Communique’ Fall 2020
Message from the President – Karen Patterson
Lay Episcopal Latinas serving their communities as community organizers
Latinas Episcopales Laicas Sirviendo A Sus Comunidades Como Organizadoras Comunitarias
Brotherhood of St. Andrew Enters Uncharted Territory
Parliamentary Procedure Per Pandemics
Articles appearing within the Communique’ do not necessarily represent the opinions of the National Episcopal Church Women nor the Episcopal Church. The organization strives to provide a platform for women to present ideas and opinions that affect women’s issues. The editor may be contacted for comments or questions at: editor@ecwnational.org
Karen Patterson Episcopal Church Women President 2018 to 2021
President’s Message
Dear Sisters in Christ,
To each of you, from my family to yours, we wish you a joyous and happy holiday season. I know it will be difficult celebrating this year due to the corona virus issues, but I hope that you can, in your individual way, make it a joyous occasion for you and your family – celebrating Thanksgiving and all that that means to this country, as well as Christmas and celebrating the birth of our Savior.
Please don’t forget the members of your congregation who are without family or even those with family – contact them, call them, send a card, whatever you choose. So many can’t come to services due to their age or medical condition and the loss of their church family has taken a toll. Extend a hand and express the love we all share. Mental health is a big issue during this pandemic, even more so with the elderly. Let them know that you look forward to being with them again. Don’t just make this a holiday call – continue on with your calls until we can all be together.
It is an honor, a privilege and a joy to serve as your President.
Lay Episcopal Latinas serving their communities as community organizers
Together in our diversity we make a difference!
By The Rev. Ema Rosero-Nordalm
The story of Eva María Torres Herrera
I was born in Mexico City, the second of three children. I am married. I have only one child, and I am a grandmother. I have a degree in business administration. For five years I worked in my profession. When my son was born, I started working as a teacher. I discovered that education is my vocation–one of my passions. I have worked as a teacher in middle school, high school, and college. I had the opportunity to work in one of the most avant-garde schools in my country. The Doctor Emilio Cárdenas University Center opened a range of knowledge, tools and possibilities for me.
Latinas Episcopales Laicas Sirviendo A Sus Comunidades Como Organizadoras Comunitarias
¡Juntas en nuestra diversidad hacemos la diferencia!
By The Rev. Ema Rosero-Nordalm
La historia de Eva María Torres Herrera
Nací en la ciudad de México. Soy la segunda de tres hijos. Estoy casada. Tengo un solo hijo y soy abuela. Soy Licenciada en Administración de Empresas. Durante cinco años trabajé en mi profesión. Cuando nació mi hijo empecé a trabajar como maestra. Descubrí que educar es mi vocación y una de mis pasiones. Trabajé como maestra en la escuela secundaria, en la preparatoria y en la universidad. Tuve la oportunidad de trabajar en uno de los colegios más vanguardistas de mi país en cuanto a la educación. El Centro Universitario Doctor Emilio Cárdenas, me abrió un abanico de conocimientos, herramientas y posibilidades.
Brotherhood of St. Andrew Enters Uncharted Territory
Prior to 2015 the men’s ministry program through the Brotherhood of St. Andrew was the best kept secret in the church. The Great Recession, doctrinal disagreements, the social media explosion and an aging membership population provided an impetus for a do-or-die scenario. Change is difficult enough in the business world. In the nonprofit it is worse because most dedicated souls are volunteers. The men’s ministry program has been around since 1883. We represented the laity in the early years with our evangelism centered around prayer and Bible study. We were passing out Bibles in hotel rooms way before the Gideons even thought of it. We were responsible for today’s Lay Reader program. Moreover, we even put the resolution for the Daughters of the King establishment before the General Convention in 1886.
What does it cost to create the Communiqué?
We are glad you asked. We do not pay to use the articles we print in the magazine. All our stories are donated for our use by other organizations or written by Episcopal Church Women who volunteer their time and expertise. We do pay to have the magazine designed, edited, proofread, printed, addressed, and shipped.
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You, Too, Can Make Disciples!
By Lisa Bortner
“So you must go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19. We, in the Episcopal Church, often feel that we lack the skills to evangelize, but clearly this is what the Lord commands us to do. How can we respond to this marching order gracefully and with a servant’s heart? Clearly, we can identify in the first-century church, as recorded in the New Testament, that the early church was a multigenerational one. Paul instructs young and older women, young and older men. He takes young Timothy under his wing and sends him out to make new disciples. It is our call to continue making disciples, and the first place we can start is in our own homes. Consider what Dee Ann Thomasson has done in her household: She has fostered the love of God, not only to her daughters, but to her much-loved grandchildren. Here’s her story.
WANTED
The National ECW Triennial Planning Committee is looking for the Triennial cross from 1988 (Detroit). A display is being made for the 2021 Triennial as well as a donation shadowbox of Triennial crosses for the Episcopal Church Archives. This is the only cross that we are missing. If you would like to donate your cross from this Triennial, please contact National President Karen Patterson at president@ecwnational.org. It is possible that there were crosses at Triennial prior to 1988. Any information any one has on this would be appreciated.
Parliamentary Procedure Per Pandemics
The national emergency brought on by the pandemic that has swept our planet has required thinking well beyond the proverbial box in almost every institution and process. Certainly, the ramifications of social distancing, the now-clear evidence for the need to wear masks and the like, have wreaked havoc on our ability to meet together in groups and has required parliamentarians to reassess new ways of processing the dynamics of group interaction—oft now referred to as “virtual meetings.” Questions arise as to whether bylaws or other rules (namely “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised,” abbreviated RONR) allow for these meetings, what the rules to follow might be, what to do if annual meetings (or biennial or triennial for that matter) must be postponed or cancelled and more.
A time to remember: Navajoland 60 years ago
By Esther H. Moon
Navajoland! I was going to vacation on an Indian Reservation! At 21, I was going to visit my friend Ruth who just landed a job as a housemother for Good Shepherd Mission at Fort Defiance, Ariz. I took my first train ride to Gallup, N.M. The ticket was less than $40 round trip. It took me two days just to go one way. I arrived at Gallup at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, August 15, 1959. From Gallup, it was a 32-mile drive to Fort Defiance. When I arrived at the mission, I was blown away by the budding structures of the Episcopal church and their service to the Navajo children. Also visiting and learning about the work of the church amongst the Navajos were about a half a dozen college students from all around our nation.
Order of the Daughters for the King
By Krisita A. Jackson
The Order of the Daughters of the King® began the year 2020 jubilantly planning for the celebration of our 135th anniversary. Our Order was founded on Easter Eve in 1885 at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (now Church of the Resurrection) in New York City. Margaret Franklin gathered a group of women to “arouse their interest and urge their cooperation as a class of definite workers for Christ and His church”. By March of 2020, our plans were confirmed for a Eucharistic and a celebratory reception on April 4th. They ended abruptly as the pandemic unfolded. Reluctantly we all agreed it would not be safe or even possible to travel to New York City at that time.