Expanded Missions

Mrs. William C. Sturgis, Treasurer, Churchwomen's League for Patriotic Service is seated in front of the poster for the Nation-wide Campaign for the Church's Mission, c. 1919.

While the early Woman's Auxiliary was content to work under the supervision of and in cooperation with the men of the Church, with time, the women's influence outgrew this relationship and the Auxiliary became the primary source of programmatic and financial support for the Board of Missions. In addition to its educational and vocational programs, the Woman's Auxiliary regularly raised and dedicated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Church each triennium. By 1900, the Woman's Auxiliary was responsible for sending 4,679 missionary support boxes containing supplies for missionary houses worth in excess of $190,000, and raising additional funds and legacies of over $200,000 annually, which contributed over 40% of the Board of Missions gross receipts for that year. These funds, used for supporting male and female missionaries around the world, building schools, hospitals and church buildings, and contributing to other social and economic support initiatives, allowed the women of the church to have significant influence over the course of mission work.

Under the direction of the Emery sisters, the Woman's Auxiliary also established programs that opened the world to women through the auspices of the Church with fellowship, charitable giving, education, and professional training. Any woman who wished could attend the Mission Education classes, instituted first in the 1880s, which covered every aspect of the countries in the Church's expanding mission field including history, geography, culture and customs, climate, and missionary efforts. Training programs for girls and women that prepared them for work in the missionary field were also a priority of the Woman's Auxiliary, resulting in a significant increase in knowledge and interest in the world beyond the parochial avenues available to most women.

The United Offering, A Letter to the Woman Who Does Not Know, by Julia Emery, describing the origin and purpose of the United Offering and Woman's Auxiliary, c.1908.