Fonds F4006 - Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada fonds

The Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC) began as an annual day of prayer event that developed into an ecumenical organization providing programming and resources for Christian women around the globe. In 1887, Presbyterian women in the United States created a day of prayer for Home Missions that was then followed by Baptist women holding their own day of prayer for Foreign Missions in 1889. They would later combine their efforts in 1919 to hold a Day of Prayer. Canadian women of the Presbyterian Church held their own day of prayer in 1916. In 1918, the multi-denominational Committee on Federation of the Woman's Missionary Boards of Canada was established and made up of members of the WomanÍs Missionary Societies (W.M.S.) of the Anglican, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. The first day of prayer was held in 1920. Around 1927 the group became known as the Inter-Board Committee of the Women's Missionary Societies of Canada. In 1922, the Canadian and American organizations joined to celebrate the day of prayer as a united event. As the number of participating countries later expanded, with, for instance, 150 countries in 1966, the event became the World Day of Prayer.

In the 1940s, membership also expanded to include other churches, including the African Methodist Episcopal, Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran, and not required to stem directly from W.M.S. boards. Representatives also included the Salvation Army and the Society of Friends. In 1948, the organization changed its name to the Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada and is still based in Toronto, Ontario. In the 1960s and 1970s, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Mennonite Churches joined. Alongside World Day of Prayer, WICC programming includes events, faith-based resources, and publications. The Fellowship of the Least Coin, a project for prayer of peace, was established at WICC in the 1970s. The First National Gathering event was held in 1978 in Bolton, Ontario. A liturgy is held annually on December 6th as part of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. In the 1980s, the Human Rights Task Group began developing Hands to Ends Violence resources on violence against women, and, the Western Human Rights Group created the Sowing Circles handbook resource material designed for older farm women. The WICC participates in Sisters In Spirit vigils organized by the Native Women's Association of Canada to highlight missing and murdered indigenous women. Human trafficking is another component of ongoing WICC work. The WICC magazine, "Making Waves," ran from 2000 to 2009, when it was discontinued along with "WICC News" for the current publication, "Riding the Waves."