The welcoming nature of the 2017 Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Province IV Retreat helped a Central Florida member feel right at home in one of the biggest events of the year.

Danielle Rogers, a member of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Daytona Beach and treasurer for ECW Central Florida, was one of approximately 60 women to attend the event, held June 5-7 at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama.

The retreat’s theme, “Building Bridges of Peace and Reconciliation,” promoted building peace in our parishes and communities with a special focus on racial reconciliation.

The Rev. Mary Catherine Akamatsu – associate rector at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Huntsville, Alabama, and co-founder of Metagem Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Madison, Alabama – served as the keynote speaker. Metagem was founded for the purpose of teaching spiritual and integrative practices through Jesus Christ.

“This was my first time attending,” Rogers said. “I think it went well, and that was (on the conscience) of my three fellow attendees. The openness of those who attended made it special. It was, overall, welcoming.”

Rogers said Akamatsu spoke on racial diversity, as did other speakers, including deacons Carolyn Foster and Tom Osbourne. “For (the deacons), it was speaking of ways to make a change and finding ways to implement those changes,” Rogers said.

The St. Mary’s church member said the theme was well-received but that reactions of those in attendance varied. “I don’t think (the organizers) received the reactions they thought they would because of the number of Northerners (in our province) who don’t feel the problems the Southerners do,” Rogers said.

Province IV, also known as the Sewanee Province, covers 20 dioceses in all or part of nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee

Rogers said the group prayed a lot for guidance and tolerance, focusing especially on racial reconciliation in the Episcopal Church’s effort to build peace in its parishes and communities.

For more information on ECW, email Province IV President Pat Rutenberg at pbrutenberg@gmail.com or access the Province IV website at www.provinceiv.org on the internet.

Individuals also can access http://www.ecwcentralfl.org/ for information on ECW Central Florida.