Instelling

United Church of Canada. AOTS

• A.O.T.S. (As One That Serves)

ca.1923–

AOTS (As One That Serves) is a men’s organization, drawing its membership from the United Church while maintaining an independent organizational and financial structure. It began within Methodist congregations of Vancouver in 1923, and remained a fully independent operation as it spread across the country, finally adopting a Nation Association of AOTS Clubs in 1947. As the organization grew within United Church congregations there arose a confusion concerning its relationship to the church and the United Church Men. In 1954 AOTS became a department of the newly-constituted Board of Men. In September 1959 the first National Association AOTS Men’s Clubs was constituted.

In 1963, the Conference United Church Men’s Council (a new structure at Conference and Presbytery levels), with all men’s club work being the responsibility of a Men’s Club Committee of the Council. The AOTS National Council become the Men’s Club Committee if the Board of Men. With the 1971 creation of the Division of Mission in Canada, the Board of Men was dissolved and AOTS was on its own, although it retained a connection with the new Division. A new constitution in 1975 reverted to the name ‘National Council of the United Church AOTS Men’s Clubs’ (dropping the title ‘Men’s Club Committee’), while at the regional level the Conference and Presbytery Men’s Club Committees returned to Conference and District Councils of United Church AOTS Men’s Clubs.

(Text based on UCC Archives catalog entry, as of 2023-March.)

The role of AOTS is to lead men to an understanding and commitment to the work of the Church, promoting Christian fellowship through service, to give leadership within the church and community, to foster good citizenship, protect civil liberties and to work among youth. The National Association holds biennial conventions to which local clubs as well as District and Conference Council send representatives. The Council operates as an administrative body, coordinating the work of the local, district and conference clubs, and holds annual meetings from which it reports to the Division of Mission in Canada on the year’s work.

(Text based on UCC Archives catalog entry, as of 2023-March.)

SCNUCSC

2018: drafted.
2022-2023: revised in MemorySask, with content from description in UCC Archives (Toronto) catalog.

• Engels

National Association of United Church AOTS Men's Clubs, in UCC Archives catalog (https://catalogue.unitedchurcharchives.ca/national-association-of-united-church-aots-mens-clubs); National AOTS Men's Clubs website (www.aots.ca); UCC Sask. Conference Records of Proceedings; UCC Year Books.