Church Women United

Church Women United

Church Women United is an ecumenical, multi-cultural, national Christian women's movement that has been in existence since 1941 and to this day continues to work for peace and justice. 

Church Women United of Minnesota Elected Officers for 2022-2023

Sandy Meyer President CWU Minnesota 952-270-1157  sandrameyer51@hotmail.com

Margit Hauge Treasurer CWU Minnesota 952-881-1871 mandwhauge@aol.com

Secretary CWU Minnesota  -TBD

Marilynn Seashore- Tech Support 612-810-5963 mseashore@hotmail.com

Shirley Jackson  Twin Cities Church Women United Rep 651-308-1678  sjcksn007@gmail.com

History 

Since 1941 women of the Church Women United Movement have held a vision of Christian unity and prayerful action. CWU was founded as a racially, culturally, and theologically inclusive Christian women’s movement to celebrate unity in diversity and work for peace in the world. At its founding, the Movement was named United Council of Church Women (UCCW). Women of faith from three interdenominational women’s groups representing 70 denominations convened in Atlantic City, NJ in December 1941 while bombs were being dropped and the world was at war. Can you visualize their fortitude, their resolve, their strength to action? They felt like we did on 911 because they were there in Atlantic City less than a week after Pearl Harbor!  The United Council of Church Women’s first action was to circulate a petition signed by 84,000 church women “urging the United States at the signing of the United Nations Charter, to join and take its full responsibility in a world organization.”  The action received wide publicity in the media and Eleanor Roosevelt later involved the UCCW in a conference at the White House on “How Women May Share in Post War Policy-Makin.” Such action remains typical for CWU today as its quest for informed prayer for prayerful action continues. Women of the Movement affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence in the world.  I think about our modern-day world. How fast we want things to happen. Our preference is to trim things down into commercial-sized segments. As 21st Century women we may work and think differently but our conviction for the work is similar. Our CWU mothers were true, fastidious, focused. So are we. They saw the work to be done, planted an idea, birthed it, named it, nurtured it, and watched it grow. They have left it in our hands. That makes my knees weak, but there are so many more of us now and potentially, many, many, more. 

Our Mission

Church Women United is a racially, culturally, theologically inclusive Christian women’s movement, celebrating unity in diversity and working for a world of peace and justice. Founded in 1941, Church Women United is:

• a movement representing Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and other Christian women;
• biblically-based, shared Christian faith;
• organized into more than 1,200 local and state units working for peace and justice in the United States and Puerto Rico;
• supported by constituents in state and local units and denominational women’s organizations;
• impassioned by the Holy Spirit to act on behalf of women and children throughout the world; and
• recognized as a non-governmental organization by the United Nations.

2021-2024 Quadrennial Priorities

THEME: Justice and Righteousness

GOD’S WORD: The Lord God has told us what is right and what he demands: “See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God.” Micah 6:8 CEV

Acting justly is rooted in what is right as it relates to our relationship with God and lived out in our relationship with each other and in our stewardship over creation. God has shown us what is good and what is required to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly (under God’s leadership). 4In these days and times, the world has seen an increasingly public display and demonstration of the many ways humans have found to harm one another. Played out on a global scale from the highest of government positions to the everyday-ness of what it means to be a neighbor, the injustices of racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, unbridled capitalism, and inequitable power have entrenched hatred and evil from our foundational institutions to our interpersonal interactions. Church Women United (CWU) has a special role to enact a distinct form of hope into what could otherwise be seen as intractable despair.

CWU, as an organization and as a community of church women, is poised to use its collective, regional, and local influence and numbers to mobilize human, economic, legislative, and educational capital for the focused purpose of cultivating mutual good for all human beings – in other words – to bring about true justice as a foundation for producing and protecting true peace.

The Action and Global Concerns committee has found itself with a unique opportunity to create anew an action plan to tackle some of what we’re calling, “momentum points.” Momentum points are areas of content and strategy that lead to building the momentum needed to dislodge the power of the status quo and construct new ways of being for mutual human flourishing. Taking seriously that no one organization can tackle all that needs to be “fixed” in the world, we have constructed a template by which we can methodically and intentionally address “momentum points” to garner the greatest shifts toward justice; which can then be contextualized by individual units who will work individually and in partnerships in their areas. The following provides a template to be used as a guide toward such work. May the blessings of God be with us and correct us as we do the work of God in the world and become more and more who we’ve been divinely created to be. AMEN.

Valiant Woman Award Recipients:

Cindy Wiltjer received the Valiant Woman Award at the CWU of MN Assembly on August 7, 2021. Sandy presented the award to her in person and a vide was shown on the ZOOM meeting due to covid restricting in-person meetings. Cindy served CWU of MN as President for many years as well as her local UCC church and her community. After her term as President she continued sending information via email to contacts she had gathered from meeting attendance lists. Cindy also continued as an active member of the Board and supported the work of the State Unit. Long overdue congratulations to Cindy!

Sandy Meyer received the Valiant Woman Award at the Twin Cities District United Methodist Women Annual Meeting on September 19, 2015

The Twin Cities District of the Minnesota Conference United Methodist Women (UMW) presented Sandy Meyer with the Valiant Woman Award at their Annual Meeting at Christ United Methodist Church in Maplewood on September 19, 2015. Although Valiant Woman Awards are usually presented at Church Women United events, the United Methodist Women wanted to honor Sandy for her commitment to keeping UMW informed of CWU events during her time as on officer on the district and conference level. She was surprised and very honored but also thrilled that it took place at a UMW event which offered CWU even more exposure.

In the words of Mary Gates: "A Valiant Woman is someone who has given service to CWU, her church and her community. She may or may not be an actual leader, but is always someone who leads by example. A Valiant Woman is a woman who lives the Gospel message in her everyday life."

Sandy has been active in Church Women United, her local church Discovery UMC in Chanhassen, her first home church Richfield UMC, and in the community.

A life- long Girl Scout, Sandy is active in River Valley Girl Scout Council, she is an active member of International Twins Association (think people, not baseball), Twinless Twins Support Group International, the Red Hat Society of which she and her mother are members, Richfield High School Reunion Committee Chair, and Emma Norton Services.

Well known as a magician and a clown she has used these accomplishments to enliven many a presentation. She has been known to do magic tricks during a UMW Sunday sermon to illustrate a point and who can forget her thoughtful portrayal of various characters as part of her Clown Ministry.

Sandy wanted to learn more about Church Women United, so, three years ago she took time to attend National CWU 70th Anniversary Celebration in Atlantic City, the site of CWU's beginning. The last four years she served as Secretary/Treasurer of MN Church Women United. This was a time when the unit was struggling and the officers wondered if the unit could continue. Sandy volunteered to serve as Secretary-Treasurer and helped get the struggling unit to move forward. ..probably one of her greatest magic tricks of all time.

Mary Gates Received Valiant Woman Award at the Annual Meeting on August 14, 2010.  To qualify for the award a woman must have given service to Church Women United, her own church, and her community for an extended period of time. She does not have to be a leader but can be someone who leads in a quiet way through her example. She is an individual who lives the Gospel message in her everyday life. Mary has held many positions in United Methodist Women, Girl Scouts, and at Simpson UMC. She works tirelessly for justice and to improve the lives of women, children, and youth. Mary was also the catalyst in forming the new unit at Emma Norton Residence. Please join in congratulating Mary for receiving this long-overdue award!