Even though Old St. Andrew's survived through the years, the parish has seen its ecclesial mooring shift several times. First came the Revolutionary War that severed political and ecclesial ties with Britain and the Church of England.

The current Diocese of South Carolina was developed out of the political and religious aftermath following the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in the southern state brought about by the War of Independence. The young diocese was initially formed in 1785 as one of nine original post-colonial dioceses which then banded together in 1789 to form The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The other founding statewide territorial dioceses were: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. Each founding diocese of The Episcopal Church is represented by a snow-white cross-crosslet against a blue field on the Episcopal Church flag.

During the Civil War years the Diocese of South Carolina became a part of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America. It joined the Confederate Episcopal Church in 1861 and following the surrender of General Robert E. Lee the South Carolina diocese was reunified with the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society in 1865. Through it all the Diocese of South Carolina remained intact until it self-divided in 1922 to create the daughter Diocese of Upper South Carolina.

More than 300 years after its founding, Old St. Andrew's has the distinction of having the oldest remaining church building in South Carolina having survived both wars and hurricanes. Today the congregation is being rent asunder by discord and change. Twice politics has played a major role in the church's shift in ecclesial oversight. The first time was over political differences (Civil War). This time the alignment is being caused by theological differences.

On Sunday (Feb. 24) the members of Old St. Andrew's have a critical decision facing them. Plans are to hold a special parish-wide meeting to amend Old St. Andrew's Constitution to allow the congregation to continue its affiliation with the Diocese of South Carolina or to affiliate with the Episcopal Church in South Carolina and, therefore, re-affiliate with the wider Episcopal Church.

Currently, the Old St. Andrew's Constitution refers to both the Diocese of South Carolina and The Episcopal Church. Now that the Diocese has distanced itself from The Episcopal Church, Old St. Andrew's has to decide which ecclesial entity to attach itself to for diocesan authority and episcopal sacraments such as confirmation.

The Diocese of South Carolina ceded from The Episcopal Church late last year due to deepening theological differences. In the intervening time, The Episcopal Church re-established itself as The Episcopal Church in South Carolina overlapping the boundaries of the Diocese of South Carolina.

Old St. Andrew's is not taking the upcoming parish vote lightly or unadvisedly. Many plans, several meetings, and much prayer have gone into Sunday's gathering. Three bishops have travelled to the church to explain to the congregation any spiritual, legal, and personal ramifications t of any choice the congregation may have to make. Retired South Carolina Bishop Suffragan William Skilton came on Feb. 3. Current Diocese of South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence came on Feb. 10, followed on Feb. 17 by newly installed Provisional Bishop Charles vonRosenberg of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina

Sunday's vote is critical because on March 8-9, both the Diocese of South Carolina and the Episcopal Church in South Carolina will hold their own separate diocesan meetings. The 222nd Convention for the Diocese in South Carolina is scheduled for Florence while the first annual convention for the Episcopal Church in South Carolina is to be held in Charleston. The target date of Friday, March 8 has been set for Old St. Andrew's parishioners to have their collect mind made up as to which convention the venerable parish will attend with voice and vote.

The Rev. Marshall Huey, Old St. Andrew's 19th rector, is agonizing over the decision which must be made to forge ahead with his congregation and the church's ministry.

"I can't tell you how I agonize and grieve over this," Fr. Huey explained in one of the several parish informational gatherings which have lead up to Sunday's vote.

Before entering the Episcopal priesthood, Fr. Huey was a trained and experienced attorney so he knows all too well the legal ramifications that could follow. He also understands the rationale behind Diocese of South Carolina's pre-emptive strike in a South Carolina courtroom to protect the name and seal of the Diocese.

"That is an unfortunate thing that this lawsuit had to be filed," he explained. "However, I want to say that in that declaratory judgment, it is not for money damages.

"So when you have something that's trademarked, and claim it to be yours, if you don't take action to protect it, you'll lose that protection. You can no longer claim you own it," he continued. "So if the Diocese had not acted, eventually by inaction, they would lose the ability to say: 'This is ours'."

Much parish concern focuses on the property rights of the 300-year-old colonial parish that predate The Episcopal Church and even precede the Diocese of South Carolina.

Fr. Huey attended January's founding convention of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina as an observer only - with a voice but no vote. At that time, he asked Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori what the status of Old St. Andrew's property would be should the parish decide to reunite with The Episcopal Church.

"I am an observer today," he prefaced. "Is it the opinion of this convention that any parish currently in discernment and not yet in union with this convention, by a later vote to come into union with this convention, will accede to the Dennis Canon despite having recorded a quick claim deed earlier?"

The Presiding Bishop was quick to answer the Charleston priest.

"Any congregation in union with The Episcopal Church observes the canons of The Episcopal Church," she said, meaning that even through Old St. Andrew's is in possession of a quick claim deed to all of the church property, it would have to be relinquished in trust to The Episcopal Church even through the South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled the Dennis Canon has no force within the state.

Fr. Huey also elaborated that before he attended the TECinSC meeting, the group informed him that in order to have a vote in the conference, he needed to sign an accession clause stating that as a priest he acceded to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church.

The priest explained to his congregants, "I almost feel like I'm a child of divorce being forced to choose which family to live with. It grieves me to make this choice," he said. "I love The Episcopal Church. I've given my life to the Lord's service in it. I love the Diocese of South Carolina, its historical relations, and Bishop Lawrence."

The priest said he would do everything in his power to keep the parish family together even if the decisions made Sunday cause parishioners to transfer their letters.

"I want to try and hold our church family together through this," the priest said. "I am trying as your shepherd to lead us all through this."

When Bishop Lawrence visited Old St. Andrew's, he explained the deep theological crevice behind the current divide.

"I would think it would be fair to say that for at least 30 years the Diocese of South Carolina and the national Episcopal Church have been on a collision course," the Bishop explained. "That collision course has manifested itself in three arenas: Christian theology, Christian morality and church polity - how we govern the church."

The concerns the parishioners brought to their bishop ranged over a wide variety of subjects as they continued in the throes of their critical decision-making.

The bishop discussed with them some finer points of theology. Explaining that there is a theological difference when the liturgy starts with the words: "Blessed be God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and blessed be HIS kingdom now and forever ..." or when the liturgy starts with the words: "Blessed be God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and blessed be GOD'S kingdom now and forever ..."

Bishop Lawrence explained that as far as same-sex unions and marriages go, the current canons of The Episcopal Church give him the authority to not allow such blessings to be conducted within the Diocese of South Carolina; however, the tipping point for him was when the latest General Convention passed binding canons on gender identity and expression that impose automatic acquiescence to allowing such individuals into full participation in the life and ministry of the church - including ordination.

The bishop explained that in today's world "gender identity" is now an individual's subjective, personal, self-perception of their gender whereas "gender expression" is how a person chooses to express their subjective, personal gender identity.

"This is the reality of The Episcopal Church," the South Carolina Bishop noted. "No religion in the history of the world, which we know of, has embraced that sort of understanding of gender. No civilization has. Now we have a church that's leading the way."

Questions also touched upon diocesan assessment quotes, church health plans, property insurance, parish property rights, court rulings, diocesan ministry, and relationships within the wider Anglican Communion.

"The Diocese of South Carolina has the best youth program of any diocese in The Episcopal Church. Period ... by far ... none are even close," Bishop Lawrence proudly pointed out. "We have a faith formation program ... that is on the cutting edge, teaching people how to pass on the faith from one generation to another."

The Bishop reassured Old St. Andrew's parishioners that because they have the deed to their property, it is theirs, lock, stock and barrel, and that the parish is not holding it in trust for the Diocese of South Carolina or an overarching national church.

"The Episcopal Church will tell you 'you own your property but you hold it in trust for the national Church'," Bishop Lawrence explained. "You have all the financial responsibility for the upkeep of the buildings, insurance, protection and litigation that come your way, but you don't own it, except in trust for them."

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina wholeheartedly disagrees with the Bishop of South Carolina. Posted on the TECinSC website is a paper written by Provisional Bishop vonRosenberg delineating a parish's responsibility to The Episcopal Church when it comes to property rights.

"As constituent members of The Episcopal Church, individual churches agree to the Constitution and Canons of the church," the Provisional Bishop has written. "Included in those canons is an understanding of property rights that has been part of our polity since long before the so-called 'Dennis Canon'. The understanding is that a church owns its property and that such property is held 'in trust' for the larger church ... the whole church has a trust interest ..."

The TECinSC website also explains that severing ties with The Episcopal Church is a drastic step because long-established ties with the wider Anglican Communion are put into jeopardy.

"You are being asked to consider severing your ties with the community of faith which has nurtured and supported you - and provided you with community - for generations and for centuries," the Bishop vonRosenberg writes explaining that the question of Anglican identity is at stake.

"For Episcopalians, membership in the Anglican Communion is very important ..." the TECinSC Provisional Bishop writes. "No other group in these parts calling itself 'Anglican' - or any independent group of churches - is listed on the official website of the Anglican Communion."

Provisional Bishop vonRosenberg also touched upon theology zeroing in on same-sex blessing and the Presiding Bishop's faith walk.

"The Episcopal Church always has engaged the culture in discussions about social issues of the day. Our people are part of the culture," he writes. "The church has a responsibility - to its people and to God - to be involved in the everyday life of the culture where it exists and where its people live." "In our day culture - and the church as part of the culture - has struggled with the issue of same-sex relationships and blessings," the Provisional Bishop continues. "It is my intention to ask out Standing Committee to discuss the matter of whether and how to implement this liturgy in The Episcopal Church in South Carolina."

Commenting on the Presiding Bishop's comments about Jesus Christ as the means to salvation, the Provisional Bishop said, "The Episcopal Church believed that Christ is 'the way, the truth, and the life' and that 'for us and our salvation He came down from heaven'."

He reiterated that the Episcopal Presiding Bishop believes the same thing and that she has been "widely misunderstood and The Episcopal Church has been wildly misrepresented."

The TECinSC Bishop said he was not present when Katharine Jefferts Schori allegedly made her comments that he feels some people have understood to contradict that Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life."

The parishioners of Old St. Andrews have a lot to sort through spiritually, legally and personally before they vote on Sunday.

"The question is ..." Fr. Huey explained. "...do we as a parish go along with the Diocese or with what is being called The Episcopal Church in South Carolina that is being set back up to re-establish that line with the national church?"

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.