Minister’s Message – Quarterly Connection, Feb 2026
Dear Ones, The first time I ever led worship in our gorgeous sanctuary, there was only a handful of people in the room as I…
It brings me immense pride to share that I have graduated as a member of the latest Lowcountry class of the Riley Fellows Diversity Leaders Initiative Program (DLI), of The Riley Institute at Furman University. I am now an official #RileyFellow, joining a network of more than 3,000 leaders throughout South Carolina dedicated to leveraging the unique skills and insights of our communities for the advancement of social and economic progress.
A heartfelt thank you goes to my capstone group, the Turn 90 – Fatherhood and Futures Initiative, for their invaluable collaboration on our final project, which is providing career-building and interview preparation skills to men who are currently incarcerated and participating in Turn90’s pre-release program. Our project also involves a free admission program to local attractions for recently released men in the Turn90 program to help them spend fun, quality time with their children at no cost.
I am similarly thrilled to share that church member, Bill Finn, was awarded the 2026 OneSouthCarolina Riley-Wilkins Civic Award, also through the The Riley Institute at Furman University.
This award celebrates leaders who inspire us with their selfless and collaborative efforts to move South Carolina forward, build stronger communities, and advance opportunities for better health, education, and jobs among the people of our state.
It was an honor to join Bill and his wife, Prudence, in Columbia this month for the award ceremony and I am inspired by their leadership and generosity. May we all be so motivated to pay it forward!To learn more about Bill, you can watch this video HERE.
If you see anyone else in the news or out in the community doing good in the world please share with us so we can keep highlighting our amazing members each quarter!
