Mothers’ Union “simply the best” says Archbishop Welby Posted on: September 23, 2016 1:38 PM Members of Zambia’s Mothers’ Union Mary Sumner Choir pray at Mary Sumner’s grave in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral as they give thanks for her life and vision. Photo Credit: Mothers’ Union / Twitter [ACNS, by Adrian Butcher] “The world’s greatest women’s group” – that’s how the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, described the Mothers’ Union at a celebration in the UK to mark its 140th anniversary on Thursday. More than 2,700 people – some from as far as Australia, Canada and the United States – gathered for two services of commemoration at the cathedral in the southern English city of Winchester, where the MU was founded by Mary Sumner in 1876. Among them were the 42 members of the Mary Sumner Choir from Lusaka in Zambia, who led some of the worship. Archbishop Justin paid tribute to the work of the MU around the world, likening members to a great army. He urged them not to focus on what remained to be accomplished or on challenges that seemed insuperable, but to look at what had been done through the MU and to see God’s hand in it. “It is an army that is facing struggles in most countries of the planet,” he said. “It is four million strong. It faced the plague of HIV/Aids in much of Africa and produced grass roots solutions. It is a powerful voice in education, both formally and informally – both in scholastic education and the education of Christian values and family life.” And he added, “The Mothers’ Union campaigns excellently, it nurtures wonderfully, but above all and beneath all, it prays – thank God.” Archbishop Justin said the MU more often met in places of suffering, poverty and struggle than in great cathedrals. And he likened their campaigning zeal to the persistent widow in one of Jesus’ parables who presses a judge for justice. “They can relate to the tough widow, faced with injustice, indifference and corruption,” he said. “And for these reasons – for their weakness, their poverty, their marginalisation, their suffering – they are loved . . . the Mothers’ Union are loved by God.” The Archbishop described the MU’s founder, Mary Sumner, as a prophetic voice. He said the idea of a golden age of Victorian family life was a myth. Family life in that era had been under real pressure, especially among the poor. Mary Sumner had acted out of concern not just for her family but also for a country in a terrible situation where children were not nurtured, where women were repressed and households were not stable. He said that in almost all circumstances, the greatest source of hope was the family, in its many forms. Good families were a foundation of society. But families were complicated and always had been. It was as challenging for the MU now as it had been in Mary Sumner’s times to have strong families fit for the future. The service also heard a moving tribute to the Mothers’ Union from Neil Obbard, a former British Army sniper, whose life was transformed at a holiday organised by the MU. Neil left the forces with post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing horrific scenes. He explained how he’d been invited to take his family on an Away From It All holiday and while there, he’d had a “massive experience” of God and had become a Christian. He’s now an evangelist, a lay Reader and works as a volunteer on the holidays, seeing other lives miraculously changed. Click here for the rest of the article: http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2016/09/mothers-union-simply-the-best-says-archbishop-welby.aspx
First time I read about this membership mothers union. I collect such kinda material for american history essay so thank u