On Monday, Oct. 12, 1970, the Rev. John Coburn, president of the House of Deputies opened the 63rd General Convention, reminding the church "that it is the gift of the Spirit to deal with the issues that divide that society." A few minutes later, 29 women were seated as deputies with the authority of an amended constitution. In 1991, Pamela Pauly Chinnis became the first woman entrusted by the Episcopal Church to be president of the House of Deputies.

Mrs. Chinnis is a native of Missouri who moved to Washington after graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William and Mary. Her uncle was a long-time member of Congress and she joined her mother in working on Capitol Hill. After marriage and two children, she left her day job and became a significant player in civic, educational and church activities.

She was the first woman elected president of the William and Mary Alumni Society. She was both an editor and a treasurer for the National Honor Society. She became the first woman to be senior warden of the Church of the Epiphany in Washington. The list goes on and on, including: chapter of Washington National Cathedral; vice-president of Province 3; presiding officer of the 1976 Triennial of the Episcopal Church Women and numerous international assignments for the Anglican Communion including in India, Japan, Belize and South Africa, on behalf of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

In Los Angeles, in September of 1985, Mrs. Chinnis was one of five nominees for vice president of the House of Deputies. On the third ballot, on the second day, with three of her opponents having withdrawn, she defeated the long-time and well-respected chair of Dispatch of Business, Judge George Shields, by a "plurality of one."

The divisive issues President Coburn referred to in 1970 still confront the Episcopal Church. Mrs. Chinnis is clear on her position: "The president of the House of Deputies cannot be a single-issue person, no matter the issue. My commitment is to the inclusion of all people, regardless of their race or class or gender or sexuality." In these tense moments for the church, such clarity and commitment have understandably brought forth a group of her detractors.

But Pamela Pauly Chinnis is more than a one-issue person or even "the first woman" in several positions. She understands the polity of the Episcopal Church brilliantly, and her addresses to Executive Council over the last six years should be a primer for Episcopalians. Her strong relationship with Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning restored a balance between deputies and bishops. Yet when the treasurer was guilty of a major defalcation, she was able to be both supportive of the Presiding Bishop and his staff while taking an autonomous role of leadership to help steer the church through those dark moments.

Her Council of Advice is definitely not monochrome. The "Presiding Deputy" has included people from dioceses which represent the church's wide diversity of opinions. Worship and prayer is always at the center of these meetings. Discussion is often feisty and passionate. Like her conservative predecessor, the Very Rev. David Collins, she has set the priority of inclusion and balance in a collegial selection of legislative committee members.

A few years ago, while addressing the National Network of Episcopal Clergy Associations, I answered a question about Mrs. Chinnis by saying, "It is time that we stopped referring to her as the first woman president and understood that she is just a very strong and effective president." The post-meeting responses of the House of Deputies in Indianapolis and Philadelphia heartily concur.

The Very Rev. George L.W. Werner is the dean of Trinity Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the vice-president of the House of Deputies.