[Diocese of South Carolina] The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina announced Jan. 30 the slate of candidates who will stand for election as the 15^th bishop of South Carolina during a Special Meeting of Convention to be held for the purposes of the election on May 1.

The candidates are (listed in alphabetical order):

• The Rev. Geoffrey M. St. John Hoare, rector, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.
• The Rev. Kevin Allen Johnson, rector, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Arlington, Texas.
• The Rev. Terence Alexander Lee, rector, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, New York.
• The Ven. Calhoun Walpole, archdeacon, Diocese of South Carolina; vicar and subdean, Grace Church Cathedral, Charleston, South Carolina.
• The Rev. Ruth M. Woodliff-Stanley, canon for strategic change, Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania & Western New York; senior vice president for strategic change, Episcopal Church Building Fund.

In a letter to the Diocese of South Carolina, the president of the Standing Committee, the Rev. Caleb J. Lee, said of the search: “This past year has been very challenging, in more ways than one. Through it all, our incredibly talented Search Committee has been steadfast in prayerful discernment. They selected, from a large and exceptionally qualified pool of candidates, the names presented to you to stand for election. The Standing Committee is grateful for the holy work that has been underway, and we are very confident in the process that has brought us to this point.”

The Standing Committee has also announced the opening of the petition process, which allows additional nominees to be added to the slate. The petition process will close on Monday, February 8, 2021, at 5 pm EST.

Members of the diocese will have the opportunity to learn more about the candidates during candidate conversations to be held April 12-14. The final decision as to whether these events will be offered in person or virtually has not yet been decided.

The Standing Committee has called a Special Meeting of Convention to be held for the purposes of the Election of the XV Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. This Special Convention will take place at 9 a.m. May 1 at Grace Church Cathedral. If the Convention is not able to meet in person, the diocese will proceed with a virtual platform.

The Diocese of South Carolina announced the beginning of a process that would lead to the election and consecration of the 15th bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina on Jan. 23, 2020. The process was briefly paused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in August 2020.