Darlene Jackson knew it was coming.An Ecumenical Peace MissionBee reporting reflected an ambitious effort by the local unit: two presentations of CWU's Annual World Community Day Service. A daytime service (now referred to as a celebration) was offered at First Congregational Church in Danbury, and an evening service was presented at Newtown Congregational Church.

The president of the Newtown unit of Church Women United (CWU) has watched in recent years as the number of people participating in her group, as well as the number of attendees for the group's annual celebrations, all dropped.

During the local unit's meeting in December 2015, she announced that she would be stepping down as president at the end of the 2015-16 season. She asked fellow members on her board to consider taking over for her.

No one did.

Earlier this month Mrs Jackson led what turned out to be the final meeting of CWU/Newtown. During that annual meeting - when boards are usually deciding who will serve in what capacity for the upcoming season - the members of CWU/Newtown instead voted to disband.

"We have long referred to ourselves as 'the best kept secret' in town," said Mrs Jackson, who has served as president CWU Newtown since at least October 2005.

Notices about celebrations - which are open to men and women - were always placed in local newspapers and in church bulletins, but the group continued to see very low attendance during most of the three annual celebrations it presented.

During the June 3 meeting, members felt that the current local CWU board was no longer able to "create and sustain the kind of activity needed from a vital unit," according to the minutes taken by longtime CWU Newtown Secretary Sue Klein, who is also a deacon for Newtown United Methodist Church. A lack of participation from the public during celebrations, and a lacking representation from local churches, were among the reasons cited for the decision.

Also working against Newtown's CWU unit is age.

"Not a lot of young women are interested, or able, to join us," she said. Most young women are unavailable during the day, when some CWU celebrations are offered; others are just not interested in religion the way previous generations have been.

"In years past, we offered childcare during celebrations, because so many women came with their children," said Mrs Jackson. "We don't see that at all any more. And that's a problem."

At the other end of the spectrum, many elderly men and women do not like to drive at night, which meant very low numbers for evening celebrations. Likewise, many of the women serving on the CWU boards are also elderly.

"In other units, board members are in wheelchairs or just have difficulty walking. Some don't like to use computers. It all worked against us," said Mrs Jackson.

A motion was made, and the seven women in attendance that Friday afternoon voted unanimously to disband the local unit that had offered ecumenical celebrations and prayers for peace for 58 years.

The national organization Church Women United was founded in 1941, in Atlantic City, according to Mrs Jackson, "as a peace mission. It was ecumenical from the beginning."

Today, CWU's headquarters are in New York City, and the national volunteer Christian ecumenical women's movement continues to bring together women of diverse races, cultures and traditions.

The Newtown unit was founded in 1958 by daughter and mother Margaret Winchester and Pearl Winchester. Its mission was to serve as a local CWU unit representing churches in Newtown. It does this by presenting three celebrations each year, following a theme and suggested program laid out by national CWU leaders.

Newtown's unit has long been affiliated with the state and national Church Women United. Mrs Jackson, in fact, is a former co-president and co-vice president of Connecticut CWU. She served with JoAnn Cromwell of Newington, in both positions, beginning as the vice president in January 2009. The two women had promised each other during their vice presidential term that they would not advance to the top spot unless they went as a team.

"I've become good friends with her," Mrs Jackson said of Ms Cromwell, a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Newington.

"The state units are made up of units from across each state," she explained. "And those numbers are diminishing drastically, unfortunately."

At one time, CWU-Newtown had representatives - called Key Women - from Christ the King Lutheran Church, Newtown Congregational Church, Newtown United Methodist Church, St John's Episcopal Church, St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church and Trinity Episcopal Church.

"I've loved the interfaith part of this, and the commonalities," Mrs Jackson said. "I wish CWU was interfaith, but the mission clearly states that it is a Christian organization." CWU board members, and celebration attendees, regularly learned how similar their Christian faiths were.

As of earlier this year, two of the six abovementioned Newtown churches were no longer represented in the CWU unit. With shrinking numbers in their respective locations, Bethel, Brookfield and Danbury churches joined Newtown at different times to create a Greater Newtown unit.

In October 1999,

Mrs Jackson was encouraged last autumn, she said, when CWU's World Community Day celebration drew what she felt was a large crowd.

"That one had to do with refugees, and it was a good time for that topic," she said of the November celebration hosted by Newtown Congregational Church.

In May 2013 another very successful celebration was held, this time at New Hope Baptist Church in Danbury. At that time the local unit was called the Newtown/Greater Danbury CWU unit, and a few dozen people were in attendance for the May Friendship Day celebration.

Most celebrations, however, often had fewer than a dozen people in attendance.

Newtown's CWU chapter is not the only one facing the difficult decision to shutter. Fairfield has closed its chapter, said Mrs Jackson, as has Bridgeport.

"The unit near Storrs is about to close," she said. "They'll be finished after their next celebration. And Southington is operating with just one strong person. And if she goes…" her voice trailed off.

There is still a strong unit in New Haven, she was quick to point out.

And while the dissolution of Newtown's CWU chapter is a sad note, Mrs Jackson can look at CWU positively.

"I've met a lot of good people, good people who are devoted," she said.

CWU introduced Mrs Jackson to new locations.

"I visited churches I never would have gone to otherwise," she said. "All of the Key Women are very active in their churches, and they have loved going to other churches as well."

In its final public offering, CWU/Newtown decided to donate the money that was in its treasury as of June 3. Offerings are part of each CWU celebration, and Newtown's unit had a final balance of just over $250 as of earlier this month.

The group voted to donate $50 to the Salvation Army Food Pantry at Newtown Social Services, $50 to FAITH Food Pantry in Sandy Hook, and $50 to The Daily Bread, a food pantry within St James Episcopal Church in Danbury.

The remaining $107.08, the group decided, will be donated to a refugees project recently launched between Newtown Congregational Church and Trinity Episcopal Church.

In addition, members have promised to keep in touch.

"We all like each other," said Mrs Jackson, "so we're going to continue to meet occasionally for lunch."