IN RELIGION:
Grace answers difficult questions A5 THE CLARENDON SUN
3rd annual Red, White and Blue Celebration will include food, live music and fireworks A6
SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2016
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Clark moved from Mother Emanuel Sumter pastor reassigned after less than a year at Charleston church BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com When Rev. Betty Deas Clark, then pastor at Mount Pisgah AME Church in Sumter, heard about the shooting of nine people at a Bible study class at Mother Emanuel AME Church in
Charleston a year ago, she said her head was in Sumter but her heart was in Charleston. Five months ago, she was appointed the pastor at Emanuel, but Tuesday she was reassigned to Georgetown, according to media reports. A woman who answered the phone
at Mother Emanuel Wednesday said the reports were true, but gave no further information. She said Clark was not available for comment. Media outlets quoted CLARK sources as saying that Bishop Richard Franklin Norris of the 7th District of the AME Church reassigned Clark on Tuesday to Bethel AME Church in Georgetown. Cynthia Neal at the AME district of-
fice in Columbia said Wednesday that no information was being given out concerning the reassignment, and she did not know when the church would release a statement on the reassignment. The shooting of nine people at a Bible study class at Mother Emanuel by a young, self-avowed white supremacist on June 17, 2015, thrust the church as well as Charleston into the forefront of America’s struggle for
SEE CLARK, PAGE A3
Gathering rays and pollen A bee gathers pollen from a sunflower in the heat of the day Wednesday on Lodebar Road. The sunflowers are mixed with corn in one section of the field. The sunflowers will get plenty of sun today as the forecast is calling for a high of close to 100 degrees. RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
2 teens arrested for church vandalism
Rotary Club of Sumter Sunrise marks 20 years BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com
FROM STAFF REPORTS
During the 20th Anniversary Banquet for Rotary Club of Sumter Sunrise on Tuesday evening at the O’Donnell House, Rotary District Gov. Rod Funderburk likened the club to the “Little Engine that Could,” a vintage children’s book about a small locomotive that outperforms much larger ones through self-confidence, determination and perseverance. “Your club is a small club that does great things,” Funderburk said. District Gov.-elect Sandee Brooks spoke about one of the goals of Sumter’s breakfast Rotary club. “This is the 100th year of the Rotary Foundation, and this may be the year we see polio eradicated,” she said. “We are striving to get this done by 2017.” Club member Dr. Kay Davis said the Rotary Club of Sumter Sunrise was formed on May 16, 1996, with 30 members through the work of the district governor, who wanted to see a morning Rotary Club in Sumter. Scott McKenzie was the first president of the club. Davis said the club has maintained three fundamental characteristics during its 20 years in existence. “We wanted a diverse membership,” she said. “That wasn’t always the norm at that time.” The club has always been a Rotary Foundation Club, she said, meaning it maintains a
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 14- and a 15-year-old boy on Tuesday for vandalizing Wedgefield Baptist Church in Wedgefield and causing about $30,000 worth of damage last month. According to the sheriff’s office, the juveniles admitted to damaging items inside the church while they were being interviewed by investigators. The teens were arrested after deputies were tipped off about their location on Tuesday by a county resident who noticed the two teens inside a Dorsey Drive residence where they did not belong. Responding deputies found both hiding inside the residence. The juveniles have been charged with burglary and were released to the custody of their parents, according to the sheriff’s office. Between the evening of
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Rotary Club of Sumter Sunrise President Isaac Carr, left, receives a plaque from Immediate Past President Alan Cannon at the club’s 20th Anniversary Banquet on Tuesday at the O’Donnell House. level of giving, and the club’s service projects have always focused on education and literacy. “We have made a difference in our community in 20 years,” Davis said. “Stay tuned for what we are going to do in the next 20 years.” She said the focus on schools and education with a project to provide coats, shoes and books this winter for students at Manchester Elementary School in Pinewood.
SEE ROTARY, PAGE A3
DEATHS, B4 Evelyn R. Bovender Isaac Felder Phil E. Parker Mary W. Anderson Ethelea B. Watson Joe Nathan Preston Sr.
Corrie Cabbagestalk Sara Kathryn C. Brown Donald O’Conner McCray Annie S. Gamble Joseph C. Chan
May 29 and 8 a.m. on May 31, the two teens broke into the church and sprayed fire extinguishers on the pews, electronics, walls and floors. Red paint was also poured inside the church, and microphones were dipped into the paint. More damage was discovered during the cleaning process, totaling an estimated $30,000, according to the sheriff’s office. “We always felt juveniles were involved because of the damage done to the church,” said Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis. “The key to solving this case was the diligent work and cooperation between our patrol and investigative divisions. We are proud of their work on this case.” Last week, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office offered a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people responsible for the vandalism.
WEATHER, A12
INSIDE
IT’S GOING TO BE A HOT ONE
2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 209
Partly sunny and hot today; partly cloudy tonight. HIGH 97, LOW 76
Classifieds B6 Comics B5
Opinion A11 Television A9