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| Provincial Service - York Minster, 19th July 2010Celebrations took place at York Minster as Archbishop Sentamu reaffirmed Lynne Tembey as Provincial President for a further 3 years. There was also recognition of 10 years of the Central Literacy and Development and Parenting programmes. Several of our members formed the choir and together with the 13 other Diocesan Presidents in York Province, Carolyn Peulevé was presented to and reaffirmed in the Diocesan President role by the Archbishop during the service. Margaret Sentamu read the Old Testament reading Micha 4 1-7 and our own Canon Anne Oliver read from the New Testament, Ephesians 3 14-21. Archbishop Sentamu gave the address. Bishop John and our Chaplain the Revd Canon Paul Greenwell also attended the eucharist service which concluded with the recessional procession leaving through the Minster West Door. Lynne is pictured outside the doors next to the Archbishop. Our banner is third from the left next to the Provincial Banner.
The picture below shows Carolyn Peulevé (wearing one of the dresses gifted to her from Gwagwalada in Nigeria) and her husband Martin who carried the Diocesan Banner, together with our Provincial President Lynne Tembey. 
Wetherby Branch respond to appeal from Afghanistan Since hearing that serving members of the armed forces are desperate for reading matter of any sort, members of our Wetherby Branch have been busy organising parcels for Afghanistan. They have also prepared a prayer bookmark which has been included with each parcel so that those receiving the books know that our thoughts and prayers are with them. The Branch have received a great deal of interest from both members and non-members alike who are all keen to show their support for our troops.   It is possible to send parcels weighing up to 2kg free of charge to the following address: Rev Peter Scott, Chaplain, kdo Bastion 2, BFPO 792 Just take the parcel to the Post Office who will be fully conversant with the "nothing to pay" procedure. If you would like to download a PDF copy of the bookmark produced by Wetherby branch, please click here. July 2010 - Rev Peter Scott has just sent the following message: "On behalf of British Armed Forces thank you very much for the kindness of Mothers’ Union members in sending parcels of books and sweets to the troops. If anyone would like to send more, please contact ‘Support our soldiers’ and they will be able to arrange transportation for it."
Garforth St Mary's - 100th Anniversary - 22nd June 2010 Many congratulations to our Garforth St Mary's Branch who have just celebrated their 100th Anniversary. Celebrations began with a Communion Service in St Mary's Church, followed by a party attended by many members and friends. Carolyn Peulevé, Marlene Stokoe and Anne Oliver were also there to join in the celebrations. Mrs Thelma Selby who has been a member since 1947 had the honour of helping to cut the beautiful cake. Mrs Selby's mother was among the first members of the Mothers' Union!  
Families First Magazine Please note that Families First subscriptions for members are now due to your Branch Leader or the Diocesan Representative (Mary Gray). For anyone who hasn't seen the magazine, every issues includes a mixture of interviews, articles and news about marriage, family life, parenting, Christian faith in practice, campaigning, fair trade, community action ideas, and competitions, plus reviews of books, music, films, DVDs and websites for children, teens, parents and grandparents! In other words, something for everyone! A recent subscriber commented, "I've taken out a subscription because it's really really surprisingly good! Puts a refreshing, Christian perspective on family life, without being excessively preachy or worthy". You don't have to be a member of the MU to subscribe - for more information, see our Publications page which includes a link to the Families First website.
President Released! Well done Carolyn! We are delighted to report that Carolyn Peulevé has successfully completed the Charity 'Lock-In' at HMP Wealstun and has received sponsorship of £2,041 for the holiday home replacement fund plus £308 for Martin House Hospice! Carolyn was locked in a cell overnight on Thursday 13th May until 7.30am the following morning! The photographs below show Carolyn at her cell door and then leaving the prison. Following the experience, Carolyn said: "Whilst I knew I would be released after one night, the experience did give me the opportunity to reflect on prison life and separation from loved ones. As one of the Mothers' union's five Objecties is 'to support families whose life has met with adversity', the sponsorship money raised will enable the Mothers' Union to continue to provide holidays for families in need of a break at their holiday home in Filey, by ensuring the ability to upgrade and replace the current caravan when necessary." Carolyn has written a reflective account about her experience - click here to download a copy.  
It is not too late to sponsor Carolyn for her personal fundraising challenge and a sponsorship form can be downloaded here. HMP Wealstun has recently been undergoing a refurbishment and period of construction to convert the former Category D Open Prison into 300 additional Category C closed adult male spaces in response to increased and changing prison population demands. The 'lock in' took place in one of the newly refurbished wings and gave a real taste of life behind prison bars!
At work with children visiting at HMP Leeds  We have just had two wonderful special family visits. The picture shows three children wearing the Easter Bunny masks they had made with help from Dad.We all had a great time making Easter baskets to put small chocolate eggs in, we coloured Easter bonnets, Mothers' Union Easter cards, and we decorated eggs. At the end of the visit we played 'pass the parcel' and also enjoyed afternoon tea. A great time was had by all including me. Thank you to the members who send me stickers and other items that help with the craft work, and to Eileen and Charmain for cutting out endless masks, bookmarks, necklaces etc. This is a great help to the Jigsaw visitors' centre staff. My thanks to you all for your continued support.
Marlene Stokoe.
Mothers' Union theme for 2010 - Relationship not Rules By focusing on our diverse relationships rather than the rules with which our societies are governed and structured, we are making a clear statement about how we value relationships in the Mothers’ Union. With this in mind we go forward in strength together and not in isolation. More information and downloadable resources are available here. | |
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