The July 11, 1900 minutes of the Ladies' Aid Society are the earliest records we have of a women's organization at Woodland Church. In the minutes mention is made of previous meetings, so we really don't know when the Society was started. At that July meeting Mrs. E. B. Anderson was the president, and she "brought the question before the house as to which they would rather do: sew every week during hot weather or give a small amount of money each week - from 5¢ up. It was decided unanimously in favor of giving money."
       
       By October, 1901 they were planning a new church, and the ladies pledged $1,000.00. To help raise the money they prepared an oyster supper October 19, and another supper in November. Then in December they had the lower rooms of the parsonage papered for the sum of $20.30.
       
       In March, 1905, "dues" (not pledges) were 25~ per year. And the treasurer reported that the supper they had that month netted $15.10. At the meeting in September, 1908, they agreed to purchase five dozen knives and forks from O1Neil's for $15.21.
       
       And in January, 1909, the owner of the Clinton Milling Company offered to give the Society his profit of $25.00 on 100 sacks of flour plus 25~ each additional sack. Between January 14-28 more than 100 sacks were sold.
       
       Now we come to a nine-year gap in the records. But evidently the ladies kept busy for by October, 1917, they were divided into four circles.
       
       In April, 1918, they were still trying to earn money, and cautious about spending it. It was pointed out that "whether one attended every meeting or not the dues are ten cents a meeting or one dollar a year." A committee reported that a bulletin board in the front yard would cost $100.00, and the ladies agreed that was too much to spend in that way, so the matter was dropped.
       
       In our possession is a cookbook published by the Ladies' Aid Society in 1919. You might be interested in a couple of the practical suggestions given:
       
       "To brighten old carpet - wet several old newspapers, tear into small bits and scatter over carpet. Sweep briskly with a broom dipped into tepid water to which turpentine has been added."
       Another: "To drive away ants, paint spots with oil of sassafras and renew if ants return. A sure remedy."
       
       We also have a grocery list as follows: 3 lbs apples - 25~, 2 lb. sugar 2O~, 1 loaf bread 09~, ½ lb. bacon 23~. This was in 1923. Were these "the good old days?"
       
       All this time, from the beginning, the maintenance of the parsonage was the responsibility of the Ladies' Aid Society. So money was spent for that; and sometimes the ladies did some cleaning, papering, and painting themselves. This continued until March, 1956, when it was voted to give the care of the parsonage to the Trustees of the church.
       
       Now, we must remember there were also two other organizations of women in Woodland Church, and many of the same women attended all three. The only mention we have of the Women's Home Missionary Society is that Mrs. J. C. Rockwell was the President in 1914-15.
       
       
       Our record of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society begins October 6,
       1911, with thirteen members at the meeting. At that time the dues were $1.15 per
       year. And they were hoping to be able to send $40.00 that year for work in India.
       Plans were made for a union meeting in Woodland Church, of all city and Cuyahoga
       Falls societies.
       
       In November, 1916, a new department in the district was formed; those who were unable to attend meetings were to be extension members, with dues of $1.00 per year.
       
       Then in 1917 the district decided on a new share plan instead of the former scholarship plan. Woodland Society members agreed to pay $25 to a Day School in China, and $20.00 for medical work in India.
       
       The January 1918 program emphasized that the missionary organization was at the threshold of great opportunity as "History shows that whenever there has been a national crisis the missionary cause advances."
       
       When three church denominations - the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church - were united in 1939, the ladies1 organizations were also united as one, the Woman's Society of Christian Service.
       
       As a WSCS organization we helped support missionaries - Ivan Dornan in Japan
       -        Joy Anderson in India - Dean Manbeck in Korea. In our own country, we sent cartons of books to Paine College in George, and to Faith Cabin Library in Atlanta. To the Henderson Settlement in Kentucky, we sent food, books, clothing, bedding, money, and even a treadle sewing machine! At home, we gave money for a court counselor, to the East Akron Community House, and to the South Side Settlement in Columbus.
       
       All the time the women were doing these things, we were also working and saving to equip the kitchen in the church being built on North Hawkins Avenue. Suppers, rummage sales, ice cream festivals, bazaars, and selling cookbooks, steak knives and fruit cakes became a normal part of our lives. We asked friends, relatives, anybody and everybody, to save Top Value stamps for us. And when the new church was ready, we were ready. The kitchen cost $12,214.00 without the refrigerator, which was purchased with 250 books of TV stamps. Seventy-five additional books were used for smaller pieces of equipment. Forty-five 3-piece stainless steel place settings of flatware were bought with 9,000 Betty Crocker stamps. And subsequent purchases were made with Betty Crocker stamps until we had 250 settings of flatware.
       
       On October 9, 1964, we held our first women's meeting in the new church at 444 North Hawkins Avenue.
       
       

--        CHLORIS TODD, Historian April, 1984        In 1946, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the Women's Council of the Women's Society of World Service of the newly formed Evangelical United Brethren Church held its first meeting. Like the Methodists in 1940, this new society was a bringing together in a single organization a variety of prior groups.                The Women's Missionary Society of the E.U.B. Church on Madison Avenue was a very active society. They were interested in local missions as well as the mission at Red Bird, Kentucky; Ye Bor City, Tampa, Florida; and McCurdy's Girls' School, New Mexico. They also helped support missionaries in Sierre Leone, and Logas, Nigeria. They met once a month; didn't have circles like we have now.                One of the outstanding e1vents of the year was the Kentucky Bean Dinner. They would wear long dresses or aprons, and sunbonnets. A typical bean dinner, corn bread and all that went with it, was served. The offering for work at the three missions in this country was received at this time.                For years the women made cancer pads for the Visiting Nurse Service, and rolled bandages for the leper colonies.                Another very active group was the Ladies' Aid. One of their main events was the vegetable soup and doughnuts they made every week. The whole community as well as all the church members looked forward to this.                Each year many of the women attended the convention, held in June, at Linwood Park in Vermilion. Always there were missionaries, home on furlough at that time, visiting with the group that week. Everyone enjoyed the fellowship with friends and neighbors from all over the Conference.                After the merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church Conferences in 1968, Woodland welcomed with open arms the Madison Avenue people. And in 1972 the name of the women's organization was changed to United Methodist Women.                Gone are the dinners, the bazaars, the bean suppers, and the soup days. But as a group of happy United Methodist Women, we find new ways to serve Christ and His Church.

--        CHLORIS TODD, Historian April, 1984

--        BERNICE 0'LESLIE,

E.U.B.        Information