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History of the LWML

Written by Marlys Taege Moberg

“There’s no question the church is behind you because in so many ways you are ahead of the church.” With those words, a Lutheran historian applauded the progress of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) since its founding in 1942. Its roots, however, go back nearly a century earlier.

Beginning in the 1850s, women of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) started local auxiliaries to meet the needs of people – mending clothes for seminarians, equipping hospitals, establishing schools, developing convalescent and retirement homes, assisting orphanages and residences for people with disabilities, gathering clothing, furniture, and food for indigents, and funding mission endeavors at home and abroad.

Not until the 1920s, however, did members of congregational societies begin to coordinate their efforts by uniting in state and regional leagues. Oklahoma was first in 1928, but it took more than a decade before official approval was granted for a national LCMS women’s organization.

Although the US was at war and travel was difficult, the founding convention, held July 7 and 8, 1942 in Chicago, was attended by over 100 women from 15 districts. The 28 delegates adopted a constitution, approved a name, chose two projects and established a Literature Committee to publish books, a national magazine, tracts, and programs. They also determined that 25% of the mission gifts collected in local societies would be given to the national organization and 75% used for district projects.

The purpose of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League ( LWML), delegates agreed, was to develop a greater mission consciousness among women (“missionary education, missionary inspiration, and missionary service”) and to gather funds for mission projects for which no adequate provision was made in the LCMS budget. “Missionary” meant the individual member, who was to “win and hold souls for Christ the Master, visit the sick and the shut-ins, relieve the needy, and cultivate the spirit of sisterly good cheer and fellowship.”

Mite boxes were selected as the vehicle for collecting funds. Those contributions have supported Christian outreach in 42 countries on five continents. They have provided chapels and mission headquarters, hospitals and medicine, Bibles and magazines, schools and equipment, jeeps and radio transceivers, missionary vacation homes and Bible translation centers, airplanes and videos, and the list could go on and on. By 2005, international LWML mission grants (including money for missions in reach to women) totaled more than $18,500,000. Adding the 75% in district grants and over $2,000,000 distributed from bequests and anniversary thank offerings brings LWML gifts for the Lord’s service to more than $76,000,000.

But, the blessing of the LWML, now also known as Lutheran Women in Mission, goes far beyond the millions raised for missions. Its benefits can be seen in faith deepened through Bible studies, in confidence built through leadership training, in the befriending of career missionaries, in blankets and clothing gathered for the impoverished, in food shared with the hungry, and, above all, in the friendships nurtured and the lives changed by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

Know Your Sister Church

There were resolutions to encourage the LWML Carolinas District from several Conventions of the LWML Carolinas District Congregations to "Know Your Sister Church."  In 1984 the Convention was held at Bethel Lutheran Church in Clairmont, North Carolina, and that convention inspired the gathering of the history in this document "Look At Us". This history of congregations in the LWML Carolinas District is a great start at providing some historical milestones of some of the congregations in the Carolinas District of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  When you read, you may notice that some congregations are missing from this history. Please contact the LMWL Carolinas District Web Servant, to make additions and corrections.

Lutheran Women's Missionary League Carolinas District Organization

"On April 24, 1938, a meeting of forty-nine women representing nine churches of the Southeastern Conference of the English District occurred at Christ Lutheran Church in Hickory, North Carolina. The Reverend James L. Summers, at that time pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Hickory presented a plan for the formation of a Lutheran Women's League for the purpose of studying missions and the promotion of missionary work. Mrs. Louise Buchheimer of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Greensboro, North Carolina was elected president of the newly organized group.

Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church of Charlotte, North Carolina was the host for the first Convention of the new organization on November 6, 1938, at which eleven churches were represented with seventy-two women attending. Churches represented at this first convention were:

  • First Lutheran, Asheville, North Carolina
  • Mt. Calvary, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Messiah, Columbia, South Carolina
  • Concordia, Conover, North Carolina
  • St. John, Conover, North Carolina
  • Ebenezer, Greensboro, North Carolina
  • Christ, Hickory, North Carolina
  • St. Stephen, Hickory, North Carolina
  • Mt. Olive, Newton, North Carolina
  • Trinity, Rutherfordton, North Carolina
  • St. John, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

It was decided to use the Mite Box (Pastor Summers explained the purpose and meaning of the Mite Box). Pastor Frerking had the opening devotion, the first hymn was "Our Country's Voice Is Pleading".

Projects

Pastor O.W. Lindemeyer -temporary chairman.

The LWML was organized for service, inspiration, and education, and many different projects have been carried out in the past forty-five years. In its early days assistance was given in small grants, seldom more than $100.00. Soon the call came for more challenging commitments, and the women responded with an initial $3,000.00 grant for building Raleigh's District mission.

One of the most important projects and one still carried by the Carolinas District is the Pre-Confirmation Camp conducted annually at Camp Linn Haven in Linville, North Carolina where girls and boys from eight to fourteen years might enjoy both Christian education and recreation. The first such camp was held in 1942 and was made a permanent project of the Carolinas District in 1944. In 1946, the camp was extended to two weeks to accommodate all the applicants. In 1951 it was necessary to add a third week, and in 1954 a fourth week was added. The LWML Carolinas District has given as many as five camperships to children who otherwise would not have been able to afford to attend camp. In 1978 a special needs camp week was added. Campers from age six to thirty-five have been richly blessed by time at camp. Another ongoing project of the LWML Carolinas District is the awarding of Scholarships to students preparing to serve in full-time church work professions.