The national Council of Church Women organization began in December 1941. By May of 1942, the local chapter, La Crosse Council of Church Women, had begun. The group acts as a local united of the United Church Women of Wisconsin and as a general department of United Women of the National Council of the Churches of Christ, as well as functioning as a department of the La Crosse Area Council of Churches, Inc. In more recent times, the organization refers to itself as Church Women United (of La Crosse).
This group serves as a vehicle by which national organization can carry out its goals on a local level. Annual activities include World Community Day, Fellowship Day, Interfaith Tea (first held in 1953), May luncheon (first held in 1942), and World Day of Prayer. Speakers are often invited to speak on various topics for these events. The group has been involved in many peace movements and civil rights concerns both in the U.S. and abroad.
