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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 Bill Taylor, Representing Aiken and Lexington Counties, 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, Amazing Grace, 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