Upon the resignation of Rev. Joseph Horn on November 15, 1969, the Rev. Mr. Robert Michael Jones (b. 1942)—a deacon assigned to St. John’s in May 1969—was named interim rector. Jones was ordained to the priesthood in January 1970 at St. John’s. He answered a call to Grace Church, Charleston in May, and the Rev. Stephen Lee Skardon (1918-1991) began his 14-year rectorship in August 1970.

Mr. Skardon was born in St. Francisville, Louisiana; graduated from Clemson College in 1939; and received a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1947. Prior to his ministry in Florence, Skardon served at Trinity in Pinopolis, SC; Mount Olivet, Pineville, LA; St. Paul’s, New Orleans; and St. Paul’s, Summerville.

Skardon’s tenure began in the midst of local and national controversy and upheaval surrounding the adoption of the revised Book of Common Prayer; authorization for women to serve on vestries, be licensed as lay readers, and to be ordained; and issues surrounding parish support of the national church. General Convention had approved in 1961 a revised BCP for trial use. St. John’s purchased copies and began “trial liturgies” in February 1969. Also in 1969, General Convention amended the canons to allow women to be licensed as lay readers and become eligible for election to vestries. ( The first woman to serve on St. John’s vestry was Frances Sloan Dargan, elected in January 1975.) In 1973, the use of lay chalice bearers was authorized and, in 1976, the ordination of women won approval from General Convention. Mr. Skardon tried several times to implement the use of lay chalice bearers at St. John’s, but this practice did not earn vestry approval until 20 years later.

In response to these significant changes in the practice and appearance of Episcopal liturgy and tradition, many parishes throughout the country left the church and allied themselves with the Anglican Catholic Church. St. John’s was not immune to this response: a group of members left the parish and held services at the Salvation Army under the leadership of an itinerant priest. Joined by members from Darlington and Kingstree churches, they organized the Church of Our Savior of the Anglican Catholic Church, Florence and, as of 2002, were still holding services on Sundays at Parkwood Presbyterian Church. (The current status of this congregation could not be determined in time for publication.) Intensifying the discord were questions raised around the issue of property ownership rights when parishes secede from the parent organization (Episcopal Church USA).

Some of the major changes brought about by the revision of the BCP included:

• Services became centered upon Holy Eucharist, as opposed to Morning Prayer. Prior to 1979, Holy Communion was celebrated at St. John’s at 8:00 every Sunday but only once a month at the principal service.
• Terminology changed: Holy Eucharist replaced Holy Communion
• Confirmation was no longer a prerequisite for receiving Communion.
• Two rites were made available for the celebration of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Holy Eucharist. The most conspicuous difference is language: Elizabethan English vs. modern English. Also, Rite I tends to be penitential in nature while Rite II focuses on thanksgiving.

The increased number of communion services required by the 1979 BCP made the need for an assistant rector at St. John’s more pressing than in previous years. Among the assistants hired during Mr. Skardon’s tenure was the Rev. Charles Friend Walton, Jr. (b. 1944). He came to St. John’s as a deacon on May 28, 1975 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1976. While Walton was at St. John’s, the parish hosted all of the EYC groups in the diocese for the largest youth gathering ever assembled in the diocese. Walton left on February 28, 1977 to become rector of Grace Church in North Carolina. Other assistants included David Randolph Simpson, Steven Robert Rottgers, Willard Seymour Taylor, Jr., and Charles Brown.