Who We Are
The Episcopal Church Women in the Diocese of North Carolina are dedicated to sharing the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ by engaging in worship, prayer, study, service and fellowship.
Any woman who is a member of the Episcopal Church automatically belongs to ECW. That's it. There are no special criteria or tests or initiations required. The extent to which a woman is involved in organized ECW activity is up to her.
As a longtime women's ministry within the Episcopal Church, USA, ECW is structured much as the church is structured. That is, there's a national office, a provincial office (Province IV in the case of North Carolina), and a diocesan office followed by parish "branches." Sometimes, an ECW branch is so large and busy it divides into smaller units known as "chapters". Each of these entities builds on the other. All are deeply rooted in "domestic and foreign missionary work," and, importantly, all are led by the laity.
At all levels, the ECW maintains affiliations with the Church Periodical Club, The Order of the Daughters of the King, and United Thank Offering, related national church organizations also led by women.
What We Do
We support, as an organization within the Episcopal Church or as individual church women, many groups that uphold the different gifts, values and ministries of women, and advance the role of women in the mission of the Church.
National women's ministry organizations represented through ECW are the:
The works of ECW are many. Here's a sampling:
Aid to foreign and domestic missions
Annual meetings for women of the Diocese
Harris-Evans Conferences
Outside the Diocese grants
Worship retreats
Convocations
Rocky Mount. Raleigh. Durham. Sandhills. Greensboro. Winston-Salem. Charlotte. All 7 convocations within the Diocese have a representative on the Board. These women are the voices for the parishes in their regions, and stand ready to support the convocation's branches and promote their unity. They also facilitate the annual youth scholarships and Inside the Diocese Grant requests as well as awarding grant money allotted to each convocation by the Diocesan ECW.