Lindsay S. Buchanan of the Florence Morning News reports:
In a show of solidarity for Episcopalians in eastern South Carolina, bishops from The Episcopal Church’s Province IV came together Wednesday in Charleston for their biannual conference. … The 26 bishops that make up Province IV were intentional in their choice of coming to South Carolina — as a means of showing their continued support for what remains of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, currently led by provisional Bishop Charles vonRosenberg.
An excited groups of Episcopalians, including a core group from the newly founded St. Catherine’s church in the Pee Dee, seemed re-energized after presenting their individual stories to the bishops and hearing their feedback.
Hartsville representative Alex Gassett-Shifflet said that despite how hard it has been to move her family — her children are the only youth so far at St. Catherine’s — she knows that she and her husband are doing the right thing by helping create an Episcopal church in the Pee Dee, especially after meeting with the bishops and seeing how much they care.
“It means more than you know,” Gassett-Shifflet said. “It means the world to us that they all came to listen to us. I think we’re moving forward and we’re not going back.”