Throughout the DRG there are women who gather together in
small groups and large meetings. Some of you know that there is an organization
under which all women’s groups in the Episcopal Church exist. Appropriately
enough it is called ECW for Episcopal Church Women.
According to the
ECW website the
organization consists of
“Episcopal Church Women of all ages, ethnic origins
and socioeconomic backgrounds who hold a variety of views. However, the common
denominator of our members is love of God and the wish to do His work. Centered
in congregations, the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) empowers women to do
Christ’s ministry in the world. Our vision for all women of the Episcopal
Church is that we become a vibrant blend of all ages, coming together as a
peacemaking, healing part of the Church. We aspire to be a Godspark-shining and
sharing the love of Christ.”
That sounds like every woman in the church, doesn’t it? ECW was
established in 1871 (as the National Women’s Auxiliary) and has been a driving
force behind women’s ministries since that time. This blog has highlighted
UTO and
CPC, which are two of the funds founded under the auspices of the Episcopal Church
Women. Links to the Girl’s Friendly Society, Episcopal Women’s History Project,
and other groups can be found on the national ECW website.
In this diocese, the ECW has a long history. Many, if not all, churches
in the early years of the Missionary District had Women’s Auxiliaries
consisting of women involved in teas, rummage sales,
altar guild, Daughters of the King who used their funds to help support their church's work. At St. John’s,
Albuquerque, Auxiliary minutes
remark,
“our work includes everything from janitorial duties to teaching Sunday
School and even reading Morning Prayer”! It wasn’t just church work, either. “Women
around the Missionary District were taking a more active role both locally and
nationally. Ladies were active in observances of the World Day of Prayer,
intercessions on Armistice Day, and work in community Welfare Associations.
Much of this work was organized through the Women’s Auxiliary, a national
organization for women in the Episcopal Church.”*
Mrs. George (Elizabeth)
Valliant was president of both St. John’s
and the State Women’s Auxiliary in the 1930’s. She reported “five parishes and
64 missions in the District in 1936. Twenty-six of these 'participated in the
work of the Woman’s Auxiliary’ when she took on the job.
Valliant stated, ‘The tremendous distances in our District, and the small
stipends of our Missionary Priests, make it impossible to minister adequately
to our scattered people. However, in spite of these handicaps, eleven of our
groups report distinct progress in attendance and actual work done; and among
nearly all the groups who have reported, I can see very marked spiritual
improvement.’
Mrs. Valliant sadly reported to the National Council of the Women’s
Auxiliary that many groups did not report through the district, but the ladies
in Anthony and Berino did. They said, ‘We are a Guild without a Church, and we
help St. Anne’s Mission $4.20 every other month and
$12.50 twice a year toward the Rector’s salary in Las
Cruces. Adding that our own efforts in helping needy
families.’”*
As the Missionary District grew so too women’s ministries grew and
evolved. When new missions were planted, new women’s auxiliaries formed. At St. Mark’s on the Mesa, in 1948, not
long after the mission formed, there was a joint luncheon of Cathedral and St.
Mark’s ladies with “72 ladies present.”*
Even after becoming the Diocese
of New Mexico and Southwest
Texas (and later
the Diocese of the Rio Grande), women played a supportive role across the region with their monetary
and service contributions. For instance in 1970 women assisted with funding and
supplying a kitchen at Canterbury Chapel so “[The Rev.] William E. Crews
[could] provide lunches and a coffee house for students, a place to dance, and
to teach credit courses in theology and Bible.”
As society changed, though, attendance at Auxiliary meetings diminished.
In the 1970’s one president lamented that she “hoped that more women [would]
feel the [ECW] is a group to which they BELONG and where they can find
fellowship and Christian sharing.”*
In 1981 “Women from 14 churches around the Diocese met at the Cathedral…to
discuss women’s organizations in the diocese…the question foremost in the minds
of the 30 women at the meeting was whether to form “a diocesan Episcopal Church Women group to represent us in provincial
and national church affairs.” Letitia Creveling of St. John’s
noted, “We were a very cohesive group,
we served as a network throughout the diocese and were a link between the
congregations and the Bishop’s office.”
They found that their ministries
were very similar, whether from small missions or large Cathedrals.
Representatives from each church reported, “Our thrift shops, rummage sales,
bake sales, and other activities help support repairs and upkeep of the church,
furnish choir robes and Church School equipment, and in many cases contribute to
the priest’s salary.”
Although no decision was reached, Bishop Trelease stated, “The purpose of this meeting was to come
together and get a clear conception of how women in this diocese feel about the
matter.”
Eight years later, on January
30, 1989, women of the Diocese [established] a Diocesan Episcopal
Church Women’s Group…to “assist the
women of the Episcopal church to continue Christ’s work of reconciliation,
mission and ministry in the community, nation, and world, and to take their
place in the life, governance and worship of the church.” [As] the vision
statement of the ECW stated [at the time], women “envision a celebration of our diversity as
we build a Christian community to strengthen and nourish ourselves and others
as bearers of light and hope, keepers and proclaimers of the faith.”*
What does the National ECW do
now? The national body is still active in promoting women’s development in all
areas of ministry. social justice issues, study materials, Women to Women
Education Grants and other opportunities are highlighted. ECW women will gather
in Indianapolis for their 47th Trienniel meeting
during the General Convention under the theme of Many Paths, One Journey. The
national president, Marcia Himes, says, “All of us travel together on
the one Journey, the Journey towards being more Christ-like, the journey where
we are continuing to Grow in Grace.”
You can read about current activities of ECW around the country and
around the world in “
The Communique” .
The National Women’s Auxiliary prayer from the 1920s states that women are to
“pray fervently, labor diligently, and give liberally to make him known to all
nations as their Savior and their King and reveal thy love in prayer and work
and stewardship.” This seems like a goal we can all still strive to live into.
If you are currently a member of an ECW group at your parish, please share some of your activities with us.
*Excerpted from A Grain of Mustard Seed by Cynthia
Davis (C) 2008
