United Church of Christ Women of Michigan.

The United Church of Christ Women (UCC Women) can trace its beginnings to the first meeting of the Michigan Branch of the Women's Board of Missions of the Interior in 1874. It was the first state-wide organization for women active in the Congregational Church. By 1915, there were two active groups: the Michigan Branch of the Women's Board of Missions of the Interior and the Woman's Home Missionary Union. In 1926, the two groups merged and became The Women's Missionary Society of the Michigan Congregational Conference. In 1936, the group adopted a new constitution and became the Women's Department of Michigan Congregational Christian Conference. The name was changed to the Women's Fellowship in 1943. In 1964, the group merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Women's Guild (formed in 1940 with members from Michigan and Indiana). Finally, in 1980, the group adopted the name UCC Women of Michigan.

The UCC Women of Michigan coordinate the activities of the regional UCC Women groups and sets annual goals. Within the group, they have the divisions of Social Concerns, Christian Education, Spiritual Life and Evangelism, and Material Aids and Missionary Education. They also promote cooperation with other Christian groups. In 1987, the UCC Women began a relationship with the Michigan Region of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ women. The two groups attend each other's meetings and retreats, hold joint meetings, and have established "clusters" of regional groups for interaction and Bible study.

The UCC Women have a dual purpose, to maintain a bond between the women in the group and help their individual spiritual development, and to reach out to the community and the world to promote Christianity and relieve suffering. For individual development, they study together and hold an annual, week-long retreat every summer for members. Their outreach program consists of monetary donations and collecting items to send as relief within the United States and throughout the world. They also provide scholarships to women, both clergy and lay, for education. One of their projects has been to provide substantial support to the Madras Women's Christian College in India.

Current information is available at http://www.ucc.org/women/index.html The site is part of the education page of the national United Church of Christ, and includes a digital archive of the quarterly newsletter "Common Lot," which the UCC Women help support.

From the guide to the United Church of Christ Women of Michigan Records, 1915-2012, 1945-2012, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)