At the annual meeting of the Council of Episcopal Women�s Organizations January 10-12, 2008, those present got a quick course in reaching new audiences through blogs, Facebook, UTube, iPods and other electronic means of staying in touch.  They also got helpful hints for their existing web pages and newsletters.  It was all part of a lively set of discussions focusing on identity, visibility and networking.  By the end of the meeting some groups were exploring the possibility of a pilot UTube project. 

Conversations with staff in ENS and Women�s Ministries focused on both how these centers could better serve the groups and ho the groups could better use the resources available to them.  The reorganization of the Episcopal Church Center provides opportunities for women�s organizations to both work together with the help of the Women�s Leadership and Ministries Office in the Mission Leadership Center, and connect with program officers in the other program areas. 

A very useful discussion with David Booth Beers, the Chancellor to the Presiding Bishop helped clarify the relationships of the groups to the institutional church, especially in relationship to tax and insurance issues. These relationship between groups and The Episcopal Church are complex and varied. All serve the Church and its mission.  Episcopal Church Women tries to reach all women who are Episcopalians.  Others have specialized missions. Some receive staff or office space, or have board members chosen by church agencies or bishops.  The groups range from an official committee of the Executive Council (the Committee on the Status of Women) to an group with membership extending beyond the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion (Daughters of the King).    

On display throughout the meeting was the prototype for a traveling exhibit on the history of women in the church available from the Episcopal Women�s Project.  Nine of the eleven groups were represented at the meeting.  Those attending came from the Church Periodical Club, Committee on the Status of Women, Daughters of the King, Episcopal Asiamerica Women�s Convocation, Episcopal Church Women,  Episcopal Women�s History Project,  Girl�s Friendly Society, National Altar Guild, and United Thank Offering.

Please contact Kim Robey if you have any question.