Iowa Women's Archives
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, Iowa

CHURCH WOMEN UNITED IN IOWA

RECORDS, 1933-2004
10.5 linear feet

Collection Overview

History

Church Women United in Iowa was founded in 1933 under the name Iowa State Council of Federated Church Women. In 1942, the organization united with the National United Council of Church Women under the name Iowa United Council of Church Women. The group has also been known as the United Church Women of Iowa and Iowa United Church Women. The organization officially changed its name to Church Women United in 1967 as a way of expressing a change in direction to include Roman Catholic and other orthodox women and encourage them to participate. The group also has ties to the Iowa Interchurch Council and was part of the National Council of Churches from 1949 to 1970.

Throughout its history, Church Women United in Iowa has focused on ecumenical unity among Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic women. Its three main yearly events are May Fellowship Day, World Community Day, and World Day of Prayer. Each year, Church Women United in Iowa holds a statewide assembly, as well as conferences and retreats for its members.

Church Women United in Iowa’s main priorities include peace building, as well as economic and racial justice. From sponsoring a care center for Native Americans to buying stocks in order to influence how multi-national corporations do business to investigating school lunch programs, Church Women United has served others through both community service and lobbying for legislation.

Scope and Content Note

The Church Women United in Iowa records date from 1933 to 2002 and measure 10.5 linear feet. The records are arranged in thirteen series: Administrative, Financial, Historical, Local chapters, State, Regional, National, Programs, Publications, Publicity, Scrapbooks, Miscellaneous, and Photographs.

The Administrative series contains correspondence, executive board meeting minutes, annual reports, and directory information.

The Financial series contains audits, ledgers, and treasurer’s reports, as well as a filmstrip entitled “Financing for Growth in the 1970s and Beyond.”

The Historical series contains histories of Church Women United in Iowa, as well as a booklet by Bertha C. Harms, “Forty-five years of Church Women United in Iowa, 1935-1980.”

The Local chapters series includes constitutions and bylaws from local chapters, as well as reports and officers lists.

The State series contains materials pertaining to state assemblies, as well as secretary’s notebooks and an information packet on Church Women United in Iowa.

The Regional series contains information on two regional conferences.

The National series contains materials from the Church Women United Board of Managers, correspondence, national assembly information, handbooks, brochures, and legislation materials.

The Programs series contains materials pertaining to various programs that the Church Women United in Iowa have been involved in, including Women in Community Service, a Multi-national Corporations Task Force, the Iowa School Lunch Coalition, as well as World Community Day and World Day of Prayer.

The Publications series contains publications produced by Church Women United, including “The Church Woman,” “The Iowa Instigator,” and “The Uniter.”

The Publicity series contains newspaper clippings dating from 1954-1974.

The Scrapbooks series contains scrapbooks dating from 1949 to 1989.

The Miscellaneous series contains a variety of materials, dating from 1953 to 2000.

The Photographs series contains a photo of Governor Robert D. Ray recognizing the Church Women United in Iowa for their work, as a well as photos from the 1967 national ecumenical assembly.

Box List

Box 1

Administrative

Agendas, 1946-1986 Chairman’s communications, 1968-1970 Chairman’s responsibility, 1966-1968 Constitution and bylaws, 1946-1981 (2 folders) Correspondence

General, 1965-1987 and undated Executive board, 1946-1987 (2 folders) Locals, 1946-1988 (2 folders)

Denominations

Information, 1960-1968 Presidents, 1952-1977 Yearbooks, 1965-1968

Directories

Box 2

1967-1969 Information, 1967 Denominations, 1967

Minutes

1935-1950 1945-1965 1966-1974 1975-1996

Reports

Annual, 1945-1957

Box 3

Annual, 1958-1988

Miscellaneous, 1981-1987 and undated

Financial Records

Audits, 1948-1968 Disbursements, 1959-1966 “Financing for Growth in the 70s and Beyond” with filmstrip Ledgers

May 1946 – Sept.1947 Sept. 1947 – May 1948 June 1948 – May 1949 June 1949 – May 1950

Box 4

June 1950 – Dec.1950 Jan. 1951 – May 1953 June 1953 – May 1955 June 1957 – Dec. 1959 Jan. 1960 – Dec. 1962 [oversize: in Box 23] Jan. 1963 – Dec. 1966 [oversize: in Box 23]

Receipts, 1963-1966 Training Fund, 1963-1968 Treasurer

Reports, 1933-1967

Box 5

Reports, 1968-1987 Responsibility, 1948-1976

Miscellaneous, 1961-1987 and undated

Historical

“Forty-five years of Church Women United in Iowa,

1935-1980”by Bertha C. Harms

“History of United Church Women of Iowa, ”1965-1967 (2 folders) Records, 1933-1965 (3 folders) Miscellaneous, 1950-1981

Box 6

Local chapters

Constitutions and bylaws, 1957-1966 and undated Leagues

Cedar Falls, 1962-1977 Cedar Rapids, 1964-1978 Clinton, 1961-1966 Council Bluffs, 1967-1983 (2 folders) Des Moines, 1961-1967 Dubuque, 1964-1975 Floyd County, 1960-1966 Newton, 1960-1964 and undated Ottumwa, 1975-1979 and undated (2 folders) Sioux City, 1961-1968 Miscellaneous, 1960-1968 and undated

Box 7

Officers

1960-1965 (5 folders)

Box 8

1966-1970 (4 folders)

Presidents, 1954-1981 Reports, 1956-1957 (2 folders)

Box 9

Reports, 1958-1965 (7 folders)

Box 10

Reports, 1965 Reports, 1969

State

Assemblies, 1971-1979 Assemblies, 1980-1981 Assemblies, 1983-1995 Governor’s commissions, 1969-1970 Information packet, 2001 Iowa Council of Churches, 1958-1965 and undated Iowa Inter-church Forum, 1973-1982 (2 folders)

Box 11

Iowa Inter-church Forum, 1981 Leader’s council, 1982-1996 Legislation, 1965-1969 and undated Officers, 1948-1982 Recognitions, 1982-1999 and undated Secretary’s notebook, 1951-1971 (2 folders)

Box 12

Sharing sessions, 1968

Regional

Conferences, 1963 Conferences, 1982

National

Annual report, 1985-1986 Assemblies, 1948-1980 (6 folders) Board of Managers, 1960-1966 (2 folders)

Box 13

Board of Managers, 1967-1972 (6 folders) Correspondence, 1941-1981 and undated Foreign Affairs, 1965-1966

Box 14

Foreign Affairs, 1964-1968 Legislation, 1947-1972 (2 folders) Materials, brochures and leaflets, 1946-1971

Box 15

Materials, brochures and leaflets, 1946-1971 Materials, handbooks and workbooks, 1963-1972 (2 folders) Materials, packets, 1971-1972 (5 folders) National Council of Churches, 1950-1968 and undated Reports to national, 1954-1966 Resolutions, 1969, 1999 School Lunch Committee, 1968-1970

Box 16

“Service and Status of Women” report, 1952 “Survey of Metropolitan Areas,” 1967 Training sessions, 1965

Programs

General, 1989-1992 Area workshops, 1980-1982 Area workshops, “Response-ability,” 1973 Assignment: Poverty of Women, 1986-1987 “Breakthrough to New Life,” 1971 “Celebrating Our Worth,” 1981 CROP Community Hunger Appeal, 1970-1974 “Exploring Dimensions of Sexuality” seminar, 1968 Fund for the Fifth Decade, 1981-1983 and undated Iowa School Lunch Coalition, 1971 Metanoia, 1971-1986 Multi-national Corporations Task Force, 1977 Women in Community Service, 1970-1972 and undated World Community Day, 1979-1981 World Day of Prayer, 1968-1984

Publications

Bulletin: Political Responsibility, 1968 The Church Woman, 1964-1966 (3 folders)

Box 17a

The Church Woman, 1967-1973 (7 folders) The Church Woman, 1975-1977 (scattered)

Box 17b

The Church Woman, 1978-1992 (6 folders – scattered)

Box 18

The Church Woman, 1992-1997 (3 folders – scattered) The Church Woman, Promotional materials, 1957-1967 Inform & Act, 2000 Iowa Instigator, 1954-1969 (2 folders) Iowa Inter-church Councilor, 1947-1968 Lead Time, 1986-1988

Box 19

Newscope, 1966-1968 The Uniter, 1970-2002 (8 folders)

Publicity

Newspaper clippings, 1954-1974

Box 20

Scrapbooks

1950-1963 (disbound) 1954-1957 1957-1961

Box 21

1977-1989 1980-1982 Ecumenical Inter-religious Concerns, 1977-1983

Box 22

1961-1966 Clippings and programs, 1967 -1971 Ecumenical register, 1950 (disbound) Iowa seminars, 1949 Iowa workshops, 1950 Loose scrapbook materials from 1977-1989 scrapbook

Miscellaneous

1953-1959 1960-1969 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-2000 Undated

Photographs

1967-1982

 

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Page created June, 2005.