Aglow
began in 1967 with four women who expressed a desire to meet
together as Christians without denominational boundaries.
The first general meeting was held in Seattle, Washington,
USA, close to where Aglow’s Worldwide Headquarters exists
today.
The meeting
drew more than 100 women to the Meany Hotel close to the University
of Washington campus. It didn’t take long for women
who attended that first meeting to invite their neighbors
and friends to gatherings in other communities surrounding
Seattle. As the word spread, new groups began springing up
around Washington state, and within months, groups formed
in other U.S. states.
By 1972,
more than 60 local groups held monthly meetings around the
U.S. By 1973, Aglow was moving onto the global stage as fellowships
began in Canada, and New Zealand. The Netherlands followed
in 1974, marking Aglow as an international "network of
caring women," in just six short years.
Today,
Aglow spans the globe! And it continues to
reach out to women of every creed, color, and culture, and,
through women, to families worldwide. Over 4,600 Aglow groups
meet worldwide, about 68% of them are outside the U.S. (2,849).
More than
21,000 Aglow leaders worldwide minister in their communities
and nations, to an estimated 17 million people each year.
Today, 100% of the 166 nations have indigenous women overseeing
the work in their nations.