Christian Woman's Board of Missions
The Christian Woman's Board of Missions (CWBM) was a missionary organization associated with the Restoration Movement.[1] Established in 1874, it was the first such group managed entirely by women.[1] It hired both men and women, and supported both domestic and foreign missions.[1]
History
The Christian Woman's Board of Missions was created by the American Christian Missionary Society on October 21, 1874.[1] It was a grassroots organization intended to serve women and children worldwide.[1] While many members also supported other 19th century causes such as temperance and suffrage, "CWBM was the 'grand passion' in the lives of many nineteenth- and twentieth-century Christian Church women."[1]
The CWBM's first mission was in Jamaica, where Dr. and Mrs. W.H. Williams were sent in 1876.[1] The first missionary who was a single woman, Jennie Laughlin, was sent in 1876.[1] India became the major focus of the CWBM's overseas efforts, which included evangelistic efforts focusing on women and children, as well as building a variety of social service facilities such as schools, hospitals and orphanages.[1] The organization was particularly effective, both at home and abroad, in reaching women and children in settings where it would be difficult or impossible for men to go.[1]
For an example of the work being done, see the full program of the Kentucky C.W.B.M. Convention, September 21-22, 1903, published in The Bourbon (Paris, Ky.) News.[2]
The CWBM merged with several other organizations in 1919 to form the United Christian Missionary Society.[1][3]
Notable people
- Sarah Bostick (1868–1948), co-organized the first African-American Christian Woman's Board of Missions auxiliary in 1892
- Selina Huntington Bakewell Campbell (1802-1897), an important woman in the Restoration Movement
- Eunice Caldwell Cowles (1811-1903), educator
- Clara H. Hazelrigg (1859–1937), author, educator, reformer
- Luella St. Clair Moss (1865-1947), educator, suffragist
- Caroline Neville Pearre (1834–1910), founder of the Christian Woman's Board of Missions
- Jessie Trout (1895–1990), missionary
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-3898-7, ISBN 978-0-8028-3898-8, 854 pages, entry on Christian Woman's Board of Missions, pages 200-2002
- ^ "State C.W.B.M. Convention". The Bourbon (Paris, Ky.) News. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. September 15, 1903. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ Douglas Allen Foster, Paul Blowers, Anthony L. Dunnavant, and D. Newell Williams The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-3898-7, ISBN 978-0-8028-3898-8, 854 pages, entry on United Christian Missionary Society, pages 750-753