The Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, who in 2021 was elected to become the first female bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.
Posted on 05/05/2021 8:28:34 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, who in 2021 was elected to become the first female bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.
he Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, which is still in the midst of a yearslong legal battle with a breakaway group over several church properties, has elected its first female bishop.
The Rev. Canon Ruth Woodliff-Stanley won the election on the second ballot at a special meeting of the convention held by the diocese on Saturday, beating out four other candidates.
On the second ballot, Woodliff-Stanley received 13 votes in the Lay Order, which required at least 10 votes to win, and 26 votes in the Clergy Order, which required at least 18 votes to win.
Molly Hamilton, director of communications for the diocese, told The Christian Post that a few “canonically-required consents” are still needed from the Standing Committees and bishops of The Episcopal Church before Woodliff-Stanley can begin working.
“We expect this to occur in the coming two to three months,” noted Hamilton, who directed CP to a letter that Woodliff-Stanley wrote to the diocese while still a candidate for bishop.
In her letter, Woodliff-Stanley detailed her church leadership ground, ties to South Carolina, and past work with regional bodies that experienced division.
“I’ve worked with dioceses experiencing conflict and schism and comprehend the scope and magnitude of the challenges ahead,” wrote Woodliff-Stanley. “I understand the ministry of a bishop to be humble and holy work, joyful and collective work we do together on behalf of Jesus.”
In 2012, then-South Carolina Diocese Bishop Mark Lawrence and a majority of the diocesan leadership voted to leave The Episcopal Church, due to theological differences and the reported poor treatment of Lawrence by the denomination.
Since then, there have been extensive legal battles over the $500 million worth of property and the trademarks of the diocese between the breakaway group and those still loyal to The Episcopal Church.
In 2017, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in favor of The Episcopal Church and its local group, the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, concluding that at least 29 of the 36 properties belong to the national denomination.
However, in June 2020, South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Edgar Dickson, who had been tasked with enforcing the ruling, instead issued an order concluding that each parish owned their own properties.
Hamilton of the Episcopal Diocese told CP that, at present, both sides are waiting for the state Supreme Court to determine “whether they will uphold their earlier ruling.”
“The Federal Court ruled in September 2019 in favor of our diocese granting that The Episcopal Church in South Carolina is the historic Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina with all rights to the name, trademarks, and the diocesan seal,” Hamilton explained.
“The opposing side has appealed that ruling and all appeals are currently awaiting the South Carolina Supreme Court decision on the state property issues.”
I guess Timothy I and II mean nothing to her. I wonder if Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John mean something or perhaps just the parts she thinks are not out of date. Same with Romans?
I don’t think she is going to repair the divide. She will lead her flock further off the path.
I was baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church which was essentially a Catholic Church where the Priests could get married.
But when they went charismatic and started talking in tongues I quit participating
I had a cousin get married in the Episcopal Church where the Priest showed up in blue jeans and carrying a boom box for music the ceremony was on an actual church
I suppose she’s trying to pilot a sinking boat where the latest studies show that by 2050 there won’t be any Episcopalians in the pews. I go to an Orthodox Church in the south and there are many refugees from the Episcopalian Church there.
Episcopal Dioceses have the power to keep their churches open or to close them if they feel necessary.
Most banks will not loan money to local parishes because of that reality.
A Diocese back in the Mid West a couple of decades ago closed a small parish in a small town. Then, they, moved the buildings 10 miles to another parish to use. Next, the diocese sold the land that the original parish and building were own.
The Methodist Bishop in the same little town sold the church and land to a group forming a Historical/Genealogy center. The Bishop had the pews and other so called precious artifacts removed.
Yes, I have a relative who is an Episcopal priest and whose mission in life is to explain the absurd in language that makes it appear not absurd.
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My wife and I got married in an episcopal church due to her heritage. After we became Christian and started to attend church, at an episcopal church. After about a year of attendance we realized that we were not in a Christian church.
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