United Church Women

The United Church Women (UCW) was formed in 1962, with the approval of the General Council of The United Church of Canada in 1960. This was part of the general re-organization of the Church, and which included the demise of the Women's Missionary Society and the Woman's Association, and the creation of the national Board of Women.

The United Church Women was organized on the structure of the Church with groups at the Conference, Presbyterial and congregational levels. Membership was open to any woman who agreed with the general aim of the organization - to promote the mission of the Church. The UCW made annual reports to the Board of Women, and the Conference bodies were to carry out policies and recommendations determined by this Board.

The UCW became more independent with the dissolution of the Board of Women and the establishment of the Division of Mission, although this latter relationship meant that the UCW lost any corporate representation at the national level of the Church. This was dealt with through the formation of the National Consultation of Women of the United Church of Canada.

In Newfoundland, the inaugural meeting of the United Church Women at the Conference level was held at Cochrane Street United Church in St. John's on 13 Mar. 1962. Mrs Blanche Luscombe of Cochrane Street church was elected President. In addition to the usual officers, Secretaries of Community and Visiting, Literature and Communications, Press and Publicity, Program, Stewardship and Recruiting, and Supply and Social Assistance were elected. Committee chairs were also elected, comprising Christian Citizenship and Social Action, Co-operation in Christian Education, Finance, Leadership Development, Nominations, and Periodicals.

In 1962 the membership of the Newfoundland and Labrador Conference UCW was 7,304 and they raised $100, 019, with $14,685 raised for the Mission and Service Fund of the Church.

The Presbyterial Presidents, the Executive and area Vice-presidents acted as a liaison between the Conference UCW and the local congregational groups. Decisions pertaining to the work of the groups are directed through these contacts. Rallies, workshops, retreats, and the annual meetings of Presbyterials allow for the exchange of fellowship, ideas, and experience, as well as challenging the women in their church work.

Cochrane Street UCW, organized in 1962, was a part of St. John's Presbyterial of the UCW. At the congregational level, it was organized into units, with the usual officers, as well as an Executive to bring the general membership together for joint meetings and to help direct the work of the UCW as a whole, although the various units also planned their own activities and projects. In 2000, United Church Women became, with all other women's groups in the church, part of the Women's Ministry Network.

The whereabouts of most of the records of this organization are unknown but the reports to the Board and Committees of the church demonstrate the work and activities of the UCW as do the reports of the United Church Women in the annual reports of the congregation. Declining numbers in the 1990s led to the amalgamation of some units, with three units operating as independent groups in 2005.

Created - June 26, 2013

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