Covenant Women History Commission Records

According to a document entitled “ECC Women’s History Commission Description and Statement of Goals”, (found in Record Series 2/2/1, Women’s History Commission Records),: “In February 1987 the Board of Covenant Women granted commission status to the Committee on Women’s History. The official title taken by the committee is the Evangelical Covenant Church Women’s History Commission.” And continues, “The Commission first met as a committee in the summer of 1986.’

Thus, there was first a committee which was later granted Commission status in 1987 by the Board of Covenant Women, and according to this document the official name of the commission is the Evangelical Covenant Church Women’s History Commission.

Another document elaborates…” A group first met in the spring of 1986, when Adaline Bjorkman contacted Doris Johnson about a history of women in the Covenant.” Later on, the committee “felt the need for an ongoing committee to address these concerns. Doris suggested that the committee become a commission under the Board of Covenant Women, giving us some funding beyond Adaline’s initial contribution and some recognition and status in the denomination.” (This document is undated and unsigned).

The 1987 Covenant Yearbook’s report from Doris Johnson (then CWM executive secretary) reads: “History of Women’s Contribution to the Covenant: A commission to record women’s participation in the formation and development of The Evangelical Covenant Church has been established by the Board of Covenant Women. This group is working with the archival staff and is writing articles for The Covenant Quarterly, The Covenant Companion and inSpirit on the role of women in the formation of Covenant ministries.”

On a further note, when outlining the CWM History Committee, inSpirit (Winter 1992) explains “The Evangelical Covenant Church Women’s History Commission, a commission of the board of Covenant Women Ministries, has been involved in discovering the women of our denominational past, gathering materials that record their lives, telling their stories through various media and educating Covenanters about preserving history . The commission has functioned since 1986. The Covenant Women Ministries’ History Committee, formed under the by-laws adopted by the 1990 Covenant Women Annual Meeting, will work in conjunction with the ECC Women’s History Commission to highlight the significant contributions of women’s ministries today.”

Historical Note written by Ellen M. Engseth, November 15, 2001.