Call to Action

The late Verna Dozier, theologian, biblical scholar and Episcopal woman, once wrote "Don't just tell me what you believe; tell me what difference it makes that you believe." Pamela Stewart took those words to heart. In 2000, while at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church and Triennial Meeting of Episcopal Church Women in Denver, Stewart, then the National ECW President, issued a call to action. She announced to the Deputies and Bishops of General Convention and delegates at the Triennial Meeting that the women of the Episcopal Church would spend the next three years "making a difference." Discovering just what that call to action looks like - just how the ECW is called to make a difference - has been the ongoing work of ECW. At the start of this effort, the National Board issued a three-fold Call to Action for the Women of the Episcopal Church:
  • Literacy: Supporting and creating programs and providing resources
  • Non-violence: Supporting and creating safe environments where learning and growth can thrive.
  • Leadership Training: Empowering individuals to discover their own gifts for leadership so that they can, in turn, use what they believe to make a difference.
In response to the events of September 11th, added to the Call to Action was a fourth component:
  • Interfaith Education and Outreach: Networking with members of other faith communities and education ourselves about other faith traditions.
The Episcopal Church Women will make a difference because we believe in the power of God's love to transform lives -- and we believe in our call to action: To make that love known through education programs that both inform and empower.