wfn.org | [ENS] South Carolina parish, home to breakaway Anglican group, reduced to mission status

["Episcopal News Service" <ens@epicom.org>]

12/23/2003

South Carolina parish, home to breakaway Anglican group, reduced to mission
status

By Jan Nunley

[Episcopal News Service] The parish of All Saints, Waccamaw in Pawley's
Island, South Carolina, home to the breakaway Anglican Mission in America
(AMiA), has been declared a mission of the diocese under the direct
supervision of Bishop Edward L. Salmon Jr.

Salmon announced his decision in a pastoral letter to the diocese dated
December 18. The action permits him to appoint new leadership for the
congregation, including replacing All Saints rector, the Rev. Tim Surratt.

Salmon based his decision on recent actions by the congregations vestry,
which indicated an intention to leave the Episcopal Church. "In response to
the recommendations of the Discernment Committee, the vestry has determined
that All Saints Church can no longer remain a part of the Episcopal Church
USA and appoints a committee to guide us through the process necessary to
leave the ECUSA," said a resolution passed at the October meeting. And at its
December meeting, the vestry of All Saints voted to change the parishs 1902
charter to omit references to the Episcopal Church.

In his letter, Salmon said he met with the congregations rector emeritus,
AMiA Bishop Charles Murphy, and the senior warden of All Saints at their
request on December 13. 

The following Monday I received copies of Vestry minutes from a member of
All Saints, Waccamaw which revealed that in October and December the Vestry
had voted to sever the ties of All Saints Parish, Waccamaw with the National
Church and amend All Saints charter to eliminate any reference to the canons
and rules of the National Church and the Diocese of South Carolina, Salmon
wrote. No mention of these actions by the vestry was made to me at the
meeting on December 13th. These actions are schismatic.

Similar views, but still in conflict

Salmon and the congregations leadership hold similar conservative views on
social issues within the Episcopal Church, including the November ordination
of an openly gay cleric as bishop coadjutor of New Hampshire and the
acknowledgment of same-sex blessings in the church by the General Convention
this summer.

According to Salmon, diocesan chancellor N.E. Ziegler advised him that it was
not possible to sever ties with the national Episcopal Church and remain a
member of a parish vestry, since diocesan canons require that wardens and
vestry members must be confirmed communicants of the Episcopal Church.
Consequently I have sent a letter to the Senior Warden (by hand) and members
of the Vestry of All Saints Parish Waccamaw advising them that they are no
longer members of the Vestry, Salmon said. I have notified the President of
the Standing Committee and will meet with them on Tuesday. I have declared
All Saints Waccamaw to be a mission and am in the process of naming a Mission
Committee.

All Saints has been in a legal battle with the Diocese of South Carolina for
the past three years over control of the churchs extensive 50-acre campus.
The case arose when the diocese filed a public notice that All Saints,
subject to the canon law of the diocese, holds its property in trust for the
diocese, which in turn holds it for the Episcopal Church nationally.
Attorneys for the diocese said the notice was filed "out of concern that All
Saints might attempt  to convey its property" to the AMiA. 

In October 2001 a state judge ruled that legal title to the property belongs
to an unknown group of heirs, and equitable title to the residents of
Waccamaw Neck.	The case is still under appeal.  

"These actions by the Bishop are precipitous and without legal support," the
church's leaders said in the statement sent to the media December 18. "The
Vestry of All Saints Church remains the governing body and has never vacated
its position in any capacity. The Vestry will remain on the property and
continue to maintain possession and responsibility for that property that is
All Saints Church."

--The Rev. Jan Nunley is deputy director of Episcopal News Service.