Summer across the Diocese

St Bart's Aftermoon Tea  

Saturday 11th July and the sun was shining on St Bart's Long Benton for our annual afternoon tea. A delicious selection of food washed down with a drop of fizz, great raffle prizes and a wonderful atmosphere in the room made this year's fundraiser a total success. £410 was raised on the day and will be used to support local projects. It was also lovely to have MU members from other branches join us for tea.

  
 
 
 
Amble Branch- talk by by Sylvia Hickey about her work for the Mothers’ Union in raising awareness about Domestic Abuse  

We decided to support this both in prayer and in fund raising.  One of our members, Penny and her husband Colin, offered to host our annual summer lunch and we decided to make it a fund-raising event to buy one of the Mother and Baby Boxes that are  provided for a woman giving birth as soon as she arrives at the refuge. Each box costs £270.  The first box was used at Eastertide and Sylvia delivered a second one recently.

Our lunch started with a time of prayer, including the MU wave of prayer and one for those suffering from domestic abuse. We enjoyed a bring and share feast before being entertained by a local choir, The Warkworth Singers.

We are delighted to say that not only did we have a wonderful time but exceed the cost of a box by collecting a total of £283.

  
 

We have also been issued a bronze RISE UP award which was presented to a few of the members at a recent Sunday service.

 
 

Haltwhistle MU service celebrating135 years for Haltwhistle branch and 150 years of MU

  
 
 
Some members of Newcastle MU attended the 150th Celebrations in London  
 

St Bartholomew's Long Benton Branch Annual Soup and Sandwich lunch raised funds this year to provide 50 short stay bags for the Emergency Admissions Suite at the Freeman Hospital.

  
 

Sylvia Hickey, on behalf of the  First Internet Branch delivered a large consignment of bed linen and towels to the Northumberland Refuge donated by Tesco Kingston Park.  This is the result of a working relationship developed from our Christmas food project for the Refuges when Lesley, the Community Champion, puts our large order together for our collection.

Two weeks ago she delivered a similar load to North Tyneside.  This had been generously donated by a non MU lady from Amble who had heard about First Internet work from a member of Amble branch.

  
 
The First Internet branch's Mother and Baby Box fundraising Quiz raised a total of £355.  It was, as ever, supported by many non MU members.  Knowing that this would be the case I asked to host the Provincial Prayer Capsule that night.  This enabled people outside our organisation to witness one of the ways in which we are celebrating our 150th anniversary.  
 
   

 

Commissioning

Happy New Triennial – as we journey on together with Mothers’ Union members world-wide into our current 3-year commitment, during which we shall be celebrating 150 years since Mary Sumner founded Mothers Union.  
Our Commissioning Service for this triennium was held in Newcastle Cathedral on 25th January, by invitation of the Dean, the Very Reverend Lee Batson, and attended by our newly appointed Provincial President, Christine Sharp. 
And what a wonderful commissioning service it was. Our choir were in tuneful accord; Margy re-told a story from Acts; our banner was lifted high by Malcom Cairns; images of all the other MU banners were projected onto two screens; Dean Lee Batson preached and he commissioned all the officers and trustees; and Catherine Groves, archdeacon of Lindisfarne, presided. (Catherine had become a grandmother the day before so the event was extra special for her; she promised to become a member in celebration of the event.)
A number of visitors to the Cathedral joined in the worship and engaged in conversation; the café was full of Mothers’ Union members; and by no means least – we remembered all those who never made it despite their good intentions, many of them prevented by bad weather and unexpected, restricted rail and bus transport. Our new Provincial President, Christine Sharpe, was delighted with everything. 
A big thank you from MU goes to all involved in the planning and events of the day – including the amazing team of vergers who set all the chairs and managed the magic technology. All that remains is for us to go forward in faith into whatever circumstances life leads us, rejoicing in 150 years of Mothers’ Union world-wide, and to spread the good news of God’s love in the words we speak, the prayers we breathe and the lives we live. 


 

Powered by Church Edit