Anglican leaders will gather in Charleston, SC on October 3 for “We are One in Christ,” a gathering hosted by the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina.  The gathering will begin at 6 p.m. with a light supper and be followed with brief presentations and time for conversation and interaction afterwards.

Our Guests will Include:

• Bishop Probal Dutta, Bishop of Durgapur, Church of North India
• The Rev. John Chol Daau, Episcopal Church of South Sudan
• Bishop Daniel Wario Qampicha, Diocese of Marsabit, Kenya
• Bishop Stephen Kaziimba, Diocese of Mityana, Uganda
• Bishop Seth Ndayirukiye, Bishop of Matana, Burundi
• Bishop Francis Matui, Bishop of Makueni, Kenya
• Bernard Bisoke Balikenga, Provincial Youth Coordinator, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Bishop Johnson Gakumba, Diocese of Northern Uganda
• The Rev. Fred Ochieng Onyango, Vicar, Emmanuel Church, Shaurimoyo Parish in the Anglican Diocese of Maseno South, Kisumu-Kenya
• The Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye, Provost of All Saints Cathedral, Kampala, Uganda
• Bishop George Kasangaki, Diocese of Masindi-Kitara, Uganda
• Bishop Joseph Kibucwa, Diocese of Kirinyaga, Kenya
• And more.

International Partnerships are Transformative

Our (International) partnerships have been one of the driving forces growing our church,” said the Rev. Gary Beson, speaking of St. Timothy’s relationship with the Rev. Fred Onyango, a priest serving in the Anglican Diocese of Maseno South in Kenya and the Rt. Rev. Qampicha Wario, Bishop of Marsabit in the Anglican Church of Kenya. It’s like Ruth and Esther: ‘your people will be my people; and your God my God.

I can’t imagine not having a relationship with someone from another part of the world, both for my sake and for the growth of our church. You have to be partnered with someone else in the world to keep from getting tunnel vision. It’s easy to sometimes think Jesus is only alive and well in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Well, He is alive here, but he’s also alive in a million other places around the world.

The Rev. Gary Beson, Rector
St. Timothy’s, Cane Bay

We have been in an international partnership for the spread of the Gospel and care for God’s people in Northern Uganda for 10 years now. It has transformed our parish from one which was practically unaware of our Anglican brothers and sisters worldwide, to one energized and mutually encouraged by them. From a timid beginning, we now have a vibrant joy-filled, all-in, relationship which has been one of our greatest encouragements during the last seven years of legal wrangling with TEC. Involvement in global ministry does not allow us to focus on ourselves, our problems, our church, but instead launches us into God’s world, focusing on God’s plans, and fulfilling God’s desires. Once begun, we can never turn our backs again on our brothers and sisters throughout the world. What a blessing it is!

The Rev. Greg Snyder, Rector
St. John’s, Johns Island

Interested in international missions? You have some incredible opportunities coming up in September and October! The New Wineskins for Global Mission Conference will soon be happening at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain, North Carolina. This every three year event is scheduled for September 26-29, 2019 with additional opportunities for participating in both pre and post conferences. For the past three conferences, stretching back to 2010, the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina has provided funds to the New Wineskins Missionary Network for the purposes of inviting international guests to attend the conference that otherwise would not be able to do so. With these scholarship opportunities, we have also invited these international visitors to spend some time in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina as our hosted guests, where they could have time to share in parishes, ministries, schools, small groups and individual homes. These opportunities to build and enhance relationships have blessed us as a Diocese immeasurably. That same opportunity for blessing continues.

Once again, the Diocese was able to provide a grant for the participation of international visitors to the upcoming 2019 conference, and those funds have provided us the opportunity to host at least sixteen international guests. They will be coming from Pakistan, Myanmar, Uganda, Egypt, Nigeria, India, Burundi, Kenya, Honduras, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most of them will be arriving in Charleston in the days prior to the start of the New Wineskins Conference, and remaining in the Diocese through the week following the conference. I have embraced the wonderful opportunity to coordinate their travel needs to and from the conference at Ridgecrest, and to facilitate invitations to be hosted throughout the diocese in the week that follows. While most are Bishops and Clergy, all are involved in the leadership of their respective Dioceses and Provinces. I have already been collecting names of those interested in assisting with transportation to and from the conference, and parishes interested in hosting any of our guests, but far more needs and opportunities remain for these many guests to experience the hospitality of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. I need and welcome both personal and parish interests and support for maximizing the blessing opportunity before us all.

While we have this gathering of international visitors, we have also planned a Diocesan event at the Cathedral on the evening of October 3, 2019 in which they will be able to share about their respective ministries in their countries of origin. We have sponsored similar events with other international guests following the past two New Wineskins conferences, and each has proven to be a “Not to be Missed” event. So, if you are at all interested in knowing more about international missions, you have before you the opportunity to attend the New Wineskins conference, to help in hosting an international guests, and to hear them speak to a diocesan audience.

If you are able and interested in helping with any of our guests, please contact me at blawrence@stchristopher.org or call 843.768.0429 and ask for Bob Lawrence