The Reverend Denise Trogdon, rector of All Saints, Hilton Head Island, announced to her congregation last week that she will be retiring, effective June 1, 2026. “With mixed emotion, I share the news that 2026 will be my year to retire,” she said in the announcement. “This is my 40th year of full-time work, my 18th…
We have unexpected, yet joyful, news to share. On Friday, March 13, during the 90th Annual Convention of The Episcopal Church of Liberia, the Reverend Canon Wilmot Merchant II—rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in North Myrtle Beach—was elected as one of two suffragan bishops for two dioceses in Liberia. His nomination came from the…
At the request of the vestry of St. James Episcopal Church in Charleston (on James Island), Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called the Rev. Will Berry to serve as the next rector of this historic church of our diocese. Father Will has served as associate rector for families and formation at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in…
On Tuesday, February 24, three of our Episcopal churches in Summerville were featured on the weekly call offered by the Office of Government Relations (of The Episcopal Church) and Episcopal Migration Ministries to discuss the changing landscape of U.S. immigration, refugee, and migration policy. Clergy representing the Three Churches United in Summerville (St. George’s, Good…
It is with great sadness that we share the news that the Reverend Chris Huff, a beloved child of God and son of our diocese, died Wednesday morning, March 4, 2026. Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley joins the people of the diocese in grieving his death and remembering him fondly. “From my very first meeting of Father Chris,…
Members of two key leadership bodies of the diocese (Diocesan Council and Standing Committee) gathered in retreat earlier this week at St. Christopher Camp & Conference Center along with Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley and diocesan staff. The majority of our Trustees were unable to attend this meeting and will gather at a later date. The gathering…
Participants in the latest diocesan-wide offering of Sacred Ground, concluded the session with an in-person event at the Historic Calvary Episcopal Church in Charleston on Saturday, February 28. The session was facilitated by members of the diocesan Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission. Sacred Ground is a program sponsored by The Episcopal Church that promotes racial reconciliation…
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, announced yesterday that St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Charleston has been awarded a $500,000.00 grant through the organization’s fourth annual Preserving Black Churches program. Grants were awarded to 33 historically Black churches totaling $8.5 million. The $500,000 grant to St. Mark’s will be used…
February 18, 2026 Dear Diocesan Family, As we approach Holy Lent in the middle of Black History Month, I want to take a moment to remind us all of the courage upon which our diocese is anchored. Our diocesan Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission has done outstanding work convening conversations and written materials chronicling the lives of…
Happening #8 was a huge success last weekend! Hosted by St. Christopher Camp & Conference Center, the amazing youth staff, led by Rector Addy Lanz, shepherded 11 youth participants in a joy- and music-filled retreat where they enjoyed the mountain top and prepared for the work that awaits all of us when we return to our everyday life….
Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has appointed the Rev. Jordan Trendelman, rector of Holy Communion, Charleston, as dean of the Peninsula Deanery. The bishop expressed her gratitude for this transition. “In his short time here, Jordan has quickly become a trusted colleague to Peninsula clergy and lay leaders,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “I am grateful he has accepted this…
The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, who served for a number of years on the staff of former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, came to Charleston on Thursday, January 29, to share her new book, Church Tomorrow? What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach us About the Future of Faith. She wrote the book to address the decline of…
