Diocese of Winchester

The Christian Calendar is now moving into Lent as we mark Ash Wednesday on 16th February 2010. Christian tradition encourages us to examine ourselves honestly, acknowledge our shortcomings, and seek reconciliation with God and with each other where we have compromised our relationships. Mothers’ Union has produced some material for Lent:
Lent-Easter-Meditations2010
As part of this years Mothers’ [...]

Valentine’s Day this year falls on Sunday, the last day of National Marriage Week 2010. It gives churches the opportunity to celebrate God’s gift of love and marriage, and the commitment that both involve.
Mothers’ Union believes strongly that marriage provides couples, and children of the couple, with the best foundation for a happy, stable family [...]

The theme over-arching all Mothers’ Union work in 2010, across the 78 countries in which it operates, is Relationship Not Rules. We are moving into a new triennial in the development of our activities, and many members will be taking new leadership roles in their local Mothers’ Union groups and quite possibly in their church [...]

Every family is formed by a network of relationships where some members have particularly close relationships, and the same is true of the Mothers’ Union family; each diocese which has Mothers’ Union members is linked closely with a small group of other Mothers’ Union diocese around the globe, so that they get to know each [...]

Prayer is a priority for Mothers’ Union members, and following this link will enable you to engage with Advent and Christmas Themes as well as the work of Mothers’ Union this month. MU_Midday_Prayers_Dec_2009
But we all know that a bit of Christmas Shopping is also required this month so how about this tip to raise money for [...]

This weekend the church moves into a new year, as Christians start to anticipate both the coming of Jesus (which we celebrate at Christmas) and the second coming of our Lord, when God’s Kingdom will be complete and his church will be in glory with him.
During the next few weeks, you may like to make [...]

On the first Wednesday of each month, Mothers’ Union supporters in the Winchester Region meet for a short service of worship and prayer in the Epiphany Chapel of Winchester Cathedral.
This month the newly re-formed Yateley Branch from Odiham Deanery led a short service of worship based on part of the days lectionary reading from the [...]

Mothers’ Union is resourced by prayer, and yet we do find it difficult to pray, even though it should be as simple as a conversation with any other friend or close member of the family, because that is our relationship with God.
One helpful general guideline which many Christian’s use to pray is
PRAY – Praise, Repent, [...]

When we re-launched this website early in 2009 we used some software designed for people who ‘blog’ but that is easily adapted for content management. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback in various places, mostly verbal, but including comments on the webmistress’ own blog here and here where she has discussed various associated ideas.
This [...]

Mothers’ Union members are active in an incredibly diverse number of ways in their communities around the world.
There are many development projects being resourced. Recent posts and our information pages detail some of them, including the Family Life Programme in Uganda, and the Literacy and Development Programme.
Other projects run by Mothers’ Union worldwide are featured [...]

A DAY TO CELEBRATE – LOOKING FORWARD TO MARRIAGE!
It’s about the right time of year to start planning for events next February!
If your church is looking for a relaxed and enjoyable opportunity to build relationships with couples preparing for their wedding, why not have a go at organising a day like this.
In consultation with your [...]

This year, Mary Sumner Day (9th August) falls on a Sunday.
Mary Sumner is remembered in the Anglican Lectionary as the founder of Mothers’ Union, which started at Old Alresford in the Diocese of Winchester in 1876. There is much more information about her linked to our page here: Mary Sumner
In the companion volume to Common [...]

Two useful updates have come out from Mothers’ Union central office today.
The first is the latest update about Social Policy issues as the Mothers’ Union connects with current reports and issues affecting family life, including parental leave.
Rachel Aston, Head of Social Policy at Mothers’ Union, and speaker at this weeks Mary Sumner Day event at [...]

The new issue of ‘Families First’ is in the webmistresses humble opinion, the best yet, with some fascinating articles, including one on bringing up boys. There are some great tips which could be just as good for girls, and could also be seen as a comment on the commercialisation of childhood.
‘Families First’ is a [...]

Mothers’ Union mid-day prayers for this month focus on the call to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.
There are different reflections for each day Monday – Saturday and are sourced from the Psalms, the writings of saints and contemporary prayers.
These prayers can be used at any Mothers’ Union [...]