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 Gift from Mothers' Union members in Muhabura received by members in Winchester Diocese 2011 As usual the work of Mothers’ Union and it’s members in the Diocese of Winchester, together with it’s partner dioceses will be at the centre of all prayers shared by Mothers’ Union members worldwide between January 21st -25th. This is because we will be the focus of Mothers’ Union ‘Wave of Prayer’ for that period.
For more information about each Diocese to which we are currently linked, you can click on the following list: Kitgum in Northern Uganda and Muhabura in Southern Uganda (who also have their own website here); Masasi in Southern Tanzania and Kajo-Keji in the newly formed country of Southern Sudan (who also have their own website here).
There are local services planned at various places across the Diocese of Winchester during this period. Below are the details of the service to be held in Winchester during the period. If you have a service happening with your Mothers’ Union group in the Diocese of Winchester or up-to-date information about one of our link Diocese, please share the details using the ‘comments’ box below.
Winchester Deanery Wave of Prayer Service Tuesday, 24th January. 10.00 am for a 10.30 Service to be held in St. Barnabas’ Church, Weeke. Deanery Chaplain, Revd Mike Gardner will be leading the service with Revd Alan Gordon, Winchester Deanery Rural Dean, giving a talk on his 2011 visit to Muhabura and North Kingezi. All are welcome.
 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 to 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? A gift that gives twice over!
Your gift could be as small as £3 which will go towards supplying food, blankets, mosquito nets and other emergency supplies to an area affected by drought, violence or natural disaster. Your gift could be as large as £100 funding a mum where there is no mum, among the orphan’s of HIV/AIDS in Uganda. A £13 gift could train a Mothers’ Union member to support families who are coping with bereavement. There are many other choices among our ethical gifts, and they are all to be found HERE.
Whatever gift you chose you can know that it will be funding Mothers’ Union work in some of the world’s most deprived communities, each gift representing part of the cost of a crucial Mothers’ Union project.
For your gift card to be sent you in time for you to give it to your mother on Mothering Sunday (18th March) your orders need to be in by Wednesday 7th March 2012.
If you wish to advertise this form of ethical giving in your church, community centre or place of work, you are welcome to download this colour poster MAMD2012_DonationsAd
 Following through with our Bye Buy Childhood campaign, and the recommendations of the Bailey Review, various new Codes of Practice have been issued by the appropriate organisations. This are available on the Bye Buy Childhood campaign website, but for ease of access can also be found below:
The Advertising Standards Authority are not able to act against examples of inappropriate advertising, unless people make a complaint about a specific advert or product placement. Click the link for their Statement on Sexual Imagery in Outdoor Advertising.
BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Sky have agreed to abide by a Code of Practice on the Use of Parental Controls on computer internet use. From October 2012, they will ASK customers whether they want ‘parental controls’ ie blocking of pornographic material, switched on or off. This is really good news, as though these facilities are already available, many parents are unaware either of the facility or how to use it.
Policies relating to the responsible retailing of children’s clothing are available from the British Retail Consortium and can be accessed directly here.
There are also Guidelines for the Display of Men’s Lifestyle Magazine’s – what are perhaps better known as “lad’s mags”!
There is also a ban on the use of under 16s for peer to peer brand ambassadors through a set of guiding principles for brand advertising, the link for which should be available shortly.
All these guidelines underline how vital it is to get parents to notice and report any advertising they feel is inappropriate, and the opportunities there are for doing so. The December 2011 MU Faith and Policy Watch gives examples of recently upheld complaints, to give you an idea of what the regulator is heeding. If you are interested in social policy matters relating to family life, parenting and marriage, downloading this newsletter each month provides all sorts of useful information.
ParentPort shows the standards expected from the media, and is also the appropriate place to make a complaint about material, whether that be on a TV programme or advert, in a film, online, in a video game or in a magazine. It is run by the UK’s media regulators, who set and enforce standards across the media to protect children from inappropriate material.
 We would like as many Mothers’ Union supporters as possible to come to our next Information Day.
Tuesday 29th November 2011 10am – 2pm
St Leonards and St Ives Village Hall
At our July Information Evening we held taster sessions exploring how we might action our new FIVE YEAR PLAN and went away to think in our local groups about how Mothers’ Union supporters in our area are going to achieve our 2012 targets, which are:
MARRIAGE – 
- Attend three wedding fairs in the region
- Recruit a marriage champion for 2013
FAMILY -
- 10 groups who do not already support the Mothers’ Union Away From It All Family Holiday to run or organise a fund raising event
 MEMBERSHIP -
- Every Mothers’ Union group in the diocese to recruit at least one new member or replace a lost member during 2012.
If you are not already a Mothers’ Union member and these targets are something you would like to help us achieve in your area, please come along and contribute ideas.
Refreshments are provided but please bring a packed lunch.
One of the aims of the Bye Buy Childhood Campaign being run by Mothers’ Union is to raise parents’ awareness of the commercial pressure on children, that has become so pervasive that we hardly notice it; “wallpaper” is the jargon word.
If we think about the homes of our friends and relations, our eyes seldom notice or remember the wallpaper – unless it is particularly unpleasant to our eye! That is the point that is being made– as adults we take a lot of things in our stride so we don’t notice some things. Some of the things that we don’t notice are actually things that we really don’t want in our children’s faces all the time, so that they too become desensitised to them and unaware of the inappropriateness of certain things to their age group.
Getting a group of parents together for an evening to step back and look at things from their child’s perspective not only shows them that others have concerns, but also introduces them to the campaign’s information and advice on how to make a difference.
Our Social Policy Officer in the Diocese of Winchester can be contacted via the CONTACT link (bottom of the right hand column) for further information and we have speakers willing to talk to any interested group about this campaign.
Full details of the Media and Mothers’ Matters Conference have now been released. 
21st October 2011, 1-5pm
The Boardroom, University of Winchester, King Alfred Campus
The full list of Papers and Speakers appears below, but full details can be downloaded here including transport details for the King Alfred Campus, Winchester:
Media and Mothers Matters Further Details
Keynote Speakers
Stella Roberts, Diocesan President, Mothers’ Union Diocese of Winchester
“Media and Mothers’ Matters”
Dorothy Hobson, University of Wolverhampton
“Mothers and the Media”
Kim Akass, Critical Studies in Television
“From Here to Maternity – Motherhood in the Media”
Janet MaCabe, Birkbeck, University of London/University of Glamorgan
“States of Confusion: Sarah Palin and the Media Politics of US Mothering”
Rebecca Feasey, Bath Spa University
“Teen Drama: Absent, Inept, Intoxicated Mothers”
Rachel Agbonkhese, Cardiff University
“Setting the Media Agenda for Maternal Mortality in Nigeria: A long road to travel”
Tamsyn Dent, Bournemouth University/Skillset
The Widening Gender Gap in the UK Creative Media Industries (CMI)
 The Mothers’ Union theme for 2012 is “Your gift? Discover and celebrate!”
So that Mothers’ Union groups around the world can focus their prayer, Bible Study and work together next year, a series of study and prayer materials have been put together for groups to use.
An introduction to the Christian perspective of the purpose and nature of our gifts – this could be worked through as Bible reflection for any individual, or with small groups Introduction_purpose_nature_of_gifts
All she had – a reflective Bible study on the widows mite Luke 21:1-4 All_she_had_Bible_Study
Bible characters and their gifts – some questions that could be used for a homegroup, meeting, or personal study looking at Bible characters, their gifts, and the contexts in which they were used BibleCharacters_gifts_chart_questions
The collective gifts of Mothers’ Union – an organisational exercise for Mothers’ Union groups the results of which could be usefully fed back to your Diocesan Trustee Board Discovering_your_charity’s_gift_questions
Bible reflection on five stones and five loaves – a short Biblical reflection bringing together the story of David’s victory over Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 and the feeding of ‘many’ in John 6:5-13 Five_stones_and_five_loaves
A collection of 10 prayers including some with questions and responses that could surround any work on discovering and celebrating our gifts Prayers_on_Discovering_&_Celebrating_Gifts
Scripture texts concerning how we should use our gifts – Romans 12:3-9, Ephesians 4:2-12, and 1 Peter 4:10-11 Scriptural_texts_concerning_gifts
A Bible Study including ideas for craft activities, comparing what we learn of the gifts required for the building of the tabernacle in the Old Testament with those suggested by the presence of God’s living temple, Jesus Christ with us today Tabernacle_LivingTemple_Bible_Study
A Biblical Treasure Hunt Treasure_Hunt_Bible_Study
 Mothers' Union free homemade cake stall at RAF Odiham Families Day, 10th August 2011 - with Apache Helicopter doing aerobatics above! At an RAF base, on holiday, in word, through worship and with free cake, Mothers’ Union members across the Diocese are supporting families in fun, practical ways this month, as the organisation celebrates its 135th anniversary!
More than 100 homemade cakes were collected by Mothers’ Union members at Old Alresford on Wednesday and transported to RAF Odiham where, with 100s more they served 1000s of RAF personnel and their families at the RAF Odiham Families Day on Wednesday 10th August. For the second consecutive year a team of Mothers’ Union members made a gift of FREE tea, coffee, squash and cake to families who attended.
The idea for the gift grew out of the desire of local Mothers’ Union members to show their appreciation for the sacrifices made by RAF personnel as they serve tours of duty overseas, especially in Afghanistan, as well as their families. This year’s team of 16 Mothers’ Union members served throughout the day as families circulated watching the flying displays and other attractions.
Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Winchester is also offering Relationship Counselling to support to any Armed Forces family connection with the Diocese that is struggling to cope with the pressures service life places on their family. More information about this pilot project is available here.
Many of the cakes had been made by the 140 members who gathered on Tuesday 9th August at Old Alresford to celebrate the 135th Anniversary of the founding of Mothers’ Union by Mary Sumner. Holy Communion was celebrated in St Mary’s Church by Right Revd Peter Hancock, Bishop of Basingstoke. In his address he Bishop Peter reminded members of the words of Teresa of Avila, that they are the ‘hands of Jesus’ as they support of marriage and family life around the world. Later in the day Rosemary Kempsell, Worldwide President of Mothers’ Union gave a presentation showing how Mothers’ Union members around the world are still living out the original vision of Mary Sumner who founded the organisation at Old Alresford.
Another team of Mothers’ Union supporters are also preparing for the region’s biggest annual project which offers a week’s holiday to families who would otherwise fail to get a break from difficult lives. This year’s break starts on Saturday 13th August at a new venue for the holiday, Pilgrim Hall in East Sussex. Approximately 19 families will be hosted by a team who provide children’s activities, youth events, a day out, baby sitting, a fancy dress disco and the chance to receive unconditional love whatever their circumstances. For more information click the link here: Mothers’ Union ‘Away From It All’ Family Holiday
More photographs of the Mothers’ Union stall at the RAF Families Day and from the anniversary celebrations at Old Alresford, can be found at our Flickr group
The schools are closed for summer, and families are hopefully looking forward to a good break from their normal routines. For some families, this is only possible with support from others.
For many years we have provided a week ‘Away From It All’ for a group of families, at a houseparty, hosted by a team of Mothers’ Union members and supporters who provide a range of activities and services.
With August nearly here, this years team are enthused and ready for their week with guest families that have been referred by Mothers’ Union members, Home-Start, local medical centres and clergy.
This year there is the added excitement of a new venue. Pilgrim Hall in East Sussex is a Christian Conference/Holiday Centre set in 12 acres with many on-site activities which will hopefully prove a real benefit to team and guests. We have approximately 19 guest families who will be able to have a wonderful time together in this relaxing environment.
The prayers of Mothers’ Union members and the team, underpins all aspects of our AFIA Family Holiday from the administration, to those raising money, through those providing small prizes and toiletries and those who come forward as team members and so, knowing just how prayerful Mothers’ Union members and supporters are, we would ask that you include the following in your prayers over the next few weeks:
Prayers pre-Holiday
Between now and when the holiday starts, please pray for all those involved in leading the holiday, particularly co-Leaders and for the Chaplain and other team members who are joining the project for the first time this year. Please also pray for the planning of children’s groups, quizzes, games night and other evening activities. Most importantly please pray for the guest families, that they will overcome any fear and apprehension they feel before coming, and be able to enjoy the welcome, friendship and ‘tlc’ they will find when they’ve got there.
Prayers during the holiday week
13th Saturday - for the new venue Pilgrims Hall in East Sussex and for the safe arrival of all the team and guests.
14th Sunday - for the Welcome Service, for the whole event that families will spend time meeting old friends and making new ones in the lovely house and grounds.
15th Monday - for the team and children working together in groups throughout the week.
16th Tuesday - for the fun afternoon and for visitors’day
17th Wednesday - for the teenagers and their leaders that they will enjoy new experiences and shared activities, whether on or off-site.
18th Thursday - for good weather and safe travel for the outing.
19th Friday - for the ‘Show and Tell’ Thanksgiving Service and the final evening gathering.
20th Saturday - that the guests leave feeling rested and more positive about the future, for farewells and safe journeys home.
Mothers’ Union is delighted to announce our new online shop at www.mueshop.org 
We hope you like it because there are some great new features such as: advanced search, contact us page and RSS feed.
The best features occur once you’ve registered a new account (please note anyone with an old shop account will find it doesn’t work with this one). Once you register an email will be sent with a confirmation link, this link must be clicked for an account to be created. You may register here
Other great new features include a quick-search box, shipping to multiple addresses, wishlists, product comparisons, the ability to email products to friends, shipping worldwide. You can also add a donation to your order.
 This year we are celebrating 135 years since Motehrs’ Union was founded – here in the Diocese of Winchester.
Our main event will be a
SERVICE FOR ALL THE FAMILY
at 11.00am at
Winchester Cathedral
on
Saturday 17th September 2011
The service will feature MESSY PLAY activities for children,
and the UPS AND DOWN’S PUPPETS
The preacher will be
Right Revd Peter Hancock, Bishop of Basingstoke
We look forward to celebrating the work of Mothers’ Union and how our faith informs, strengthens and feeds family life.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Mothers’ Union leaders in the Diocese of Winchester have spent much of the last year working on a 5 year plan that will provide all our supporters with a focus for their energies in the next few years.
At our July Diocesan Meeting in Romsey we started to focus on exactly how our local groups might be able to increase awareness of, and fundraising for our work supporting families, promoting marriage and converting good-will into membership. This work will continue with a series of worshops at our November meeting.
We would encourage as many members as possible to attend our next meeting which is now at revised venue:
Diocesan Meeting
Tuesday 29th November 2011
10.00 am to 2.00 pm
St Leonards and St Ives Village Hall
 The 'Family Life' Rose from Harkness Roses There are two roses that are associated with Mothers’ Union, and which members and supporters sometimes seek as gifts. Recently we’ve been in the position to give them to retiring Trustees in the Diocese of Winchester, but in doing wish to make their source available to others.
Ransons Nurseries supply the Mary Sumner Rose. They do not have a website but can be found at 60 Cote Road, Aston, Nr Brampton OX18 2DU 01993 850521. It is best to telephone to check on their stocks. The process can be slow but have faith and your order will arrive. The roses are £5 each + £5 p and p.
The Family Life Rose is a yellow floribunda and is available from R. Harkness & Co Ltd, The Rose Garden, Cambridge Road, Hitchin, Herts SG4 0JT 0845 331 3143 www.roses.co.uk The Mother’s Union will receive a donation of 10% of net receipts of Family Life roses from the website.
Last week on 6th June, the Bailey Review was published. This was an independent review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood which had been commissioned by the government. The review has received evidence from many individuals and NGO’s as well as, and most importantly, from children themselves. In his introduction to the report it’s author, Reg Bailey (who happens to be Chief Executive of Mothers’ Union) concludes by saying this:
 The children and young people who carried out research on theirown initiative through the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England were especially impressive, and show so clearly that if we as parents can create the rightenvironment in which our children can thrive, the future of all of us will be the better for it.
The Bailey Review goes on to give 14 recommendations to industry, regulators and government to help end the “sexualised wallpaper” that surrounds children. It can be downloaded here with the governments official response direct from the Department of Education.
A summary of the positive response by Mothers’ Union to the Bailey Review can be found here, whilst the full response can be downloaded here: Letting Children be Children
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Action We support family life in local communities through projects, prayer, policy change and fellowship in parts of Hampshire, Dorset, the Channel Islands - and around the world.
Biblical The Lord requires that we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)
Prayerful All through this day Lord,
let us touch as many lives as possible for you;
and through the power of the Holy Spirit, make a difference to each of those lives, whether through the words we speak, the prayers we breathe, or the life we live. Amen (Adapted from Mary Sumner's personal prayer.)
Legal Mothers' Union Diocese of Winchester is Registered Charity Number 250063
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