Our Story

1946 – Women of the Southern California District (later changed to the Pacific Southwest District) meet on January 20 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange, California to organize the district’s Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.  The League had been started in 1942, In Chicago, IL, as an auxiliary of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  The first convention was held in June, 1946, in Long Beach, CA, and the Southern California District became the 26th district of the International LWML.   400 attended.  The Pacific Southwest District now includes Southern California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and most of Arizona.

 

1950 – The first Newsette, the district newsletter, was published for distribution.

 

1954 – The 3 departments were organized:  Missionary Education, Missionary Inspiration and Missionary Service, with an elect vice president as head of each department.

 

1955 – Phoenix held their first zone rally, with over 100 attendees from 8 desert congregations.

 

1959 – Lutheran World Day of Prayer was held throughout the district on zone and local levels.

 

1966 – The LWML Handbook was developed by the International Board of Directors, and distributed to each Society.

 

1968 – Southern Nevada was welcomed into the Southern California District.

 

1970 – First Religious Art Display at the convention, featuring creations of LWML women.

 

1971 – 25th Anniversary celebration of District LWML.  600 attended the program at Trinity Lutheran Church in Whittier, CA.

 

1982 – Celebration of 40th Anniversary of International LWML held at the district convention in Palm Springs, CA.  A Thankoffering of $14,317.48 was collected and forwarded to International to be distributed.

 

1986 – 40th Anniversary of Southern California District LWML.

 

1989 – Southern California District becomes Pacific Southwest District.

 

1996 – 50th Anniversary of Pacific Southwest District LWML was celebrated at the district convention in Irvine, CA.

 

2016 – 70th Anniversary of Pacific Southwest District LWML was celebrated at the district convention at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange, CA, the site of the first meeting of LWML in 1946.