| Activity | In July 1895 the General Committee approved the formation of a department at headquarters which was to be in touch with all women's work connected with the Society at home and abroad. Two Ladies' Consultative Committees were appointed - for Home and Foreign work.
On the foreign side the work began as correspondence with and counselling of women missionaries but developed into a source of general advice on women's work overseas. The Women's Foreign Committee appointed in 1912 began by communicating its decisions through the Foreign Secretary to the Group Committees, but from the time of the 1914-1918 war three of its members attended the meetings and the Group Committees as advisers. From 1926 the Departmental Secretary became a Full Secretary of the Society.
Within the British Isles the aim was to raise support from women for all aspects of missionary work. There were conferences and meetings; women correspondents were appointed throughout the country who were attached to the new diocesan and archidiaconal associations and whose task was to arouse interest and support; a special effort was made to reach older educated girls and in 1902 the Girls Movement was started.
Publications included 'Terminal Letters', (1896-1923), 'Seed Time' 1899-1907 and 'Girls Movement notes' 1924-1928.
The work had always been under the guidance of the Central [Home] Secretary as chairman of the Ladies (Home) Consultative Committee and in 1927 the Departmental Secretary became an Assistant Home Secretary with special responsibility for women's work. In 1949 after the retirement of Mrs. E. L. Handley the work was transferred to the Assistant Home Secretary, Miss Jean Lawrence, who was also responsible for raising support within the British Isles for medical mission work. |