Purpose: To unite women of the congregation for the total mission of the church and to provide a medium through which they may express their loyalty and devotion to Jesus Christ in Christian witness, study, fellowship, and service.
Meetings: St. James’ women meet on the 2nd Monday of each month from September to June in the church basement at 1pm. A time of music and worship precedes a brief business meeting in which upcoming church events and projects are discussed and planned. Informative speakers, thought-provoking readings or small group activities are often part of the program. The afternoon gathering concludes with social fellowship and light refreshments.
Focus: This small but dedicated group of women meet in Christian fellowship, striving to support the workings and spiritual growth of St James United Church by contributing financially to maintenance and outreach projects, by donating their time and talents to church committees and functions, and by nurturing those within and beyond the church community.
Projects Undertaken: Begun in 1979, the creation and decorating of Easter Eggs remains the single largest fundraising activity undertaken by the UCW. As well, an annual fall bazaar featuring baking, candies, crafts, knitted items and a white elephant section is successfully held on the first Saturday of November. The UCW continues to cater for funerals and celebrations for individuals and groups in our community and to assist behind the scenes with many church functions. A small group of quilters continues to meet resulting in the creation of many beautiful quilts.
Church Financial Support: The UCW continues to financially support the church, annually donating money to the Mission and Service Fund as well as to the General Fund for day to day expenses. During August of 2007, the UCW spearheaded and financed the installation of tile flooring in the basement, replacing well worn carpet.
Community Outreach: Sizeable financial donations continue to be forwarded annually to the Out-Of-The-Cold program, Women and Children’s Crisis Centre, RVH Cancer Centre, Camp Simpresca, Massey Centre, Fred Victor Mission and many other deserving causes. Funds are allocated each year to send several children to Camp Simpresca for a week. We support the Barrie Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event in June by making and donation dozens of sandwiches for workers and participants alike.
A selection of Cancer Comfort Caps has been created and is available in the church office for anyone in the church or community at no charge. Call Donna at 436-2578.
History of Women's Groups at Stroud Methodist/St. James United As early as 1898, the Ladies’ Aid was working behind the scenes. Later known as the Women’s Association (W.A.), all women of the congregation were considered members. In the 1950’s a second group formed, allowing women unable to attend the daytime meetings to take part. Many projects to improve the church and manse were undertaken with the funds raised from a significant number of fundraising activities. The Women’s Missionary Society (W.M.S.) was active in the congregation from its inception in 1913. Monthly meetings focused on the study of current overseas and home mission activities based on published study guides. In 1962, the W.A. and the W.M.S. joined to become the United Church Women (U.C.W.) Since then 25 women have served as presidents of this dedicated group which is linked to the wider county and provincial organization.
