Bishop’s Crosses Presented to Lonnie Hamilton III and Thomas Tisdale

Last month at our 232nd Diocesan Convention, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley recognized Lonnie Hamilton III and Thomas Tisdale for their decades of faithful service to the diocese with the Bishop’s Cross. The Presentation of The Bishop’s Cross is a tradition observed across the Church, and it is presented each Convention, by the diocesan bishop, to a person whose outstanding service to the diocese has changed the course of history for the diocese for good, helping the diocese in a significant way to proclaim and live out the gospel of Jesus Christ. The bishop bestows this cross to a person whose manner of sacrificial giving so exemplifies Christ-like love as to be set forth to the entire Diocese as an example of exemplary Christian leadership. To learn more about why these two men were honored with this special recognition, watch the Bishop’s presentation at Diocesan Convention last month at this link: https://bit.ly/EDSCBishopsCross22

Unfortunately, neither gentleman was able to attend Diocesan Convention, so on Sunday, December 18, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley was able to present the Bishop’s Crosses to these remarkable individuals at two separate parish events. First she visited a celebration at Calvary Episcopal Church in Charleston where she had the opportunity to present the Bishop’s Cross to Lonnie Hamilton III, who has served the diocese in a number of ways over his amazing life, including remaining as the sole lay delegate to General Convention from our diocese in 2012 when the rest of the delegation left in protest (this discontent led to the schism in our diocese later that year, but Lonnie Hamilton and Thomas Tisdale were champions in the effort to continue the presence of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina).

​Then she attended the Christmas Lessons & Carols Service at Grace Church Cathedral where she was able to surprise Thomas Tisdale, who served as chancellor for the diocese for five different bishops since 1970 before retiring earlier this year. The surprises continued when the Very Rev. Michael Wright, Dean of Grace Church Cathedral, named Mr. Tisdale a Canon of the Cathedral in honor of his tremendous service to the diocese and Grace Church Cathedral. View photos from both events on our Facebook page at this link.

The crosses were patterned after that of the Rt. Rev. William Alexander Guerry, the eighth bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, whose efforts to advance racial equality led to his death in 1928.