The Rev. Joseph Smith Called as Rector of The Episcopal Church on Edisto
Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has called the Rev. Joseph Smith to serve as the first rector of The Episcopal Church on Edisto (Edisto Island), beginning on Sunday, August 20, 2023. Currently, Father Smith is the rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where he has been for almost nine years. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, he looks forward to returning to the Palmetto State.
“We are delighted to welcome Father Joseph Smith back to South Carolina,” said Bishop Woodliff-Stanley. “Beloved in his present diocese, Father Joseph brings the experience, skill, vision and care that will help The Episcopal Church on Edisto build a compelling next chapter in their ministry. We look forward to welcoming Father Joseph, his wife Sharon, and their family to our diocese.”
Ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina in 2008, Father Smith served two congregations in Spartanburg, South Carolina, before moving to Pennsylvania for the call to St. Mary’s in 2014. Though he is grateful for his time in Wayne, Pennsylvania, he is very much looking forward to the move to Edisto Island, along with his wife, Sharon. “I knew right away that it was the right place for me to be at this time in my life,” said Father Smith. In a letter shared with his current church congregation on Sunday, he referenced his sermon on that day saying, “Some of you may have noticed that today’s sermon was all about answering God’s call. I believe that by accepting this new challenge, by taking this leap of faith, Sharon and I are saying ‘yes.’”
Father Smith is a graduate of the College of Charleston (1987) and received his Master of Divinity from the Sewanee School of Theology in 2007. He and his wife, Sharon, are the parents of three adult children, Lindsay, Patrick, and Connor. They are also parents to Sam, an adult refugee from the Republic of the Congo.
The Episcopal Church on Edisto was founded after the diocesan schism in 2012 by faithful Episcopalians on Edisto Island who wanted to maintain a presence of The Episcopal Church on their beloved barrier island. This devoted group, committed to being a loving and inclusive congregation, began worshiping together wherever they could find the space—first living rooms, then a BBQ restaurant, before finally finding a home in the historic church building of the New First Missionary Baptist Church at 1650 Highway 174. They founded The Episcopal Church on Edisto, which was recognized as a mission of our diocese in 2014 and as a parish in 2022.
Over the years, The Episcopal Church on Edisto has been served by a number of priests-in-charge and supply clergy, but they are grateful to call their first rector. James Gettys, who currently serves as the church’s senior warden, noted that the congregation is “joyful and excited” to welcome Father Smith to Edisto Island.
Pat Neumann served as the chair for the church’s Rector Search Committee. “From the time that our Search Committee first reviewed the application materials from the Rev. Joseph Smith until the moment we took the vote to send his name to our Vestry, we could feel the Holy Spirit moving among us,” said Neumann. “Father Smith is the perfect priest for The Episcopal Church on Edisto. We have truly been blessed by God.”
Father Smith will complete his service at St. Mary’s on July 30 and will start at The Episcopal Church on Edisto on Sunday, August 20.