Copyright © 2003 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee

Where did the time go? It seemed to pass in a matter of seconds! Don’t they say, “time passes when you’re having fun”? It was fun – and it also was informative, important, meaningful, spiritual and rewarding.

Over the past two years, the diocesan Episcopal Church Women board met regularly, first in the “old” Diocesan House in downtown Knoxville, then in the beautifully appointed “new” Diocesan House in West Knoxville.

In April at DuBose Conference Center, our ECW met in the annual Joint Spring Conference with the ECW chapters of the dioceses of Tennessee and West Tennessee. This year’s keynote speaker was Mary MacGregor, director of Leadership Development for the Diocese of Texas.

Mary also was our keynote speaker at the Fall Gathering and Annual Meeting held at Church of the Ascension in Knoxville. At that meeting, this year’s Mollie Tucker Scholarship winner Rita Pierre was introduced. Bishop vonRosenberg also installed the ECW officers and board members for 2004 at that time.

In the area of mission and ministry, the ECW board continued its relationship with our companion diocese of South Dakota through Bishop vonRosenberg’s office, and we began a relationship with a national church Jubilee Center, the Mountain Women’s Exchange in Jellico.

Our efforts on behalf of the United Thank Offering continued in many of our parishes, and the East Tennessee diocesan ECW was recognized for that work, along with other diocesan chapters, at the Holy Eucharist and UTO Ingathering of the General Convention.

I am very grateful and yet humbled for having the opportunity to serve the church and the diocese as your president. I was very fortunate to have an outstanding group of women from different areas of the diocese to serve with me on the board. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet many fellow Episcopalians around the diocese and the province – and from across the country when I represented the Diocese of East Tennessee as a delegate to the Triennial Convention in Minneapolis. I would like to thank you all for these opportunities. It has been a great honor.

My congratulations go to Cathy Varner, incoming diocesan ECW president, and to her 2004 board. I know the incoming board will work just as diligently under Cathy’s leadership and will continue God’s good work for all of us.

Faithfully,
Nancy B. Bosson

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