Welcome to the Herstory blog of Australian Church Women Inc. I’m Donna, the current National Archivist for Australian Church Women (ACW), and it’s my privilege to keep the records of our herstory.
I received these records in 2018, and since then I’ve been diving into them and finding so much that I didn’t know about the past activities and history of the women of ACW. Stories that inspired and encouraged me to begin this blog and share these discoveries with you. Stories that need to be told so that the women of ACW can be honoured and celebrated for their achievements and experiences in local, national and international communities of faith. And, most importantly, stories that demonstrate being disciples of Jesus Christ firmly underpins all that Australian Church Women represents.
Being able to post excerpts of our stories to this blog will give context and meaning to many of the activities of ACW. Activities such as the Special Days programme of Fellowship Day and World Community Day; the generous Winifred Kiek Scholarship, which provides the opportunity for further theological training; grants from the World Community Day offerings for the annual Special Project; participation in the Fellowship of the Least Coin prayer movement; opportunities to attend the biennial ACW National Conference and the quadrennial assemblies of the Asian Church Women’s Conference (ACWC); and so many other projects and programmes that Australian Church Women has supported and implemented over the years.
The Fellowship of the Least Coin and the Asian Church Women’s Conference are the two main partnerships that Australian Church Women has with international Christian women’s organisations. These are close relationships that have brought much joy to all participants as they pray and work together to benefit disadvantaged women and their families. Stories of these valued partnerships will also be included on this blog.
At least once a week* I will post a new account of our ACW herstory, and ACW members can help by sending me any photos or reports that we may be able to share. Please ensure that you have permission, from the relevant people and ACW Unit, to share these on the Internet before forwarding them to me. My email address for these contributions is donna.bryan@salvationarmy.org.au
By following this blog of our ACW stories, you will discover that Australian Church Women has been an active force of Christian women for almost 60 years. I think you will also be surprised and inspired by the women of ACW and what they have achieved over these years.
So, on behalf of Australian Church Women, I encourage you to share your ACW stories with all of us, and I look forward to expanding the archives of our significant herstory through this blog.
God bless,
Donna Bryan
ACW Inc. National Archivist
* Updated on 25 May 2022 to: 'at least once a month'
