[Magdalen] Statement of TEC Provisional Bishop in South Carolina

[Rick Mashburn]

Thanks be to God! I'm so glad there is good news to share.

Peace, Rick
San Antonio

On Sun, Nov 19, 2017 at 4:58 PM, Ginga Wilder <gingawilder at gmail.com> wrote:

> For those who are following the South Carolina saga, there is good news.
> Our Provisional Bishop "Skip" Adams, ret. CNY, has sent us a statement.  We
> are fortunate to have a wise and pastoral bishop.  Ginga
>
> http://mailchi.mp/episcopalchurchsc/a-pastoral-
> letter-from-the-bishop-851305?e=bfa235e9ac
>
> *Supreme Court Decision and a Statement from the Bishop*
>
> *November 19, 2017*
>
> Ruling in favor of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, the South
> Carolina Supreme Court has denied two motions from a disassociated group
> and upheld its August 2 decision that property and assets of the Episcopal
> Diocese of South Carolina, and most of its parishes, must remain with The
> Episcopal Church.
>
> The orders, dated Friday, November 17, can be found here:
> Denial of rehearing motion
> <http://www.episcopalchurchsc.org/uploads/1/2/9/8/12989303/
> 2017-11-17_denial_of_rehearing_motion.pdf>
> Denial of recusal motion
> <http://www.episcopalchurchsc.org/uploads/1/2/9/8/12989303/
> 2017-11-17_denial_of_recusal_motion.pdf>
>
> Friday’s rulings reject two motions that were filed by a breakaway group
> that left The Episcopal Church in 2012. One sought a rehearing of the case,
> while the other asked that Justice Kaye Hearn, one of the five justices who
> wrote the opinion, be recused, and her opinion vacated.
>
> The court voted 2-2 on the rehearing motion; a majority would have been
> required in order to grant a rehearing. Justice Hearn did not vote.
>
> The court voted unanimously to deny the motion seeking Justice Hearn’s
> recusal. Justice Jean Toal, who was serving as Chief Justice at the time
> the court heard the case, noted that "an adverse decision is no reason to
> excuse a nearly two-and-a-half year delay in making a request for recusal."
>
> "While I make no criticism of the respondents' lawyers for filing the
> motions to recuse and for vacature, I am disappointed in the tone of these
> filings. They are unreasonable harsh criticisms of a highly accomplished
> judge and a person of great decency and integrity," Justice Toal said.
>
>
> *Statement from Bishop Adams*
> *The Episcopal Church in South Carolina*
>
> We give thanks for the clarity that the State Supreme Court’s decision
> provides and we are grateful for the thoughtful and difficult work the
> justices have undertaken in this case.
>
> From the time this lawsuit was filed against The Episcopal Church, the hope
> of reconciliation has been our guiding principle. We believe this is what
> the Lord Jesus would expect of us and it is consistent with the teachings
> of St. Paul who said in his second letter to the Church in Corinth, “All
> this is from God, who reconciled himself to us in Christ, and has given us
> the ministry of reconciliation.” We renew our commitment to this hard work
> of reconciliation in the days to come.
>
> We understand that the many people in the parishes affected by this ruling
> may be experiencing pain, fear and confusion. Let me say to all that The
> Episcopal Church in South Carolina is committed to finding a path that will
> allow the people of God to continue to live their lives as a part of the
> Anglican Communion in and through the Episcopal Church. As a former Bishop
> of South Carolina, William Alexander Guerry said more than 100 years ago,
> “If we are to be truly catholic, as Christ himself is catholic, then we
> must have a Church broad enough to embrace within its communion every
> living human soul.”
>
> The Episcopal Church seeks to be an expression of faith in Christ that
> welcomes all to his expansive Table. Our prayer is that every person in
> every parish of the Diocese will join in working and praying together to
> bring healing to the Church, the Body of Christ, in this part of South
> Carolina.
>
>
> *The Rt. Rev. Gladstone B. Adams IIIBishop, The Episcopal Church in South
> Carolina*
>