Episcopal Church Women

Honoring Our Legacy, Building Our Community, Moving Towards Our Future in Christ.

If you’re a woman and you’re a member of an Episcopal Church. . .

Well, then, you’re automatically a member of Episcopal Church Women! Spanning all ages, ethnic origins and socioeconomic backgrounds — and every variety of theological, liturgical and political view — the common denominator of members is love of God and the wish to do His work. 

Episcopal Church Women (ECW) is centered in congregations and empowers women to do Christ’s ministry throughout the world. Our vision is to be a vibrant blend of all ages, who come together as a peacemaking, healing part of the Church. We aspire to be a ‘Godspark,’ shining and sharing the love of Christ.

We’ve been working together a long time – since 1871. ECW began as the ‘Women’s Society and Auxiliary’ and we began to publicize our work straight through the national Episcopal Church magazine.  We began raising money and putting together boxes for Episcopal missionaries around the world shortly thereafter. In 1875, just a few short years after we began, we put together a total of 331 boxes and raised nearly $45,000. That’s over $1,000,000 in 2015 currency!

Throughout the years, in all sorts of ways, women have been coming together and working on behalf of the Episcopal Church, through the parishes, diocese, and province. Read on to see what we’re up to today.

A look at some national Episcopal Church Women initiatives and programs

Women of Vision: Scripturally-Based Leadership Development A scripturally-based leadership development program, the National ECW Board is offering this program for your local use in a self-service format. The program may be used as you see fit for church groups or secular organizations (from ECW Boards to Vestries to Scout Groups to School classrooms). You can download the various modules of the program right from the national ECW website.

Women to Women: The Women to Women program assists women by granting seed funds for the development and establishment of projects providing sustainable income, life-styles improvement and strengthening communities. We give women the tools they need to empower themselves. A few examples:

• Women’s Poultry Farm, Diocese of Lui in Sudan
• Bethlehem Tailor’s Training Centre, Diocese of Kajo Keji in Sudan
• Matènwa (small, rural Haitian community) Community Arts Project, Matènwa Learning Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Blanketing Navajoland, Episcopal Church in Navajoland
• Anti-Violence Campaign and Curriculum Translation Services Program, Episcopal Cathedral School, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Many local chapters of Episcopal Church Women, along with dioceses and individuals, spiritually and financially support these projects.

Find out more and become involved

Start by finding out if your parish or church has an ECW chapter. Your rector or vicar should know! From there, you can contact the women in your church who are active in ECW and discover what activities, initiatives, and programs they’re currently sponsoring.

If your parish doesn’t have an ECW chapter, you might talk with your rector or vicar about how to get one started. And ECW members at your district level will be glad to help you. Here is a list of ECW officers for the diocese.

Whom to contact for more information

Officers of the Episcopal Church Women in the Diocese of New Jersey

President: Ms. Pamela James

Vice President: 

Secretary: Ms. Joanne Hutchison

Treasurer: Ms. Kathy Stephenson

Worship and Spiritual Development Chair: Ms. Allie Graham

Hispanic Outreach: Ms. Rosa Pena

United Thank Offering: Deacon Naomi Cressman, The Rev. Caroline Carson, 

Mission Outreach: Ms. Pamela James,

Student Service Award Chair: Ms. Lydia Kugler

Youth and Young Adults: Ms. Catherine Sopko