The Caucus breakfast during the 2000 General Convention featured Bishop Harris, speaking at her last

convention prior to retirement. Her topic Reflections and Prophecies was presented in the form of her morning

prayers and elicited tumultuous applause, laughter and frequent murmurs of Amen! Pamela Chinnis

completing her third term as President of the House of Deputies was presented with a framed and autographed

copy of the Lambeth 11" photo in thanksgiving for her leadership ministry.

President Lyn Headley-Moore, in commenting on the loss of executive and support staff in the Women in

Mission & Ministry Office at the Church Center, asked the question: Does the loss of WIMM put the work of the

last 30 years at risk? And then she answered her question by stating: For the hope of the future of womens

ministries we must hold on to the memory of our history even as we try to respond with trust, faith, vigilance and

understanding.

The year 2000 was busy on many fronts: news reports from Africa noted that the Diocese of Mombasa in the

Anglican Church in Kenya had voted overwhelmingly to join the growing number of dioceses and provinces in the

Anglican Communion which ordain women as priests. Assaults on the right to choose reproductive freedom

were intensifying, leading the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which had both ECUSA and EWC

among its supporters, to file an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of pro-choice people of

faith. Several diocesan bishops also signed the brief.

Of all the resolutions and issues addressed in Denver, A045 which was submitted by the Executive Council

was the one of most interest to the EWC. Its original wording praised the 3 recalcitrant dioceses for their efforts on

behalf of admitting women to the process towards ordination. The Caucus dismayed at praise for the minimal

effort the three dioceses had expended submitted a substitute which called for teams to visit each of the dioceses

to listen, teach and assist them into compliance with Canon III.8.1. The substitute was passed, but it returned the

responsibility for implementation back to the Executive Council, which would eventually prove to be a mistake.

At one time or other five EWC presidents have been elected as members of the Executive Council, serving

terms not necessarily contemporaneous with their presidencies Barbara Schlachter, Marylyle Sweet Page, Marge

Christie, Sally Bucklee, Ginger Paul and now in the year 2000, Cynthia Black. Each one has held the EWC mission

statement in the back of her mind as she tended to her council responsibilities.

The year 2000 also saw the election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as bishop of Nevada and in 2001, Carol

Gallagher as bishop suffragan of Southern Virginia, thus bringing to 10 the number of female ECUSA bishops.

The Committee on the Status of Women urged dioceses to celebrate during the weekend of the 16th of

September, 200l, the 25th anniversary of the passage of Canon III.8.1, a suggestion the EWC heartily endorsed.

And then came September 11. A few dioceses held their events in the midst of the nations tragedy, others

postponed to a later date, but the recording of history by many dioceses on the pages of the internet was truly

astounding. Diocese after diocese took pride in announcing the number of women priests, the name of their first

ordinand and the leadership roles held by ordained and lay women in their dioceses.

In the midst of the 9/11 trauma, the EWC Board, after much prayer and discussion, decided to go ahead with

its plans for the Annual Meeting this time in Pittsburgh, a diocese which although it has ordained several women

is nevertheless seen as less than supportive of women in ministry. The pre-planned theme Making Real the

Church of Tomorrow became extremely poignant in light of the tragedy of September 11 and was also reflective

of the lack of freedom, equality, justice and peace in the church and in the world.

2002 was a year for contrasts. A045 teams from the Executive Council reported on their visits to the dioceses

of Fort Worth, Northern California and Quincy (that visit actually took place in Springfield), describing levels of

suspicion and evasive and occasionally hostile receptions. But in Massachusetts Gayle Harris was elected bishop

suffragan to succeed retiring Barbara Harris, bringing to 11 the number of women bishops in ECUSA and 14 in the

Anglican Communion. In Scotland the General Synod voted on first reading to open to women election to the

episcopate.

It was also a sad year with the death from cancer of the Rev. Suzanne Radley Hiatt. The guiding spirit and

driving force of the 1974 Philadelphia ordinations, Sue was a shepherd and unofficial bishop to hundreds of