Church Women United celebrates
70 years of ecumenical witness

Atlantic City, N.J., December 6, 2011 -- More than 400 women from across the United States and from many denominations gathered here December 1-3 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Church Women United.

The ecumenical women’s movement, originally called United Church Women, began here in 1941 at the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Second World War. The impetus for the movement was a desire for peace and justice throughout the world and it was promptly endorsed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, an Episcopal laywomen.

“CWU has a strong legacy to share and is a light to guide us all in the ecumenical movement into new futures,” said the Rev. Ann Tiemeyer, NCC Program Director for Women’s Ministries, who sits on the CWU Board. “The NCC congratulates CWU on 70 years of powerful ecumenical witness from the grassroots level to the nation’s express of their movement.”

Church Women United continues as a national volunteer Christian ecumenical women’s movement initiated and carried out by women in the United States and Puerto Rico. The movement brings together women of diverse races, cultures, and traditions in closer Christian fellowship, prayer, advocacy, and action for peace with justice in the world. It engages millions of women representing twenty-six supporting denominations and participating Christian women.

The anniversary celebration centered on the theme “A Legacy and A Light” as participants honored not their powerful legacy but sought to cast light on their future ministries.

Highlights of the gathering included opening worship by the Rev. Susan Sparks, pastor of Madison Avenue Baptist Church in New York. Sparks, an attorney as well as a minister, is widely known for her preaching skills and comedic commentaries.

Bible study was led by the Rev. Elise Brown of Advent Lutheran Church in New York. The Rev. Barbara Lundblad from Union Seminary was the closing speaker.

Other speakers on issues represented Sojourners, The Children’s Defense Fund, Women Thrive Worldwide, and United Methodist Immigration and Refugee Ministries. Information workshops were offered to inspire women to return to their local communities as ecumenical activist into the future.

The National Council of Churches is a partner with CWU and shares a staff person in Washington, Dr. Robin Fillmore, to coordinator advocacy work. The NCC and CWU also send a joint delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of women.

The Common Council of Church Women United – the organization’s highest legislative body – gathered November 30 and December 1 to evaluate the current state of the movement, pass a budget, vote on priorities for the next four years, and pass action resolutions.

Resolutions supported National Farm Works Ministries, military families and a called for a just, peaceful and caring society.

The resolution on a just, peaceful, and caring society recognized women today face many of the same concerns as the women who met in Atlantic City from on December 11-13, 1941. The resolution called upon CWU of today to pray for a just, peaceful and caring society just as the women did in 1941 – quoting the past resolutions powerful words:

We, the women members of the Constituting Convention . . . meeting at the hour of our country’s involvement n a war and at the time of the world’s greatest tragedy, still believe individually and collectively that God reigns and that ultimately [God] will prevail. in deep penitence for our share of the world’s guilt and woe, we call upon the women of the churches to enter with us into the suffering and sacrifice of the human family:

To combat the rising tide of hatred caused by war;
To minister to those suffering from the ravages of war;
To show friendship and understanding to men and women in service for
the defense of our country;
To maintain the integrity of the home;
To continue to its fullest degree to ongoing ministry of the church,
even to the uttermost parts of the earth;
To consecrate ourselves to the task of building a democracy at home which
recognizes individual worth and strives for justice to all people;
Finally, to dedicate ourselves to the task of demanding of our country that it
assume its full responsibility in the days to come in helping to build a
world order based on love and justice without which were can be no
durable peace . . .

The declaration resolved to send a letter to President Obama, drawing upon the language of the 1941 resolution as a model for building a peaceful nation and offering their prayers for a “durable peace” in these contemporary post war times of today.

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

Photos of generations and President Carter by Marilynn Seashore
Photo of Thelma Adair by Judy Dunson

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org