MOTHERS’UNION - MAY 2008
Branch news, new MU magazines, Wave of Prayer
The Cathedral branch will have its annual outing to the Drumallis Centre at Larne on Friday May 9, and this month’s branch meeting will be held on Saturday May 10 following worship at 10.15 am in the Chapel of Unity. The theme of the meeting will be Faith in Action - Overseas. This will be followed by the AGM. Several members are planning to attend the MU Roadshow at Armagh on Friday June 27. This is one of a series taking place throughout the British Isles.
NEW MU MAGAZINES
Home & Family, the Mothers' Union magazine, is to be renamed and relaunched in August this year as Families First. The new magazine will continue to implement the Mothers' Union aim with practical, people-focused articles encouraging Christian care for families worldwide.
Drawing on Mothers' Union's most valuable resource - grassroots members with their wide ranging experience -- the magazine will include features which match Mothers' Union's purpose and mission
1. To promote and support married life
2. To encourage parents in their role to develop the faith of their children
3. To maintain a worldwide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service
4. To promote conditions in society favourable to stable family life and the protection of children
5. To help those whose family life has met with adversity
As well as raising money to fund Mothers' Union work as Home & Family has done, Families First aims to reach a wider range of subscribers from Mothers' Union and beyond, encouraging new readers to join the charity and get involved in Mothers' Union work.
A magazine for every member
From September 2008 MU Enterprises Ltd will be serving the membership by publishing a new members' resource magazine called Families Worldwide bringing the Prayer Diary, Encompass and Policy Watch into one publication.
Every member in Britain and Ireland will receive a free copy of Families Worldwide three times a year, reinforcing our relationships as a member-led organisation.
• In the course of each year Families Worldwide will feature each of the 78 countries where Mothers' Union is working, providing up-to-date news and prayer requests from grassroots members.
• Families Worldwide will highlight issues of national and international policy relating to families to keep Mothers' Union members informed and equipped to take action.
• Families Worldwide will include the daily prayers and Wave of Prayer currently published in the Prayer Diary.
• Practical features in Families Worldwide will support members as they get involved in Mothers' Union projects.
• Branch news will encourage readers of Families Worldwide to work together as local groups caring for families in their communities and further afield.
In due course, both Families First and Families Worldwide will be made available on the internet, strengthening relationships between members around the world and building relationships with a new community of internet-users.
The web-based versions of the magazines will be available as soon as possible in large print, with extracts on-line in an audio format and printer-friendly resources for readers who have used Encompass in the past to make posters and displays.
WAVE OF PRAYER
God of today, God of this moment, enable us to bring about the Kingdom of God through the work of the Mothers’ Union worldwide. Today we pray for the people and the work of:
1 - 5 Melanesia: Hanuato’o, Malaita, Ysabel & Central Melanesia; West Africa: Sunyani; Canterbury: Lichfield.
6 - 10 Nigeria: Kano, Bauchi, Gombe & Maiduguri; Church of South India: South India Women’s Fellowship; Kenya: Taita Taveta; Canterbury: Lincoln.
11-15 Myanmar: Sittwe & Yangon; York: Liverpool; Nigeria: Benin, Warri, Sabongidda-Ora & Ughelli.
16 - 20 Kenya: Katakwa; Nigeria: Kwara; West Africa: Koforidua; Southern Cone: Brazil; Wales: Llandaff.
21 - 25 Congo: Nord Kivu; South East Asia: Sabah; York: Manchester; Kenya: Southern Nyanza, Maseno West & Maseno South.
26 – 31 Sudan: Rokon; Uganda: Sebei; Members in Bangladesh; Southern Africa: Highveld; Central Africa: Harare; Wales: Monmouth.
A moment of silence is kept.
Absorb us in the here and now, God of all time, that we might see the needs of the world around us and respond with whole hearts. Amen
Intercessions
Gathered together again at noontime, God of all, we offer our prayers today. Enable us to discern when to stay present and when to move on, that we may always step in time with you. Amen
Blessing
May the God of this moment, who holds us always in the palm of her hand, create openness within you, be present beside you, and pour wisdom upon you so that you may dwell forever in her holiness. Amen
