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Our
branch of the Mothers' Union is over 100 years old and we now have nearly 70
members.
What
is the Mothers' Union?
Mary
Sumner started the Mothers’ Union in England in 1876. It now has more than one
million members in 70 countries. It is the largest voluntary world-wide women’s
organisation with 122,000 members in the UK alone. The Mothers’ Union plays
an important role in the religious life and social policies of many countries,
with members committed to supporting the family. The Mothers’ Union works in
the UK in prisons, remand centres, young offenders institutes, hospitals and
child contact centres and provides holidays for those in need. Projects outside
the UK include literacy campaigns, health projects such as HIV and AIDS prevention,
funding conferences on issues such as widowhood, civil and legal rights and
family life, grants for vehicles such as Land Rovers and encouraging self-help
initiatives such as small livestock holdings, soap-making and other craft co-operatives.
The Relief Fund is used specifically for emergencies and disasters, such as
war, famine and flood; the MU often has workers in the affected areas so food
can be purchased locally and quickly reach those who are suffering; recently
funds were sent to the Congo and Malawi. The MU campaigns on areas including
third world debt (the Jubilee campaign) and child poverty. One of their central
members, Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, was recently chosen to lead the selection
of the next head of the Church of England.
The
purpose of the Mothers’ Union is to be especially concerned with all that strengthens
and preserves marriage and Christian family life. The aim of the society is
the advancement of the Christian religion in the sphere of marriage and family
life. In order to carry out this aim, its objectives are:
To uphold Christ’s teaching on the nature of marriage and promote it’s wider understanding.
To encourage parents to bring up their children in the faith and life of the Church.
To maintain a world-wide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service.
To promote conditions in society favourable to stable family life and the protection of childrenTo
help those whose family life has met with adversity.
What
happens in our Wanstead branch?
Our
meetings are open to all; you don’t need a special invitation or even to be
female or a mother, just a belief in the importance of family life. You are
very welcome whether you wish to attend one meeting on a subject of interest
to you or are considering becoming a member. There is no charge to attend and
talks are followed by coffee. To give you an idea of what our meetings cover,
here is our planned diary for 2002 (please check for final arrangements on posters
at Christ Church and on the weekly news sheet):
nearly 70 members. Currently, our committee consists of
Leader), Lorna Meehan, Esther Murrell, Elizabeth Minter, Diane Horne
(Treasurer), Jo Bluck, Alison Churchett.
. Please feel free to ask any committee member for more information about meetings
or the MU generally.
Our meetings are open to all; here is our diary for 2004, please put the dates
in your diary:
For more information on meetings and our local branch, contact Barbara Hepworth (Branch leader) on 020 8530 6132. For more information on the Mothers' Union, visit the national site: http://www.themothersunion.org or for more local information on our diocese: http://www.chelmsfordmu.org.uk/
