Where and Why
Conversations about the origin stories of Savannah's "quiet influencers." It begins with the question: "Where were you born?" and ends with "Why?"
Where and Why
Ep. 16: Reverend Michael White, Christ Church Episcopal
Today we are in conversation with the Rev. Michael White, the retiring rector of historic Christ Church Episcopal on Johnson Square.
Michael came to Savannah in 2008 to navigate the church through some of its most turbulent times in a history that dates back to 1733.
The congregation was divided by the Episcopal Church's acceptance of gay and lesbian clergy and same sex marriages. One group called themselves Anglicans and left the denomination; the other group remained Episcopal. What followed was a lawsuit over who had the rights to the historic church building, a legal and moral dispute that split families, friends and neighbors.
As a Georgia native and former rector of a church in Richmond Hill, White knew what he what he was getting into but he likely didn't imagine that 16 years later the church would have grown to its highest level of members, diversity and viewpoints.