31 Four-Letter Religious Organizations

. . . I figure most of us have heard of the Y.M.C.A., but did you know that there were dozens of other similar organizations founded at about the same time with similar aims and names? For some reason they almost always had four initials. Here are a few:

1) A.B.M.U. = American Baptist Missionary Union

2) A.C.Y.O. = Armenian Church Youth Organization

3) A.F.B.S. = American and Foreign Bible Society

4) A.F.B.S. = American and Foreign Bible Society

5) A.H.M.S. = American Home Missionary Society

6) A.S.S.U. = American Sunday School Union

7) B.B.Y.O. = B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (Jewish)

8) B.F.B.S.= British and Foreign Bible Society

9) B.Y.P.U. = Baptist Young People's Union

10) C. & M.A. = Christian and Missionary Alliance

11) C.E.T.S. = Church of England Temperance Society

12) C.M.A. = Christian and Missionary Alliance

13) C.Y.O. = Catholic Youth Organization

14) H.Y.M.A. = Hebrew Young Men's Association

15) K.L.J.B. = Katholische Langjugend Bewegung (German: Catholic Organization of Young People)

16) L.C.T.U. = Ladies Christian Temperance Union

17) L.W.M.A. = Lutheran Women's Missionary Society

18) L.W.M.L. = Lutheran Women's Missionary League

19) R.H.M.A. = Rural Home Missionary Association

20) W.B.T.S. = Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses)

21) W.C.T.U. = Women's Christian Temperance Union

22) W.F.M.S. = Women's Foreign Missionary Society

23) W.H.M.S. = Women's Home Missionary Society

24) W.N.M.A. = Women's National Missionary Association (Universalist)

25) Y.M.C.A. = Young Men's Christian Association

26) Y.M.H.A. = Young Men's Hebrew Association

27) Y.P.C.U. = Young People's Christian Union (Universalist)

28) Y.P.R.U. = Young People's Religious Union (Unitarian)

29) Y.P.S.C.E. = Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor

30) Y.P.W.W. = Young People Willing Workers

31) Y.W.C.A. = Young Women's Christian Association

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