Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church. Augustana Lutheran Church Women.

See also AUG 40 Administrative History.

The president of the Women's Missionary Society/Augustana Lutheran Church Women (WMS/ALCW) was the chief executive officer and as such was responsible for all executive duties required to keep the society operating efficiently. By 1949 the amount of society work had increased so dramatically that it necessitated the creation of an additional staff position, Exectuive Secretary, to assume some of the duties that had been the responsibility of the president. Evelyn Stark was called to that position in March 1949 and began work in July 1949. This was not Miss Stark's first position with the WMS/ALCW. From 1939 to 1942 she served as Secretary of Promotion and Young Women's Work. Before returning to the WMS as Executive Secretary she worked in the Division of American Missions of the National Lutheran Council.

Duties of the Executive Secretary included handling official correspondence, assisting the president in preparing the agendas for Woman's Mission Board and Executive Committee meetings, assisting the president with convention planning, corresponding regularly with missionaries, promoting mission work through outreach and in Mission Tidings, and supervising the departments of My Missionary For a Day, and Life and In Memoriam. In 1955 it was decided to change the title from Executive Secretary to Executive Director. Miss Stark was the only person to serve in the capacity of Executive Secretary/Director. She served until the merger that created the Lutheran Church in America in 1962.

From the description of Evelyn Stark Files, 1950-1961 [1953-1956]. (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Library). WorldCat record id: 49884234