Church Women United of Moorestown has been making a quiet impact on Moorestown churches for more than 60 years.
There is a gathering of women in Moorestown who meet once a month. They’re not joined by any one religion but by a common purpose: service to others.
Church Women United of Moorestown consists of women who each represent a church in town. Nearly every church in Moorestown is represented, and members of the group, which has been around since 1953, act as emissaries for their respective churches as they plan three celebrations a year and raise funds for local groups.
Church Women United is a national nonprofit that was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in New York. The group was founded as means to unite women from different sects of Christianity to work together toward the common cause of peace.
Bertha Bendel of First United Methodist Church was one of the first members to join the group when it was founded in Moorestown, and she served as president for a time. In Moorestown, the group’s reach has expanded beyond just Christianity, and the women have extended an invitation to any woman from any religion who wishes to join.
“It’s wonderful to meet people from other churches that we wouldn’t otherwise know,” Bendel said. “You get so involved in your own church that you don’t think about [other churches].”
She said over the years, the women have contributed their time and resources to special events in town such as making cookies for Moorestown Day or volunteering at Moorestown Friends School’s empty bowl dinner.
However, the group’s primary focus is putting on three yearly “celebrations” — the themes of which are dictated by the national group. In March, the women hold a “World Day of Prayer” service. On March 2, the women held their celebration at Second Baptist Church in Moorestown around the theme “All God’s Creation is Very Good,” and it featured women of different backgrounds who spoke about protecting the environment.
The women also hold a celebration in May for “Friendship Day,” which is a luncheon and program held yearly at the Evergreens and brings together nearly 60 women from churches around town to lunch, mingle and learn more about one another. In November, the women host their third service of the year, a celebration of human rights centered around a theme dictated by the national organization.
Maryliz Clark, the representative from First Baptist Church of Moorestown, said once a month, the women gather in someone’s home — often hers — to exchange ideas about how to fulfill these themes and make their celebrations something special.
“As I’ve been finding out, it’s amazing how much talent there is among the women,” Clark said. “You can tap into that for your different programs.”
Clark said one of the main reasons they host these celebrations is to raise funds for local charities.
“That’s a big part of our thing is the charities,” Clark said. “We collect offerings at all of our three events.”
Carolyn Weeks, treasurer of Church Women United of Moorestown, said in the past, they’ve donated collections to the Moorestown Community House, Interfaith Caregivers, Providence House, MEND and other hyperlocal groups.
Weeks said in addition to the celebrations, there’s a support component that comes with being in the group. She said the women share ways of helping each other with whatever their respective church may be working on.
“It’s just women trying to do a lot of little things to help in the community,” Weeks said.
Over time, the group has shrunk in size, but Weeks said her hope is for more women to get involved so the group continues for another 60 years.
Any woman in Moorestown is free to join Church Women United of Moorestown. For more information about joining, contact Weeks at cweeks@me.com.
