Province 1 Report 

Province 1 ECW board meets monthly via Zoom.  During the last quarter President Susan Howland worked with Parliamentarian Dennis Clark to prepare a bylaw change allowing Annual meetings and other Province Meetings to be held via electronic media in addition to in person. Dennis was most helpful and in April the Province met via Zoom and was able to change the bylaws allowing for meetings via electronic media.

Diocese of Connecticut – Their board meets every two months.  Their much-anticipated Annual Meeting is once again postponed and hopefully will be the 1st Thursday in May 2022.

Diocese of Rhode Island – The board meets monthly on the fourth Monday.  They decided to still ask the parishes to contribute to the Fair Share fund as in prior years.  The response has been terrific.  One parish asked for $38 sent $150 from their mission money. They continue to send money to local charitie es that distribute food and other services to the underserved and COVID affected organizations and mission parishes.  They are discussing how to raise/ingather UTO funds from the parishes.

Diocese of Western Massachusetts – Their board continues to meet bi-monthly and continue their outreach programs.

Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont do not have representation as there is no diocesan structure.  There are groups of women doing ministry in these states in individual parishes.

Province One will be holding their Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 12th from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Karen Patterson has said she would be able to attend and bring greetings from the National ECW.  The only item on their agenda is to elect the representative to the UTO Board.  UTO board did not continue the terms of their members to 2022 and thus need a new representative for 2021-2024. There will be speakers, times to gather and end with worship. Last years Province Annual meeting was well attended and everyone so enjoyed the variety of the content.

Margaret E. Noel
Province 1 Representative
May 13, 2021

ECW Province 2

Barbara Taylor

On May 1,2021 the Episcopal Church Women of Province 2 met via zoom to hold their annual meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Diocese of Long Island this year. The Bishop of Long Island, The Rt. Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, welcomed the attendees and opened the meeting with prayer. He also addressed the ladies and expressed his continued support for the organization. Representatives from the dioceses of Province 2 were in attendance along with the Province representatives to the National ECW Board, the National UTO Board and the National CPC Board. Reports were given by the representative from each diocese, elections were held and the treasurer’s report was adopted.  Everyone agreed that it has been a difficult year because of the pandemic, but that the work was being carried on by individuals, parishes and dioceses.

Since this was the year of celebrating the 150th year of the ECW, the theme for the meeting was “ECW 150 Years and Beyond.” The program reflected a summary of the history of the ECW and predictions about the future of ECW. Two female priests and one postulant glimpsed a bright future for the organization. They expect that the women of the church will continue in their fight for social justice in all its forms and they see technology playing a greater role in keeping the organization moving forward. Attached is a copy of the 150- year history of the ECW as presented at the meeting.

Province 3

Lexington ECW Diocesan Board 2020 Report

Despite the limitations of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, our Lexington ECW board has made every effort to continue serving the churches of our diverse diocese.  Here in Kentucky our churches range from urban ones near Cincinnati, down through the suburban ones of the central Kentucky bluegrass, and farther still, down to those nestled in Appalachian mountain communities.

Last year we supplied several church pantries with desperately needed funding so they, in turn, could serve hungry, struggling individuals in their local communities.  Altogether, we offered $13,000 to five churches with promises to these and others to provide additional $25,000 in funding during the 2021 year.. Those served in 2020 were St. Phillips in Harrodsburg, St. Paul’s in Newport, St. James in Prestonsburg, St. Timothy’s in Irvine, and Christ Church in Harlan.

In addition, we supplied our Bishop Moody fund with $500, our own Cathedral Domain with $600, and Reading Camp $600.

Besides supplying funds to those churches in need, our ECW board voted to provide our new bishop, the Rt.. Revd. Mark Van Koevering, with new robes befitting his position.

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions, our diocese was unable to hold our annual Women’s Weekend at the Cathedral Domain during 2020.  We do plan to resume this August, offering reduced rates so more women may be able to participate. Most of us regulars would agree our weekend on the mountain both fulfills our spirits and more deeply bonds us not only to our Heavenly Father but to each other.

Finally, although our board members are glad we were able to serve our parishes as well as we did during the 2020 pandemic, we certainly pray that better days are ahead for us all!

Carole Mize, President

Province 4

Since the beginning of the Pandemic last March, all in-person meetings have ceased. All of the Episcopal Church Women meetings and events have taken place by electronic means.  We continue with two of our signature events, the ECW Saturday Event, and the Annual Meeting. However, we had to cancel the ECW Children’s Sunday Event. 
  1. ECW Saturday Celebration- February 6, 2021- Morning Prayer Service- with a guest speaker, The Rev. Leslie Hague, Rector, All Saints Episcopal Church, in Ft. Lauderdale, with an outstanding message on How the ECW can and will continue its ministry in the climate of the church today. At this service, we also recognized the Distinguished Women from each deanery. We had 175 participants on the ZOOM Service. 
  2. Last year, May 1, 2020, we held the Annual Meeting via ZOOM. Because we were praying that we will be able to meet in person before September 2020, we had only the business meeting. We were able to announce the selections of the three Catherine Brown Scholarship recipients. 
  3. We are planning the 2021 Annual Meeting scheduled for Saturday, June 12, 2021. This will be via ZOOM with Morning Services and Business Meeting. We have proposed to amend the bylaws at this meeting, including handling business electronic means and incorporating the Distinguished Women.  
Warm regards and Blessings,
Edith Newbold, President
Diocese of Southeast Florida

Diocese of Florida – Provincial ECW Report

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented an in-person gathering for the annual meeting in October 2020, however, new officers, President Dorothy Holder, President-Elect Heather Prox, and UTO Chairperson Rosie Connolly staring their terms of service in January 2021 were installed by Bishop John Howard in a small socially distanced ceremony at the St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville.

About 30 ladies gathered on Holy Ground at Camp Weed on Saturday, February 20, 2021 for our first in-person socially distance meeting in almost year.   At this meeting we introduced our Diocesan Outreach initiative to the ladies which was received with tremendous enthusiasm.  We will be supporting an initiative through the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center “See the Girl”, that serves at risk young girls.

Saturday, May 1, 2021 some 90 ladies representing all five regions gathered at Camp Weed for a one day Diocesan ECW/DOK Spring Retreat, following all COVID-19 processes.  Our dynamic Retreat Leader Kris Munroe delivered an amazing and inspiring message incorporating our theme Order My Steps.

At this retreat and in support of our Outreach initiate, we raised $1125.00 to donate to the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center “See the Girl”.

Our summer meeting is planned for August 16, 2021 and the annual meeting October 23, 2021.

Respectfully submitted by,

Dorothy Holder

ECW President, Diocese of Florida

Report from ECW Diocese of South Carolina.

Today The first day of May is most important step in our journey; Rev Ruth Woodliff-Stanley has been elected Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. Having been in a schism for the past ten years, the women of the diocese have not  been meeting collectively but all of our remaining 35 churches have ECW’s  and groups working heartily to keep their churches in mission and ministry. All of the churches in SC have been involved in food ministry, and assisting in all aspects of the work of the churches during the pandemic.

I will write a report to our newly elected Bishop when her office is established  in Charleston. I believe that Our diocese is filled with women who have leadership qualities to take over the next journey. It will be exciting for a new beginning. Meanwhile, I am in full belief that the women in SC are living through our roots of Mission and Ministry.

Jacqueline Robe

Province 5

                                                                                                  Diocese of Chicago

www.ecwchicago.org

The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) has continued to serve the women of the diocese through programs of faith and fellowship.

Diocesan Convention 2020   Since this was an online-only meeting, the ECW sent a recorded greeting to the assembled delegates, but did not otherwise participate.  Jane Schenck and Susan O’Brien recorded messages focused on the continuation and added importance of our annual giving in this time of pandemic.

136th Annual Meeting and Convention – November 14, 2020  This event was postponed from its usual timing in the spring and was totally virtual.  We kept our original theme of Creation Care and invited our 2020 ministry partner, Magdalene House-Chicago represented by its director, Mary Lawrence, to speak about the start-up of its ministry to trafficked women.  Our other speaker was Catherine Duffy, the Province V Convener of the Creation Care Network, who spoke about getting green projects started in parishes.  The event concluded with a video presentation of Fr. John Crist’s “Stations of Creation” which included hymns and canticles sung by Lisa Rogers Lee who was accompanied by her husband, the Right Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee on piano.

The Fall Retreat planned for October 17-18 at DeKoven Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin was reimagined as a 1-day online event led by Jeannie McCabe of the Diocese of Arkansas.  Music was provided by Catherine Balassie (pre-recorded) and Janet Irving (live) and was an uplifting event for an international group of over 50 participants (yes, we had a woman from the U.K. and another from Canada, as well as many other dioceses and provinces besides Chicago).  It opened our eyes to Zoom as an effective delivery system which we will be using past pandemic times.

The ECW diocesan board rolled up its collective sleeves and re-wrote its bylaws to simplify the organization structure.  We faced the possibility of a much smaller organization primarily devoted to distributing our income, and, as we were finishing the task, five new women joined our board.  We plan; God laughs and says, “I know what I have planned for you.”  We are planning a full calendar of events for 2021:

137th Annual Meeting and Convention – May 8th online only

Altar Guild Conference – September 18th online only

Fall Retreat – October 15-17 a hybrid event to be held at DeKoven Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin for as many as the center can accommodate, but also broadcast on Zoom.  The theme and working title are:  “Come to the Well: Refreshing our Bodies, Minds and Souls.”

As always, our website is a source of updated information and event registrations and details: www.ecwchicago.org.

Jane P. Schenck, Treasurer and Convener

Diocese of Indianapolis

Mission: The Episcopal Women’s Ministries (EWM) serves to connect and support women throughout the diocese as they grow in their baptismal ministry. We do this by sharing and encouraging women’s ministries within and beyond the diocese; seeking, developing and recognizing women leaders; and educating and advocating for justice.

Membership in the EWM: all women communicants in good standing in the Diocese of Indianapolis are members of the Diocese of Indianapolis Episcopal Women’s Ministries and the larger national association of Episcopal Church Women.

Leadership of the EWM: The ministry of the EWM is coordinated by the EWM Council which collaborates with or represents several ministries of the national church: Episcopal Church Women, The Order of the Daughters of the King and United Thank Offering.  We no longer have someone to represent Church Periodical Club. The EWM Council meets 4 times annually, with extra meetings added as needed. This year, all meetings have been held virtually on the Zoom platform. The Council also serves as a resource for the women of our diocese to explore different ministries and events available in our diocese, Province 5, and National ECW.

Social Media – Facebook (FB):  @EWMINDYTEC

In compliance with the Diocese of Indianapolis’ mandate to recognize and learn about racial justice and equality, EWM Council members attended seminars and workshops:

  • Sacred Ground Race Dialogue Series (February/March) – There was a quite extensive reading list and homework involved with this.
  • “Understanding Implicit Bias and Microaggression” Seminar, sponsored by DOK and presented by Shafer Leadership Academy (March 13, 2021)

Unfortunately, EWM budget was cut significantly by our diocese and so we are making some hard decisions about how our funds will be used.

From the group of the 2020 Honored Women group, we chose our Distinguished Woman, Barbara Wills, from Grace Episcopal Church in Muncie, IN.

Our spring event will be on Saturday, April 17 on the Zoom platform and is entitled “Tea and Conversation with Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows”.  We put together a packet which has been mailed to registrants. It contained a lovely printed booklet containing a recipe for scones, a short essay about tea and mindfulness, how to make a pot of tea (who knew it was so involved?), and information about our ECW/EWM communications; packet of tea, 2 flower-shaped papers embedded with wildflower seeds, and a fancy napkin. We also asked attendees to use a favorite tea cup or mug and to wear a pretty hat (gloves optional) to get into the spirit of the event. As of April 8, we had 33 registrants.

We are hoping our Fall Retreat can be held in person at Waycross Camp and Conference Center in southern Indiana this year, but will comply, of course, with directives from the Diocesan Office about the final decision.

Beverly Ruebeck and Lisa Matucheski

Co-Chairs, Episcopal Women’s Ministries

Diocese of Milwaukee

The ECW has had little activity in the past few months. However, we are excited to share that Women’s Miniweek will be occurring in person from Saturday August 7th though lunch on Tuesday August 10. It will be held at our usual site – Camp Lakotah, Wautoma, WI. This site is where we have been for over 40 years. COVID protocols will be in place and much of the activities will be outside (there is a lovely open-air pavilion with picnic tables and fireplace and plenty of room for open air activities plus an overhang porch on the side of the dining hall). For more information go to the Miniweek for Women 2021 website.  We continue to have the Mary and Martha newsletter every month though there is little to share beyond COVID updates. Some parishes are safely opening up with restrictions.

The diocese of Milwaukee is in a time of transition which will be for several years. Our former Bishop Steven Miller retired on Dec. 31, 2020.

Bishop Jeff Lee who retired from the Diocese of Chicago at the end of 2020 became our provisional Bishop on April 1. He will be with us for at least 2 years in a part-time position. The added piece of information is that there will probably be discussions between the 3 WIsconsin dioceses regarding structure. At this point the Bishop of Fond du Lac is serving 2/3 time in Fond du lac and 1/3 time in the Diocese  of Eau Claire as their provisional Bishop. Needless to say – the pandemic has made many changes in our views of our mission and work in our diocese. We have learned much, adapted as best we can and we see the future as a challenge with a variety of possibilities and opportunities. Constance Ott – ECW President Diocese of Milwaukee

Diocese of Ohio

The Diocese of Ohio ECW board virtually met on October 17, 2020, January 16, and March 13, 2021. We also met on March 22 and 29 to fine tune the details, as well as to practice, for our virtual Annual Meeting and Retreat scheduled for May 15.  Many parishes in the diocese did not have in-person worship or gatherings over the past year due to COVID-19.  Thus, the focus of our board meetings was to provide fellowship and maintain a pulse on our limited activities.

In 2020, we awarded $1,000 to one applicant for the Carlotta East Scholarship. This scholarship was established to provide aid to Episcopal women who need financial assistance to complete their education, upgrade their skills before returning to the workforce, or complete training for the priesthood. In addition, we used our local CPC funds to award a $500 book grant to one of our seminarians.

The annual meeting and retreat, which had originally been planned for May 2020, was rescheduled, and consequently cancelled, for September 18 & 19, 2020. It was postponed again and rescheduled a second time for May 14 & 15, 2021 at Bellwether Farm. We have now made the decision to meet virtually for the annual meeting and retreat.  The program will be condensed from two days to one day.  The existing program will be adapted to a virtual format that includes a business meeting, keynote speaker’s presentation, three workshops, and will conclude with a worship service.  We are eager to return to Bellwether in 2022.

On May 15, 2021, we will have a business meeting and retreat via Zoom.  Besides the business meeting, we will have the following speakers and hosts:

  • Keynote Address – Connecting to Community through Nature Introduction by Natalie Ronayne, Chief Development Officer, Cleveland Metroparks and Kelly Coffman, Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resiliency Study (CHEERS), Cleveland Metroparks
  • Chair Yoga by Angee Mantell
  • Healing Power of Nature by Joe Blanda, MD, introduction by Patty Kellner, President, Kirtland Bird Club
  • Labyrinth by Sue Mueller

We will conclude with worship officiated by The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., Bishop of Ohio.

We invite all to attend this event.  Look for an invitation soon.

Susan Quill, President, Diocese of Ohio Episcopal Church Women (ECW)

DIOCESE OF WESTERN MICHIGAN

In 2020, due to COVID-19, we had to cancel our April board meeting and the May Annual meeting both originally scheduled to be held at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Lansing. On December 18, 2020 our beloved ECW president, Pam Chapman passed away in Grand Rapids after a lengthy illness. The board voted to send a memorial to St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids in memory of Pam.

The board finally reconvened virtually on March 21, 2021. The board currently consists of Marilee Roth (Vice President & Acting President), Kay Hanson (Secretary), Tammy Mazure (Treasurer), Ruth Smith (Missions & Outreach), Sarah Swart (UTO), Lois Weed (DOK), and Gail Donovan (Member-at-Large). The decision was made to hold our annual meeting in the fall of 2021. If we can meet in person, we will meet at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Lansing and if we cannot, we will plan a virtual assembly on the same date. Gail Donovan will oversee securing a date in the early fall for our annual meeting.

During this meeting, we also discussed our need to update our page on the diocesan website, revise our bylaws, set a budget, to obtain more board members, hold officer elections this fall, and to find ways to have more presence within the diocese. Our new Diocesan UTO Coordinator, Sarah Swart, has been doing a terrific job of connecting with parishes in our diocese for their ECW and UTO contacts. We plan to have a presence at our joint Eastern and Western Dioceses convention which will be held from October 29-30, 2021, at the Radisson Hotel, Lansing. We also need to plan for the Honored Woman choice for our diocese for 2022.

Our next board meeting is scheduled for May 15 at 11 AM via Zoom.

Marilee Roth, Vice President & Acting President

The Order of the Daughters of the King®

In this challenging time of Covid-19 the Province V board has been meeting monthly. There is business to tend to, but we also have a care and share time to pray for and support one another. The board of the Province is a chapter on its own, the Blue Monarch Chapter. We connect with an intentional prayer calendar and a monthly shared list for intercessory prayers.

Because of Covid-19, there has been no travel around the Province, but I attended these  Zoom diocesan DOK assembly events and represented DOK at ECW events in 2020:

  • October 3- Diocesan Assembly of Northern Indiana
  • October 17- Diocesan Assembly of Indianapolis
  • October 24- ECW Diocese of Chicago Retreat
  • November 7- Diocesan Assembly of Michigan
  • November 14- ECW Province V Meeting

Also, on March 13 of this year I attended another Indianapolis Assembly gathering on a training, “Understanding Implicit Bias and Micro-aggression:  Supportive Strategies for Everyday Solutions”, led by Melinda Missineo, PhD, Professor of Sociology at Ball State University.

Our Province V Assembly for 2020 was held on September 18. We were able to provide some of the aspects of an in-person assembly in a four hour Zoom platform. 55 women were in attendance. On January 23, we held a Fellowship/Sharing morning for an unstructured time to gather and have conversations, with 61 women attending.

On April 17,2021 we are holding our Virtual Spring Assembly, with election of officers for the next triennium. Our theme is Hope and Strength, based on Isaiah 40:31- “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength”.

It is our tradition to meet just prior to the Episcopal General Convention and planning continues for our National Convention (Triennial) in June 2022. We will meet in Baltimore at the Hyatt Regency on the Inner Harbor. “Come to the Table” is the theme and we always look forward to the worship and fellowship with Daughters from around the world.

Kathy Schultz
Province V President

Church Periodical Club (CPC)

Ministry of the printed word….

Province V ECW support during this year of Covid-19 has been a sign of hope. Although contributions have been down, CPC has received from several diocesan contributions. Also, the quilt fund raising at the last annual Province VECW meeting as well as the support of our Rally fund-raising. Our Province received donation from Chicago, Western Michigan, Milwaukee, Fond du lac and Missouri for that event which was held online during February 2021.Our website is undergoing updating. So, if you need information, please contact me. (see below).

Remember this ministry supports the seminaries (we have two in our Province Bexley-Seabury and Nashotah House), grants for children and youth as well as adult needs. Our province has been blessed to have grants provided in both categories. Think about a way you and your congregation can be involved. This is one ministry that circles the globe and all ages. Here are some ideas to jump start your thoughts: Once church begins in person have a place where everyone can place their pennies for the MOP children’s fund.1.If you have a book group each person would contribute 25 or 50 cents for each book, they read for the NBF adult/seminary funds.

2.Have a book exchange at church everyone brings their books and donates for ones they take. (remainders to look book sale)

3.Ask those having garage sales to tithe 5% to congregation and 5% to CPC.

The list goes on…..I am here to answer questions, provide materials and be your cheerleader……

Another great need is to have contacts in each of our diocese. I can assist you in deciding what you can do and support you-mainly it is to communicate within your diocese re: CPC.

Maryfran Crist

Province V Rep. to NECW

I participated in the three Zoom sessions for our annual meeting.  We started with the Province V ECW Presidents meeting on April 24th.  Then Province V ECW hosted a “Community Conversations” with The Rev. Dr. Maria Evans, talking about “Calling-In” instead of “Calling-Out” people on April 24th. Then on May 1st was the Province V ECW Annual Meeting.  Our speakers were Sister Veronica Mary, Mr. Sean McConnell, The Rev. Rosalind Hughes, and The Rev. Darlene Kuhn.

Sister Veronica Mary from the Diocese of Michigan talked about “Care and Connection in Community as a Pandemic Exits”.  Mr. Sean McConnell, Episcopal Relief & Development, Senior Director for Engagement, discussed “Care of Surrounding Community”.  The Rev. Rosalinda Hughes from the Diocese of Ohio, discussed her book Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence.  The Rev. Darlene Kuhn from the Diocese of Western Michigan was our Chaplain.

The Diocese of Ohio ECW Annual Meeting will be on May 15th and I will be attending the Zoom meeting.

I have been working with John Wilkerson on the survey for contact information from local congregations.  I sent the survey out to the Diocesan presidents in Province V, some filled them out on their own churches, and some were sent to churches in their diocese.  I believe around 15 have been received.  I look forward to John’s report at our meeting.

Jan Goossens

Worship Committee

Sister Veronica Mary talked about a missionary in the 600’s and another in the 1300’s that were sent to the Middle East and Mongolia respectively.  In the talk she said each missionary discovered Christians in those areas already.  Then she said that people traveled on the Silk Road, the Pilgrim Road, and the Roman Road. And I had an “AHA” moment.

For the Opening Ceremony, lets use the roads of the past 150 years.  They are trails, wagon train roads, stagecoach roads, dirt roads, paved roads, interstate roads, and air routes.

For the Closing Ceremony we can use the digital roads, (i.e. email, Facebook, Insta Gram, Zoom, Google Meet, and etc.).

The Worship Committee has endorsed this idea.  We are looking for ideas on how to proceed.

Jan Goossens – chair

Jennifer Kenna

Ema Rosero-Nordalm

Connie Sanchez

Margaret Noel