The Winchester Celebration Edition What a year we have had 140 years young And still going strong

Transcription

1 Greetings from the Provincial President Newsletter No. 64 November 2016 The Winchester Celebration Edition What a year we have had 140 years young And still going strong The NZ delegation, Janice Cheeseman, Margaret Wilson, Rev. Iritana Hankins PP, Joan Neild. The host Winchester banner carried by Mrs Caroline Sculll leading the procession. The Zambian choir members paying tribute to Mary Sumner around her tomb at the rear of Winchester Cathedral. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby surrounded by the Bishops of Reading, Aberdeen and Orkney, Southampton, Basingstoke, and Winchester, who participated in both services. CEO at MSH Mrs Bev Jullien, Worldwide President Mrs Lynne Tembey, and Central Chaplain Bishop Andrew Proud, cutting the celebration cake at the General Meeting at Basingstoke.

2 From our Provincial President E te whanau a te Karaiti, Tena koutou katoa. Oku ou talitali lelei kimo utolu pea, malo ho omou lelei. Dear Friends, The entire segment of this section will focus on the 140th Anniversary Commemorative Service at Winchester Cathedral, on 22nd September, A message from Her Majesty, the Queen, As your Patron, I send my warmest congratulations to all members of Mothers Union on the occasion of the charity s 140th Anniversary. Since Mothers Union was founded by Mary Sumner in 1876, you have provided vital assistance to families all over the world who are experiencing hardships in their lives. Now with four million members in 83 countries, the organisation continues to carry out the important work of supporting family life, and communities, through its programmes. I send my sincere thanks to all those who have contributed to Mothers Union over the years and I send my best wishes for the continuing success of a charity that has given hope and strength to so many. ELIZABETH R. Attending the afternoon service, representing Her Majesty, The Queen, was Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mr Nigel Atkinson. The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev d and Right Hon. Justin Welby s message: Congratulations on your 140th anniversary! Caroline and I know first- hand from travelling across the Anglican Communion that the Mothers Union exists in the vision of Mary Sumner to bring God s rich vision and blessing to many families and individuals with hope, help and a future. As you look to Christ and His vision for your future I pray: Life-giving God, on its 140th anniversary, We give you thanks for the Mothers Union, For its dedication and faithful witness to Jesus Christ across the world. We praise you for its compassion, care and acts of justice for families and communities. Bless all its members in your mission to the world, Strengthen hearts, hands and voices in the years to come. As they continue to nurture, defend and deliver your children. We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 2 All this day, O Lord, >>

3 Attending our Mothers Union 140th Anniversary at Winchester Cathedral, in Hampshire was truly a special event. I woke early, having stayed close-by at the Royal Winchester Hotel, excited and ready to step out across the mall, through an alley way, to get the first glimpse of the historic Winchester Cathedral, the living sight which I had researched and visited many times on the website, in preparation for this moment. With still a few hours before the morning service, members had begun to arrive, some were attaching blue and white streamers along the wrought iron railing. An amazing and wonderful feeling, to meet and make friends, with people who are members of your MU family, from different parts of the world. Soon the MSH staff and Trustees arrived on their mini-bus and we were summoned to gather in the cathedral for the service. Once inside, our seats were allocated and we assembled in the chapel to be instructed on the order of the procession, and the handing of gifts to the Bishop, at end of the procession, at the altar rail. We each put on our sash (identifying our country) as there were to be only three Mothers Union banners to be carried in each of the two processions - for the morning and afternoon services: The Host MU Diocese of Winchester banner carried by Mrs Caroline Scull, Diocese President, the Province of Canterbury banner carried by Mrs Nikki Sweatman, Provincial President, and The Mary Sumner House banner carried by Mrs Lynne Temby our World Wide President. The Most Rev d Justin Welby officiated and delivered the sermon in the afternoon. Referring to the Gospel of Luke 18:1-8 he paid tribute to the work of MU around the world, likening members to a great army. He urged them not to focus on what remained to be done or on challenges that seemed insuperable, but to look at what had been done through MU and to see God s hand in it. It is an army facing struggles in most countries of the planet, he said. It is four million strong. It faces the plague of HIV/Aids in much of Africa and produces grass roots solutions. It is a powerful voice in education, both formally and informally- both in scholastic education and education of Christian values and family life. He added, The MU campaigns excellently, it nurtures wonderfully, but above all, it prays thank God. The Archbishop said The MU more often met in places of suffering, poverty and struggle than in cathedrals. And likened their campaign zeal to the persistent widow in Jesus parable who presses the judge for justice. They can relate to the tough widow, faced with injustice, indifference and corruption, he said. And for these reasons for their weakness, their poverty, their marginalisation, their suffering they are loved. The Mothers Union are loved by God. He said that in almost all circumstances, the greatest source of hope was the family, in its many forms. Good families were a foundation of society. But families let me touch as many lives as possible for thee; > > 3

4 were complicated and always have been. It is as challenging for the MU now as it had been in Mary Sumner s times to have strong families fit for the future. During the distribution of Communion the Mary Sumner Choir from Lusaka in Zambia sang anthems. A moving tribute was given by Neil Obbard a former British Army sniper who left the forces with post-traumatic stress disorder related to his employment. He and his family were invited to attend the MU Away From It All holiday programme. While he was there he experienced a massive transformation, and became a Christian. He is now an evangelist, a Lay Reader, and volunteers his service to the programme. I had the opportunity to speak with Neil afterwards and was touched by his warmth and humility. As the year comes to the end, may you find the holiday period to be one of many blessings and safe travel. Nga Manaakitanga, Iritana Hankins Both the messages referred to above appear in full in the Mothers Union, 140th Anniversary Commemorative Programme Waikato/Taranaki Diocese St Mary s New Plymouth will be holding its Annual General Meeting on 2 November when we will be looking at plans for the coming year following the election of a new committee. We will also be reviewing our current year s activities and seeing how we have made a difference in our community and the wider world. Our September meeting heard from one of our members about Social Concerns especially in relation to children. We also held a bring and buy. In October I spoke about the 140 th anniversary services at Winchester Cathedral and the emphasis the Archbishop of Canterbury placed on MU involvement in often difficult circumstances, and the importance of prayer in all we do. To mark the beginning of Mothers Union s 16 days of activism against gender based violence MU members will be meeting in the Cathedral Upper Room chapel at midday on 25 November. This will be a time of prayer and reflection as we light a candle to shine a light on gender based violence. We hope some of the AAW groups will do something in their own parishes using the MU material which I will provide. Since the closure of WAVES-the one stop health and drop in centre we have been considering what local project we can take on for support. After hearing a talk by a senior policeman about the Te Puna Trust an early intervention wrap around service for young mothers and their children we decided this would fit very well into our Aim and Objectives. We continue to receive good feed back 4 and every life I touch, do thou by thy spirit quicken >>

5 from Tania and the Teen Mums School. We await with interest their end of year exam result. Dean Peter Beck will be our guest speaker at our December meeting. Members supply cleaning and toiletry items for the Men s Emergency Shelter as well as Christmas gifts for the residents. I have continued to keep in contact with MU members in the Waikato and Lone Members around the diocese. Wellington Diocese Rosemary Bent Ann Meyer from St Asaph Diocese (who I received generous hospitality from in Wales in July last year) caught up with Margaret Wilson and Joan Neild for a photo and a very quick chat at the General Meeting. I was thrilled they managed to do this. I Ann the Provincial News so she knew what the NZ Ladies looked like. Kapiti Soroptimist International members held a really successful Suffrage Brunch. We were spellbound by Louise Nicholas talking about her life. We were also entertained by a woman acting as Kate Shepherd talking about the 3 petitions put together for the NZ Parliament 123 years ago. Also the woman in charge of the local vote counting in Kapiti exhorted us to vote in the local body elections, and tell our family and friends to vote. I won a very large hamper of goodies to pamper me with. NCWNZ October Circular is headed with the statement Working towards a gender equal New Zealand. Our Miriam Dell helped cut the 120 year birthday cake at the NCWNZ Conference. The Mothers Union NZ is a member of NCW as a Nationally- Organised Society. A small MU group met in Kapiti to launch AFIA, Away From It All holidays this summer. We are meeting again soon. I asked Anne Carpenter to carry the Diocesan Travelling banner at the awesome Commissioning Service after the NZAAW AGM in the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. It was great to see so many MU and AAW banners. I had recently broken a toe and the cathedral is very long! Heather Dawson Whether through the word I speak >> 5

6 Auckland Diocese Auckland Diocesan Mothers' Union Members joined together with AAW members to attend a 'Quiet Day' at the new Bishop Selwyn chapel at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell on Friday 9th September. The programme was conducted by the Right Reverend Dean Jo Kelly-Moore. The day started with a call to worship, the reading from the book of Wisdom 7: v 15-8:4. Dean Jo's theme was "The Feminity of God". She spoke of The mother s love for her children - tender and caring, explaining that God loves us with the same love. After a lunch break we shared in a Communion Service. Our Southern Archdeaconry Service was held at the Anglican Trust for Women and Children, Otahuhu. The day began with a Communion service conducted by the Reverend Trevor Cheeseman, during which two new member were enrolled. Mrs Jan Fowler, as an Auckland Diocesan member, and Mrs Monika Clark into St.George's Branch at Papatoetoe. After sharing morning tea the speaker, Mrs Mary Ann France, told us about the quilting group at St George s who help inmates at the Women s prison at Wiri with tuition in quilting and other handcrafts. She also helps with gifts to Social W e l f a r e f o r y o u n g c h i l d r e n i n t h e i r c a r e. After a shared lunch we returned to the chapel for a short Annual Council meeting preparing the programme of events for The Board of Trustees of the ATWC were also holding their AGM at the Trust that afternoon, and Margaret Wilson attended that meeting representing MU as we are very much a part of the Friends of the Trust. We thank Vera Green for her years of faithful service editing our quarterly prayer diary, and welcome our new editor, Maggie Davidson of the Papatoetoe Branch. A small floral tribute, made by Joan out of golden roses and blue delphiniums, for the funeral of Margaret Sprosen, a faithful member of the Howick Branch for many years. 6 The prayer I breathe >>

7 Dates for your diary before the end of this year are 1) Sunday 20th November: The 3-Tikanga Women's Service combining Mothers Union, Kahui Wahine and the AAW In Holy Sepulchre Church, Khyber Pass Road at 10 am (please bring a plate). 2) Central Archdeaconry Service and meeting on November 30th 10 am at St. Oswald's Church,One Tree Hill. Two more new members are being enrolled at the Kohi-Orakei Branch at St Andrew s Church, Kohimarama, on 8th November. It will be a festive occasion with husbands and friends attending. Blessings from Auckland Diocesan Mother's Union for a Happy Christmas and a Bright New Year. Joan Neild In addition to Iritana s report in this newsletter, a full report by Joan of her impressions and inspiration from the Winchester experience has been prepared. Due to lack of space, this has been printed independently for circulation. It can be read on the website or obtained from our Provincial News Editor. Our last newsletter announced that the Editor was retiring hold it now to coincide with Iritana s retirement in August next year definitely then!! A new supply of stationery from MSH, posted back from London, is now available. This contains 2017 diaries, calendars, and Christmas cards. Also on hand are the diaries and Christmas cards, together with more 50-year badges, which come from Australia. Please contact Margaret Baker dav.mar@xtra.co.nz or phone , for supplies. Our congratulations go to the Rev. Mike Hawke, Anglican Missions Board Co-ordinator, who has been handling all our donations to missions within this Province. He will take over his new role as Dean of Nelson before Christmas. Apologies to some of our contributors who met my request for an early start to this edition. Some of the news has been superseded by recent events e.g. Iritana has visited Wellington, and Margaret has visited Christchurch, to report on the Winchester experience and bring members up-to-date with the latest. All found to be in good heart, happy to say. Iritana is on the move again. This time for a week in Melbourne to attend the Australian Council Meeting. Always a source of inspiration and co-operation. MU Australia s support is good to have as our big sisters and confidence builders. Or the life I live. Amen. 7

8 Christchurch Diocese In September two of our members represented Mothers Union at the Diocesan AAW Eucharist. For the last several years we ve been invited to send representatives to this service but sadly have been unable to accept. This year we were both able and delighted to do so. The service was held on a Saturday morning in the Transitional Cathedral. It was a glorious spring day and Christchurch looked especially beautiful. Bishop Victoria presided and preached. We are very much looking forward to welcoming Margaret Wilson to the November meeting. Margaret will be talking about the Mothers Union 140th anniversary service at Winchester Cathedral which she attended along with Iritana Hankins and Joan Neild. Also, we hope to welcome a possible new member. In December we will gather for our end-of-year lunch and discuss ideas for next year s programme. One possible event is the holding of a Quiet Morning in March to coincide with Lady Day. Other programme ideas include hearing about some of the community outreach programmes currently being offered by of our city parishes. We send our love and Christmas good wishes to Mothers Carole Graham Winchester Revisited A nostalgic trip for me, eighteen years after I first carried the banner for NZ at the Winchester service prior to the York Conference in What better way to come full circle than in the company of my two favourite present-day MU officials, Lynne Tembey, Worldwide President, and Bishop Andrew Proud, Central Chaplain. (Ed.) THE PROVINCIAL TEAM The Most Rev. John Paterson, P.O. Box 87255, Meadowbank, Auckland Provincial President: The Rev. Iritana Hankins, 20 Mataroa Road, Otahuhu, Auckland 1062, i.hankins@xtra.co.nz, Ph. +64 (0) Secretary/Treasurer: Mrs Margaret Wilson, 301 St Heliers Bay Rd, Kohimarama, News Editor: Auckland 1071, maggies.mill@xtra.co.nz Phone +64 (0) or Follow us: Facebook,: Mothers Union NZ Provincial Chaplain: Proudly supported by Hummingbird Print p