Willie Hill (bishop)

Willie James Hill Jr. (born 1951) is an American Anglican bishop currently serving as bishop ordinary of the Reformed Episcopal Church's Diocese of the Southeast and as rector of St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Right Reverend

Willie J. Hill Jr.
Bishop Ordinary of the Southeast
ChurchAnglican Church in North America
Reformed Episcopal Church
DioceseREC Southeast
In office2022–present
PredecessorWilliam White
Orders
Ordination1982 (diaconate)
1984 (priesthood)
Consecration2022
by Foley Beach
Personal details
Born1951 (age 71–72)
Moncks Corner, South Carolina

Early life, education, and family

Hill was born in Moncks Corner to Willie J. Hill Sr. and Gladys Hill and raised in the Reformed Episcopal Church.[1] He married Gale in 1974 and has three adult children and six grandchildren.[2] Hill studied at Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia and received degrees from Cummins Memorial Theological Seminary in Summerville, South Carolina, in 1981, as well as from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania.[3]

Ordained ministry

Hill began ordained ministry in 1982 in the Reformed Episcopal Church and served parishes in Pennsylvania and South Carolina.[3]

He was appointed rector of St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church in 2013 and launched new initiatives to engage the surrounding Ansonborough community. “The truth is there is no vision for a future if we maintain that mindset,” he said. “That is one of the symptoms of a dying church.” He welcomed visiting college gospel choirs to sing in St. John's sanctuary and added a midday Bible study for elderly members who could not travel to evening events.[4]

Episcopal ministry

On 28 February 2022, Hill was elected bishop co-adjutor with the right to succeed Bishop Ordinary William White upon his retirement.[3][5] Hill's election received consent from the Anglican Church in North America College of Bishops on 13 June 2022,[6] and he was consecrated on 13 August 2022 at Grace Reformed Episcopal Church in Moncks Corner. ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach was the chief consecrator, and REC Presiding Bishop Ray Sutton was the consecration preacher.[7][1] In September 2022, White retired and Sutton installed Hill as bishop ordinary during the diocese's annual synod.[8]

References
  1. "Bishop Willie J. Hill" (PDF). The Flame. CUMMINS MEMORIAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  2. "Interview of Rev. Willie J. Hill, Jr. of St. John Reformed Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC". Youtube. Norym Ent. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  3. Collins, Charles A. (5 March 2022). "Bishop Coadjutor Elected for the Diocese of the Southeast". The Aquila Report. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  4. Dennis, Rickey Ciapha (10 February 2019). "Historic downtown Charleston church surviving gentrification, internal struggles". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  5. Dillane, Matt (28 February 2022). "New bishop elected for Reformed Episcopal Diocese of the Southeast". ABC4 News. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  6. "CONSECRATION OF BISHOP COADJUTOR WILLIE J. HILL". Anglican Church in North America. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  7. Sutton, Ray (October 5, 2022). "Report of the Bishop Ordinary" (PDF). Reports for the One Hundred Fifteenth Synod. Diocese of Mid-America. p. 13. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
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