For a long time when the Rev. Bob Long evaluated the two congregations where he serves as priest-in-charge in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, he saw only two options. One was to move on to another cure. The other was to continue presiding over two very different mission congregations that had perhaps been mortally wounded by the actions of the 74th General Convention and the way he reacted afterward.

About three months ago, he had a bold plan to yoke the two missions together as one parish with a common vestry and rector, but allow the two distinct congregations to continue worshipping in their own buildings. The Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson F. Henderson, Jr., Bishop of Upper South Carolina, gave his blessing to draw up new bylaws and use the name St. Benedict’s: Calvary and Episcopal Churches following a recent meeting with Fr. Long and the vestry. The change to parish status for St. Benedict's becomes official pending approval by diocesan convention next fall.

Each parish was wounded by the stance on human sexuality adopted by the last General Convention, Fr. Long said, but that is about the only thing that the two congregations have in common. Calvary Church in Pauline is a historically white congregation. Founded in 1847, it is located on 192 acres of rural land near where a Yankee prisoner of war camp was located during the Civil War. The land owned by Calvary is close to where an exit ramp for an Interstate highway connector road is scheduled to be built and Fr. Long has an ambitious vision to develop a diocesan racial reconciliation center and perhaps a retirement facility for middle income senior citizens.

To the best of his knowledge the congregation of Calvary has always been relatively small. It would have been difficult for the congregation to develop the property before 2003, but after it lost more than one-third of its people and finances Calvary began to slip into survival mode. In retrospect, Fr. Long said he now regrets the way that he denounced the General Convention, “preaching too dogmatically and using the pulpit as a cudgel.”

The Church of the Epiphany in Spartanburg did not lose members after the General Convention, but it has been hurting all the same. A historically black congregation founded in 1877, Fr. Long said he has spent the past 10 years getting the physical plant into shape. Running water was only installed in the worship building eight years ago, but the congregation is very committed to its building, Fr. Long said.

Finances have been tight virtually throughout Upper South Carolina since the 2003 General Convention and this is the last year that either Calvary or Epiphany anticipate receiving any financial support as missions. The diocese requires at least 75 communicants on the church register for parish status and together the two mission-size congregations easily exceed the threshold.

The parish name of St. Benedict’s is meant to remind the members of the Benedictine practice of hospitality. Fr. Long’s father was a Presbyterian minister in southwest Virginia during the 1950s who insisted on welcoming anyone into Christian fellowship. Fr. Long said he hopes that the new parish will serve as a model for a community that “still has some difficulties over race.” Mindful of his previous mistakes over General Convention, Fr. Long said he intends to let the Holy Spirit set the direction and pace.

“There is no telling what will happen here,” Fr. Long said. “We are giving both congregations a future. Parish status challenges them to take the Great Commission more seriously. It is possible they will even decide to go their separate ways at some point in the future, but I am committed as their rector to help them discover the advantages of community and unity.”

Steve Waring

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