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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAJOR EVENT CELEBRATES SOUTH CAROLINA AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL HUNDREDS MARK SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICE WASHINGTON -Scores of South Carolinans took part in a major service and celebration Nov. 16 at the landmark Washington National Cathedral, an event that featured a musical performance from 150 men, women and children in the acoustic-rich house of worship. Dozens of Episcopal parishes from all parts of the state had joined to organize special adult and children’s choirs that debuted at South Carolina State Day at the national house of prayer. The voices of more than 80 youngsters performing early sacred music and modern spirituals flowed from the chancel steps while 67 men and women joined in from high above in the Cathedral’s south balcony. “It was exciting, I’ve never done this before,“ 10-year-old Carly Campbell of Anderson said after the performance. “It sounded pretty good. We practiced for three months.” Added Steven Cauley, 8, from Anderson: “This was cool.” The 25-minute musical program was directed by Karen Harmon of Columbia and Scott Bennett of Charleston. It served as the prelude to a worship service led by the state’s two Episcopal bishops and a bishop representing the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The participation of seven cadets from The Citadel and an official proclamation from Gov. Mark Sanford added to the Palmetto State flavor. The service was attended by 1,095 worshipers, including more than 400 visitors from the state plus natives who live in the Washington area. “We were thrilled to have the Cathedral filled with so many South Carolinans of all ages,” sai d Vanessa Andrews, director of the National Cathedral Association. “Our volunteers from across the state worked so hard to make the day happen. It was a wonderful sight to see the fruits of their labor.” Dr. Daniel W. Massie, senior pastor of First (Scots) Presbyterian Church in Charleston, was featured as guest preacher at the 11 a.m. worship service. He addressed the congregation from the historic Canterbury Pulpit, from where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his last Sunday sermon Massie lectured about Judgment Day. He said the Apocalypse is an uncomfortable topic among mainline churches but in reality the promise of eternal rewards or the threats of Hell fires have always motivated people of faith. “God’s settling of accounts for the righteous and the unrighteous is what enables us to do what is right in the face of wrong,” he said. “It is nearly impossible to live without some semblance of hope for this life or the next. “We must believe in something beyond this mortal life if we are to continue to function and to live and be faithful and to have some degree of hope in our lives,” Massie said. Gov. Sanford declared Nov. 16 as “South Carolina State Day” in a signed proclamation that was read at a reception after the service by his Washington representative, Blair Goodrich. The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr., bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, was celebrant. The Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, bishop of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, and The Rt. Rev. David A. Donges of Columbia, bishop of the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, were co-celebrants. For the past five years, Washington National Cathedral has set aside one major state day each month in seeking to fulfill its outreach mission to all faiths. The National Cathedral Association, the organization of friends that supports the cathedral’s ministries, organized South Carolina State Day and invited religious and political leaders and parishoners to take part. South Carolinans played key roles throughout the worship. Nell Barr of Columbia, an NCA regional volunteer leader, and Ben Hutto, a Charleston native who is director of performing arts at the National Cathedral School for Girls and St. Albans School, read Scripture. Carolyn Donges of Columbia, Lucy Bullock of Columbia, Leila Fenhagen of Charleston, Darby Collins, an NCA volunteer leader from Charleston, and Bobbi Kennedy, an NCA trustee from Columbia, carried gifts to the altar during the offertory. Thirty-three acolytes representing 18 parishes participated in the service-opening procession, carrying colorful banners and placing them to the side of the altar. Cadet Staff Sgt. Robbie Kirk carried the South Carolina flag during the procession, accompanied by six other cadets from The Citadel. On the cathedral plaza following the service, Cadet Second Lt. Michael Hudson and Cadet Pvt. Nicholas Maloy entertained exiting worshipers with a bagpipe performance. Afterwards, the National Cathedral Association sponsored receptions recognizing all South Carolina participants. The Rt. Rev. A. Theodore Eastman , vicar of Washington National Cathedral, welcomed the visitors, Cathedral officials thanked the NCA’s regional volunteer leaders and association members in South Carolina, part of a network of more than 13,000 people in every state and around the world. The day was summed up by one visitor, Gloria Taylor, of Florence, S.C. “The day was wonderful, just fantastic,” she said. # # # ATTN PRINT MEDIA: If you desire e-mail transmission of this account and/or photos sent as JPEG attachments please contact Steven Gotfried at the number above. Also, print-quality photos of Washington National Cathedral are available on our Website, www.cathedral.org/cathedral. Click on "Cathedral News." |