Communique’ Winter/Spring 2024
Table of Contents
Vol. 24 No. 4
President’s Message
Reporte de Prensa
Gravediggers Guild at the Chapel of the Cross in Madison MS
El Gremio de Sepultureros en la Capilla de la Cruz en Madison, Mississippi
Episcopal Women’s History Project (EWHP)
l Proyecto de Historia de las Mujeres Episcopales (EWHP)
Art For Children and The Power of One Episcopal Woman
Arte para niños El Poder de una Mujer Episocpal
The Square – Issue #3
LA Regla Edición 3
Do We Need the Episcopal Church Women Anymore?
¿De verdad Necesitamos al Grupo de las Mujeres de la Iglesia Episcopal?
Praying in Color
Orando a Color
Women’s Rights Foundational Beliefs of Church Women United – CWU
Los Derechos de las Mujeres Creencias Fundacionales de la Iglesia Unida de Mujeres – Siglas en (CWU)
Montgomery Bus Boycott: Jo Ann Robinson
St Thomas and the Abbey – Grant
Some Thoughts on Prayer: When Every Prayer Doesn’t Begin with “Our Father” or End with “Amen”
Algunos pensamientos acerca de la oración Cuando cada Oración no comienza con el “Padre Nuestro” o culmina con “Amen”
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 2022 to 2024
Message from the President
Karen Patterson
National Episcopal Church Women President 2022 – 2024
Triennial is almost here! Are you ready? Have you registered and been certified if you are a delegate? Visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend Triennial. We have workshops lined up and ready to go. Distinguished woman’s luncheon is going forward. Province meetings are being prepared.
I look forward to seeing and meeting all of you in Louisville in June. I think you’ll really enjoy yourselves!
Reporte de Prensa
Karen Patterson
National Episcopal Church Women Presidenta 2022 – 2024
¡La Trienal ya casi llega! ¿Estas Listo? ¿Acaso ya te has registrado y certificado en caso de ser un delegado? Los Visitantes son bienvenidos y a su vez motivados a asistir a la Trienal. Tendremos talleres de trabajo listos para tu disfrute. El Almuerzo a la “Mujer Distinguida” va a llevarse a cabo. Las reuniones Provinciales ya están siendo preparadas.
Vislumbro el verlos y reunirme con todos ustedes en el mes de junio en la ciudad de Louisville. No tengo la menor duda en que pasaran un rato ameno.
Lord,
Renew us with your love
Energize our souls
Nourish our spirit
Empower us to show our faith
Walk with you
Abide with us
Lead us and we will follow
Amen
God our Father, Lord of Creation
Refresh our spirits
Encourage inspiration
Nudge us to action
Enliven our hearts
Water buds of hope
Abolish seeds of doubt
Lift us with your light
To be new and greater visions of your love
As Episcopal Church Women
In this time and place.
by Rev. Jennifer Kenna
Dear Lord, again we come to you, weary and worn. Listening and watching conflict, rudeness, discrimination, war, and hatred must be as hard for you as it is for us. You gave us the way to lasting peace, but we have turned away. Please give us that spark, that hope, that flame that cannot be quenched. Please let us honor you with our actions and words. Touch hearts, dear Lord, touch minds, that we will remember the gift of your son, Jesus, and listen to his words and follow his example.
By Beth Agar
Gravediggers Guild at the Chapel of the Cross in Madison MS
On our website, Chapelofthecrossms.org, one might notice something a little different from the usual church website. Under the “Get involved” tab there is a section listed as Gravediggers Guild. Which is pretty much what it sounds like, we as a group dig the graves of our members. If you click on the tab it says, “Here at the Chapel we dig our graves by hand.
El Gremio de Sepultureros en la Capilla de la Cruz en Madison, Mississippi
En nuestro sitio web, Chapelofthecrossms.org, uno puede notar algo un poco diferente a la página web habitual de la iglesia. En la pestaña “Participar” hay una sección que se exhibe como Gremio de sepultureros. Así mismo, esto es lo que a continuación aparece: nosotros, como grupo, cavamos las tumbas de nuestros miembros. Si hace clic en la pestaña indicada, dice: “Aquí en la Capilla cavamos nuestras tumbas a mano.
Episcopal Women’s History Project (EWHP)
The Episcopal Women’s History Project (EWHP) was founded in 1980 to preserve the stories of women in the Episcopal Church. Its founders, Mary Donovan and the late Joanna Gillespie, collaborated with women church leaders to start this organization, and it is still telling women’s stories. Our mission statement is: The Episcopal Women’s History Project honors women’s ministries in the Episcopal Church by listening, recording, and continuing to tell their stories.
l Proyecto de Historia de las Mujeres Episcopales (EWHP)
El Proyecto de Historia de las Mujeres Episcopales (EWHP) se fundó en 1980 para preservar las historias de las mujeres de la Iglesia Episcopal.
Art For Children and The Power of One Episcopal Woman
You never need to wonder whether Episcopal women can change the world. You see it every day. Pat Sanger of Park City, Utah, was one of them because she saw a need on the Ute Reservation in the tiny town of Whiterocks, Utah, and acted on it.
Pat was an Advanced Psychiatric Registered Nurse devoted to the young people she served. She imagined an after-school program based on open-ended creative activities, through which children and teens could express whatever they were feeling.
Arte para niños El Poder de una Mujer Episocpal
Tu nunca deberías preguntarse si las mujeres episcopales pueden cambiar el mundo. Lo ves todos los días. Pat Sanger de Park City, Utah, fue una de ellas ya que vio una necesidad en la Reserva Ute en la pequeña ciudad de Whiterocks, Utah, y actuó de manera consecuente sobre ella.
The Square
This series of articles, under the byline “The Square,” is dedicated to the proposition that just as that tool was used by the ancient masons to construct edifices that would stand for hundreds, if not thousands of years, the same principle may be applied to other affairs of civilization. For purposes of these articles, I would propose that rules adopted by pluralist societies as small as only a handful (associations, clubs, etc.) to those of entire nations are built upon principles of fairness to all, as well as equal rights and treatment for the whole. History teaches this must be the case if a democratic society is to stand the test of time.
LA Regla Edición 3
Esta serie de artículos, bajo el título “La Regla” (The Square en inglés), está dedicada a la propuesta de que, así como los antiguos albañiles utilizaron esa herramienta para erigir edificios que durarían cientos, si no miles de años, se puede aplicar el mismo principio a otras cuestiones de la civilización. Para los propósitos de estos artículos, propondría que las reglas adoptadas por sociedades pluralistas, desde tan sólo un puñado (asociaciones, clubes, etc.)
Do We Need the Episcopal Church Women Anymore?
Hi, my name is Heather Sessing, and I am president of the Diocesan ECW for the Diocese of Oklahoma.
I am occasionally asked if there is a need for ECW anymore. I believe that yes there is a need for the ECW because women will always need other women. Part of the original mission for the ECW was to raise up women in the church to one day serve as clergy and other leadership roles, and praise be to God we have had women at many levels of church leadership, including Presiding Bishop.
¿De verdad Necesitamos al Grupo de las Mujeres de la Iglesia Episcopal?
Hola, mi nombre es Heather Sessing, y yo soy la presidenta del Grupo de las Mujeres de la Iglesia Episcopal (ECW) en la Diócesis de Oklahoma. Ocasionalmente me preguntan si de verdad es necesaria la existencia del Grupo de las Mujeres de Iglesia Episcopal (Siglas en ingles son ECW).
Praying in Color
At a recent Diocese of West Texas ECW gathering, Rev. Beth Wyndam of St. Nicholas Church in Bulverde, Texas, spoke regarding her passion for praying in color. God called her to plant a church based on joy. Trusting in joy, she embraced the grace of imperfection, cultivating creativity and finding God in new ways. She started teaching how to pray in color to increase faith.
Orando a Color
En una reunión reciente de ECW (Grupo de Mujeres de la Iglesia Episcopal) de la Diócesis del Oeste de Texas, la Reverenda Beth Wyndam de la Iglesia de San Nicolás en Bulverde, Texas, charlo sobre su pasión por orar a color.
Women’s Rights Foundational Beliefs of Church Women United – CWU
In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:28 The Message
The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground. I Peter 3:7 The Message
Los Derechos de las Mujeres Creencias Fundacionales de la Iglesia Unida de Mujeres – Siglas en (CWU)
En la familia de Cristo no puede haber entre división judíos y No-judíos, esclavos o liberados, hombre o mujer. Entre nosotros todos ustedes son iguales. Es decir, todos estamos en una relación común con Jesucristo. Gálatas 3:28 El Mensaje.
Montgomery Bus Boycott: Jo Ann Robinson
Born on April 17, 1912, in Culloden, Georgia, Robinson distinguished herself early as the valedictorian of her high school class, went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from college, and then fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher. She taught in the Macon, Georgia, public schools for five years while earning a master’s degree from Atlanta University.
Excerpt from National Museum of African American History & Culture
St Thomas and the Abbey – Grant
Thank you for your recent request for a National ECW Board Universal grant for $5,000.00 to help the collaborative outreach ministry between Saint Thomas and the Abbey.
We are honored to fund this Grant because it will be helping a worshipping community in the inner city of Birmingham, Alabama. Please make sure that you file a written report to the NECW on how the funds were used and how the purpose/objective was achieved and evaluated.
Some Thoughts on Prayer:
When Every Prayer Doesn’t Begin with “Our Father” or End with “Amen”
Sometimes prayer is the way to the answer.
Sometimes prayer is the key that is turned to release the answer.
Sometimes it is the lock that is opened to receive the answer.
Sometimes it is our awe and offering in response to the answer.
But no matter what, in all things and always, prayer is the answer.
I pray because I can’t help myself.
Algunos pensamientos acerca de la oración:
Cuando cada Oración no comienza con el “Padre Nuestro” o culmina con “Amen”
A veces la oración es la vía a la respuesta.
A veces la oración es la llave que se usa para liberar la respuesta.
A veces es el candado que se abre para recibir la respuesta.
A veces es nuestro asombro y ofertorio en contestación a la respuesta.
Pero sin menoscabo alguno, en todas las cosas y siempre, la oración es la respuesta.
Yo oro porque no lo puedo evitar.