September…

Our September meeting was about “holiday mementoes”. We shared stories of happy holidays and family weddings, with photos and items which included a Welsh doll, Canadian Mounty, a Terracotta Warrier (well a small copy, not the real thing!) And a Matryoshka Doll from Russia.

October ….

Our October meeting was “An afternoon with the Saints” with each member choosing a Saint - or two, and talking about them. I chose St Margaret, a Princess of the House of Wessex, who married Malcolm III of Scotland in the eleventh Century.

Other members chose St Dunstan, St Boniface and St Mary Magdalene.

On Wednesday 7th October we held a coffee morning in the Church Hall. Norma had her table of MU merchandise and there was a Bring and Buy and Cake stall and a raffle. A total of £115 was raised for the Mothers’ Union “Wheels Appeal”.

On Wednesday 14th October we were invited, together with members of other churches, to tea at the Sacred Heart Church.

We were, as always, made very welcome and spent an enjoyable afternoon chatting and trying to find the answers to quizzes based on “sayings” and about magistrates (an unusual but interesting subject!) while we had our tea.

On Sunday 18th October four of us went to Christchurch Portsdown for the celebration of their Mothers’ Union Branch’s 80th Anniversary.

It was very interesting to be at another Church’s morning service and to experience the similarities and differences between us.

There was a large screen on which the hymns etc appeared and thus no hymn books or service sheets, which took a few minutes to get used to, and bread was used for communion instead of wafers as we have at St George’s.

There were small tables and chairs at one side of the church at which children played happily, and at the other side a sample selection of possible new (adult sized!) chairs which the congregation were invited to try out after the service, while we had our coffee and biscuits.

Before and after the service the screen was used to show pictures of past branch events and members.

Afterwards there was a buffet lunch and anniversary cake in the church hall.

Janet Johnson

Christmas & New Year 2015/6

Mothers’ Union notes