MRS A. K. WARREN RETURNS

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25660, 24 November 1948, Page 2

MRS A. K. WARREN RETURNS

NEWS FOR WOMEN

WORK OF AMSTERDAM ASSEMBLY

A strenuous but very much worthwhile two weeks is Mrs A. K. Warren’s impression of the first assembly of the World Council of Churches, at Amsterdam. Mrs Warren, who is the wife of the Dean of Christchurch, attended the assembly as an alternate to Bishop Bennett. She returned to her home yesterday. Alternates, in the absence of a delegate, had full voting powers. Besides attending the Amsterdam assembly, Mrs Warren went to a five-day conference at Baarn in Holland. This was h<

jld just before the assembly and its main study was the life and work of women in the Church. As Mrs Warren is the chairman of the Dominion Women’s Committee of the National Council of Churches this conference was of particular interest to her. The findings and recommendations of delegates at this conference were reported to the Amsterdam Assembly. At Baarn, 50 women from 16 countries were present. Mrs Warren said. She was the only New Zealand woman delegate, apart from Mrs Herbert Newell, who attended for part of the time.

At the Amsterdam Assembly, Mrs Warren was impressed with the work of the women delegates, not only of the Western, but of the Eastern races, all of whom had a definite contribution to -make, she said. Women’s Work in Church One of the subjects dealt with by the committee on which Mrs Warren spent most of her time was the life and work of women in the Church. This question was studied from the aspect of full-time professional workers and voluntary workers, of their education, and of the ordination of women in the ministry. It was decided eventually that a commission be set up by the World Council of Churches to investigate further Biblical and Church traditional views on the matter.

An enthusiastic minority was in favour of the ordination of women, Mrs Warren said. The others were divided into two groups. Some thought it was not according to the tradition of the Church. Others felt that it should come, but not at the present time* and they did not wish to drag in such a controversial subject which they felt might cloud the issue on the question of church reunion.

Mrs Warren spent about three weeks id England before she went to Amsterdam, and later returned there for about a month before returning home. While in England she made contact with officers of the Marriage Guidance Council, the Girls’ Friendly Society, the Mothers’ Union, and the National

Council of Women. The work of the Marriage Guidance Council was spreading in England. Mrs Warren said, and there was a definite need for it. The National Council of Women was interested in much the same questions as the New Zealand Council, she found, but they had a stronger bias to international affairs. The council was quite a fadtor in the life of women in England. Mrs Warren was unable to attend the conferertce of the council in England as she had hoped because her boat sailed for New Zealand on the day the conference opened. In spite of the business of her stay in. Holland. Mrs Warren was able to see some of the Coronation celebrations.