A Message from the Interim President

Greetings. WELCOME to the 139th Annual Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women, Diocese of North Carolina. My name is Mary Hawkins. I am blessed to be your Interim ECW President for the next year. 

The Episcopal Church Women in the Diocese of North Carolina are dedicated to sharing the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ by engaging in worship, prayer, study, service and fellowship. Any woman who is a member of the Episcopal Church automatically belongs to ECW. There are no special criteria or tests or initiations required. The extent to which a woman is involved in organized ECW activity is up to her.

Your financial support is key to ECW being able to continue sharing the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. At all levels, ECW maintains affiliations with the Church Periodical Club, The Order of the Daughters of the King, and United Thank Offering, related national church organizations also led by women. As an organization within the wider Episcopal Church, we depend on your pledges to support our mission and ministries throughout the Anglican Communion, our country, Province IV and our Diocese to help support both local and regional groups that uphold the varying gifts, values, and ministries of women. 

These past months have presented numerous challenges to all of us with the arrival of the COVID-19. Pledges and donations are down, at an all-time low. Our lives have been upended; Social distance requirements have prevented maintaining close fellowship and relationships. We are adjusting to a new normal requiring more reliance on technical and digital communication. During our Annual Meeting, we hope to share with each other how ECW is ‘Thriving and Surviving’ during the pandemic and the “Joys and Challenges” of Reimagining ECW. 

Leadership Opportunities.

We need persons who have energy and passion to be part of a working Board. We need those of you who have an interest in helping the organization grow to the next level as our field continues to emerge. Major projects include Reimagining ECW, Focusing on Our Mission in Uncertain Times, and Revising Our Bylaws for functioning in a virtual environment. We are open to and interested in your new ideas and initiatives. We strongly encourage nominations if you are a techie, have social media savvy or have experience serving on nonprofit boards, we would love to hear from you. 

What It Means to Serve 

Board members serve 3-year terms. The Board meets by Zoom once a month. We are a friendly, happy, productive bunch who want to work with you. Once you are elected, then the fun begins! We can have a maximum of 16 Board members. Each year, some persons leave and some persons run for re-election. For more information and for a list of current Board members, visit our website. 

Women’s Work 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, bless, we pray thee, our work for the extension of thy kingdom, and make us so thankful for the precious gift to us of thy beloved Son, that we may pray fervently, labor diligently, and give liberally to make him known to all nations as their Savior and their King: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 

... from Book of Prayers - United Thank Offering Archives