Episcopal Life THIS WEEK

Throughout the Bible there are stories of women whose courageous choices and actions made possible a new world for themselves and others. There is the woman who argued that “even the dogs get to eat the crumbs under the table” as she begged for food for her children. There is the widow who gave all she had to the temple treasury, putting the wealthy to shame. There is the widow whose hospitality in feeding the prophet Elijah was rewarded with a jug of oil and jar of meal that were never empty. There was the woman who had the audacity to anoint Jesus’ feet with oil and wipe them with her hair. There was Mary Magdalene, first witness to the resurrection, who proclaimed the Good News despite disbelieving disciples, and Mary, who said yes to Jesus being born within her.

One of the many ways the Episcopal Church supports the attainment of the third Millennium Development Goal is through Anglican Women’s Empowerment (AWE), a partnership of the Episcopal Church’s Women’s Ministries Offi ce and the Offi ce of the Anglican Observer to the United Nations. AWE promotes an effective Anglican presence at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which will next meet February 26-March 9 in New York. AWE is an international grassroots movement promoting gender equality and using the power of women to pursue a humane agenda worldwide. The organization seeks to strengthen women’s voices and presence in the church and in the world, using the blueprint of the Beijing Platform for Action and the MDGs. AWE is also committed to the empowerment of women from the multicultural perspectives of the Anglican Communion.