North Conway Institute

Founded in 1951 by Episcopal priest, the Rev. David A. Works, the North Conway Institute (NCI) was an ecumenical organization focused on shaping alcohol policy through education and advocacy rather than promoting abstinence. Initially based in New Hampshire and later in Boston, NCI’s work extended beyond New England, influencing national church bodies and government agencies. Its staff served on numerous boards, and the organization was known for its interfaith approach and emphasis on collaboration.

Works strove for NCI to be a catalyst in the church and society. He encouraged people and groups to come together to face the problems of alcoholism. The Institute sponsored conferences, seminars and created working partnerships with government organizations and private sector businesses. Yearly conferences hosted by NCI brought together leaders within different disciplines to share and discuss information and to propose solutions to problems caused by alcohol. Doctors, clergy members, government workers and business leaders were among those that attended the summer conferences.

During the 1950s and 1960s, NCI worked at the forefront of discussion concerning drunk driving. In 1956 and 1959, North Conway Institute co-sponsored the Governor's Conferences on "Drinking Drivers." In 1963, North Conway Institute worked with the Institute for Safer Living of the American Mutual Liability Insurance Company to host a Conference on Church Action for Highway Safety.

NCI was also instrumental in forming The Ecumenical Council on Alcohol Programs (TECAP). This group created the first policy guide written by an interdisciplinary and ecumenical board which accepts the use of alcohol by church members. The Ecumenical Council on Alcohol Programs involved Protestants, Catholics, Jews and several secular agencies.

During the 1960s many groups concerned with alcohol problems widened their emphasis from care of the alcoholic to include prevention of alcohol problems. NCI was involved in this movement through sponsorship of the 1968 annual NCI conference which explored how the church could help prevent problem drinking. During this same time, NCI worked with the National Council of Churches Task Force on Alcohol Problems to introduce the 1967 Cooperative Commission on the Study of Alcoholism report to the public. This report was the result of a six year study by an interdisciplinary committee funded by a $1.1 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. The report proved controversial at the time because it supported the changing of drinking practices and attitudes as a way to prevent future problems with alcohol in American culture. Specifically the government report called for a lower drinking age and encouraged the responsible use of alcohol by youth in such environments as church and sporting events.

Much of NCI's influence in government and industry resulted from the experience of its leader David Works who served as a consultant for federal, state and church agencies. Works was once called "the prophet the church did not want to listen to," by the Rev. J. David Else, president of the National Episcopal Coalition on Alcohol. In 1955 Works was appointed chairman of the U.S. Government Commission on Alcoholism among American Indians. This was the first action concerning alcoholism taken by the federal government after Prohibition. During the 1970s Works served as chairman for numerous committees including the National Council of Churches Task Force on Alcohol and Drug Problems, a U.S. Department of Transportation study on drunk driving programs, the Conference for Religious Leaders of the National Safety Council and the Massachusetts Drug Rehabilitation Advisory Board.

NCI also quietly helped hundreds of families and individuals affected by alcohol problems. Many of the resources collected at the NCI offices and brochures published by NCI were shared with pastors, friends and associates who were trying to help a family member or employee with an alcohol problem.