Structure
The Episcopal Church Women as an organization functions at four levels: National, Province, Diocese and Parish.
At the national level, the National Board meets three times per year. It is comprised of the President, Vice-President of Program, Vice-President for Information, Secretary, Treasurer, Member-at-Large for Social Justice, Member-at-Large for Multi-Media, and one representative from each of the nine provinces.
The National Board does not exercise authority or control over provincial, diocesan, or parish ECW groups, but acts as the organizational entity which binds together the women of the church.
Communication between the board members and women at all levels throughout the church helps the National Board to fulfill their stated mission - to support all women in their ministry. Specifically, the board plans the Triennial Meeting, oversees programs such as Women of Vision and Women to Women. In the 2000-2003 triennium, a Call to Action was issued focusing on literacy, leadership training, non-violence and interfaith education. This Call to Action continues and is supported by the National Board.
The National ECW president is Kay Meyer, from the Diocese of Atlanta. Take this link to the National Board's website.
The national Triennial Meeting of the ECW takes place in parallel to the Episcopal Church's national General Convention. That is, they occur at the same time and in the same place. Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of North Carolina are always represented at Triennial by a group comprised of Diocesan Board members and at-large delegates elected at the Diocesan ECW Annual Meeting immediately prior to a Triennial year.
The next Triennial/General Convention will take place in July of 2009 in Anaheim, California.
To see what happened at the last Triennial (2006), check out the slideshow and blog created by Diocesan ECW President Lisa Towle.
