The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) is the successor organization to the Church’s most important fellowship and mission organization, the Women’s Auxiliary to the Board of Missions/DFMS. The Auxiliary was founded in 1890 to give independent expression to the domestic and foreign missionary activities that were mostly centered on supporting education, health, child care and protection, and poverty alleviation. Historically, however, the organization was the chief vehicle by which the women of the Church exercised their influence and power in otherwise patriarchal Church structures and governance. The “Triennial” gathering event of diocesan and provincial women leaders continues to be a rallying moment for the organization. As women entered the mainstream of Church life with ordination and recognized lay ministry, the ECW’s direction has transitioned to discovering new avenues of Church service. The archive includes the organization records (minutes, reports, publications, recordings, and program materials) of national and regional organizations that coordinate the work of women in Episcopal parishes across the country. These include:
The Women’s Auxiliary (DFMS), 1890–1963
The Episcopal Church Women (DFMS), 1978–2005
Episcopal Church Women of Province III, 1973–1999
The Auxiliary Episcopal Church Women of Province IV, 1934–1963
Episcopal Church Women of Province V, 1984–1997
Episcopal Church Women of Province VII, 1963–2004
Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Oregon, 2006
Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Texas, 1961–1995
Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Southeast Florida, 1972–2010