Episcopal Community Service in America (ECSA) is an
independent, 501c3 non-profit organization. Voluntary membership in
ECSA is open to any health or social service provider or foundation
that is affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
The
charter organizations of ECSA share the belief that one of the
Episcopal Church’s greatest assets is a growing enthusiasm for reaching
out to those who are less fortunate, as demonstrated by the
proliferation of over 570 church-affiliated human service agencies and
foundations in 85 dioceses across the country. The individual value of
these ministries is laudable and the members of ECSA believe that the
impact could be expanded exponentially if greater coordination and
structure were applied.
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Roman Catholic and Lutheran followers reached similar conclusions years ago when they founded Catholic Charities of America and Lutheran Social Services of America. These templates of experience -- coupled with the histories and contributions of a myriad of Episcopal-affiliated agencies and foundations -- were analyzed by the ECSA charter organizations during a three year planning phase begun in 2000. The participants were inspired by the possibilities they saw in a nationally organized effort to nourish the good works of which our church is justifiably proud. They honored this potential with the founding of ECSA on October 25, 2002 at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis.
The founding members of ECSA are:
Episcopal Community Services of Northern California, San Diego, Michigan, Minneapolis and Virginia; Episcopal Charities of San Francisco, and Rhode Island; The Saint Francis Academy; Episcopal Social Services of Connecticut, West Missouri and Kansas; the Good Samaritan Center in San Antonio; The Episcopal Church Home, Diocese of Kentucky, Grace Hill, St. Louis, and Ubi Caritas, Diocese of Texas.
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ECSA members have access to a host of critical resources designed to
add value to their ministries. Such support can take a variety of
forms, from advocacy before governmental or regulatory bodies to
individualized technical assistance to annual conferences that
highlight best practices in the human service fields and sharing
methods of achieving excellence in programming. The members of ECSA
have distinct missions and serve diverse constituencies. In many
instances, the ECSA members have their origins in successful parish
outreach activities initiated in response to identified community
needs. Once these programs outgrew the volunteer resources of the
parish, they typically were spun off as independent 501c3
organizations. Church affiliation was maintained usually through the
office of bishop of the diocese.
The underlying intent for all
ECSA endeavors is to show Christ´s people that in serving the helpless
they are serving Christ himself. But service without standards can be
incomplete; to serve others as Christ would demands consistently high
levels of efficiency and effectiveness. A primary devotion of ECSA is
to ensure that all members maintain a community presence that is marked
by a commitment to quality.
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Become a member and benefit from multiple services and agencies in your
community and around the United States. For more information, please go to our Member page here.
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