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Mothers Union

“DON’T BE STUCK UP – GET STUCK IN!”

Hi! I am Janet Dean and this statement is what I believe God challenged me with last Summer (2009), after I found myself unexpectedly defending MU at a women’s conference! Since accepting His challenge, I have become really excited by all MU stands for, and is achieving, through ordinary women (and men!) at grass roots level.

Mothers’ Union is a Christian organisation, working in 81 countries around the world. It was founded in 1876 by MARY SUMNER.  A vicar’s wife, she founded a society to support her own adult daughter after the birth of her first child, recognising that  good parenting was more than just meeting a child’s physical needs. Today it  has grown to a massive 3.6 million members working at grass roots level to support family life through relief and development projects.

Purpose, aims and objectives

The Purpose of the Mothers’ Union is to be specially concerned with all that strengthens and preserves marriage and 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 its Aim, It’s Objects are:

  • To uphold Christ’s teaching on the nature of marriage and promote its wider understanding,
  • To encourage parents to bring up their children in the faith and life of the Church.
  • To maintain a worldwide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service.
  • To promote conditions in society favourable to stable family life and the protection of children.
  • To help those whose family life has met with adversity.

The main spurs of St James’ MU are:

  1. Prayer. MU has many resources for personal and group prayer. Families Worldwide magazine is the main resource of daily prayer, urging every member to pray regularly for home and worldwide issues. Each week there is a focus and information on a country where MU operates. This is delivered a) with Families First (the MU bi monthly magazine) or through the diocese for those who do not subscribe to FF. c) Alternatively it can be downloaded from the MU web site.
  2. Service:
  • Locally this branch meets once a month, usually on a Wednesday with a variety of focuses through the year. Our branch is also praying about, and looking, for a local project we could support long term.
  • UK MU works to support, strengthen and encourage Christian marriage and family through fellowship, teaching and projects at a national level. (The Bishop’s Stortford Deanery is linked to Hackney MU.)
  • Worldwide 81 countries are part of MU worldwide, usually based on previous colonial links. A major focus for the local/ UK MU is to fund raise to help our sisters in dire situations globally, both through the emergency relief fund and in long term projects. (St James is linked to a branch in Nigeria)

St James’ Mothers’ Union within of the UK network.

St James’ MU, Thorley, is part of the local, Bishop’s Stortford Deanery; which is part St Alban’s Diocese. This, in turn, is part of the Province of Canterbury. (The other Province being York.) Mary Sumner House is the UK head quarters in London, named after its founder.

So there you have the basic nuts and bolts of how Mothers’ Union works! To find the latest on what we, at St James, have been up to, please click on our MU Update page.

Since becoming Branch Leader in January 2010 I have been really encouraged by the enthusiasm of our women so, whether you are local to St James or reading this from a distant corner of our planet, please do find your local branch, go along and “GET STUCK IN!” it’s really worthwhile  and great fun!

. . . . . and  . . . . . for our updated programme see Mothers Union – Latest Info & Updates

God bless you, Jan

Useful web links:

MU UK HQ: www.themothersunion.org

MU St Albans Diocese: www.stalbans.anglican.org/Mission/Mothers-Union

Families First magazine: www.familiesfirstmagazine.com/FamiliesFirst/Welcome.html

Families Worldwide Information booklet/ Wave of Prayer diary: www.familiesfirstmagazine.com//FamiliesFirst/Latest_Issue/Families_Worldwide.html

MU On-line Shop: http://shop.muenterprises.co.uk/browse.asp