The passing of the Rev. Boyd Chewning weighs heavily upon my heart and the hearts of all of those who were touched by his ministry, which stretched over more than 40 years at United Methodist churches across South Carolina.
We are in prayer for those who loved Rev. Chewning, and we grieve his loss throughout the Methodist connection.
The allegations of neglect and abuse serve as a reminder of our obligation as Christians to look out for the defenseless among us. It also presents an opportunity to reaffirm our Safe Sanctuaries Policy, which represents “our total and unwavering commitment to the physical, emotional and spiritual safety of all…vulnerable adults.”
According to the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church:
“We recognize that family violence and abuse in all its forms – verbal, psychological, physical, sexual – is detrimental to the covenant of the human community. …Regardless of the cause or the abuse, both the victim and the abuser need the love of the Church. While we deplore the actions of the abuser, we affirm that person to be in need of God’s redeeming love.”
Rev. Chewning was ordained as a full elder in the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1965, two years after his first appointment in the Union Charge in what was then the Lake City District of the 1785 South Carolina Conference. He served 15 churches in eight of the Conference’s 12 districts.
When he retired in 2004, he was pastor of Emory United Methodist Church in Saluda and Nazareth United Methodist Church near Batesburg-Leesville.
Grace and peace,
L. Jonathan Holston
Resident Bishop
South Carolina Conference
The United Methodist Church
