The History of Aglow Australia

In 1974, three Sydney women met to pray about reaching the women of their city for Christ. One began having luncheons in her home and these were attended by up to 40 ladies. They received some Aglow literature and together felt led of the Spirit to commence a fellowship in West Pennant Hills.

Meanwhile a woman in Melbourne had also been encouraged to commence an Aglow Fellowship. Nine women were meeting together to pray for and to plan their first meeting. Unbeknown to each other the first Aglow functions in Sydney and Melbourne were held on the same day, 13th February, 1975. Meetings were then held regularly. Many lives were touched by the Spirit of God as the women ministered to one another. During 1975, Fellowships began in Newcastle, Canberra, Geelong and Launceston.

Joan, Former National President of Australia, heard about Aglow in 1975. About seven women met together to pray about a Fellowship being formed in Brisbane.  In January, 1976, about forty ladies met during a Charismatic convention held at the University of Queensland. Several months later she was appointed President of the Brisbane Aglow Fellowship. Their first Aglow meeting was held in April 1976, at the Canberra Hotel. In 1977, the Brisbane Fellowship commenced groups on the Sunshine Coast and on the Gold Coast.

In March 1977, board members from the Aglow International office visited Australia, and they taught at leadership training seminars in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. At the Brisbane seminar Reverend Alan Langstaff, then of the Temple Trust in Sydney, prayed over Joan and prophesised that she had been called to the nation of Australia. She was to attend the Aglow International Convention in Chicafo the following October. While there Joan was appointed the National President of the Aglow Fellowship in Australia.

When Joan came back to Australia she was given twelve months to gather women around her to form a national board. She resigned from her local Fellowship mid- 1978. The first “national office” was in her home in Brisbane.

Joan gathered four women to join her as the national board and they it seemed that God has said “Alright, it’s time to expand”. Joan sensed “Women’s Aglow Fellowship in Australia had been born”. The office was opened on 1st September 1978 at 165 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane.

The first national Aglow conference was held at the University of Queensland in August, 1980 when there were 40 Fellowships.