Skip to content
print page header

The University of Iowa Libraries

Guide to the Church Women United in Iowa records

Print this Collection Guide | Email this Collection Guide
Collection Overview
Date Span: 1933-2004
Creator: Church Women United in Iowa
Extent: 10.50 linear feet.
Collection Number: IWA0003
Repository: Iowa Women's Archives
Summary: Ecumenical organization.

Alternate Extent Statement: Audiovisual in Box 3
Photographs in boxes 20-22

Access: The records are open for research.

Use: Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to The University of Iowa.

Acquisition: The records (donor no. 4) were donated by Church Women United in Iowa in 1978 and 2001.

Preferred Citation: Church Women United in Iowa records, Iowa Women's Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.

Repository: Iowa Women's Archives
Address: 100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone: 319-335-5068
Curator: Kären Mason
Email: lib-women@uiowa.edu
Website: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa

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.

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.

Browse by Series:
Series 1: ADMINSTRATIVE
Series 2: FINANCIAL RECORDS
Series 3: HISTORICAL
Series 4: LOCAL CHAPTERS
Series 5: STATE
Series 6: REGIONAL
Series 7: NATIONAL
Series 8: PROGRAMS
Series 9: PUBLICATIONS
Series 10: PUBLICITY
Series 11: SCRAPBOOKS
Series 12: MISCELLANEOUS
Series 13: PHOTOGRPAHS

  • Series 1: ADMINSTRATIVE
  • Box 1:
  • Agendas - 1946-1986
  • Chairman's communications - 1968-1970
  • Chairman's responsibility - 1966-1968
  • Constitution and bylaws (2 folders) - 1946-1981
  • Correspondence: General - 1965-1987
  • Correspondence: Executive board (2 folders) - 1946-1987
  • Correspondence: Locals (2 folders) - 1946-1988
  • Denominations: Information - 1960-1968
  • Denominations: Presidents - 1952-1977
  • Denominations: Yearbooks - 1965-1968
  • Box 2:
  • Directories: General - 1967-1969
  • Directories: Information - 1967
  • Directories: Denominations - 1967
  • Minutes - 1935-1950
  • Minutes - 1945-1965
  • Minutes - 1966-1974
  • Minutes - 1975-1996
  • Annual reports - 1945-1957
  • Box 3:
  • Annual reports - 1958-1988
  • Miscellaneous - 1981-1987
  • Series 2: FINANCIAL RECORDS
  • Box 3:
  • Audits - 1948-1968
  • Disbursements - 1959-1966
  • "Financing for Growth in the 70s and Beyond" with filmstrip
  • Ledgers - 1946 -1947
  • Ledgers - 1947 -1948
  • Ledgers - 1948 -1949
  • Ledgers - 1949 -1950
  • Box 4:
  • Ledgers - 1950
  • Ledgers - 1951-1953
  • Ledgers - 1953-1955
  • Ledgers - 1957 -1959
  • Receipts - 1963-1966
  • Training Fund - 1963-1968
  • Treasurer: Reports - 1933-1967
  • Box 23:
  • Ledgers - 1960 -1962
  • Ledgers - 1963-1966
  • Box 5:
  • Treasurer: Reports - 1968-1987
  • Treasurer: Responsibility - 1948-1976
  • Miscellaneous - 1961-1987
  • Series 3: HISTORICAL
  • Box 5:
  • "Forty-five years of Church Women United in Iowa, 1935-1980" by Bertha C. Harms
  • "History of United Church Women of Iowa" (2 folders) - 1965-1967
  • Records (3 folders) - 1933-1965
  • Miscellaneous - 1950-1981
  • Series 4: LOCAL CHAPTERS
  • Box 6:
  • Constitutions and bylaws - 1957-1966
  • Leagues: Cedar Falls - 1962-1977
  • Leagues: Cedar Rapids - 1964-1978
  • Leagues: Clinton - 1961-1966
  • Leagues: Council Bluffs (2 folders) - 1967-1983
  • Leagues: Des Moines - 1961-1967
  • Leagues: Dubuque - 1964-1975
  • Leagues: Floyd County - 1960-1966
  • Leagues: Newton - 1960-1964
  • Leagues: Ottumwa (2 folders) - 1975-1979
  • Leagues: Sioux City - 1961-1968
  • Leagues: Miscellaneous - 1960-1968
  • Box 7:
  • Officers (5 folders) - 1960-1965
  • Box 8:
  • Officers (4 folders) - 1966-1970
  • Presidents - 1954-1981
  • Reports (2 folders) - 1956-1957
  • Box 9:
  • Reports (7 folders) - 1958-1965
  • Box 10:
  • Reports - 1965
  • Reports - 1969
  • Series 5: STATE
  • Box 10:
  • Assemblies - 1971-1979
  • Assemblies - 1980-1981
  • Assemblies - 1983-1995
  • Governor's commissions - 1969-1970
  • Information packet - 2001
  • Iowa Council of Churches - 1958-1965
  • Iowa Inter-church Forum (2 folders) - 1973-1982
  • Box 11:
  • Iowa Inter-church Forum - 1981
  • Leader's council - 1982-1996
  • Legislation - 1965-1969
  • Officers - 1948-1982
  • Recognitions - 1982-1999
  • Secretary's notebook (2 folders) - 1951-1971
  • Box 12:
  • Sharing sessions - 1968
  • Series 6: REGIONAL
  • Box 12:
  • Conferences - 1963
  • Conferences - 1982
  • Series 7: NATIONAL
  • Box 12:
  • Annual report - 1985-1986
  • Assemblies (6 folders) - 1948-1980
  • Board of Managers (2 folders) - 1960-1966
  • Box 13:
  • Board of Managers (6 folders) - 1967-1972
  • Correspondence - 1941-1981
  • Foreign Affairs - 1965-1966
  • Box 14:
  • Foreign Affairs - 1964-1968
  • Legislation (2 folders) - 1947-1972
  • Materials, brochures and leaflets - 1946-1971
  • Box 15:
  • Materials, brochures and leaflets - 1946-1971
  • Materials, handbooks and workbooks (2 folders) - 1963-1972
  • Materials, packets (5 folders) - 1971-1972
  • National Council of Churches - 1950-1968
  • 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
  • Series 8: PROGRAMS
  • Box 16:
  • 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
  • Iowa School Lunch Coalition - 1971
  • Metanoia - 1971-1986
  • Multi-national Corporations Task Force - 1977
  • Women in Community Service - 1970-1972
  • World Community Day - 1979-1981
  • World Day of Prayer - 1968-1984
  • Series 9: PUBLICATIONS
  • Box 16:
  • Bulletin: Political Responsibility - 1968
  • "The Church Woman" (3 folders) - 1964-1966
  • Box 17a:
  • "The Church Woman" (7 folders) - 1967-1973
  • "The Church Woman" - 1975-1977
  • Box 17b:
  • "The Church Woman" (6 folders) - 1978-1992
  • Box 18:
  • "The Church Woman" (3 folders) - 1992-1997
  • "The Church Woman," Promotional materials - 1957-1967
  • "Inform and Act" - 2000
  • "Iowa Instigator" (2 folders) - 1954-1969
  • "Iowa Inter-church Councilor" - 1947-1968
  • "Lead Time" - 1986-1988
  • Box 19:
  • "Newscope" - 1966-1968
  • "The Uniter" (8 folders) - 1970-2002
  • Series 10: PUBLICITY
  • Box 19:
  • Newspaper clippings - 1954-1974
  • Series 11: SCRAPBOOKS
  • Box 20:
  • General (disbound) - 1950-1963
  • General - 1954-1957
  • General - 1957-1961
  • Box 21:
  • General - 1977-1989
  • General - 1980-1982
  • Ecumenical Inter-religious Concerns - 1977-1983
  • Box 22:
  • General - 1961-1966
  • Clippings and programs - 1967 -1971
  • Ecumenical register (disbound) - 1950
  • Iowa seminars - 1949
  • Iowa workshops - 1950
  • Loose scrapbook materials from 1977-1989 scrapbook
  • Series 12: MISCELLANEOUS
  • Box 22:
  • General - 1953-1959
  • General - 1960-1969
  • General - 1970-1979
  • General - 1980-1989
  • General - 1990-2000
  • General, undated
  • Series 13: PHOTOGRPAHS
  • Box 22:
  • General - 1967-1982

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.


Corporate Names:
Church Women United in Iowa

Dates:
20th century
2000-2009

Topics:
Ecumenical movement
Women in church work
Pacifism
Social values

Geographic Names:
Iowa

Genre/Form of Materials:
Archives
Administrative records
Photographs
Scrapbooks

Browse:
Women, Politics and the Law
Women's Clubs and Organizations