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1910 - On February 26, 1910 in the home of Mrs. Allis on West 9^th Street a group of 26 women representing 20 churches in Erie met hoping to form a federation to include all missionary interests in the city of Erie.  Miss Sarah A. Reed was elected the first President of what was then named the Women’s Missionary Federation.

1912 - First World Day of Prayer celebration

1940 - First May Friendship Day celebration

1941 - The worldwide grassroots movement of Christian women became organized and named Church Women United (CWU) in 1941, when 100 women from three interdenominational organizations met in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the purpose of starting a society of prayer with special attention to advocacy and action while living their Christian faith.

1943 - First World Community Day celebration.

1945 - CWU's second vice president was an official observer who witnessed the signing of the UN Charter at San Francisco. At the time of the UN's founding, UCCW's first citizen action was to circulate a petition signed by nearly 84,000 church women "urging the United States to join and take its full responsibility in a world organization." The action received wide publicity in the press, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt sent a note of thanks from the White House.

1947 - The Women's Missionary Federation became the Erie Council of Church Women.

1955 - The Erie Council of Church Women became the Department of United Church Women of the Erie Council of Churches.

1961 - "Assignment Race" challenged the vestiges of racism within the CWU movement, the church and the larger society. UCW women were involved in leadership, marches and as "behind-the-scene workers" in the civil rights movement in the United States.

1964 - More than nine hundred Erie and area women attended the annual Interfaith Tea sponsored Wednesday afternoon at Knox Hall of the Church of the Covenant, where the above photograph was taken. Left to right are Mrs. Ray Kristiansen, UCW president; Mrs. Arthur Kallman of the Temple Sisterhood; Mrs. Jean Dwyer, representing St. Peter's Cathedral Rosary Society; and Mrs. Phillip Cotton of the Jewish Center Sisterhood. The annual tea is alternately sponsored during Brotherhood Week by the UCW and the Jewish Sisterhoods in order to promote mutual fellowship and study of common concern of both organizations.

1973 - The Department of United Church Women of the Erie Council of Churches became the Erie Local Unit of Church Women United.

1975 - CWU's role at the United Nations expanded. The CWU staff of Christian World Relations served as chairperson of an NGO committee to organize a series of tribunals for women, meeting simultaneously with the UN Conference in Mexico to provide an international forum for women. These tribunals brought attention to issues such as education and health, offering an opportunity for women to air priorities of their own.

1985 - In observance of the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, over 100 members of the Erie CWU and Benedictines for Peace traveled to the Pentagon in Washington to join thousands of others from around the world to display "The Ribbon", sing and pray together for an end to the arms race.

1986 - CWU initiated a project, "The Imperative," a five-year commitment to break the cycle of poverty of women and children by eliminating the root causes of poverty.

1987 - Local TV news anchor, Lisa Adams addressed CWU in Erie at a Summer Fellowship Tea. Topic: "We Being Many Are One Body in Christ."

1996 - CWU continued its advocacy on behalf of women and children, urging opposition to punitive welfare reform measures. A local unit member in Illinois participated in a breast cancer awareness panel in Washington, DC.

2002 - CWU's experience in the aftermath of 9/11 brought an increased commitment and focus on spirituality as manifested in ecumenical interfaith worship and dialogue, global prayer and prayerful action. A Celebrations Committee Retreat focused on the development, training and promotion of the three ecumenical worship celebrations: World Day of Prayer, May Friendship Day and World Community Day.

2010 - On February 26, 2010 in the home of Ms. Mary Ellen Bujnoski, a commemorative tea was held in memory of that evening 100 years ago when CWU was being founded. 

2010 - On August 21, 2010 our 100th Anniversary was held at Mount Saint Benedict Monestary.  Djamillah Samad, National Executive of CWU, blessed everyone with her presence and her meaningful words of wisdom. 

Church Women United has grown to become an acclaimed, national organization with over 1,200 local and state units striving for peace and justice in the United States and Puerto Rico. It is officially recognized as a non-governmental organization by the United Nations and it has had a very active role in many social justice causes, locally, nationally, and internationally, over the decades.