Fonds F523 - United Church of Canada United Church Women fonds

The United Church Women was approved by the 1960 General Council and in 1962 January 1, The United Church Women came into being as a new organization for all the women in the United Church. The creation of the organization was part of the general reformation of the Church's structure which also saw the creation of the national Board of Women and the demise of the Woman's Missionary Society and of the Woman's Association.

The United Church Women was to be organized at the congregational, Presbyterial and Conference levels, membership being open to any women in sympathy with the aims of the organization. These aims were broadly defined as the promotion of the mission of the Church. The organization enjoyed a special relationship with the Board of Women, which acted in the capacity of an intiating and defining body to the United Church Women. While the Board of Women was made up of representatives of several United Church Boards, a significant part of its membership came from the United Church Women. The United Church Women were to make annual reports to the Board, and the Conference bodies were to carry out recommendations and policies as determined by the Board of Women.
Following the dissolution of the Board of Women on the establishment of the Division of Mission in Canada, the United Church Women became a more independent body. While it was to retain a cooperative relationship with this Division and others, it lost for a time any corporate representation at the national level of the Church. The creation of the National Consultation of Women of The United Church of Canada corrected this.

The United Church Women at all levels had an Executive composed of the Past President, the President and Vice Presidents, and Secretaries of portfolios. The organization at each level was represented by members of other levels; for instance, the Presbyterial United Church Women sent representatives to its Conference Branch. Each level sent representatives to the next superior level in the organization. After 1973 it was responsible for overall planning at its appropriate level, in consultation with the superior and inferior levels. The annual meeting of the organization was to have representatives from the appropriate lower level, the Executive, and representatives of the successor bodies to Presbyterial organizations which had ceased to exist.