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1923-1989 (Creation)
- Creator
- National Association of United Church AOTS Men's Clubs
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Physical description
98 cm of textual records
2 audio discs
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Administrative history
AOTS (As One That Serves) is a men’s organization, drawing its membership from the United Church while maintaining an independent organizational and financial structure. It began within Methodist congregations of Vancouver in 1923, and remained a fully independent operation as it spread across the country, finally adopting a Nation Association of AOTS Clubs in 1947. As the organization grew within United Church congregations there arose a confusion concerning its relationship to the church and the United Church Men. In 1954 AOTS became a department of the newly-constituted Board of Men.
Over the next five years an integration process was undertaken and in September 1959 the first National Association AOTS Men’s Clubs was constituted. While it was now a department of a church board, AOTS did not surrender its organizational structures at the conference and presbytery levels. This meant that there were competing Conference and Presbytery United Church Men and Conference and Presbytery AOTS Men’s Club Councils, and this situation continued until 1963.
In that year a new structure at the Conference and Presbytery level was developed, the Conference United Church Men’s Council, with all men’s club work being the responsibility of a Men’s Club Committee of the Council. The AOTS National Council, the administration body of the National Association, become the Men’s Club Committee if the Board of Men. At the local level a new Committee if United Church Men of the Pastoral Charge was constituted, linking the local church with the Board.
At the time of the creation of the Division of Mission in Canada (1971), the Board of Men was dissolved and AOTS was again on its own, although it retained a connection with the new Division. Throughout the 1970s AOTS became increasingly independent from the Committee on Lay Organizations of the Division. A new constitution in 1975 reverted to the name ‘National Council of the United Church AOTS Men’s Clubs’ (dropping the title ‘Men’s Club Committee’), while at the regional level the Conference and Presbytery Men’s Club Committees returned to Conference and District Councils of United Church AOTS Men’s Clubs. As of January 1976, AOTS evolved further in its responsibility for its operation and staffing.
The role of AOTS is to lead men to an understanding and commitment to the work of the Church, promoting Christian fellowship through service, to give leadership within the church and community, to foster good citizenship, protect civil liberties and to work among youth. The National Association holds biennial conventions to which local clubs as well as District and Conference Council send representatives. The Association’s executive is composed of the immediate past president, the president, three vice presidents who must represent the Western. Central and Eastern regions of Canada, an executive secretary and a treasurer. The National Council consists of the officers of the Association, the executive secretary, the president of each AOTS Conference Council, the chairmen of the standing committees and five members-at-large. The officers and chairmen are elected at the national convention. The Council operates as an administrative body, coordinating the work of the local, district and conference clubs, and holds annual meetings from which it reports to the Division of Mission in Canada on the year’s work. The executive of the Council consists of the officers of the Association, plus representatives of the conference and the standing committees. The national standing committees include: membership, programme, projects, youth, communications, convention, constitution, international and leadership.
Custodial history
This material forms part of the General Council program of the United Church of Canada Archive.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records of the National Association of United Church AOTS Men's Clubs 1923-2009. Textual records include addresses, biographies, clippings, reports, minutes and publications of the National body. In addition, there are records from the Provincial Councils which include clippings, minutes, publications and reports. Graphic material includes photographs accompanying the biographies and photographs of various AOTS events. The fonds is arranged into four series: Administrative Records of the National Association and Council (1952-1983), Publications of the National Association and Council (1923-1988) , Records of Provincial Councils (1952-1982) and Audio-visual materials ([196-?]).
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Fonds arranged into three series in order to reflect the emphasis placed on the collection of the National United Church AOTS Men's Clubs as opposed to the provincial councils of the same organization.
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Some restrictions may apply.