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Who are we? (Clue - a Christian Organisation within the Anglican Church). A few facts and figures... Membership (men and women, young and old, married and single). There are 122,000 members in the UK, and over 1,000,000 in more than 70 countries. Many of the members in the UK undertake voluntary work in: 84 Prisons (17 of which are women's prisons) 2 Remand Centres 8 Young Offenders Institutes 48 Hospitals 23 Child Contact Centres (over 1,000 volunteer workers help in prisons). Annually, holidays are organised and funds raised to subsidise the many disadvantaged families who enjoy the breaks. A Residential Parenting course takes place each year on the Isle of Wight. The Overseas Fund provides grants towards the salaries and travel expenses of over 300 indigenous Provincial Workers, Provincial Trainers, Diocesan Workers and Literacy and Development Trainers. Some grants for vehicles (including a boat on one occasion) are sent to enable the workers to get about their Diocese/Province in comparative safety. Office equipment, including computers, is provided and contributions made, where necessary, towards the organisation of diocesan conferences. A Relief Fund enables monetary gifts to be sent, at short notice to dioceses where natural or man made disasters occur. Within the UK, Parenting Groups are run, with trained facilitators, to enable parents to meet and talk about the joys and challenges of being parents, to learn more about the parent child relationship and develop friendship and mutually supportive networks. Here at St George's a Branch meets at the Vicarage on the 3rd Thursday of each month. If you are interested in this organisation whose logo contains the words "Christian Care for Families Worldwide" then find out more from the website: Should you be interested in supporting the work of the Mothers' Union and are either unable or have no time/desire to attend monthly meetings, it is possible to become a Diocesan Member. This style of membership entitles you to receive the Home and Family Quarterly Magazine and other publications, at no extra cost and provides information about occasional Deanery or Diocesan events which might interest you. Needless to say prayer underlies all the work of the MU. A Daily Prayer Diary is available and a World Wide Wave of Prayer is maintained throughout each year. For more information see: Winifred Mancz (023 9226 3696), Branch Leader, or Margaret Symonds (023 9225 2338), past Diocesan President. THE JUBILEE DEBT PETITION, 11.am, Thursday 27 March at Buckingham Palace Many of you signed this petition during the Queen's Golden Jubilee Year. Over one million signatures have been collected (over half of which are from members of the Mothers' Union in this country and from Commonwealth countries). Trish Heywood, World Wide President of the MU will be part of a small delegation from the Jubilee Debt Campaign, which will present the Petitions. The message of the handover will be: Congratulatory to our Patron in her Jubilee year; MU members from the Commonwealth and beyond have gathered over 56,000 signatures for 50 years of the Queen's reign. Many members of the MU themselves live in countries which are heavily indebted. The Mothers Union is an active campaigner of JDC and is committed to encourage the UK government in its target to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Without 100% debt cancellation it is unlikely that the MDGs will be met. Supporters on the day are welcome at Buckingham Palace. MARGARET SYMONDS |
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