Dear Ones,
By now many of you have read the front-page article in today’s
Beaufort Gazette
(June 8) regarding Union Church. (There is a link to the article at the end of my remarks.). This follows up on an article that was published in the May 20 edition, which reported on our intent to purchase Union Church. Both articles were fair and well-balanced.
Today’s article reported on events that took place at a town planning session last Wednesday held at the town hall in Port Royal. In essence, the town council followed procedures in the municipal code which states that council actions (such as the sale of Union Church to St. Mark’s) require only one vote of the council.
State statutes, however, require public property sales to be done as an ordinance. This requires a public hearing and two public votes by the council. With the town now required to approve the sale as an ordinance, and with the additional time needed to comply with state regulations, this may delay the resolution of this matter by approximately 45 days.
As this process continues to unfold, members of the congregation, the Vestry and members of our Property Evaluation Team are working with me to address the concerns raised by members of the Historic Port Royal Foundation (HPRF) and by others. I continue to believe that the HPRF and St. Mark’s desire the preservation of this building; we simply have differing views as to how best to achieve this goal.
Please hold all involved in your prayers.
I am certain God’s Spirit will lead us home, wherever that home may be.
Peace,
Roy+
