A Guide to the Church Women United in Texas Records, 1934-2006 (bulk 1960-1999)

Historical Note

Church Women United in Texas is an ecumenical community of Christian women in Texas whose purpose, as stated in its bylaws, is to "encourage church women to come together in a visible fellowship to witness to their faith in Jesus Christ and, enabled by the Holy Spirit, to go out together to every neighborhood and nation as instruments of reconciling love wish to manifest their unity through fellowship, study and cooperative action."

Church Women United in Texas was originally formed in 1934. This organization is composed of local units and individual members who accept the purpose of the movement. Local units are organized into 11 geographical "areas" within the state for ecumenical development and activities. CWU in Texas is affiliated with the national organization of Church Women United.

The state unit's management is vested in its executive board. The board meets routinely in the spring and in the fall, in coordination with the annual state meeting which is open to all members. Other meetings are scheduled during the year for forums, seminars, workshops, and leadership training.

CWU in Texas works to form and nurture local CWU units. It assists local units with their ecumenical celebrations of World Community Day, World Day of Prayer, and May Fellowship Day. It also supports local units' advocacy and service work in their local communities with projects such as prison ministries, literacy and job skills training, and food banks. As "a channel" or liaison between the local and national levels, CWU in Texas assists local units with national CWU ministries. CWU in Texas also works with organizations with similar goals, such as the Texas Conference of Churches, the World Council of Churches and the United Nations.

The national organization of CWU was founded in 1941. Today, its national headquarters are in New York City, and it has 1200 local and state Units in the United States and Puerto Rico, which "represent 25 million Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and other Christian women." Members work nationally and internationally in partner groups on common issues and emphases. Annual "ecumenical celebrations" and international or "global relations" events are held to further the organization's goals.

Sources: Church Women United website, http://www.churchwomen.org/; "Organization - Bylaws", Box 1, Folder 1; "Organization–Structure, State Unit", Box 1, Folder 3; "Activities-Ecumenical Action/Advocacy and Service Projects", Box 12, Folder 3; and "Scrapbook Material-Local Units, 47th Anniversary", Box 14, Folder 5.

Scope and Content Note

Reports, minutes, financial records, correspondence, printed materials, photographs, and scrapbook material document the organization, structure, and activities of Church Women United in Texas. The bulk of the collection documents executive board meetings, leadership council meetings, and the annual state meetings, from 1960 to 1999. Materials are arranged into three series: Organization, Activities, and Scrapbooks.

Folders within the Organization series contain materials on the state unit's structure, bylaws, and membership, as well as meeting minutes and reports, financial reports and records, newsletters, yearbooks, publicity materials and newspaper articles. Prior to 1984, financial records of the state unit are included in the executive and annual meeting reports. Materials provide detailed documentation of the state organization's work with local units, as well as the work within those local units, from 1960 to 1999. Work with the national organization is less well documented.

Folders in the Activities series contain information on the organization's ecumenical celebrations and materials on ecumenical advocacy and service projects supported by the state and local units. Materials on projects are arranged alphabetically by the sponsoring organization's name. These materials primarily describe the projects and celebrations. Details of units' participation in these activities are in the reports and records in the Organization series.

Scrapbooks, dating between 1962 and 2004, further document the state unit's membership, organization, and activities. Some scrapbook materials are housed in folders. Other scrapbooks have been unbound and wrapped in acid free paper for preservation. Included in the scrapbooks is some printed material duplicated in other series. However, photographs and other material in the scrapbooks extend knowledge and understanding of the state unit's history and work, as well as the history and work of local units. Photocopies of newspaper articles covering activities in years prior to1960, the date of the earliest scrapbook, and programs from early state assembly meetings can also be found. One of the earliest documents in the collection is the program of the State Assembly Meeting held in Dallas, Texas, in 1939, located in Box 14, Folder 5.

The Addition contains a majority of administrative papers including Secretary's books, budgets, correspondence, reports, agendas, minutes, newsletters, photographs, and a yearbook from Texas including the Brownsville and Greenville units. Dates range from 1967-1976, 1988-2006.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Researchers must wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on these materials.

Usage Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Church Women United in Texas Records must be obtained from the UTSA Archives.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Church Women United in Texas Records, 1934-2006, MS 39, Archives and Special Collections, University of Texas at San Antonio Library.

Acquisition Information

Received as a gift from Church Women United in Texas, 1996-2006 (Acc. 1996-016, 1998-004, 2004-073, 2004-112, 2006-057).

Processing Information

Processed by Kathy Rankin, Archivist, November 2005.

Additions encoded by Tatina Wulzer, Collections Assistant, March 2009.

Detailed Description of the Collection