A quiet but strong organization resides within our congregation and all Heritage women are automatically members. This group uses a perhaps old-fashioned name – the Clara Barton Guild (CBG or the Guild). Although the daily, group activities have changed over the course of its 107-year existence within Heritage, its ultimate purpose has remained the same.
According to the pamphlet titled The Clara Barton Guild – A Brief History, written by Heritage member Connie Booth in 2014, “the group not only provided support for various church activities, community outreach, and sisterly fellowship among the church’s women, but (it) raised monies to support various worthy causes both within the church and beyond.”
Today, some of the group functions are significantly different from its early days following its 1917 founding. However, the major goal of supporting needs remains unaltered in the group. The Guild exemplifies this aim through their two, annual, high profile events – the spring used book sale (recently merged with the annual rummage sale) and the women’s holiday dinner.
Originally established as the First Universalist Society’s Women’s Alliance, at some point the group adopted their current name to honor Clara Barton – the famed American Civil War nurse who founded the American Red Cross and who identified as a Universalist. The early Guild served as both the church’s women’s social group and a service organization.
An earlier form of the Guild held monthly meetings with scheduled programs. The group elected officers and collected dues. Card playing was one common activity but also crafts-with-a-purpose activities such as hemming wash cloths for use at local hospitals and creating a decorative quilt as a fundraiser for building our current church home in Newtown.
Creation of and distribution of financial support has long been a focus of the Clara Barton Guild. In the 1960s, church member Cora Littel bequeathed 100 shares of Proctor and Gamble stock to the Guild. Dividends from this gift (in addition to other fundraisers) provided the resources for the donations to various charities and church improvements over the years until the Guild deeded these stocks to the congregation to pay off the mortgage. During the holidays, the Guild routinely gives a donation to the Clara Barton Camp for Diabetic Girls, plus other causes that speak to the group’s emphasis on women’s and Universalist principles. Such organizations have included Planned Parenthood, The Mountain, Women Helping Women, and several others.
Many Clara Barton Guild funded physical improvements continue in use today in our church’s present location. Some items include the cabinetry for storing the folding tables in the Great Hall, classroom cabinetry, kitchen items, and the sanctuary’s blinds.
Although the group’s early form was reminiscent of a woman’s social club that performed civic and church betterment projects, over the years, women’s roles changed in both society and in the church. Alternative, activity-specific groups for women within Heritage came and went. Examples include such defunct groups such as the Women’s Meditation Group and a toddler playgroup. Today, other groups and events have evolved to meet the many needs of modern women, such as the Babes with Books (Heritage Women’s Book Club), the Healthy Lifestyles Group, and the annual Heritage Women’s Retreat. However, the Clara Barton Guild has continued with its improvement projects and donations.
Embodying the group’s inconspicuous nature is Julie Kane, who has long managed the group’s finances and helped steer their activities. For many years, she has been a guiding force behind the annual used book sale and by helping to select the Guild’s financial donations, approved during the short business meeting at the yearly holiday dinner.
Typically, the annual Clara Barton Guild dinner occurs on the first Wednesday evening in December in the HUUC Great Hall. It is open to all women, be they Heritage members or friends. When the annual date for this event draws close, look for specific information about this gathering in the Heirloom, on HUUC.net, in the weekly emailed Heritage Connection or the announcements in each Sunday’s worship service bulletin. For more information on the Clara Barton Guild, contact Julie Kane at:
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