Pineville, a historic refuge
Part 40 Extra: The Reformed Episcopal Church By Warner M.Warner@TheColumMboinatSgtaorm.coemry

The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) was created in 1873 when the established Episcopal Church would not ordain black clergy. Today, the church has over 100 parishes in the U.S. and Canada. Membership is over 13,000.

The local diocese, the Reformed Episcopal Diocese of the Southeast, includes 2,700 members in 35 churches in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The bishop's office is in the Cummins Theological Seminary in Summerville. The Very Rev. Alphonza Gadsden is the current bishop of the diocese.

REC is in full communion with the Free Church of England and the Anglican Province of America, and is one of the founding members of the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas. In 2007, REC joined the Common Cause Partnership in North America. REC supports missions in Brazil, France, and Germany. The Most Rev. Leonard W. Riches is the current presiding bishop of the church.