The  Annual Meeting of the Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina will be held March 9 and 10, 2018 at Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant.

Friday, March 9

1-4 p.m. Workshops
4:15 p.m. Clergy Vesting
5:00 p.m. Opening Convention Eucharist
7:00 p.m. Reception

 Saturday, March 10

7:30 a.m. Registration Begins
9:00 a.m. Call to Convention

Certification of Delegates

There are two versions of the certificate: a printable version that you fill out and mail and an online version which may be filled out online and returned via email. If you use this version be sure to save a copy to your computer once it’s filled out. Please return completed form by January 31, 2018.

Registration

Visitors are welcome, but seating in the visitor gallery is very limited. Alternates attending (in addition to your delegation) must be registered as a visitor. (Registration includes dinner Friday and lunch Saturday.)
Cost:
$75.00/per person for clergy and lay delegation
$35.00/per person for visitors
Register here.  Deadline to register delegation is January 31, 2018.

Bishop Lowenfield Opening Eucharist Preacher

The Rt. Rev. Clark W. P. Lowenfield, Bishop of Anglican Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast, ACNA, will be the preacher at our service of Holy Eucharist on Friday, March 9 at 5:00 p.m.

Bishop Lowenfield is married to Tricia, and they have three daughters and two sons-in-law. He has served as senior pastor of churches in South Carolina and Texas for over 30 years. Clark is a graduate of Amherst College with degrees in Political Science and Economics and The University of the South-School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee with a Master of Divinity.

Convention Workshops

The Diocese is kicking off its Annual Convention, by hosting workshops on Friday, March 9. Each one will be offered twice with the first session running from 1-2:15 p.m. and the second 2:45 to 4:00 p.m. These workshops are free and open to the public. View flyer.  Register here.

A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor: Community Demographics and Thinking Outside our Walls
Presenter: The Rev. Tyler Prescott, Associate Rector, St. Paul’s, Summerville

We live in one of the fastest growing regions in the US and, yet, most of the people moving here are not going to wake up and come to our churches on Sunday morning! If we hope to look outside the walls of our churches, we need a full and deep understanding of both our congregation and our community. Join us in this workshop as we explore these themes and how MissionInsite, new software provided by the Diocese, can help cultivate strategically thinking, community-focused churches in our rapidly changing ministry context.

Church Planting 101: Kingdom Mission: A Work of Heart
Presenter: The Rt. Rev. TJ Johnston, St. Peter’s Church, Mt. Pleasant

In this break-out Bishop TJ Johnston will be exploring how the Holy Spirit shapes a heart and positions leadership for starting (or re-starting) a church. This will be a practical and encouraging conversation for all who are interested in how Jesus leads the Church into Kingdom-oriented mission.

Matthew 25 Initiative
Presenter: The Reverend Michael Wurschmidt, Shepherd’s Heart Ministries, Pittsburgh, PA

The Matthew 25 Initiative started with a vision from Archbishop Foley Beach and his desire to use a generous grant from an anonymous donor to help churches reach the poor and needy in their communities. It is working. Since 2015, the Matthew 25 Initiative has helped to fund 75 new projects and ministries in the ACNA Province. Who are your neighbors? How could your church show the love of Christ to those easily forgotten, overlooked, and passed-by? That’s what M25i is here for: to help kick-start those ministries. Pray. Dream. Plan. Apply. Come to this workshop, and you will hear stories of hope and learn how you and your congregation can start a MT25 ministry.

Men’s Ministry: The Irresistible Church
Presenter: Jay Crouse, Men’s Ministry Coordinator, The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina

What a difference 2000 years can make. Then, 12 spirit-led men began sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and today there are 2.2 billion Christians. But, the question is: where are those men today? Join Jay Crouse, Coordinator for Men’s Ministry for the Diocese of South Carolina and author of Men and the Church: Is There a Future? to explore this real church challenge and the irresistible options to overcome this challenge.

50 Great Days of Easter: Exploring the Glorious Hope of Heaven
Presenter: The Rev. Dr. Kendall S. Harmon, Canon Theologian, Diocese of South Carolina

This class will examine biblical themes and passages, drawing especially from the book of Revelation, to paint some of the broad contours of the life of the world to come. The images are rich and varied, and should serve to excite our imagination about where we will spend eternity, about which Augustine said “There we shall rest and see, see and love, love and praise. This is what shall be in the end without end.”

Resolutions

If you have resolution(s) that you would like mailed out to the delegates prior to the Convention, I must have them no later than February 1st, 2018. We urge you to offer the Convention time to prayerfully consider any resolution that might be set forth, and to observe this deadline.

Further Information

If you have questions contact the Convention Coordinator  Beth Snyder at (843) 722-4075 or bsnyder@adosc.org.