On 25th March, 4,000,000 members in 84 countries will be celebrating ‘Lady day’, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This organisation was started by a grandmother, Mary Sumner, in 1876, in the vicarage, where she lived in Old Alresford. She was concerned that mothers needed support to carry out the important responsibility of bringing up children and nurturing them in the Christian faith. The movement spread across the globe. The aims of the Mothers’ Union are to nurture women in their prayer life, bible study and worship. It supports those who are married and in their family lives. It is especially concerned for those whose family lives have been met with adversity. Mothers’ Union Dioceses, around the world, are linked together to form a ‘Wave of Prayer’. On March 12th – 14th Worcester Mothers’ Union members along our link with Dioceses of West Ankole in Uganda, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, the Nomadic Mission and EkitiKwara in Nigeria, Port Elizabeth in South Africa. We pray for our members and the various projects that they run.
In Pershore the members subscription goes towards employing local women to bring women together to teach them literacy and numeracy and their civil rights. The workers train woman to develop local projects which will benefit them and their communities. They also develop income generating projects which pay for health care and school fees. The workers also teach good hygiene, health and safety and nutrition. They are encouraged to grow a wide variety of vegetables, keep livestock and are helped with soil management.
The Pershore group support the Diocesan projects. These include supporting women in a Refuge, families arriving from Afghanistan and other refugees, a young mothers’ project and running courses in our prisons. We knit shawls and pray for the people who will receive them. Teddies are lovingly knitted to be given to children visiting their fathers in prison and starting school. We were able to knit items for 100 shoes boxes to be sent from Pershore for the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal.
We meet on the 4th Tuesday of the month, 2.30pm in St. Andrews. For further information please contact:-Rev. Alma Organ 01386 554248