocese all making claims one way or another to being Anglican.
"With the exception of this Diocese of South Carolina, the oldest of these Churches is the Reformed Episcopal Church. There are many REC congregations throughout South Carolina. They reach a good number of people with a vital faith and a strong Anglican tradition. They have a goodly heritage and a seminary just up the road in Summerville. Then there's the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) which has until recently been the mother church of their movement at Pawleys Island. Recently the All Saints' Pawleys Island congregation voted to associate with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). But AMiA has still other congregations scattered across the Low Country-some with bishops and some with rectors.
"Then this year ACNA ordained a former rector of this diocese, The Rt. Rev. Steve Wood, of St. Andrew's Mt. Pleasant as the first bishop of their new Diocese of the Carolinas, which includes North and South Carolina. St. Andrew's offers dynamic ministry and many within this diocese have kept bridges of relationships with these brothers and sisters in Christ and for this I give thanks. There are other Anglican bodies as well, some of whose bishops I know and some I do not."
Lawrence called the situation "un-Anglican."
"All these bishops overlapping one another - South Carolina may well be the most 'Anglicanized' turf in North America. Everybody's talking about Anglicans. You know what happens when everyone's talking about Baptists? They grow churches. Everyone's' talking about Anglicans. It's our moment."
When asked about affiliation at a press conference following his address, Lawrence commented, "For now-no one. As any wise pastor will tell you, if you been in a troubling, painful or dysfunctional relationship for a long period of time and then the marriage or relationship ends, you would be wise not to jump right away into the first one that comes along and tie the knot. You'd be wise take your time. God will guide us, we will stay in."
You can watch a video of Bishop Lawrence's speech here:
http://www.anglican.tv/content/diocese-south-carolina-special-convention-bishops-address
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