Sanco Rembert

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Sanco King Rembert (1922–2015) was the first African-American bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC). He was consecrated in 1966 to help the REC’s Missionary Jurisdiction of the South and later served from 1987 to 1998 as the bishop ordinary of the Diocese of the Southeast. Since his time, all bishops of that diocese have been Black.

Rembert was born in Pineville, South Carolina, the son of Rev. Samuel Edward Rembert and Rozella Middleton. He was one of 14 children. He earned a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Benedict College in 1945. While hoping to enter medical school, he worked as a private detective in New York City. In 1947 he had a conversion and felt called to serve the Lord.

He studied theology at New York Theological Seminary, earning an M.Div. in 1951 and an S.T.M. in 1965. He was ordained a deacon in 1951 and a priest in 1953 in the REC, and he served as rector at several southern REC churches. He founded New Israel Reformed Episcopal Church in Charleston in 1959.

In 1965 he was elected assistant missionary bishop and was consecrated in May 1966. In 1970 he was elected bishop coadjutor with the right to succeed Bishop William Jerdan Jr. He took on many administrative duties and helped with visitations, counseling clergy, and church growth. In 1979 he reopened Cummins Memorial Theological Seminary.

Rembert became bishop ordinary in 1987 and served until 1998, while also remaining rector of New Israel Church. He oversaw significant rebuilding and church planting, increasing the diocese’s churches from 27 to 38. He also served as vice president of the REC General Council (1990–1999).

Beyond his church work, Rembert held many community roles, including vice president of Jenkins Orphanage, superintendent of the New Israel Child Development and Christian School, and involvement with several Charleston education and civic groups. He was appointed to the South Carolina Board of Paroles and Pardons in 2000 and became the first Black member of the Charleston Ministerial Association in 1966.

Rembert married Carrie Mae Brooks (she died in 2012) and they had two daughters. He retired to Columbia, South Carolina, in 2003 and remarried in 2013 to Patricia Simmons Singleton. He died in Columbia on August 14, 2015, at age 92.

Rembert worked to promote racial inclusion in the REC. In 1975 he urged greater participation by Southeastern churchmen in REC councils, and his efforts helped open doors for Black leadership within the church. In 2001 he was honored by the South Carolina Department of Education during African-American History Month. In 2022 Cummins Memorial Theological Seminary started the Bishop Sanco K. Rembert Memorial Lecture.