LUMO

Though the Prayer Bands were effective, there still was no general organization to unleash the potential of these women. This lack of united effort became a concern of Georgia Derk, a pastor´s wife and former missionary. She felt the inward challenge to test new ideas in her own church in Albany, New York, as well as in other church in the district. Mrs. Derk was instrumental in forming the first "area" group of Alliance women in 1947.

As the cooperative fellowship concept spread throughout the Northeastern District, Mrs. Derk was frequently used as a resource by other areas. The groundwork was laid and in July of 1949, the first district-wide organization came into being. This was called the Ladies United Missionary Organization (LUMO) and Mrs. Derk served as president.