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Distinguished Women Joanne Hutchison

Joanne Hutchison

Province II – Diocese of New Jersey

Joanne Hutchison is a life-long Episcopalian and currently a member of Holy Trinity, Wenonah, in the Diocese of New Jersey. At Holy Trinity, Joanne is the directress of the Altar Guild.

She uses her talents as a seamstress to adorn the church with hand-sewn frontals and vestments. Joanne’s artistic vision and leadership have assisted her in leading the floral committee, and she decorates the church with beautiful flowers, often from her own gardens, during Christmas, Holy Week, Easter and other special occasions.

Joanne has received the Jubilee Ministry, Kitchen of Hope Community Service Award, and is active in several service organizations. She has served as the outstanding Secretary of the Diocesan ECW Board and also served on the Diocesan Altar Guild Board. She is married to Gerald, her husband of 54 years, has two daughters and three grandchildren. She is moved always by her love of God and her church.

Episcopal Church Women2022-07-25T15:07:27+00:00July 25th, 2022|

Vernese Smith

Province II – Diocese of Long Island

Vernese became a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Long Island in 1997. She served the church in many key positions. Her former priest had this to say about her, “her service was accomplished with distinction.” For this she received the Bishop’s Cross. Vernese often reminds other sometimes discouraged ECW members that “when we do God’s work, we do it willingly.”

Vernese’s invitation to one 18-year-old member of the parish to attend an ECW meeting resulted in gaining 10 other new members from this group – an opportunity for these young people to see ECW at work.

She continues the work of building God’s kingdom without giving it a second thought. Because of her service to ECW and the church near and far, we are pleased to honor Vernese Smith as the Distinguished Woman from the Diocese of Long Island.

Episcopal Church Women2022-07-18T16:21:46+00:00July 18th, 2022|

Elizabeth Crawley Higginbotham

Province I – Diocese of Rhode Island

I began working for the Episcopal Church in 1994 as a Parish Administrator of one of the Diocese of Rhode Island’s larger churches, St. John’s in Barrington.
It was my first entry into the Episcopal Church, having been raised a Roman Catholic. After 13 years, I became the Executive Assistant to the Bishop, the Right Rev. Geralyn Wolf for 5 years. Upon her retirement I served the Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisley, remaining in that position until my retirement December 31, 2021.

I was blessed to have found this ministry in both my parish and the bishop’s office. Passionate about outreach and co-founder of Beyond Our Walls, a volunteer organization focused on a yearly Great Day of Service, uniting hundreds of volunteers to serve a variety of organizations in need, I also was instrumental in growing Loaves and Fishes, R.I., a mobile feeding ministry.

In my retirement I await that next outreach adventure. I married an Episcopal priest, the Rev. John Higginbotham, in November of 2020, have two adult children, 3 adult step-children and one step-grandson. I am humbled and grateful to receive this honor from the Episcopal Church Women.

Episcopal Church Women2022-07-13T16:24:38+00:00July 13th, 2022|

Valzie Peterkin

Province I – Diocese of Connecticut

Valzie is a member of St. John’s Parish in Bridgeport. She has been a Sunday School Teacher and also elected to positions of leadership, serving as both Junior and Senior Warden.

She has served on the finance committee, worship committee and is a Liturgical Assistant. Valzie has served on the ECW Board of the Episcopal Church Women as the treasurer, Triennial delegate and both 2nd and 1st Vice President.

She was the Diocesan President 2012-2018, served on the CT BDEC Mission Council for the diocese and as sub-dean of the Bridgeport Deanery. On the Province level she served as Vice President. In the community she served as president of the Bridgeport Industrial Management Club, the West Indian American Association and the Bridgeport Council of Churches as recording secretary.

Valzie is married to Vinton Peterkin, is the mother of two, guardian of three and grandmother of four.

Episcopal Church Women2022-07-13T16:20:32+00:00July 13th, 2022|

Workshop scheduled for July 16, 2022

1:00 Eastern

This workshop is designed to give a face to Alzheimer’s disease from the caregiver’s and care recipient’s perspective. Participants will learn the importance of mind, body, spirit and the arts, how to find resources ad create a support system. The leader of this workshop has written a trilogy of her experience caring for her husband over the course of 9 years.

*Attendance is limited to the first 100 persons who log into the Zoom workshop.

*This Zoom workshop will be video and audio recorded and hosted on the NECW YouTube channel.

About the Author

Marjorie Burke grew up in Watertown, Massachusetts, and moved to Lexington when she married her husband, Donald; they raised their two sons there. She is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University and worked as a staff pharmacist at Children’s Hospital in Boston for a number of years, followed by substituting in many other Boston hospitals.

Marjorie has always been active in the Episcopal Church at all levels—parish, diocese, and national. She served as national president of the Episcopal Church Women and coedited Women’s Uncommon Prayers: Our Lives Revealed, Nurtured, Celebrated. Her poetry and prose have been published in literary magazines and local newspapers. She and her husband, together, wrote Melting Ice ~ Shifting Sand, which chronicled the first six years of his struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She completed the trilogy with Pilgrimage on Ice and Sand, and Beyond Ice and Sand. When Will Someday Come is a collection of poems and meditations she wrote on grieving and living again.

Currently, Marjorie lives in Weare, New Hampshire, where she has just completed sixteen years on the Weare District School Board, five of them as chair. Her beloved husband, Donald, died in September 2018. Marjorie has been a weaver and a liturgical dancer in the past and likes to garden and cook.

Stress Self Reflection

List your warning signs of stress.

Identify 2 major sources of stress.
Are there steps you can take to change these stressors? If so, what are they?
What action can you take to reduce or minimize stress?

Selected Resources

General Resources

Alive Inside: www.aliveinside.us (video about the Music & Memory program, which shows the importance of music for patients suffering from any form of dementia)

Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org

Alzheimer’s Store: www.alzstore.com

Powerful Tools for Caregivers: www.powerfultoolsforcaregivers.org

Second Wind: www.secondwind.org (information on a Virtual Dementia Tour, which lets caregivers experience what it is like to live with dementia)

Teepa Snow, dementia and Alzheimer’s care expert: www.teepasnow.com

Movies about Alzheimer’s Disease

Away from Her

Aurora Borealis

Firefly Dreams

Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me

Iris (a memoir of Iris Murdoch)

The Memory Loss Tapes

The Savages

Still Alice

Self-Care Resources

Google “Memory Café” and learn more about taking part in these gatherings. Find one in your area and attend. Both caregiver and care receiver can gain enormous benefits.

Search the Internet for caregivers’ support groups near you. Dementia is devastating for the entire family, and everyone affected by it needs support. The primary caregiver cannot provide the optimal care alone.

As a caregiver, develop your own self-care regime. Remember the words of the flight attendant before an airplane takes off: put your own oxygen mask on before you help your seatmate. If you don’t take care of yourself first, you will not be able to care for others.

Here are some self-care suggestions that have worked for me:

Plan regular “hours off” to restore yourself.
Sit by a body of water and meditate.
Find a special “retreat” place where you are washed in peace, quiet, solitude.
Talk with a spiritual guide about faith issues.
Keep a journal of the feelings you are experiencing.
Choose a piece of music with deep percussion sounds, lie on the floor, and let the vibrations radiate through your body.
Write—take paper and pencil and simply write. Don’t edit, just write. Get rid of your stress, emotions, et cetera; then crumple the paper, stomp on it, tear it up, or burn it.
Get regular exercise.
Take a yoga class.
Practice mindfulness.
Start coloring—buy an adult coloring book and a box of crayons, and let your inner child loose.
Remember to laugh, no matter how bad things seem.
Forgive yourself when you think you’ve done something wrong.
Develop your own stress busters. There is no right or wrong in this area; whatever works for each individual is best. Cry, scream, stomp, try any of the other suggestions on this list.
Ask for help. Your family and friends will be there for you.

Episcopal Church Women2022-09-22T15:23:40+00:00June 22nd, 2022|

La Cocina de Primeras Naciones

Rev-Robert-Two-Bulls Volunteers-Annie-and-Todd-Schilling La Historia de “La Cocina de Primeras Naciones” ha tenido sus raíces en el ocaso de los años 90 por medio de la Reverenda Melanie Spears, su esposo George y su familia, y la congregación de “La Misión India de Todos Los Santos”. Durante este tiempo, las conferencias del “Camino Entrelazado” o “Path Crossing” fueron sostenidas. El “Camino Entrelazado” o “Path Crosssing” promovió la exploración de asociaciones Interculturales, uniendo así predominantemente a las congregaciones nativo-americanas con las congregaciones anglosajonas en los Estados Unidos.

A través del Reverendo Mark McDonald, una conexión fue hecha entre las Iglesias de “Todos Los Santos” y San Paul en Indianápolis. La Madre Melanie se esmeró en construir relaciones, tiospaye, comunidad, opuestas a asociaciones de intercambio. Los parroquianos de la iglesia de “Todos Los Santos” hospedaron a parroquianos de la iglesia de “San Paul” en sus casas. La invitación de la Madre Melanie fue, “Vengan y sean parte de nuestra familia.” Esta fue la temática a lo largo de la asociación que llevo a las personas de ambas iglesias, al igual que aquellos pertenecientes a las iglesias de “San Juan el bautista” y “La Catedral de San Marco” (ambas ubicadas en Minneapolis) a trabajar mancomunadamente, sin restricciones, en un proceso liderado por El Espíritu Santo para la renovación de la Iglesia.

Posteriormente, una pregunta resalto: “Que te gustaría hacer si tu pudieras poseer algo aquí?” La respuesta arribo: “Abrir una cocina que sirva sopa.” La necesidad de tener un programa de alimentación en la comunidad fue aparente. Con el pasar del tiempo, una cocina comercial fue construida, capacitando así el comienzo de tal ministerio. El espacio fue preparado de una manera magistral, y las semillas fueron plantadas. La Madre Melanie tuvo que jubilarse medicamente en el año 2000, lo cual hizo cesar los próximos pasos, pero en aquel entonces ella recuerda haber tenido “una visión de un hombre nativo viniendo a la iglesia…una persona que estaba supuesta a estar allí.”

Chef-Austin-Bartold Cuando el Reverendo Robert Dos Toros visitó y entrevisto en la iglesia de “Todos Los Santos” después, expreso sus esperanzas de que un ministerio de alimentación empezara y fuera sostenible. Esto se concatena con lo expresado por el Padre Robert al expresar: “Alimentar y dar de beber al hambriento y sediento, hospedar al forastero, son tanto un mandato del evangelio como una practica Lakota.” Mateo 25: 35-36 establece, “Porque tuve hambre, y me diste de comer, tuve sed y me diste de beber, fui un forastero y me hospedaste, estuve desnudo y me cobijaste, estuve enfermo y cuidaste de mí, estuve en prisión, y me visitaste.”

Volunteer-Sammie-Lahr El Reverendo Robert Dos Toros aceptó el llamado a servir como el vicario de la iglesia de “Todos Los Santos” y el misionero para el departamento del Trabajo Indio en la Iglesia Episcopal en Minnesota o sus siglas en inglés (ECNM). Un plan detallado y cuidadoso se puso en marcha, y “La Cocina de las Primeras Naciones” o como lo indican sus siglas en inglés (FNK) empezó sirviendo el día de todos los santos, el 1 de noviembre de 2008. El Padre Robert ideo el nombre “La Cocina de Todas Las Naciones”, notando que vivimos cerca de la frontera con Canadá y el termino “Primeras Naciones” es usado para describir a los pueblos indígenas de Canadá. Estas palabras encapsulan el hecho de que los pueblos indígenas en los Estados Unidos también son oriundos de otras naciones y enfatiza las comidas que servimos: Orgánicas e indígenas.

Episcopal Church Women2022-04-04T13:16:43+00:00April 4th, 2022|

Everyone Deserves a Full Belly

Food Security 2 Since the pandemic started back in 2020, the Communique’ editorial staff has witnessed as well as discussed what services local ECW groups provide that have the largest impact in their community. Food by no surprise continued to rise to the forefront of community needs.

Many of our groups rose to the need and focused on mask making and looking for ways to support those who were shutoff from their normal daily lives. We have seen the creation of sharing libraries stocked with books donated by church goers, technology support teams reach out to those who may need help with online-video meeting, and the reestablishment of the old-time telephone tree, but in the end, food drove the most basic requests.
It is by no accident that we dedicate this issue of the Communique’ to food. The lessons we learned in 2020 still chime with importance today. The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that in 2020, 10.5 percent of households were food insecure at least some time during the year, including 3.9 percent (5.1 million households) that had very low food security.

Food insecurity rates are highest for single mother households and households with incomes below poverty line.

In 2020, 35.3 percent of households with incomes below the Federal poverty line were food insecure. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security. Rates of food insecurity were substantially higher than the national average for single-parent households, and for Black and Hispanic households. Food insecurity was more common in both large cities and rural areas than in suburban areas.
Parents often shield children from experiencing food insecurity, particularly very lo Food Security Chart w food security, even when the parents themselves are food insecure. In 2020, 14.8 percent of households with children were food insecure. In about half of those food-insecure households with children, only the adults experienced food insecurity. But in 7.6 percent of households with children, both children and adults were food insecure sometime during the year. In 0.8 percent of U.S. households with children (322,000 households), both children and adults experienced instances of very low food security.

Food insecurity rates differ across States due to both the characteristics of their populations and to State-level policies and economic conditions. The estimated prevalence of food insecurity during 2018–20 ranged from 5.7 percent in New Hampshire to 15.3 percent in Mississippi (data for 2018–20 were combined to provide more reliable statistics at the State level).

As this issue of the Communique’ leaves the printing press to make its way to thousands of ECW members around the world, our prayers turn to the erupting conflict in Eastern Europe. How will the millions of refugees impact food production and consumption in the coming years? — Editor

* Data Courtesy of the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Episcopal Church Women2022-03-22T15:28:21+00:00March 22nd, 2022|

La inseguridad alimenticia en nuestra comunidad

La Iglesia Episcopal de San Juan, Lafayette, Indiana

La iglesia Episcopal de San Juan está ubicada en el centro de Lafayette y mantiene tres oportunidades directas de servicio para aleviar la inseguridad alimenticia en nuestra comunidad del condado de Tippecanoe (Una población cerca de los 200.000). Los participantes en la iglesia de San Juan apoyan estos esfuerzos por medio de la oración, voluntariado en las diferentes localidades, y la donación de comida y bienes. Trabajando con el banco de comida de Lafayette (una iniciativa perteneciente al programa llamado “Alimentando América”) en Lafayette, Indiana, las tres ubicaciones incluye al Banco de Comida llamado “Descubridores de Comida”, la lacena local de nuestra iglesia, y los apartamentos “Fowler” en el centro de Lafayette.

En el centro de distribución del banco de comida llamado “Descubridores de comida”, miembros de nuestra congregación colectiva e individualmente revisan la comida, trabajan en la oficina para distribuir bienes y artículos, ayudan para empaquetar artículos para la distribución, y demás.

En espacio de trabajo de la iglesia episcopal de San Juan se designa un programa social. En asociación con el Ministerio Urbano de Lafayette, la Lacena llamada “Proteína” sirve a la comunidad cada jueves con la distribución de frutas y verduras frescas, carne, y productos de papel a individuos calificados.

Los apartamentos Fowler hospedan a ancianos y personas con discapacidades. Después que un individuo se ha registrado con los “descubridores de comida”, la agencia junta una larga caja de artículos requeridos por personas. El cuarto viernes de mes, un camión tipo van de los “Descubridores de comida” va hacia los apartamentos, y voluntarios de la Iglesia de San Juan entregan las cajas a los clientes.
El almuerzo comunitario de los domingos es una comida de mediodía preparada para personas viviendo en nuestro vecindario, de las cuales muchas viven en albergues. Entre 60 y 120 personas son servidas esta comida el Centro “Ray Ewry” en Lafayette. La iglesia de San Juna toma turnos con otras Iglesias de nuestra comunidad, normalmente sirviendo tres o cuatro veces por año. Nosotros preparamos y planeamos, servimos y limpiamos las áreas donde se sirven las comidas. El Fondo económico de nuestra parroquia ayuda a balancear el costo de este ministerio.

Las comidas hospitalarias están disponibles para personas que vienen a la iglesia necesitando una comida. (No guardamos efectivo con el cual comprar comidas individuales.) Estas comidas están localizadas en la cocina de nuestra parroquia y debido a ello cualquier parroquiano puede acceder a ella para su distribución. El Ministerio Juvenil prepara y reabastece las comidas de acuerdo con su demanda. Cada comida consiste en carnes, quesos, frutas, galletas crackers, botellas de agua, servilletas, pudines, y utensilios plásticos. El fondo de nuestra parroquia cubre con los costos.

¿Cuáles son los dones recibidos de estos ministerios? Los dones son recibidos en los dos lados: Sentimientos de alegría, un sentido de hermandad, y el Desarrollo de relaciones satisfactorias. Los recipientes se dan cuenta que no están solos y que le importante a las personas. Ayudar a las personas con la inseguridad alimenticia también permite que sus salarios les alcance.

¿Cuáles son los retos? ¡La medula espinal de estos ministerios son los voluntarios- Mas siempre serán bienvenidos! Aunque la pandemia ha hecho que la gente dude de querer servidor, La iglesia episcopal de San Juan esta bendecida de tener a un grupo de voluntarios maravillosos quienes van a avante a servir al Señor.

Entregado por Charleen Watson

Diócesis de Indianápolis

Episcopal Church Women2022-03-22T15:23:54+00:00March 22nd, 2022|

Food Insecurity in our Community

St. John’s Episcopal Church is located in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, and maintains three direct opportunities of service to help alleviate food insecurity in our community of Tippecanoe County (population about 200,000). Communicants at St. John’s support these efforts by praying, volunteering at the different sites, and donating money and goods. Working with the Lafayette Food Finders Food Bank (an outreach of the Feeding America program) in Lafayette, Indiana, the three sites include Food Finders Food Bank, the local pantry at our church, and the Fowler Apartments in downtown Lafayette.

At the Food Finders Food Bank Distribution Center, members of our congregation collectively and/or individually sort foods, work in the office to distribute goods, help in gathering and/or packaging of items for distribution, and so forth.

On the ground floor of St. John’s is an area designed for outreach programs. In partnership with the Lafayette Urban Ministry, the Protein Pantry serves the community each Thursday with the distribution of fresh produce, meat, and paper products to qualified individuals.

The Fowler Apartments house senior citizens and people with disabilities. After an individual living there has registered with Food Finders, the agency puts together a large box of requested items for this person. On the fourth Friday of each month, a van from Food Finders comes to the apartments, and volunteers from St. John’s personally deliver the boxes to the clients.

The Sunday Community Lunch is a prepared midday meal for persons living in our neighborhood, some of whom live in local shelters. Between 60 and 120 persons are served at this meal held at the Ray Ewry Center in Lafayette. St. John’s takes turns with other neighborhood churches, normally serving three or four times in a year. We plan and prepare, serve, and afterward clean up the meal and serving areas. Our Parish Outreach Fund helps offset the cost of this ministry.

Hospitality Meals are available for persons who come to the church in need of a quick meal. (We keep no cash on hand with which to purchase individual meals.) These meals are located in the parish kitchen so any staff member or parishioner can access them for distribution as needed. The Youth Group prepares and replenishes the stock of meals as needed. Each meal consists of packaged meats, cheeses, fruit, pudding cups, crackers, bottled water, napkins, and plastic utensils. Our Parish Outreach Fund covers the cost.

What are the gifts received from these ministries? The gifts are received on both sides: feelings of joy, a sense of fellowship, and the development of meaningful relationships. The recipients realize they are not alone and that people care about them. Helping people with food insecurity also allows them to stretch their limited income.

What are the challenges? The backbone of these ministries are volunteers—more will always be welcomed! Even though the pandemic has made people hesitant to step forward to serve, St. John’s is blessed with a wonderful group of volunteers who go forth to serve our Lord.

Submitted by Charlene Watson

Episcopal Church Women2022-03-22T15:21:55+00:00March 22nd, 2022|

Rev. Robert Two Bulls

Volunteers-Annie-and-Todd-Schilling The story of First Nations Kitchen has its roots in the late 1990s with the Reverend Melanie Spears, her husband George and family, and the congregation of All Saints Indian Mission. During this time Path Crossing conferences were being held. Path Crossing encouraged the exploration of cross-cultural partnerships, linking predominantly Native American congregations with mostly Anglo congregations in the United States.

Through the Right Rev. Mark McDonald, a connection was made between All Saints and St. Paul’s, Indianapolis. Mother Melanie was intent on building relationships, tiospaye, community, as opposed to transactional partnerships. All Saints folks hosted St. Paul’s folks in their homes. The invitation from Mother Melanie was, “Come be part of our family.” This was the thread throughout the partnering that led people from both churches, as well as those of St. John the Baptist and The Cathedral of St. Mark (both in Minneapolis) to work together, hands on, in a Spirit-led process of renovating the church.

Chef-Austin-Bartold Afterward, a question was posed: “What would you like to do if you could have something here?” The answer that came: “Open a soup kitchen.” The need for a feeding program in the community was apparent. In time a commercial kitchen was built, enabling the beginning of such a ministry. The space was beautifully prepared, and the seeds were planted. Mother Melanie had to take early medical retirement in 2000 which halted the next steps, but at the time she recounts having “a vision of a Native man coming to the church… a person who was supposed to be there.”

When the Reverend Robert Two Bulls visited and interviewed at All Saints years later the parishioners expressed their hopes that a feeding ministry would begin and become sustainable. This spoke to Father Robert, as he noted, “Feeding and giving water to the hungry and thirsty, welcoming the stranger, are both a Gospel mandate and a Lakota practice.” Matthew 25:35-36 reads, “For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

Volunteer-Sammie-Lahr The Reverend Robert Two Bulls accepted the call to serve as the Vicar of All Saints and the Missioner for the Department of Indian Work in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota (ECMN). Detailed and careful planning ensued, and First Nations Kitchen (FNK) began serving on All Saints Day, November 1, 2008. Father Robert came up with the name First Nations Kitchen, noting that we live close to the Canadian border and the term “First Nations” is used to describe the indigenous peoples of Canada. These words capture the fact that the indigenous peoples here in the U.S. also hail from sovereign nations and further emphasize the foods that we serve: indigenous and organic.

FNK is a justice-focused, Gospel based ministry led by indigenous people for indigenous people. A primary intent is to make high-quality, fresh, organic food accessible to all and to do this in a setting where cultural empowerment and radical hospitality are centered. Serving venison, bison, turkey, lake and river fish, and wild rice, is a commitment to making meals which hearken to the ancestral foods of the indigenous peoples to this region: Dakota and Anishinabe. This decision is also a response to the health crises in the Native American communities. Working to create a safe and joyful space where all are welcomed led FNK to serving neighbors at tables on dishes as if in a restaurant or family home. Volunteers take turns sitting to eat with guests and getting to know one another.

How does a mission church take on such a huge service within the community and sustain it—relationships and community building. Partnerships were formed with churches, schools, secular groups, and a wide range of individuals. These partnerships provided volunteers committing to serving on Sundays. By 2019, FNK had 27 active partners. Then came COVID-19. To this point, FNK had not missed serving a Sunday meal since opening. When the pandemic hit FNK halted services for two months. Planning began in earnest for how to safely change our services, by greatly reducing volunteer numbers, instituting clear and consistent COVID safety practices, simplifying our service, and moving the sharing of foods outside. FNK reopened first with distributing bagged organic produce, then adding To Go meals. To date all food is being served outside our building, rain, snow or shine, whatever the season. During the height of COVID-19 many partners had to step back or suspend their commitment. By 2021 FNK had five active partners. At the time of this writing they have increased to eight and believe they will see newer and returning groups and volunteers.

We are grateful for our relationships in our community and beyond.

Ritchie Two Bulls (she/her/hers)
Outreach Coordinator, First Nations Kitchen
An Outreach of All Saints Indian Mission
firstnationskitchen.org
612-790-8482

Episcopal Church Women2022-04-08T13:04:37+00:00March 22nd, 2022|

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