The Episcopal Church Women will celebrate their 42nd Triennial meeting July 16-24 in Philadelphia with a theme from Isaiah: "Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitation be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." The ambitious agenda includes a business meeting on the revision of bylaws, plenary sessions, a resource fair devoted to "program(s) or project(s) related to child advocacy," and an "ingathering of new books" for children in the Philadelphia area.

Deputies, bishops, and visitors to General Convention are invited to take part in Triennial events, most of which take place on the third floor of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the site of General Convention.

A proposed change in the bylaws defines membership in ECW, rather than being "open to all women of the church," as a given to "all women, by virtue of their membership in the Episcopal Church, USA."

Featured speakers at plenary sessions will be the Rev. Barbara Duncan, coordinator of criminal justice ministries for the Diocese of Pennsylvania, the Rev. Mary Laney, vicar of St. Gabriel's Church, Philadelphia, a vital presence in its inner-city neighborhood, and the Rev. Elizabeth Geitz, author of Entertaining Angels, who will speak on and sign her book about the ministry of the baptized.

On Wednesday, July 23, the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, S.S.J.E., and the Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris, diocesan and suffragan bishops of Massachusetts, will discuss "The Theology of Leadership" during lunch. Listeners are invited to "come and listen" or to "bring your lunch ... or order a box lunch."

Several visitors from the Anglican Communion will speak at plenary sessions. Among these are Elizabeth Barnes, president of the Anglican Women's Fellowship of Southern Africa, Lady Christine Eames of Northern Ireland, and Leila Diab, representing Jerusalem and the Middle East. Guests will also attend from England, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Monday, July 21, will be dedicated to two sessions of 31 workshops, some of which will occur in the convention center and others in the adjacent Marriott Hotel. A sampling:

Lucy Perry of Atlanta and Audrey McFarland of Indianapolis will describe their experiences at the meeting of non-governmental organizations in Beijing, China, in 1995.

The Rev. Carol Gallagher, rector of St. Anne's Church, Middletown, Del., and Triennial chaplain, will "explore the gifts our mothers, grandmothers and female elders have given us ... from the perspective of Native American traditions."

"Womensing" will survey sacred music by female composers, from the elaborate 12th-century plainsong of Hildegard of Bingen to modern American jazz Mass settings. Sr. Heléna Marie, CHS, is director of music for this year's Triennial. (See accompanying article.)

Anyone charged with the production of a newsletter will appreciate "Getting to Print: Basic and Beyond," presented by Anna Iredale, editorial liaison for the ECW Communiqué, who also produces the Historic Episcopal Churches calendar and the feline fanciers' favorite Episcocats at the Parish Services office in Philadelphia.

Several workshops will touch on children's issues. "The Church as Advocate for the Child," by the Rev. Margaret Graham, "All God's Children," by Roberta Chapin Walmsley, and "Reaching Out to the Children and Youth in our Communities," by Margaret Sipple, will discuss various ways of reaching and helping young and at-risk members of communities.

A presentation on the United Thank Offering in both English and Spanish will preview the 1997-2000 UTO video and review the granting process.

The UTO Ingathering will take place at the primary convention Eucharist on Saturday, July 19, after the morning's vote on this year's grants. UTO's "blue boxes" have been used since 1889 as a tangible daily prayer of thanksgiving. The United Gift of 1997 "will be devoted to the development of and the strengthening of the women's organizations in Central America." The United Gift originated in 1991 as a response to the challenge made by the Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf, now Bishop of Rhode Island and then dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville, Ky., who said it would be better to bring a gift of money for a specific cause to Triennial than "pens and pencils and do-dads."

Diocesan representatives will carry pennants in the procession of convention's opening celebration.

All women clergy attending or visiting General Convention or the Triennial Meeting are invited to process with their diocesan president or representative as a demonstration of the unity of women.

A special observation of ECW 126th anniversary is planned for the afternoon of Friday, July 18.