Church Women United finds the balance between diversity and unity and uses that to make their communities better.

But in Selma, a place where the nation’s eyes have looked to as a birthplace of change, there is no representation for the group.

Annie T. Allen hopes that will be different after the organization holds a meeting in Selma on Saturday, Feb. 7. As president of the state unit, Allen wants to encourage local participation.

The multi-denominational, multi-racial national Christian group is a movement that brings women closer in fellowship, prayer, advocacy and action.

“I thought it would be a good time to bring it to that area. We do not have an active unit there,” Allen said. “We will be celebrating black history, and that will be a part of the thrust at this time. We have so many outstanding black Americans from the State of Alabama, so we will be recognizing some of them. Selma is right on the top of that list.”

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church, and lunch will follow. It is open to all Christian women in Selma.

Some women from Selma are active in Montgomery, Allen said, but Alabama Church Women United wants to create as many local units as possible.

Althelstein M. Johnson is one woman who is drumming up local support for the event. She believes the benefits make the creation of a local unit worth the effort.

“It will give all women of our area the opportunity to focus on issues pertinent to women,” Johnson said. “We’re all different, but we have so many commonalities, despite all our different backgrounds. We should be one church under God. We should have one purpose.”

Part of the mission of Church Women United is to address the following issues from the perspective of women, children and families around the world: diversity and anti-racism, health and health care, education, violence and hate-centered issues, economic justice, images in media and technology and the environment.

For more information on the meeting in Selma call 872-8763 or 874-8169.