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What happened to
January?
Greetings to everyone
visiting our website
We trust you will
find what you are looking for here but welcome personal enquiries where
you find us lacking!
What you find on this
website will be a glimpse into the faithfulness of those Christians who
express their faith through Mothers’ Union.
These pages are
largely intended to keep our members up to date and informed about
Mothers’ Union events and activities mostly within the diocese of
Salisbury. If you are a member we hope you will find material to
encourage you in your membership. Otherwise
we hope you will want to ask more about Mothers’ Union.
The
logos above are indicators of our activities for the next few months.
Look out for the details throughout the website, please

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CURRENT
ACTIVITIES
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FEBRUARY
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Our
Policy work in Mothers’ Union is always a high priority.
It encourages us to be in touch with what is happening in our
society, in order that we might prayerfully contribute to the debate and
actively participate in consultation documents.
Policy Watch is available monthly
online: http://www.themothersunion.org/policy.aspx
You
will find plenty there to occupy a branch meeting.
Also available
are discussion papers on the following subjects:
Marriage or
Cohabitation, Euthanasia, Abortion, Fair Trade & Trade Justice,
Infertility – A Christian Perspective and Supporting Families.
We need never be short of material or prayer opportunities .
Please contact Gillian
Mackenzie (01722 711747) if you want help with any of these
issues.
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Our Policy work in Mothers’ Union is always a
high priority. It encourages
us to be in touch with what is happening in our society, in order that we
might prayerfully contribute to the debate and actively participate in
consultation documents.
The
Christian Gospel is full of political implications. Two core themes in the
Bible are caring for God's world and caring for others. Policy work
enables us to put such Gospel values into practice by working towards
justice, compassion and reconciliation. The challenge of engaging with the
real issues that make up the political landscape cannot be ignored by
people of faith. By living out Christ's teaching and mission in this way,
we bring about his kingdom on earth.
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Please act now...Mothers’ Union is gathering
responses to the issue below:
Cross-Government
definition of domestic violence: A Consultation
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The
Government has launched a consultation on whether it should make some
changes to the way it defines ‘domestic violence’, and whether there
is a consistent understanding of the definition across all government
departments. We will be sending in a response to this consultation and
would like your opinions. Please find attached [click]
a briefing on the proposals
plus the 10 short questions. If you are able to take part, please answer
any questions you can but don’t feel obliged to answer any you are
unsure about.
Please
visit the Mothers’ Union website to participate in this consultation
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Policy Watch is
available monthly online: http://www.themothersunion.org/policy.aspx
You
will find plenty there to occupy a meeting and use to encourage other
Christians to think about ways in which to engage with changes happening
in our society .
Also available are discussion papers on the
following subjects:
Marriage or Cohabitation, Euthanasia, Abortion, Fair Trade
& Trade Justice, Infertility – A Christian Perspective and
Supporting Families. We
need never be short of material or prayer opportunities .
Please contact Gillian
Mackenzie (01722 711747) if you want help with any of these
issues.
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This campaign to
ensure’ stable conditions in
society favourable
to family life and the protection
of children’
continues. Please check the website
www.byebuychildhood.org
for latest news and responses.
The report,
Letting Children be Children,
produced as a result of the Bailey review on the Commercialisation and
Sexualisation of Childhood is available on line.
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There
have been many encouraging outcomes as a result of this report.
Please
direct families, church children’s group leaders and schools www.parentport.co.uk
- a one stop site where anyone can register a complaint about
inappropriate material for children observed in any media.
Please
[click] here for a
document to help your involvement in this issue NOW
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Mothers' Union is working through a grassroots membership of 4 million
people to support families and communities around the world.
This Mothering Sunday, as you remember your mother, we are asking you do
something a little different. Instead of flowers or a box of chocolates
why not buy
her an ethical gift that will support another mother? Will you give
an ethical gift this Mothering Sunday and change a life?
Whatever gift you choose you can know that it will be funding our work in
some of the world's most deprived communities. Each gift represents part
of the cost crucial to running a Mothers' Union project. A
gift, however small, can make a real difference to a mother's life.
Members: please
make sure your copies of the catalogue are placed in the hands of those
who might use them. Thank
you.
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The Global
Village Fair
Global
Village Fair is Mothers' Union's ethical gifts project. Using this website
you can choose from a range of ethical gifts for any occasion. Whether in
memory of somebody, as a birthday present or for a wedding gift, your
purchase will be helping families around the world in tough circumstances
by supporting the work of Mothers' Union.
www.theglobalvillagefair.org
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The
work of Mothers’ Union can be supported by shopping online. STOP
and have a look at the catalogue NOW.
http://www.musite.org/shop/
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Please
remember to mention ‘Salisbury’ Diocese on your order form to ensure
this diocese receives our share of the profit related grant!
Cards, books, gifts as well as Mothers’ Union items
We keep a small
amount of stock in the Mothers’ Union Office in Salisbury.
This is currently managed by June Watt who is experiencing some ill
health and would like to pass on her knowledge of the role to a successor.
This
involves managing and ordering stock for the shop and keeping the
simple accounts for this work.
Someone resident close to Salisbury would be ideal for fulfilling
this role. We are
encouraged by the increasing number of members and branches that are
ordering online. Don’t
forget to tick the ‘Salisbury’ box, please.
Please
ask yourself if you could do this task (which could perhaps be shared)
Still
on shopping…members will now have copies of the Make a Mother's Day
brochure
How
about asking church leaders to make these available to the whole
congregation?
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Families First
is a
marvellous resource and read for members and non-members alike.
It is packed full of stimulating
articles inviting us to become aware of other people’s lives and issues
that even where we have no personal
experience we can be led to pray. If, as a member, you find it difficult to afford this
publication, then perhaps someone will subscribe to it for you as a gift
– maybe at Christmas or for a
birthday.
Each of our copies can be shared with
others in our communities as a witness and a help.
This magazine makes a marvellous gift
for baptism families and families new to church. It covers a wide range of issues relating to family life and
is also suitable for people beginning to explore the Christian faith.
Please SHOW & SHARE your copy with
church leaders and others.
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The current issue focuses on
marriage
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This
movement aims at encouraging, promoting and supporting marriage, and is
also an opportunity to say to the wider world that marriage matters.
Events are taking place both nationally and locally, and dioceses and
churches are encouraged to give their support.
Groups
of members will be promoting marriage – look out for an event near you
– or even quickly put something together.
Praying
for couples getting married in your church and community this year and
letting them know this will be a real encouragement to them.
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Good News Stories: remember the booklet from earlier
this year? Well more encouraging clergy and parishes around marriage
support and preparation. Volunteers are engaging with the Virtual Baby Project
as a result of the Exmouth AFIA Holiday.
Parenting Group Leaders are being really creative in their
presentations giving many opportunities for further work and younger
members contacted at the Moors Valley family event in July are being
encouraged in their ministry in Mothers’ Union.
Having worked with a group of
Lay Pastoral Assistants in October we are beginning to see
opportunities of working together on baptism follow-up using the ‘Hand
in Hand’ resource and the excellent series of handouts available on
the MU website http://www.themothersunion.org/faith_in_the_family.aspx
So, please keep praying and rejoicing as we witness answers to our
prayers.
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Joanne
Triffitt
waiting
to hear from members |
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The
role of Project Development Officer for Mothers' Union is an exciting
venture put together with a vision to enable people across the Diocese
engage with their communities at ‘Grass Roots Level’ and really make a
difference in the lives of individuals and their families.
My job is to facilitate and help these encounters happen; through
listening to and talking through ideas, training and practical support.
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My
vision for the job is to ‘fan into flame the passion for His name’, to
increase the expectation of what can be achieved when we put Christ right
at the centre of all that we are and do.
There are evidence of ‘Sparks
‘ all over the Diocese,
some go unnoticed, others are just flickering away and it is my job to
work with you to create the right environment so that these sparks can
become flames. The
success of my role relies on ‘you’ out there in your communities to
notice the ‘sparks’, make a commitment to ‘fan’ it and together,
with God at the centre, we can make a difference.
So
how can we identify ‘sparks’? Sometimes
ideas that pop into our head and seem totally unachievable are actually
the ‘sparks’ that need to be fanned.
Other times we have an idea that keeps coming back to us.
Other times there is something very small already happening; a tiny
spark that just needs the right environment to become a flame.
Most of all, if we listen, God will lay on our hearts the work He
wants us to do, and, if He has laid His work on our hearts then He
certainly will equip us to carry out the work.
For now Joanne is fully
occupied with the team ‘delivering’ the Virtual Baby Project pilot in
Westbury. If you do feel you
would like to discuss a new idea with Joanne please get in touch with her
for an initial discussion.
Finally, if any of what you have just
read resonates with you and you would like to talk through an idea or find
out more then please do contact me.
My
email: pdo.mothersunion@yahoo.co.uk
and
phone number: 07583541732
or
through the Mothers' Union Salisbury Office
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Joanne
Triffitt, Project Development Officer, is pictured here at the Sarum
Archdeaconry Day with Thomas and Jo Naish
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Virtually Born
Tuesday
29th September was the first proper outing for our five babies.
Project Development Worker, Joanne Triffitt and her team attend the
first lesson at the Westbury School.
22 members of the class signed up for the project. 2 boys were less
enthusiastic but very interested.
The team have produced mountains of paperwork, necessary for
working in a school environment, sewn labels on countless baby garments,
come to terms with the technology and spent sleepless nights both
attending to the babies in a trial-run and simply thinking about the
plans!
Please pray this month that the young people will gain a really
positive experience of childcare that informs their choices as they
mature.
The taster weekend at the end of October
identified a few hitches. Please
pray that the official start after half-term goes smoothly.
Ann Howard had a brief experience of twins (3hrs only) and has
every faith in the project providing numerous learning experiences.
This
is very exciting and potentially very big.
Please pray for more volunteers to take the project to other
schools and wisdom to know how to develop the project.
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Please
pray that as the class completes their experience the young people will
gain a really positive experience of childcare that informs their choices
as they mature. The
project was featured in a Westbury newspaper
in November - www.whitehorsenews.co.uk
you can view the photo of the team and students on the website photos page
for week beginning 14th
November. Ann Howard had a brief experience of twins (3hrs only) and has
every faith in the project providing numerous learning experiences.
This
is very exciting and potentially very big.
Please pray for more
volunteers to take the project to other schools and wisdom to know how to
develop the project.
The
project continues in Matravers School in February
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Marriage
Members of Salisbury Diocese Mothers’ Union will be
present at a number of Wedding Fayres this autumn and again in the early
Spring. Please pray for these
opportunities to speak to couples thinking about their wedding.
The teams are particularly keen to promote and encourage marriage
preparation. Mothers’ Union
has also been working with the Council of Mission on the C0fE Weddings
Project. We look forward to closer working on this subject in the diocese.
We would encourage clergy using this resource to contact the Mothers’
Union Office or Joanne Triffitt for support.
Meanwhile
if you want to suggest something to your clergy that you can also help to
present then take a look at www.relationshipcentral.org/marriage-course.
Where members are blessed with a partner after many years marriage, we could
start the ball rolling by attending a course designed to enrich our
marriages – showing that its never too late to learn.
In this way we might encourage those with fewer years behind them
to do the same. It could be
fun!
Worth taking a look at are
the two flyers on marriage preparation
These resources are available
from the Office:
[click] for 'Journeying Together'
[click] for 'A
Day to Celebrate'
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Emergency Prayer Chain
If
you would like a sick person prayed for contact
Jan
Seaman: 01722 413433
We
give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes! He Helps us in
all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all
kinds of troubles, using ;the same help that we ourselves have
received from God. Just as we have a share in Christ's many
sufferings, so also through Christ, we share in God's great help.
2
Corinthians Chapter
1 verses 3 - 5
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Indoor
Members
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God of comfort, God of presence, stay
beside me now, stay around me, within me, through me, and before me, that
in spite of pain, I may feel some light lifting me up, that I may
see signs of you guarding me, protecting me, in peace, in calm, by
still waters. Amen
From 'Here With You' Praying in
Hospital.
Please
contact Jan if there is someone who would like to become an Indoor Member.
Please write and give the new Indoor Member's address, date of birth, and
any other relevant detail that you think may be useful for me to know.
Please address it to me at the Office or by e-mail to jm.seaman@virgin.net
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Salisbury
Women’s Refuge
The Trustees of
the Salisbury Women’s Refuge are planning to launch a
‘Friends
of the Refuge’ group. Please
look out for more information.
Please look on their new website for more
information.
www.salisburywomensrefuge.co.uk
If you would like to support the refuge by
supplying gifts for resident families over Christmas we have been asked to
consider providing vouchers that can be used to buy personalized gifts for the
families. M&S,Boots, Next,
Body Shop, WH Smith and Smthes Toyshop. It
is recognized that vouchers are a less satisfying gift to the giver but staff
are able to make your voucher become a really persona gift for the recipient.
Your support is much appreciated by
everyone involved at The Refuge.
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Supporting
Children
and Families affected by ImPrisonment – because of budget cuts the Mothers’ Union
resource is ever more valuable. Erlestoke
Visitor Centre is open more often now: from 2 – 4 on Thursday, Thursday,
Friday, Saturday and
Sunday. It is possible that from
the end of September that visits might be taking place on Saturday and Sunday
mornings.
More
volunteers will be welcome
Please contact Ann Cowburn via the office
if you would like to help
Mothers’ Union Christmas Cards have been sent
to offenders at Erlestoke, Guy’s Marsh and Shepton Mallet prisons.
Please find time to pray for these men and their families. To help
you to do this try imagining what it will feel like for the wives and partners
of these men, what effect it might have on the children and how much time and
effort it could take to make a visit to these out of the way places!
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Using the Mothers' Union office
Resource packs and material for meetings are available for loan
from the office. Why not include selected material at a discussion
meeting with members? There are facts about all our linked
dioceses around the world (Bendigo, Gippsland, Nakuru, Bor, Kadugli,
Khartoum, Mundri, Rumbek, Wau and Manchester). Topics for
children include busy bags for church, activity mornings, baptism
follow-up, toddler groups, and worship with the under 5s.
Understand more about the holiday opportunities we offer, our
work with couples preparing for marriage and the issues surrounding
Domestic Abuse.
Contact
01722 333402 for details.
Mary Sumner House have made available a new leaflet in the Children
in Church series, called Children
and Citizenship and the
new resource Hand in Hand: ideas for enjoying faith as a family is hugely valuable
for work with families – it only costs £2.00 – buy some for your
church to use.
The [home] resource is now free for use in branches –
there is a copy in the office.
Members will find five brilliant sessions ready to use in this
book and DVD
Please consult
Mary Sumner House for more information
The Mothers’ Union
Resources Guide can be viewed by clicking here
http://www.themothersunion.org/documents/Mothers_Union_Resources_list_2011.pdf
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The
need for funds for Overseas members never goes away. Every £1.00 raised for Overseas makes a bigger
difference than every £1.00 we spend here in the UK.
Please
keep up the fundraising for our fellow-members whose need is often far
greater than ours.
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To find out how Mothers’ Union provides
emergency help for those affected by disaster, click on the picture
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Mothers’ Union Literacy and Development
Programme – for more information click on the picture
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Office Notices:
The office is open at the
following times:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9.30 am - 3.30
pm
and
at other times by arrangement
we
are not open on Saturday mornings
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Salisbury
Cathedral Communion Service
There
will be a Communion Service on 28 February at 12:15pm
The
Celebrant will be Revd. Ann Bennett Shaw, Heytesbury
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Don't forget you can e-mail us with your
comments, or to ask for information: mothers.union@btconnect.com
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[Top]
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LOOKING FORWARD
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The Hannah Project
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This project is intended to inspire and focus the work of Mothers’ Union
in Salisbury Diocese.
We will be reflecting on the life of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 & 2 in
different ways.
Trustees will be leading an act of worship and presentation in each
deanery to start the process off.
The purpose is to build up the capacity of every member to pray for the
gift of a new generation of Mothers’ Union.
We will learn about
Hannah’s confidence in God in her Song of Thanksgiving
Explore ways of developing our own prayer journey.
Inspired by Hannah, we will renew our commitment to developing Mothers’
Union through prayer
We plan to further link our other resources with this project providing
focussed prayer topics to help us pray with one voice.
We will build in celebrations as we see our prayers answered.
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Dates and Venues arranged for Hannah Days
are on available if you [click] here
And
to view the Hannah
document
please
click [here]
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MUMA
Our prayer is
being answered almost before we uttered it.
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Having completed the Parenting Facilitators Training Jane Lax, Jane Dunlop
and Alison Cowley of Whiteparish ran a successful parenting
group
with members of their Toddler Group and others. They have continued with
the relationships (remember the 2011
theme: Faithful Relationship) and
this week launched a new group to support mothers of any age and stage
under the title MUMA
Mothers’ Union Mothers Active. The model is simple,
as are most successful things. The group meets in someone’s home for
about 2 hours.
This particular group wants to meet monthly in the evening
with out the children but it can be weekly in the morning after school
drop
off and small children included.
The latter model requires older members to form a crèche for the
Word. The group begins
with having
informal chat over a glass of wine or coffee and the second
hour is The Word - discussion is given a Christian focus perhaps
discussing
a relevant bible passage or a relevant book.
During the session issues and concerns are shared and at the end
after a short prayer
the concerns are taken away and prayed for by an MU
member or Home group. It is also important that some church/MU members
pray for the group whilst it is in progress and for the leaders and mums.
This works. The MUMA’s become branch members as we
are all Mothers’
Union. This isn’t a break away group , we are mothers whatever age.
Please pray that the Lord will: raise
us enthusiasts for this project Show us the people with the gifts of
hospitality and leadership to make it happen Encourage church leaders to
allow this to happen
Melanie
McFadden from Ely Diocese will be speaking about this project at Spring
Council on 10th March.
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Programme Planning
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There are a number of ideas pages
available for branch programmes. We
try to ensure that our programmes reflect the objectives of Mothers’
Union and support the ministry of our churches.
There are likely to be unpredictable events and activities across
the diocese so we hope branches will respond flexibly.
The theme for 2012 will be ‘YOUR
GIFT?: Discover & Celebrate’
Branch
Leaders received a programme suggestion last month courtesy of Chichester
Diocese
to
view it click [here]
[click]
here to view the December Branch Leaders' page produced in December 2010
For
a calendar of ideas [click]
The
document prepared for Branch Leaders in the summer of 2010 is still
available to view
[click]
Click
[here] for some ideas
from other dioceses for promoting Bye Buy Childhood through your branches.
Download a copy of our Annual Review from the Mothers
Union website to find out how we strive towards our Vision through
practical community outreach at
http://www.themothersunion.org/annualreview0405.aspx
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Moors Valley Event – we are
working towards another event at the Country Park on June 16th
2012. This is the weekend of
Father’s Day so we may already have our theme!
Please speak to Joanne if you have any thoughts on this.
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Exmouth
Holiday Reunion
Will take place at Laverstock Community Farm from
11 – 4 pm on Saturday 17th March. Many of our guests are really pleased to have this
opportunity to meet up again and renew friendships with the team. One guest suffered the loss of her baby just before
Christmas, please pray for her and her extended family.
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Mothers’ Union General Meeting 16th
June in Llandudno
Note from Central Website:
In 2012
Mothers' Union General Meeting will be held at the Venue Cymru in
Llandudno, Wales on Saturday 16 June 2012.
We are
hoping to hold two welcome services on the evening of Friday 15 June at
Bangor and St Asaph Cathedrals.
The
Province of Wales have written to every Diocesan President to formally
greet them from the province and to invite people to book accommodation.
The Province will handle the booking/ allocation of tickets for the
cathedral services. Tickets for the General Meeting will be sold by
Cymru in Llandudno direct from their box office. Both
service tickets and General Meeting tickets will only be
available from 20th February 2012, immediately following
Worldwide Council. This is to ensure that all dioceses are made
aware at the same time. Ticket price for the General Meeting is not
yet known but we hope to let you know as soon as we have a confirmed
speaker.
For specific help with your
arrangements before that time, if you ring the Marketing
team
either in your area, or nationally we will do our very best to help.
Email: marketing@themothersunion.org
Tel: 020
72225533
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RECENT EVENTS
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Autumn Council was held on Saturday 15th
October – the same day as Bishop Nicholas’ enthronement in Salisbury
Cathedral.
We were pleased to receive the Bishop’s blessing to
continue with our meeting, delighted at the turnout and finished on time!.
Members are here pictured waving a greeting to the new Bishop at
the time of midday prayers.
We were able once again to share news of our
activities across the diocese and to think about new ones.
The major initiative is The
Hannah Project see
above
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Day of Faithful Prayer – 9th
August 2011
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Faithful Relationships is
the theme for Mothers’ Union in 2011. Members
in Salisbury in Salisbury Diocese celebrated on Mary Sumner Day with a Day
of Faithful Prayer.
In parishes across the
diocese prayer request cards distributed to church and community groups
invited requests for prayer. Whether
there was a response to these or not members focussed a local prayer time
on issues pertinent to their own area.
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Part
two of the day brought members together in the cathedral cloisters to pray
for Mothers’ Union members across the world – there are members in
over 80 countries. Each
branch prepared a prayer in advance for one country.
Each were read in succession as we processed around the cloisters
with our banners and quietly singing songs of worship.
A poster made up from a page of our regular prayer diary,
representing each country, was placed on a world map at the west end of
the cathedral to give witness to visitors of Mothers’ Union’s
faithfulness in prayer.
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The
day concluded with a procession from the cathedral to the statue of the
‘Walking Madonna’, whom we surrounded as we prayed in pairs for
marriages, in groups of four for families, in a ‘square’ for homes and
finally as a whole circle for the world.
An act of commitment to faithfulness to God in work and prayer sent
us on in our mission to family life in Salisbury and across the world.
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Exmouth
Holiday
This holiday was a great time
for everyone. Families, young
and old team members and our two chaplains gelled into a great team.
Lots of outings, lots of old-fashioned fun. Times of praise, prayer and reflection. We are grateful for all the support given by members and
other sponsoring bodies both in cash and in kind.
Visitors from Mart Sumner House were able to interview some guests
so we look forward to some feedback from that direction.
We are working on ways to
maintain our contact with those families who wish to join in with more
Mothers’ Union activities. Please
pray for this.
We thank Sue Gallagher and Hugh
Montgomerie for master-minding this activity and for coaching Ian and
Wilma Bromilow ready for next year.
Dates
for 2012 are 18 – 25th August
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WORLDWIDE
MOTHERS’ UNION
In
July we re privileged to spend some time with Rt Revd Stephen Nijhai
Mwangi and his wife Hannah, Mothers’ Union Diocesan President and Kenya
Provincial President. [Click]
here for full report and picture
A
contact address: acknkudioc@africaonline.co.ke.
In
the absence of a co-ordinator for Overseas, please let Jenny know if you
contact Nakuru Diocese.
Please
don’t expect a reply. Telephone
is the most used means of communication.
Many people are beginning to use mobile phones locally, and the
internet is obviously dependent on
power supplies which can be sporadic.
Whatever we send it is clear that Mothers’ Union in Nakuru is
deeply grateful for the love and fellowship across the world.
NB If you do fundraise for Nakuru, please send
money via Wendy Bales with a note to MSH of your desire for it to reach
this diocese.
Molly
Edwards will be sending our Christmas greetings to our Link Dioceses this
month.
Please
remember to pray for our fellow members in Australia, Kenya, Sudan and
Manchester
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Contact
Diocese of Salisbury Mothers' Union at:

Mothers' Union
Diocese of
Salisbury
Mothers' Union
Office
Church House
Salisbury
SP1 2QB
Tel: 01722 333402
Registered Charity No.
249696
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