President's Report
by Ginger Paul
Dear Friends,
The Angel Project is reality! The Fort Worth Chapter of the Episcopal Women's Caucus requested that an Angel come to that diocese so that those who desire it could experience the ministry of a female priest. The Rev. Barbara H. Schlachter, first president of the Episcopal Women's Caucus, is currently resident in the Diocese of Fort Worth in accordance with Canon III: 16.2. The board selected Barbara because of her long history in the struggle for the ordination of women; her broadbased experience as parish priest, hospital chaplain and pastoral counselor; and her quiet, strong self-assuredness.
Let us give thanks to God for what so many have said and done and given to make the Angel Project come to fruition. Let us pray for Barbara and the people and clergy of the Diocese of Fort Worth that the incarnate presence of this gentle woman, a priest in the Church of God, may bring understanding and healing. Let us also give thanks and praise for our sisters and brothers, living and departed, who began this journey so many years ago.
General Convention is less than a year away I am pleased to report to you that we will celebrate a new vision and the wisdom of the Episcopal Church during the EWC Brunch, scheduled, Sunday, August 3, 2003, at 8 a.m. (The location will be announced at a later date.) The Rev. Bonnie Perry, rector of All Saints', Chicago will be keynote speaker and we will honor the Rt. Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon, recently retired Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, for all that she is and has done, not just for women but for the whole church.
Once again troubling resolutions are being brought to diocesan conventions, passed and forwarded to General Convention. We will soon be putting together our Legislative Team, which will monitor and lobby for our interests in the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. Board member Elizabeth Downie and Marge Christie, past president, are representing the EWC on the board of the Consultation.
During the summer, I had the opportunity to attend two interesting events. July 10-14, I represented the EWC, along with other presidents/heads of women's organizations of the Episcopal Church at the Triennial Gathering of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) The organization's three year theme, "Listen, God is Calling," was unveiled at the gathering amid Bible study, keynote presentations, field trips, workshops, business sessions and elections. The energy level was enormous. They met from early morning well into the evening and only took a short time off for the evening meal! The "Way-Making Women: A Way to Unity" gathering just prior had attracted 400 women of color, including a few Episcopalians. They focused on how their culture and gifts contribute to mission and ministry. The gathering featured worship, Bible study, networking and workshops. Episcopal women would do well to consider using such models.
While in Philadelphia for this gathering, Sally Bucklee and I were asked to report to the Episcopal Women there on the survey being done by the Committee on the Status of Women to update the 1987 study on the "Full Participation of Women in the Ministry of the Church." You will hear much more of this study in the next issue of Ruach.
In early August, my husband Kenneth and I spent 10 days at Magdalen College, Oxford at the Ecumenical Liturgy and Worship Seminar Organized by an Episcopal priest and an ELCA pastor, the theme was "We Celebrate Together: the occasional rites." There was a good mix of Lutherans and Episcopalians; lay and ordained. We focused on the sacramental rites, considering the historical background, current usage, need for changes and their doctrinal implications. The presenters were not only interesting but also quite willing to be challenged and to take in new knowledge!
The feast of St. Mary the Virgin was celebrated with a great high mass in the Magdalen Chapel. Behind clouds of incense entered one, two, three, four, five MALE priests. In the congregation stood five ordained women. I couldn't stay and I was not alone in my leaving. When the next seminar session began, I asked for a moment of personal privilege. It was an opportunity for teaching, a time to "Stand in the Temple and Tell." Some still didn't "get it"!
The Annual Gathering is upon us. Please join us in Boston, October 25-27, as we; hear about 'Economic Justice in the Faith Community" from the Rev. Canon Carmen Guerrero, Jubilee Officer at the Episcopal Church Center and celebrate with Bishop Barbara Harris and Bishop-elect Gayle Harris.