Mothers' Union conference brought the world to New Brunswick
by Ana Watts
It takes a national conference to instill an appreciation of the amazing impact Mothers’ Union has on families and children throughout the world. Dozens of MU members from throughout Canada had their eyes opened to this reality at the quadrennial National Conference held at Mt. Allison University in Sackville May 21-25.
At the opening conference session, Worldwide MU President Rosemary Kempsell debuted a DVD featuring the work of the Mothers’ Union throughout the world. In quick succession a series of stunning photographs, accompanied by local voices, eloquently told the stories of water conservation, family support, tree planting, soil conservation, parenting, small business development and myriad other MU programs in places like Africa, the Solomon Islands, the United Kingdom.
Mothers’ Union members help grandmothers in Africa take care of their children’s children who are orphaned by HIV/AIDS. In the Solomon Islands they help to rebuild homes destroyed by the great tsunami with primitive tools and willing hands. They help rebuild shattered lives with prayer and counseling.
Not all the MU projects are grand, however. Supplying mosquito netting in Africa costs little but has a huge impact in the fight against malaria.
“Mothers’ Union is not just in the church, it is in the community,” said Rosemary. We don’t always need masses of money to make a difference; we have 132 years of faith in action to invest. We work in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia as well as in places like Africa and South America. “We even have consultative status at the United Nations.”
Mothers’ Union challenges poverty, illiteracy and gender inequity. It fights for maternal health and against child mortality in the HIV/AIDS battle, and fights against economic systems that work against the people in developing countries.
“We have a small disaster relief fund, but we are often the first on the ground and can get to work immediately,” said Rosemary. These attributes were enormously effective following the recent disaster in Burma/Myanmar. “We can work fast because just a few executive members of MU are empowered to approve financial help immediately and it can be ratified later.”
Rosemary’s own vision for MU includes finding fresh ways to work wherever there is need, and to sustain the local and worldwide programs already in place. She wants to reach more people and add new members to the organization. She wants to take risks and learn from any failures, supported by the structures of Mothers’ Union. “I also want us all to deepen our faith – our mission belongs to God.”
Prayer is an enormous part of Mothers’ Union (Rosaemary was presented with a prayer quilt at the conference). Not only does it have its own prayer in support of its objects dedicated to “Christian care for families worldwide,” it has a Wave of Prayer f rom and for Mothers' Union around the world. MU members throughout the world pray each day at noon. Specific days in the year are allocated to each diocese in turn and the prayers are focused on its work and needs.
“We are a global family,” says Rosemary. “Midday prayers ensure that every hour of every day, as the noon-hour moves around the world, Mothers’ Union members pray for each other and their work.”
Mothers' Union is a Christian organization with more than 3.6 million members in 78 countries worldwide. There are nearly 1,000 MU members in Canada. National administration moves throughout the country on a four-year basis. The national executive has been seated in the Diocese of Fredericton since January of 2005 with Kathleen Snow as president. At the quadrennial national meeting here in May a new executive, from mostly western Canadian dioceses, was elected and will assume office in January of 2009.
The backbone of Mother’s Union is its worldwide network of grassroots volunteers committed to the support of marriage and family life. Mothers' Union also employs more than 300 paid workers around the world. These are women drawn from local dioceses, so they speak the language, understand the culture and customs and have first-hand experience of the problems their neighbours face. Mothers' Union workers provide vital leadership for efforts in the community. They enable people to gain essential skills, develop and encourage sustainable self-help projects, and run training seminars for local Mothers' Union members and the wider community.
