For the second week in a row, our area is facing the possibility of ice or snow. Your safety is our first priority. Please do not venture out if the roads are unsafe.
That said, I want you to know that I have never had to cancel Sunday worship. I drive a four‑wheel‑drive truck and have had plenty of practice this past week navigating eight inches of snow and ice in the DC area. Even if all we can manage is a simple spoken service, I will be there.
8:00 a.m. Lectionary Bible Study in Bay Creek Room
10:00 a.m., Morning Prayer at the Church
11:00 a.m., Bible Study in Bay Creek Room, Genesis
Sacred Ground Classes Begin
Module 1: Sessions 1-3 Beloved Community: Whose Land? Sessions and begins in January 27, February 10, and February 24.
Module 2: Sessions 4-7 Selective Access: Whose American Dream Sessions and begins after Easter, April 14, April 28, May 12, and May 26.
Module 3: Sessions 8-11, Grief, Repentance, Hope: Whose Journey? Sessions will take place in the fall, September 22, October 6, October 20, and November 3.
As you all know, I have resisted wading into the politics of the day. It is fraught with peril for any church community and is always a lightning rod for turmoil. Some will think I have gone too far; others will think I have not gone far enough. For this reason, staying faithful to scripture is imperative. We are one Body in Christ, yet as Paul reminds us, we are also many members. And part of that “many” means that people of every political persuasion worship together here. As the Episcopal Church says so simply and so beautifully, “All are welcome.”
In a newsletter article last week I shared the remarkable experience of locating seven unmarked graves on our newly acquired property. (See article below entitled doers task force update) These seven unmarked graves surrounded the marked grave of Samson Reid (1841–1911). Since then, new information has come in that helps us understand who these individuals may be. Gretchen Smith has been using her talents and resources to help us pull a lot of information together from many sources.
The cemetery itself was historically known as the Bailey Cemetery, also called the Reid Family Cemetery, on land once part of Palmetto Plantation, owned by Con Bailey. Early research suggests that the unmarked graves are almost certainly members of Samson’s extended family.
We now know that Samson was born in Georgetown around 1841, left in 1863 to join the US Army’s Colored Troops, and later settled on Edisto after the Civil War. His wife, Minty, is buried on Hilton Head, which means the grave beside him is likely a child or close relative. Additional records show that the Reid/Read and Hutchinson families were connected by marriage, and a newly uncovered 1790s bill of sale points to an enslaved woman named Miley, possibly the earliest ancestor of this line brought to Edisto.
Again, thanks to Gretchen’s connections, we are working with genealogist Toni Carrier of Lowcountry Africana and reaching out to descendants, including members of the Gadsden family, to learn more. Additionally, Pastor Chick Morrison is reaching out to community members hoping to find descendants. Each new piece of information helps us understand the story of the people who rest on this land that will one day house a Saint Francis Episcopal Church campus.
As we continue to learn more, one commitment remains constant: These graves will be honored, protected, and treated with the dignity owed to every child of God.
This work is not finished, but it is holy work. And it is our privilege to do it.
While the Doers Task Force is always doing, clearing, cutting, meeting, surfing through Charleston County bureaucracy, and planning, they did something especially interesting this week. With an assist from Gretchen Smith, they arranged for Joe Ferrannini of Grave Stone Matters to visit the property and help determine how many graves are there and where they lie.
What made the visit even more fascinating was Joe’s method: he uses dowsing rods to locate graves.
Call me a skeptic, or at least someone who needed to see it to believe it. But not only did I see it, I, along with many others, got to dowse myself. And just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised any further, Joe demonstrated how he uses the rods to determine gender. After locating a grave with both rods, he switched to a single rod. If it pointed toward the feet, the occupant was male; if it pointed toward the head, the occupant was female. Because we had one grave already marked, that became the key that helped us interpret the entire area.
The best we can tell, at least without exhuming anything, is that we have eight graves in three rows. The first row has two males and two females. The second row includes Samson Reed and likely his wife, Minty. The third row contains the most recent burials, both female.
The picture is of Samson Read family and this photograph comes form the Fold3 Ancestry website. Read seems to be spelled found three different ways. (Reed, Read, and Read)
Shrove Tuesday Oyster Roast February 17th On Tuesday, February 17th, at 5 pm, Steve and Amelia Powers will host our second annual Shrove Tuesday oyster roast at their home, 8491 Middleton Point Lane. We are looking forward to this gathering! There is a sign-up sheet in the back of the church for attendance, and to volunteer for appetizers and desserts; the event is BYOB and BYOchair. The deadline to sign up for attendance is February 23. The reality is that our host have oyster knives, gloves, towels and most everything we need for an oyster roast. This is the perfect event to bring a friend.
Christian Formation
Lenten Series 2026This Lent we will gather weekly for worship, study, food, and fellowship. Our series is inspired by William H. Willimon’s book Thank God It’s Friday: Encountering the Seven Last Words from the Cross, though the book is not required. We will meet in the Bay Creek Room at 11:00 am for Noon Day Prayer, followed by a simple soup meal and a brief teaching each week on Jesus’ last words from the cross.
Sacred Groundis a film and readings based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups journey through key chapters of American history, exploring race and racism while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.
The series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that highlight Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long‑term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. The series is open to all, with particular support for those who want to explore how white Americans can engage one another in honest, faithful conversations about race.
Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day, all while remaining grounded in our call to faith, hope, and love.
This year we have adapted the original 11‑session series into three smaller modules.
Module 1: Sessions 1-3 Beloved Community: Whose Land? Sessions begins in February 10.
Module 2: Sessions 4-7 Selective Access: Whose American Dream Sessions begin after Easter.
Module 3: Sessions 8-11, Grief, Repentance, Hope: Whose Journey? Sessions will take place in the fall.
We hope participants will complete all three modules, but newcomers are welcome to begin at the start of any module.
We will meet in the Bay Creek Room from 1:00–3:00 pm on the following dates:
Last year Saint Francis completed the full 11‑session series. If you’d like to hear about their experience, feel free to speak with any of the previous participants: Jean Murray, Ginny King, Susanne Nash, Denny and Annette Jewers, Carla Cantrell, Rosalie Crouch, or Joseph Smith.
Our two primary texts are Waking Up White by Debbie Irving and Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurmond. If you prefer not to purchase the books, you may be able to borrow a copy from someone who participated last year.
Medical Equipment: A project of the outreach committee is to gather medical equipment which is no longer needed by the congregation and take it to the Edisto Medical Clinic. The clinic has been so very appreciative of your donations. Items which can be reused by those in need include walkers, wheelchairs, braces, batteries, shower chairs, etc. If you have something to be contributed, please contact Rosalie Crouch and she will pick the items up and take them to the clinic. Phone: 843-603-0962; email: crouchrk@musc.edu
Opportunities to Help in the Community From the Edisto Senior Center
“The Senior Center is in need of some volunteers to lead crafts at least once a week. If you can’t commit to every week, perhaps we could find several people so no one has more than once a month. We could also use some help getting lunch on the table and filling to go boxes. All we do is in the name of our Lord Jesus and to bring glory to God. The Senior Center is located at 1644 Hwy. 174, Edisto Island, SC right beside New First Missionary Baptist Church. We operate 3 days per week – TWTH from 10am until 2. We are accustomed to doing crafts after lunch which is normally around 11:30.”
If you are interested and need some assistance in getting in touch with the Senior Center, please call, text or email Pat Neumann (843-469-7395, patneumann1@gmail.com).
What is our Hearts and Hands Ministry? Hearts and Hands is a meals ministry that supports our church family during times of need. Think of it like the "take a penny, leave a penny" tray at a cash register—if you're able to give, we welcome your help; if you're in need, we're here for you.
If you're willing to cook a meal, please reach out to Jean Murray, to be added to the contact list for when the meal chain is activated. And if you’ve been ill, hospitalized, or could simply use a helping hand, contact Jean or Fr. Joseph to receive support through this ministry.
Keep up with what is going on around our diocese and enjoy the weekly newsletter. Simply click anywhere on the image below and link to the latest diocesan news.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Blessings abound.
January Birthdays: Books Goldsmith 1/7, Jeff Neumannn 1/8, Nancy Sandel 1/8, Robin Smith 1/27, Pam Smith 1/30
Please email any errors and omissions for November birthdays by clicking
to give, or contributors can text ECOEGIVE to the number 73256, followed by their gift amount, to give online through text. The 73256 is used instead of a phone number.
Saint Francis Episcopal Church 1650 Highway 174 Edisto Island, SC 29438 843-631-5040 www.saintfrancisedisto.org
Vestry Fr. Joseph Smith - Rector Jean Murray - Senior Warden Bill Houston - Junior Warden Kathy Kuntz Jean Murray Steve Powers Gretchen Smith Steve Stemkowski
