9:30am – 9:45am

Welcome and Opening

Welcome: Judge Alan D. Clemmons, J.D., South Carolina Circuit Court, Equity Division and Chairman, South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference (5 minutes)

Conducting: Elder David A. Winters, Area Seventy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints (5 minutes)

Patriotic Hymn: Tammie Lecque, God Bless America, vocalist, recording artist and composer

with her work being named as Top Christian Songs 2024 (5 minutes)

Invocation: Sister Pam Smith, Ph.D., Director for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston (5 minutes)

9:50am – 10:30am

Religious Liberty; The Foundation of a Free Society

•Speaker: Honorable Pamela Evette, Lieutenant Governor of the State of South Carolina. (20 minutes)

•Speaker: Elder Alexander Dushku, J.D., General Authority Seventy and General Counsel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (20 minutes)

10:30am – 11:30am

Religious Liberty in the South Carolina Legislature – A Panel Discussion

•Moderator: Kristen Anderson, United States Southeast Communication Director, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

•Panelist: Representative J. Todd Rutherford, J.D., House Minority Leader, Representing Richland County, South Carolina House of Representatives

•Panelist: Representative Brandon L. Newton, House Majority Leader, Representing Lancaster County, South Carolina House of Representatives

•Panelist: Senator Stephen L. Goldfinch, Jr, J.D., Representing Georgetown and Horry Counties, South Carolina Senate

•Panelist: Senator Russell L. Ott, Representing Calhoun, Lexington and Richland Counties, South Carolina Senate

11:30am – 12:30pm

Lunch

•Blessing: President Christian E. Boesl, J.D., Columbia South Carolina Stake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Lunch Sponsored by Goings Law Firm of Columbia and Connell Law Firm of Lugoff

(Served in the House of Representatives Cafeteria, Solomon Blatt Building Room 115)

12:30pm – 12:35pm

•Instrumental Medley: Melissa and Anabelle Thatcher, Melissa is a nationally renowned violinist and her ten-year-old daughter, Annabelle, is following closely in her mother’s footsteps

12:35pm – 1:15pm

Afternoon Speakers

•Speaker: Steve G. Trakas, Archon, Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church (20 minutes)

•Speaker: Father Jay Scott Newman, J.C.L., Chancellor and Canonical Counsel of the Roman

Catholic Diocese of Charleston (20 minutes)

1:15pm – 2:00pm

Religious Freedom Today Panel Discussion

•Moderator: Holli Emore, Chair, Interfaith Partners of South Carolina

•Panelist: Elder Alexander Dushku, J.D., General Authority Seventy and General Counsel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, UT

•Panelist: Rabbi Hesh Epstein, Spiritual Leader and Founding Executive Director, Chabad of South Carolina

•Panelist: Father Jay Scott Newman, J.D., Chancellor and Canonical Counsel of the Roman

Catholic Diocese, Charleston, SC

•Panelist: Imam Omar Shaheed, Imam of Masjid al-Salaam, Eau Claire, SC

•Panelist: Amarjit Singh, President, Sikh Gurdwara, Chapin, SC

•Panelist: Sister Pam Smith, Ph.D., Director for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston

2:00pm – 2:20pm

Religious Liberty Legal Update

•Speaker: Ryan Oberly, J.D., Legal counsel to diverse religious organizations, Wagenmaker and Oberly Law Firm

2:20pm – 2:30pm

Conference Legislation Discussion

•Presenter: Judge Alan D. Clemmons, J.D., South Carolina Circuit Court, Equity Division, for Ratification of the ‘Honoring South Carolina Religious Freedom Bill’

2:30pm – 3:00pm

Closing Remarks

•Closing Comments of Conference Conductor: Elder David A. Winters, Area Seventy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (10 minutes)

•Closing Remarks: Elder Alexander Dushku, J.D.: General Authority Seventy and General Counsel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (15 minutes)

•Benediction: Pastor James I. St. John, D.Min., South Carolina Senate Chaplain and Pastor Emeritus of Forest Lake Presbyterian Church