June 17, 2015: A gunman entered the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and murdered nine people. Among them was Pastor Anthony Thompson's wife, Myra. In the days that followed, the victims' families shocked the world with radical forgiveness. How can you begin the Path to Healing and Peace?
Forgiveness:
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St. Luke’s has chosen to postpone the Forgiveness Conference, which was scheduled for Saturday, March 21. We are doing this in support of the mitigation efforts related to the spread of the Coronavirus. We are still very anxious to present this event but will not reschedule it until there is more clarity on when it may be appropriate to schedule a day long gathering. All of those who have registered for the event will be notified by email of the postponement and issued refunds by check. |
Rev. Anthony Thompson
The Rev. Anthony Batiste Thompson, was born in Charleston, SC. where he graduated from Bishop England High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Secondary Education at Benedict College, served six years of military duty in the U.S. Navy and received a Masters of Divinity from Cummins Theological Seminary of Summerville, SC. Reverend Thompson was ordained into the Holy Order of Deacons of the Reformed Episcopal Church on September 29, 1997 and he was ordained into the Holy Order of Presbyters of the Reformed Episcopal Church on July 26, 1998. He was the Pastor of St. Stephen’s Reformed Episcopal Church of Summerville, SC from September 1995 until September 2010 and is presently Vicar of Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church of Charleston SC. Rev. Thompson’s entire adulthood has been dedicated to the shepherding care and assistance to his fellowman. After twenty-seven years of service, he retired from the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services as an Adult Probation-Parole Agent. He was also employed with Carolina Youth Development Center of North Charleston, SC as a Relief Counselor; the South Carolina Dept. of Mental Health as a Wraps Provider; Mentor of Charleston as a Direct Service Employee; The Charleston County Substance Abuse Commission as a Court Liaison; John G. Richard’s Institution for Boys as a Youth Counselor and has voluntarily mentored young people in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties of South Carolina for forty years and still pressing on. Rev. Thompson was married to the loving and beautiful late Myra Singleton of Charleston, SC. They have three wonderful children and five beautiful grandchildren. Rev. Thompson strongly believes that "Without GOD we can do nothing but with GOD all things are possible." His favorite Bible verse is taken from St. Matthew 25:40(b): “…Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” |
Bishop Mark Lawrence
On January 26, 2008 at a festive service in the Cathedral of Saint Luke and Saint Paul in Charleston, Mark Joseph Lawrence was consecrated the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Bishop Lawrence was born in Bakersfield, California, on March 19, 1950. A fifth generation Californian he was educated at California State University, Bakersfield (BA, 1976) and Trinity School for Ministry (M. Div. 1980). He has also received honorary degrees from Nashotah House (D.D. 2008) and Sewanee (D.D. 2009). He has ministered in a wide variety of parish settings from suburban church plant, rural mission, inner city church, to downtown parish in California and Pennsylvania. These include Holy Family, Fresno, CA; Saint Mark’s, Shafter, California (1981-1984); Saint Stephen’s, McKeesport, Pennsylvania (1984-1997) where he also established on Mon Valley Tri-Church Ministry taking two smaller congregations under a multi-staff network; and Saint Paul’s, Bakersfield, California (1997-2007). Known for being a dedicated pastor-teacher, he is a frequent speaker at retreats and conferences within the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina and elsewhere. He has also published articles on devotional and ecclesial concerns in various periodicals. Mark has been married to Allison Kathleen Taylor since 1973. They have five children: Chad, an Anglican priest and headmaster in Beaufort, SC, married to Wendy, they have four children; daughter Adelia, married to Stephen Matson who is soon to be the pastor of Family Ministry at Grace Anglican in Grove City, PA and parents of three children; middle daughter, Emily, married to Jacob Jefferis, parents of five children live in Grove City, PA; Joseph, ordained priest, serving as an Instructor at Holy Trinity Classical School in Beaufort, SC, married to Joette, they have three children; and Chelsea, married to Jason Hamshaw, is Rector of All Saints Church, in Florence, SC, they have four boys. |