ECW Triennial Meeting

As the Province V Representative to the National Board of the Episcopal Church Women, I am attending the 46th Triennial Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women. Our Triennial Meeting is held at the same time (& in the same place) as the General Convention. We hold our own meetings and workshops, but worship with the entire General Convention--deputies and Bishops.

We held our Opening Celebration yesterday, which was highlighted by the arrival of Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori, who greeted us and then blessed the ECW crosses. She then shook the hand & gave a cross to each of the 325 women in attendance.

In one corner of our plenary room, we have constructed a Jericho Road "house" out of the cardboard bricks which represents the house which the ECW has pledged to build for the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative in New Orleans. While here we are still receiving donations toward our goal of $110,000.00. I might add that the Diocese of Ohio has raised over $2,000.00 toward this goal.

Last night (July 8th) we held our Welcoming dinner, which included the performance of a play, "We Persist", telling the story of the Episcopal Church Women--which is the largest & oldest network in the Episcopal Church.

This morning, July 9th, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams visited the Triennial Meeting and was most gracious in speaking to us. He pointed out that what unites Christians is the presence of one to another. He went on to say that if you want to deliver transformation, look to the women of faith, and he thanked us for the international transformation of which we are a part. Women, he went on to say, are the instruments of work that will bring about the accomplishment of the MDGs. This is where the "delivery" occurs.

We had some intense, but very polite, discussion at the Bylaws hearing this morning & when we voted on the Bylaws this afternoon!!

Nancy Sherwin