Grateful Reflections and Thanksgiving Wishes

By Esther Cohen, Chief Operating Officer, Episcopal Relief & Development

I joined Episcopal Relief & Development in 2004 as an Interim Finance Manager. It was a part-time, temporary position, and I expected to be here for about six months. As they say, people plan, and God laughs. 

At the time, we were a fledgling organization. Until 2000, we were the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief (PBFWR), established in 1940 to serve refugees fleeing Europe during World War II. PBFWR had done plenty of good in the world, giving small grants to local organizations and stewarding the donations of faithful Episcopalians to respond to crises and disasters. But there were visionary leaders who knew that we could, and should, do more. 

Then presiding bishop Frank Griswold, board chair Bishop Robert Tharp, and executive director Sandra Swan shared a goal of creating a world-class international development organization. An organization focused on combating global hunger and poverty, and rebuilding communities devastated by disasters. They believed that the Church could sustain an organization that would advance meaningful change by working in long-term partnerships, not just by providing short-term financial support.

In 2004, we were very much at the beginning of this journey. Episcopal Relief & Development had only recently been incorporated as a nonprofit, with a new name and an expanded mission. In total, there were about 11 staff and a board of directors. Our program teams were working in a handful of countries. Our first website was only a few months old. Some days, it was a stretch to pay the bills. But, together, we were discerning a new direction, developing programs with Episcopal and Anglican partners that would strengthen and sustain individuals, families and communities. 

A lot changed during those first few years. From tsunamis in South Asia to Hurricane Katrina, we started to learn how long it takes to recover and rebuild after a disaster. We brought on new leadership (hello, Rob Radtke!). We developed our first strategic plan, building our capacity to plan for growth and impact. We increasingly focused our programs on early childhood development, reducing gender-based violence, strengthening communities’ resilience to climate change, and supporting people impacted by disasters. We embraced an Asset-Based Community Development methodology, building on each community’s strengths and potential. 

We matured as an organization, and as individuals. 

Today, Episcopal Relief & Development looks very different than when I started. It’s easy to see that our staff has grown, that our programs are more sustainable, that we work in more countries with partners who have also grown and matured over time. We have changed in meaningful ways. But none of this change could have happened without the vision of those who saw a new way for us to work, and the collaboration and hard work of many staff, board members, partners and supporters. 

When I look back at the past 20 years, I think of those people who mentored me and challenged me. I think about dozens of staff who have passed through the organization, who have put their stamp on our programs, answered our donors’ questions, nurtured each other and, yes, paid the bills. And I think about the people whom I’ll never meet–in the communities we serve throughout the world–who create lasting change for themselves and their families every day. 

“So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.”

– Joshua 24:13

As for this part-time, temporary, interim employee–I am moving on at the end of the year. After 20 years, it’s time to embark on some new adventures, and for others to move into leadership in the organization. A few people have asked how I’m feeling these days. I’m not sad (not yet!), and I’m not anxious, for myself or for the organization. But I am, and will always be, grateful. 

Grateful for having stayed beyond those first six months; grateful for having been part of a thriving, growing, learning organization that makes an impact in the world. Grateful that, over the past 20 years, I have in fact learned something new every day! And I am grateful to those whose vision and foresight have made it possible for us to do–and continue to do–God’s work in the world.

We read in the book of Joshua, “So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.” 

I’m thankful for those who envisioned, built and sustained Episcopal Relief & Development–truly, we sit in the shade of trees we did not plant. And I believe that we are planting trees under which we will not sit, but which will provide shade and sustenance for generations to come. 

To you, to all those whom you hold dear, and to everyone associated with Episcopal Relief & Development, I wish you a very, very happy Thanksgiving.

 Esther Cohen is the Chief Operating Officer at Episcopal Relief & Development