1.1 The Church Of Christ Mission Women Association, (Hereinafter Referred To As The Women’s Manyano) Is An Association Of Women Within The Church Of Christ Mission (Hereinafter Referred To As COCM).

1.2.     The Women’s Manyano Is Founded On Christian Values, Particularly:

1.2.1 Purity Of Speech

1.2.2 Holiness Of Life

1.2.3 Temperance.

1.2.4 Service To The Glory Of God And For The Extension Of God’s Kingdom.

1.3.     It Is Founded On Christian Values. The Operations Of Women’s Manyano Are Guided By The COCM’s  Constitution And Its Members Are Subject To The Discipline And Authority Of The COCMWA Constitution And Policies Therefrom, Together With Any Decisions Taken By National Conference From Time To Time.

1.4.     The Women’s Manyano Operates In Terms Of This Booklet And Which Shall Serve As Guiding Manual, Subject To The Approval By The National Assembly/National Conference Of The COCMWA From Time To Time.

1.5.     This Booklet Is Intended To Monitor The Running Of All-Women’s  Manyano Services So That There Is Order And Uniformity In All Circuits And Preaching Points Of The COCM, Within The Republic Of South Africa.

2.1.     In the event of conflict between this guiding manual and booklet and the constitution of the COCMWA and that of the COCM, the constitution of the COCM shall prevail.

2.2.     In the event of conflict between the English version and any of the other version, the English version shall prevail.

3.1.     The aim and objectives of the Women’s Manyano shall be to:

• Intercede in private and public prayer for a deepened spirituality and be of service to the glory of God and the extension of God’s Kingdom in the home, church, and community.
• make the mission of the COCMWA a reality among its members first, and all people of God, in their daily lives as follows:

3.2.     SPIRITUALITY

3.2.1. To strengthen the encounter of members with the Lord Jesus Christ, which is brought about the Holy Spirit.

3.2.2.  To protect the institution of marriage, promote family life and ensure a positive home environment, in accordance with Christian principles and values.

3.3      EVANGELISM

3.3.1.  To seek the conversion of our people to believe in God.

3.3.2.  To be the instruments of God for building His Church.

3.4.    JUSTICE AND SERVICE

3.4.1.  To encourage a missionary spirit among our members.

3.4.2.  To visit and pray with the sick and the bereaved.

3.4.3.  To help those whose family life has met adversity.

3.4.4.  To take care of all, particularly the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable.

3.4.5.  To initiate and participate in programmes which promote gender justice.

3.4.6.  To run programmes that would enable the members of the Women’s Manyano to participate and have a voice in matters that affect them within the COCM and the national discourse.

3.4.7.  To raise funds for missionary and other identified and authorized initiatives of any charitable cause.

3.5.     HUMAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT

3.5.1.  To run programmes which seek to develop and empower women through identified and authorized economic and empowerment opportunities.

3.6.     EDUCATION

3.6.1.  To educate members on topical issues affecting their well-being and that of their families, the COCMWA’s policies and related constitutional values applicable to their scope of work.

3.6.2.  To train members through national, provincial, and local workshops and other means authorized by the COCMWA.

3.6.3.  To train members to manage personal finances in a responsible way to avoid unnecessary debt and healthy living.

3.6.4.  To run and support educational programmes that support children.

3.7.    To pursue the above aims and objectives and to fulfil the purpose below.

4.1. To be specially concerned with all that strengthens and preserves Christian families. The purpose must be pursued by a member who is happy to do so as opposed to being forced and be result driven.

5.1.     Membership is open to only women who are full members of the COCM, in good standing have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and declare their support for the aims and objectives of the Women’s manyano.

5.2.    Application for membership shall be made to the local circuit, preaching point or local station within the COCM. This local circuit must be recognized as such by the COCM’s National Conference.

5.3.    In order to be admitted as a full member of the Women’s Manyano, a prospective member shall meet the requirements set by the Women’s Manyano from time to time, which may include, but not limited to:

• Having been on trial for a period of not less than 3 months.
• No trialist shall be examined for full membership of the manyano, before the completion of 3 months period on trial.
• Attending all gatherings and participating in all activities of the Women’s Manyano while on trial.
• Contributing to all the prescribed dues financial and otherwise and demonstrating spiritual maturity.
• The Local church’s committee in conjunction with the minister’s wife, or regional representative shall satisfy itself that these requirements have been met before the name of the member on trial is put forward to be received into full membership of the women’s manyano at the public robing ceremony.

5.4.    A member to be received into full membership of the women’s manyano will be any women whether married or not, who falls within the below categories: by virtue of her  marriage to a man within the COCM, a mother who came to church looking for a home to worship the Lord, young women married or not who have grown children and takes a decision to ascend to the mother’s manyano, young women within the church who married either within the church or in another church but prefers to continue serving the Lord within the COCM etc.

5.5.    For all the above categories, a trialist should be personally prepared by the Chairlady working hand in glove with a Minister’s wife or a regional representative for open circuits (who has been trained to undertake such training) within her local church.

5.6.    A case-by-case approach is encouraged. For example, a woman married to a minister within the COCM and who was active from the church she was from, her membership consideration should be treated with caution from her counterpart who was inactive at all. Likewise, the young women who by virtue of her marriage to a COCM brother should be treated with consideration of her background and familiarity of the environment etc.

5.7.     The personal preparation set out in 5.5 above should entail the following inter alia.

5.7.1.  The enrolling member in a special service of the mother’s manyano must be afforded an opportunity to greet everybody and introduces herself, who she is, her family history, where she lives, why she wants to join the manyano, if she joins, what is she coming to do, her expectations after joining the mother’s union. The chairlady or her deputy must read out the aims and objectives and purpose of the mother’s manyano. One of the candidates should say a closing prayer.

5.7.2.  Enrolling membership also entails a session of what it means to be a member of the mother’s union both at home in church, and in the community. This applies to all women married or not.

5.7.3.  Encouraging praying all the time together for one another and for other people.

5.7.4.  Creating favorable conditions in the society, which would create a safe environment for the children and other members.

5.7.5.  Outreach Programmes-Teaching of every Christian of her task of helping one another.

5.7.6.  During this period, visibility, and activeness in church services, locally, provincially and nationally is expected and honouring of financial contributions agreed upon by the mother’s union.

6.1.    Let’s go down memory lane to establish where and how the Women’s Manyano within the COCM was founded.

6.2.     The Church of Christ Mission in the Republic of South Africa was founded in 1923 in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province. The Women Association of the Church of Christ Mission wherein the mother’s manyano is attached to, is one of the recognized stakeholders of the COCM.The mother’s association exist in 6 provinces within the Republic of South Africa namely, Gauteng Province (including Mpumalanga and North West) provinces, Eastern Cape classified into two regions, namely Eastern region, and Western region, Western Cape, Northern Cape.

6.3.    The history of how the Women’s Manyano started within the Church of Christ Mission is not clear and cannot be traced back to its original commencement date.

6.4.    In compiling this booklet and in the spirit of tracking the history of mother’s manyano, some interviews telephonically and in person were conducted with elderly women and elderly minister’s wives who are still alive within the COCM. From those interviews, it emerged that, the concept of mother’s Manyano was adopted from the Methodist Church as far back as 1969. The main aim of it during its infancy stage was to care for the widows of the ministers from 60 years younger than 60 was told to go work. To such an extent that, some of the contents of this booklet or some reference thereof has been “borrowed’ from the Methodist women’s manyano constitution.

6.5      Some of the teachings that were critical were the following.

• How to take care for your household.
• Behavior as a leader’s wife.
• Submit to your husband.

6.6.     It is against this background that mothers of COCM started their in-house women’s manyano decades ago, which used to be every Thursday afternoon. In the beginning the mothers did not have a uniform, they sought the father’s approval within the COCM for permission to wear a uniform. The idea of the uniform came about, because the mothers’ manyano wanted a unique identity and uniformity so that all of them can look-alike and there will be no differences as to who can afford to buy new outfits and who could not.   The fathers of COCM saw the vision of the mothers and granted them permission to have the uniform.

6.7.    Women Manyano continued on Thursday with the mothers now wearing their uniform as stipulated in the COCMWA uniform policy.  It was decided robing will happen after a mother has been baptized.  Once you were robed, you were not allowed in any formal prescribed church meetings or any formal prescribed church gathering without a uniform.

6.8.    The Women’s Manyano in their journey adopted along the Young Women’s Manyano. The Young Women’s Manyano being an organization for young and unmarried women within the COCM. The Women’s Manyano took upon itself to oversee the administering of all affairs and sometimes funds of the Young Women’s Manyano. The Young Women’s Manyano has always been another the umbrella of the Mother’s Manyano (mother body). This will continue until the young women manyano is formalized and become a stakeholder on its own. After the formulation of the Women’s Manyano, the mothers’ intention has always been to teach their young daughters and prepare them for the future. Their aim was to help young girls to have good character and become responsible citizens within the church and beyond.

6.9.As of to date, mothers manyano has a national footprint and exist in over 25 circuits and preaching points within the 6 regions of the RSA. Its membership is estimated to be over 500 at the time of compiling this booklet.

7.1 The Women’s Manyano Prayer Service is a service which takes place once a week. Some mothers are using Saturday’s due to work commitments and some COCM circuits are still using Thursday and others Sunday morning before or after the Sunday’s main service within a four weeklong month. The 4 services can be structured and conducted as agreed upon by the mothers of a local circuit as best convenient to them as long as they are ensuring the following programme is followed as best suited to their respective schedules:

• Week 1 of the month– mothers can pray for the leaders of the church and leaders of our country 1 Timothy 2:1-2. After the prayer, this should be followed by the opening of the scripture which will not be preached. Then the mothers can do physical activities such as exercises ensuring that we maintain a healthy lifestyle.

• Week 2 of the month– a prayer session. In this service different prayers items must be identified such as youth on drugs, unemployed youth etc. Then open the scripture relevant to the prayer points with the mothers sitting down and discussing with one another the word, where question can be asked to ensure that every mother understands what was being read.

• Week 3 of the month– praying for themselves and their families and the elderly. Thereafter, the scripture will be opened, read, and not preached. Then mothers to identify someone whether amongst themselves or within the community they live in to teach them craft skills, handwork like sowing and beadings and any other skills upon which they can learn and  use the skills for their livelihood.

• Week 4 of the month– mothers would be praying for the current affairs affecting people’s lives around the world. Thereafter, open a bible scripture and open the opportunity for witnesses.

8.1. During the robing service, it is expected that all robed mothers must wear full uniform as defined in the uniform policy from time to time.

8.2.    For those members to be robed, they must come to the service wearing similar outfits with the exception of the pleated jacket, white neck piece and pin and black velvet hat.

8.3.    Likewise with young women to be robed, they must wear similar uniform of the young women as set out in the uniform policy from time to time and only beret with logo, tie with logo or mafla and BLACK BLAZER WITH LOGO will be put on them during the robing service.

9.1.    Once a date has been agreed upon by all role-players, the service will be opened with prayer. Only Minister’s wives and regional representatives from circuits without Minister or the delegated representatives must conduct this service working hand in glove with local mothers and elderly women in good standing within the respective local circuit.  All travel costs for attending such services by minister’s wives and local representatives must be discussed in advance between role-players and be borne by a circuit or preaching point conducting the service.

9.2.    After the opening prayer, ALL mothers, or young women to be robed will be called to the front, as they proceed to the front with a song

9.3.    Thereafter they must seat down (in other circuits they pray for the uniform before they put on them others pray for the individuals to be robed.); then the scripture shall be delivered. The most usual one is COLOSSIANS 3v12. Another relevant bible verses with relevant message are encouraged.

9.4.    Before each member is robed, she must take out her favorite song and then if they are more than one so will the next one does until they are all fully robed. Thereafter, each one of them must witness the scripture then followed by other members from the gallery can witnesses. Thereafter the congregation will welcome them.

9.5.    There will be a call for collection- after collection prayer the collection will be handed over to the minister wife or wives who conducted the service. Then the service will be closed by prayer.

10.1.   All members of the women’s manyano shall take the following pledge:

     “I……………………………………………………………………………………… (name)

       PLEDGE THAT, BY THE HELP OF GOD, TO BE OBEDIENT TO THE RULES

        AND DISCIPLINE OF THE MOTHER” S MANYANO”

11.1.The uniform of the Women’s Manyano is intended to promote identity, humility, simplicity, equality and uniformity amongst its members.

11.2.   The uniform of the women’s manyano for both trialist and full members is set out in clause of the uniform policy of the COCMWA. No accessories of any kind, whether modern or traditional, shall be worn with the uniform.

11.3.   The uniform of the Women’s Manyano shall be worn:

• in all official meetings and services of the women’s manyano;
• When visiting the sick and bereaved.
• at the funeral service of a member
• At any other service of importance in the life of the church as agreed by all mothers from time to time.

12.1.   The General Executive Committee leads the Women’s Manyano at circuit/preaching point level:

12.2.   The Committee consists of:

• The Chairlady
• Deputy Chairlady
• General Secretary
• Deputy Secretary
• Treasurer

12.3.   The above committee shall be elected by members in good standing of the local women’s manyano at a meeting convened in an agreed manner wherein all members are timeously notified thereof.

12.4.   Their respective duties are as set out in the COCMWA’s constitution.

12.5.   Their term of office shall be the same as provided for in the COCMWA constitution.

13.1.   All funds of the Women’s Manyano shall be kept in a recognized commercial bank operating in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

13.2.   A cheque/current account shall be opened at all levels of the COCMWA in the name of THE CHURCH OF CHRIST WOMEN ASSOCOATION WOMEN’ S MANYANO with the Name of the local church.

13.3.   There shall be 3 signatories to the above-mentioned account, namely:

• The Treasurer.
• The Chairlady
• The Secretary

13.4.   Any two signatories may sign provided that the Treasurer shall be compulsory signatory in all transactions.

14.1.A member, who, for a period of three months, without adequate reason, and after having been visited by the local committee at least times, or where a visit is not possible, has been written to by the committee and still fails to:

• attend the meetings of the mother’s manyano, and/or
• fails to make the required contributions, shall have her name removed from the roll of members.

14.2.   Before the name of any member is removed from the roll, a letter shall be sent to the affected member informing her of the intention to remove her name from the roll. If no response is received, or it is received without adequate explanation, then the name of that member shall be removed from the roll. A final letter shall be sent to the member informing her of the removal of her name from the roll.

14.3.   The Local Committee shall report the removal of the member from the roll to the local circuit’s committee overseeing the circuit.

14.4.   All other matters of discipline affecting members of the Women’s Manyano shall be dealt with in accordance with the Code of Conduct of all members of the COCM as set out in the COCM constitution.

15.1.   A member whose name has been removed from the roll may apply to be re-instated after she has made a confession in accordance with the principles of the COCM relating to the forgiveness of sins.

16.1.   This policy will be reviewed every three years when new leadership of the COCMWA is elected.

16.2.   The booklet may be translated into any of the official languages spoken and recognized in the RSA.

16.3.   The booklet may be reproduced in a card format which shall be referred to as the membership card for any purpose agreed upon by members.

16.4.   The colours of the booklet and any card produced from shall include black, white and blue.

16.5.   The booklet may be amended from time to time by the National Conference.

16.6.   No amendments shall come into effect until they are approved by National Conference of the COCMWA.

17.1.   In conclusion, let us remind ourselves of the vision of the mother’s union:

“Spiritual fulfilled, Transformed,Outreaching,Self Sufficient and empowered members”.