In March members from Eastleigh Deanery will lead our worship as we celebrate together our work supporting marriage and family life and support in prayer other members [...]]]> On the first Wednesday of every month, Mothers’ Union members in the Diocese of Winchester meet for prayer and worship in the Epiphany Chapel of Winchester Cathedral.

In March members from Eastleigh Deanery will lead our worship as we celebrate together our work supporting marriage and family life and support in prayer other members in more than 80 countries in which Mothers’ Union is active.

At this particular service we hope to be able to welcome to a Mothers’ Union leader from Baghdad in Iraq. We hope that we might welcome you too?

The services starts at 10.30am on Wednesday 7th March 2012 and will last about half an hour. After the service we adjourn to the Refectory for refreshments.

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 [...]]]>

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.

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 [...]]]> 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

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 [...]]]>

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 135^th 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 10^th 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 9^th August at Old Alresford to celebrate the 135^th 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 13^th 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

There is much more information [...]]]> The work of Mothers’ Union and it’s members in the Diocese of Winchester and it’s partner dioceses will be at the centre of all prayers shared by Mothers’ Union members worldwide between January 21st -25th as it becomes for that period the focus of Mothers’ Union ‘Wave of Prayer’.

There is much more information about our links in Northern and Southern Uganda, Southern Tanzania and Southern Sudan here, and through the International ‘drop down’ boxes at the top of this screen. We should be particularly mindful as we pray this year of the referendum in Southern Sudan featured by the BBC here and in pictures here, and the security and future issues surrounding the results of the (expected) vote for independence.

There will be local services going on across the Diocese of Winchester during this period, where prayer and worship can be shared, and news gained of the specific areas of the world with which we share in prayer. 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, please share the details using the ‘comments’ box below.

Winchester Deanery will be holding their Wave of Prayer Service at
St. Lawrence’s Church, Winchester City Centre on
Tuesday, 25th January

You are welcome to meet from 10.00 am for pre-service Coffee, and the service starts at 10.30 am.

Worship will be led by Deanery Chaplain, Revd Mike Gardner and the
Guest Speaker will be Mrs Angela Bushell, talking about our wider diocesan link with Burma.

Monies raised from retiring collection will go the to work of the Mothers’ Union Overseas.

Mothers’ Union members in the Diocese of Winchester are linked with members in the Diocese of Kajo-Keji in Southern Sudan, which neighbours the Diocese of Yei where Poppy, a Mothers’ Union member from Winchester, works for most of [...]]]>

Mothers’ Union members leading worship in a church in the Diocese of Yei, Southern Sudan

Mothers’ Union members in the Diocese of Winchester are linked with members in the Diocese of Kajo-Keji in Southern Sudan, which neighbours the Diocese of Yei where Poppy, a Mothers’ Union member from Winchester, works for most of the year. By understanding the conditions that Poppy lives in, and the issues she works with, it is possible to understand better the lives of fellow members in Southern Sudan.

Since Poppy’s husband John retired, they have spent most of the year in Yei. This is about 100 miles from Kajo-Keji, lying south of the Nuba mountains in Sudan, and about 2000 miles South-East from Darfur. Until 2005, Poppy was a health visitor, with a two year spell working with asylum seakers (most of whom were from Sudan). These experiences, combined with a course in Tropical Medicine, have enabled her to improve the health care provision in the Yei region.

The population of Southern Sudan is about 10 million. Around 92% of women can’t read and write. 27% of girls go to school, but there are 1000 primary aged children per trained teacher. Health is generally poor: 1 in 7 women die from maternity related complications with 95% of births taking place at home without qualified help. There are only 10 certified midwives and 88 doctors for the whole population of Southern Sudan. Polio has returned, not helped by the fact that 97% of homes do not have toilets. A girl has a higher chance of dying in childhood than of finishing her education.

The Martha Primary Health Care Centre where Poppy’s work is based, had been open in Yei for some time and had three staff when Poppy arrved. There was an untrained dispenser and a technician who could not understand why he had to wear protective gloves! The conditions were terrible. The refrigerator (with intermittent power) contained a single pack of blood. The cholera tent was equipped with dirty cholera beds (they have a hole under which a bucket is placed to take the waste from patients who don’t have the strength to walk), the floor was rarely cleaned, and there were no intravenous fluids available for dehydrated patients. The few medicines that were available were not stored or dispensed according to instructions, and were kept on a dirty floor.

In May 2007 Poppy conducted a Community Health Survey to establish the healthcare needs of the population and ways to provide healthcare promotion. Work on improving the Centre started in April 2007; in March 2008, thanks to Irish funding, a new clinic was opened next door to the old one by the Archbishop of Sudan.

The recently renovated old building will be used as a day clinic for immunisations, tests etc. whilst the new building is used for nursing patients. The new building has running water, which is most unusual in Sudan, and operates to UK standards. The Martha Clinic treats 2000 people per month, some of whom walk up to 10 miles for treatment. The ante-natal clinic has 900 patients per month and more than 1000 come for immunisation. Malaria is prevalent (35% of patients) and over 6000 mosquito nets have been given out. Most of the diseases that Poppy treats are, like malaria, preventable. The clinic also offers a mobile service to outlying villages, using a fully stocked Land Rover – treating more than 90 patients each day.

There are great plans for the future of the clinic. A presently unused building in the grounds has been selected for renovation enabling one half to be a children’s ward and the other to provide eye surgery. Poppy and John are seeking funding from various agencies and have formed their own charity as well – Brickworks. This also facilitates training for medical students. Initially 20 went to Kampala for nine months training, then a further 10 students were found training places in locations including Khartoum, Kampala, Liverpool and Arua.

The regional Yei Civil Hospital has just one doctor. Poppy is currently investigating the formation of a link between this hospital and Winchester Hospital. This has been successful in other areas; both Poole and St Mary’s (Isle of Wight) hospitals have links to overseas health facilities.

Mothers’ Union members preparing for their service and worship in Yei Diocese, Southern Sudan

Poppy and John visit many communities with active Mothers’ Union members. One, about 15 miles from their home, involves a journey which takes 3 hours; the infrastructure is still incredibly poor after the civil war. Local Mothers’ Union members near Poppy’s home meet outside a church (shown on page 17), the roof of which blew off. This has recently been replaced using funds donated by Christ Church Winchester, where Poppy and John worship when in the UK.

Other snapshots of life in the region include:

• The cathedral in Yei Diocese is a magnificent building which seats 1500 at each of 4 services every Sunday! The average age of the congregation is just 25 years of age;
• The airstrip at Yei where goats and people roam at will, amongst landing and maneuvering small aircraft;
• The frequently foul-looking village water supplies and the more modern supplies that can be provided from boreholes where funding is given;
• A typical classroom where children are seated on the ground under the shelter of a tree, although 6 proper classrooms have been built in Yei Diocese and the Bishop of Yei has plans for a total of 10!

Mothers’ Union is a large family with members in 81 countries around the world. As with any big family, keeping in touch is important, and we do this by having small groups of regions called diocese (because we’re based on the Anglican pattern of ‘government’) linked [...]]]>

Mothers' Union members working together in Muhabura

Mothers’ Union is a large family with members in 81 countries around the world. As with any big family, keeping in touch is important, and we do this by having small groups of regions called diocese (because we’re based on the Anglican pattern of ‘government’) linked together. Each of these small groups is then the focus of the whole organisation’s prayers for a few days each year, in what we call the Mothers’ Union ‘Wave of Prayer’.

Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Winchester, together with it’s close associates, Kitgum (Northern Uganda), Muhabura (Southern Uganda), Masasi (Southern Tanzania), Kajo-Keji (Southern Sudan) and members who live in Algoma, and Saskatchewan in Canada, are at the centre of all Mothers’ Union prayers between 21st – 25th January each year.

Prayer and worship is an important means of supporting each other, and therefore every three years we produce a service outline in which we can focus on the needs of each of these regions of the world.

We have now produced a new ‘Wave of Prayer’ service for use by Mothers’ Union groups in the Diocese of Winchester who wish to meet together during the week of 21st – 25th January, and so that they can start their planning it can be downloaded here: Wave of Prayer 2011-13 It is now also available as an editable Word file here: Wave of Prayer 2011 in Word

If you live and worship in any of our link Diocese, or have any other connection with them or us, or simply want to focus on this way of being community during this particular week in January, you are most welcome to use it too.

One Mothers’ Union member from the Diocese of Winchester has spent several years living and working among the people of Southern Sudan, and she has offered to share her experiences with everyone who is interested in the region and [...]]]> Join Mothers’ Union members in the Diocese of Winchester to hear news from Southern Sudan.

One Mothers’ Union member from the Diocese of Winchester has spent several years living and working among the people of Southern Sudan, and she has offered to share her experiences with everyone who is interested in the region and it’s people.

Tales of South Sudan
Crosfield Hall, Romsey 6.00-9.00pm (refreshments from 5.30pm)
Thursday 15th July 2010
Speaker: Poppy Spens

In the last four years Poppy and her husband have set up 2 health centres, a mobile clinic, and this year a children’s’ ward and eye clinic opens. The picture shown here was taken by Poppy and shows Mothers’ Union members who will feature in her slide show.

Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Winchester is linked in prayer with Mothers’ Union members in the Southern Sudanese Diocese of Kajo-Keji.

The evening will also feature other news about Mothers’ Union work locally and around the globe, including this years Family Holiday which local members and supporters will be running for a week in August on the Isle of Wight.

Directions for Crosfield Hall, Romsey are downloadable here: Crosfield Hall

We have received  information about the Diocese of Masasi in Tanzania saying that it has been divided into two, with a new Diocese of Newala being formed in September 2009.

The Diocese of Masasi remains one of the Diocese with which we [...]]]>

Mothers' Union goat project to improve nutrition in Masasi Diocese (2006)

We have received  information about the Diocese of Masasi in Tanzania saying that it has been divided into two, with a new Diocese of Newala being formed in September 2009.

The Diocese of Masasi remains one of the Diocese with which we are linked as prayer partners through the Mothers’ Union Wave of Prayer, and as yet we do not know how this news affects that partnership, or the geographic areas affected. We will share more news relating to our specifically Mothers’ Union link when we have it, but in the meantime you may be interested in looking at the website of the Friends of Masasi.

In the meantime it would be a good idea to pray for both Diocese: The Diocese of Newala with it’s new Bishop Rt Revd Oscar Mnung’a and the remaining Diocese of Masasi, Rt Revd Patrick Mwachiko especially as he has been forced to move out of the Bishop’s house at Mtandi because his damaged home is beyond repair.

Some people pray occasionally, some in emergencies, some daily, some frequently each day. Everyone is different, but some patterns of prayer bind groups of people together.

Mothers’ Union supporters have a pattern of prayer which makes them stop whatever work or meetings they may be undertaking together at mid-day, [...]]]> When do you pray?

Some people pray occasionally, some in emergencies, some daily, some frequently each day. Everyone is different, but some patterns of prayer bind groups of people together.

Mothers’ Union supporters have a pattern of prayer which makes them stop whatever work or meetings they may be undertaking together at mid-day, and they then prayerfully reflect on their work, on their part in a worldwide organisation, on a particular group of members around the world (using something called the Mothers’ Union ‘Wave of Prayer’) and on the needs of those they know.

Mothers’ Union supporters who want to share in prayer over the next couple of months, might like to use the following downloadable notes to give them a little guidance and direction. You are welcome to share with us by using them as well.

MUMiddayPrayers-May2010

MUMiddayPrayers-June2010