Southwark News No 233 Summer 2012

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1 Southwark News No 233 Summer 2012 Letter from our President Dear Friends What a joy these last few months have been! The Diamond Jubilee celebrations have brought back happy memories for many of us, and generated memories anew for us all. I have heard of your involvement in street parties and in first aid tents, as volunteers and in taking the whole family to be part of the cheering crowds. Even those of us who followed the proceedings on the television bore a small part in honouring our very special Queen who has given herself to her nation and commonwealth over sixty years. As we heard Archbishop Rowan state in his sermon at St Paul s, she dedicated herself... to the health and well-being of those she governed. He went on to say that dedication brings sacrifice, but also brings joy. The Queen is the honoured Patron of Mothers Union. She agrees with all the ideals of the organisation and practises them at all times in her dedication to her family in its widest sense. Surely we as members could follow her example and, again as Dr Williams said, find the strength to take the risks and make the sacrifices even if this seems to reduce our individual hopes of secure enjoyment. In other words, hold our hands out in love to others without counting the cost to ourselves. This idea of taking risks was also mentioned by Rosemary in her sermon at our evening Festival Eucharist, and Kevin in his address the following morning quoted Rosemary s idea and told us to be encouraged by the fact that God in his grace will turn us into responsive soil into which God himself will plant the seeds which will encourage those who are to come. Let us dedicate ourselves to the future of our families, communities and organisation by presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. By the time you read this edition of Southwark News the elections for your next Trustee Board will have taken place. I am extremely grateful to all those who have agreed to continue to serve on the Board, and particularly to those who have come forward to join the Board for the first time. I m sure that you will all find joy in serving. Each of you has been responsive to God s call, and dedicated yourself to God s work. Thank you to the Board and the Committees, to the Branch Officers and to all members, for giving your time, energy and gifts for the future of Southwark Mothers Union. Recently, I know that I have not been working as hard for you as I might, but with the knowledge of God s love and the support of you all, I have been able to keep smiling. Our wonderful secretary Anne and the Trustee Board and Committees have thankfully taken on their shoulders much of what I should be doing. My husband Anthony has been a tower of strength in a literal sense, but the love which has been winging its way to me in your prayers, letters, cards and flowers has been absolutely inspirational. I am so, so grateful to you all for your extraordinary support, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have just heard that the operations have been a success and that radiotherapy can begin shortly. I am longing to get back to work to justify in some measure the confidence you have so kindly reposed in me. Whatever we are doing, and wherever we go over the summer, my prayer is that we go with the Lord, and follow where he leads. With love Elizabeth Pullen

2 Evelina Children s Hospital At the Diocesan Council meeting in October last year, we were very pleased to hear from Revd Mia Hilborn of her work as Hospitaller and Chaplaincy Team Leader at Guy s and St Thomas s NHS Trust. Liz Pullen and I subsequently met with Revd Narinder Tegally, Chaplain at the Evelina Children s Hospital, to discuss ways in which Mothers Union in Southwark might provide a listening ear and time out for parents and relatives of patients in the Evelina. We were keen to try to achieve something similar to the work undertaken by London Diocese MU at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Unfortunately, Narinder is leaving the Evelina at the end of the summer holidays. However, I have met with Mia and Revd Sue Taylor, who will be taking over from Narinder, and we have explored different possibilities for what we might be able to undertake. I now need your help! We hope to start in the autumn by offering a listening ear with a cup of tea and cakes, once a month, in the first instance. To do this, we will need volunteers, both to provide cakes and to help serve. I do have a few names, but would be pleased to hear from anyone else who would be interested in learning more. There are various checks and trainings that will need to be undertaken, including CRB checks. Mia has already arranged some Chaplaincy Volunteer training sessions for September, and any MU volunteers could be included in the training planned for 14 th September. It would be necessary to attend this before beginning work as a volunteer. Please can anyone interested contact me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so that we can start to process any necessary paperwork, and be ready to start offering this service in the autumn. Thank you in advance for your help. Hilary Richardson, Action and Outreach Co-ordinator (contact hilaryjoyr@btinternet.com) Cathedral Prayers Prayers are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month from am pm in the Harvard Chapel, Southwark Cathedral. All welcome Led by June Reigate 25 July Croydon 22 Aug Kingston 26 Sep Woolwich 24 Oct Reigate 28 Nov Croydon Forthcoming Events Sun 1 st July East Lewisham Deanery Service, 4.00pm at St Augustine, Grove Park, preacher Revd. Kevin Scott, all welcome, refreshments after service Weds 4 th July - Diocesan AGM, Trinity House, 11.00am Sun 8 th July opening of new branch, St Barnabas, Mitcham Sat 14 th July Branch Training Day with Marian Pope, Trinity House Thurs 9 th Aug Mary Sumner Day th Aug Wave of Prayer th Sept Worldwide Council Sat 13 th Oct -- Diocesan Council, St Saviours, Raynes Park, Mon 22 nd Oct - Kingston Deanery talk, St James Church Hall, New Malden, 10.30am - Ann Wright coming to speak about her visit to Zimbabwe. Bring & Buy sale and MU Enterprises stall.

3 Four Stories Of Injustice The evening before he announced his resignation, the Archbishop of Canterbury visited Southwark Diocese to attend a service in the church of St George Camberwell, following which he presided at a packed Eucharist. The evening, organised by the Anglican Alliance and the Mothers Union, was celebrating International Women s Day on 8 th March and Mothering Sunday on 18 th March, but centred around Justice for Women. Both the Archbishop and his wife Jane were present, as were members from the four Mothers Union branches in Camberwell and Peckham: St George as hosts, St Giles Camberwell, St Luke s Peckham and St John s Meeting House Lane. It was a privilege to have been part of this special occasion. Before the celebration of the Eucharist, the congregation gathered into groups to listen to the stories of Mothers Union members who had suffered appalling injustice in their own countries and indeed, even in London there are still many problems of injustice within our own society. The ladies, Modupeloa Adewale, Effie Jantuah, and Mary Adebiyi from St Giles, and Olayinka Olatunji, Tenbi Mbobo, Ethel Adu-Offeh and Carole Haynes from St John s, spoke movingly on issues about which we don t want to hear and often pretend that they don t exist; issues such as group rape, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, and the lack of legal justice for redress. They spoke of the need for economic justice because women, particularly in rural areas suffer from poverty and hunger. In parts of Africa they are often denied education because the need to work is greater and nor can education for all girls be afforded. Women often do not have equal property rights. Gender injustices prevent women having life-long opportunities - opportunities that we take for granted in England. When Cecilia Johnson from St George s gave her unscripted testimony from the lectern, this was found to be particularly true. Health issues are also a problem in many parts of the world. The ladies told us that many women still suffer or die needlessly due to poor reproductive and sexual health services: less than half the births in sub-saharan Africa are attended by skilled staff. Social justice would ensure that all people share in the benefits of society through access to public services. The Archbishop listened attentively to each of the speakers and then heard how Mothers Union and the Anglican Alliance are leading by example in countries like Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan in bringing education, economic opportunities and access to health care and the legal system to help communities make the most of their opportunities in life. Much needs to be done on a practical level and raising awareness of these issues is assisting this. Prayer is a vital part of the work, and as part of the Eucharist, candles were lit and placed near an image of Our Lady to symbolise the prayers of the congregation for legal, economic and social justice to be a reality for all women throughout the world.

4 Please consider how you too can pray for this work of raising awareness of the plight of many of our sisters across the world. Following the Eucharist, Archbishop Rowan called the four branch leaders to the altar and thanked and affirmed them by presenting each with a signed photograph of himself with Mrs Williams. The evening ended with food and cake thoughtfully provided by the ladies of St George s, and of course, much discussion leading on from what had been heard. Elizabeth Pullen Wave of Prayer (11-15 August for Southwark) When I joined the Mothers Union some 30 years ago, this was one of the aspects of the organisation that was an eye-opener, and served to show how members in different parts of the world are joined together in love. During the period when Southwark Diocese appears on the wave, August, each deanery was allocated a specific day, and each branch had a different time slot during the day, in which to remember our overseas links. Nowadays, we still try to make a special effort on our allotted days, and many branches combine the prayers with lunches or teas. Being August, people may be away on holiday, but it is still possible to take the short service sheet away with you, and use it during the day to remember our sisters around the world. The marvellous thing is that with Families Worldwide being available to all members, all those other members around the country, and the wider world are also remembering us! I do urge you to get your copy of the leaflet from your branch leader, and do let us know of the different ways in which you have managed to celebrate these unique ties. Hilary Richardson

5 News from Our Links in Nigeria Here are some extracts from 2 letters received from our linked dioceses of first, Aba and secondly, Uyo in Nigeria. We are grateful for the election of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as President of Nigeria. The swearing in ceremonies of the President and Governors were glamorous and the appointment of new Ministers concluded. However, the problem of insecurity is posing a major challenge to the government and we solicit your prayers for peace and the rule of law to be restored. Mothers Union of Aba Diocese continues to forge ahead despite the challenges The Diocesan President, Mrs Stella Ezuoke, held her last conference in June (2011) and we thank God for a huge success. Mothers Union organised a two-day conference for 150 widows and gifts worth over half a million naira were distributed to them. The women also dedicated a three bedroom bungalow build for an indigent widow. This was the 8 th of such bungalows built during the tenure of our outgoing President. Pray for God s guidance in all the activities ahead and be assured of our prayers for you at all times. Mrs Pat Uche, Aba Diocese In September we were at Lagos for the church of Nigeria General Synod. This Synod holds every three years. We thank God for the grace upon the Primate of all Nigeria, the Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh and his wife, Mrs Nkasiobi Okoh who oversee the meetings. By the special grace of God, the Action and Outreach Unit was able to reach out to brethren in Jos with relief materials during the last year s crisis. Through the Project Committee, we have been able to plant 500 pineapples and some plantain suckers in a portion of land given to us at the Adetiloye School Project Centre. Our desire this year is to grow larger in agriculture. We appreciate your prayers and love as you daily remember our beloved sisters and their families in the northern part of Nigeria who are faced with political violence that has claimed the lives of their loved ones. We believe God will help us in the coming years. Greetings in Jesus most precious name. All members of Mothers Union in Uyo Diocese send their greetings. Mrs Grace Orama, Diocesan President, Uyo Diocese If you would like to read the letters in full, please contact me through the office. Margaret Palmer, Nigeria Links Correspondent

6 Water is Life Some time ago before the wettest April on record (and possibly May as well?) I thought I d write about water. I have a thing about water! I visited South Africa in 1995 and saw dried-up riverbeds and other signs of lack of water. It made a huge impression on me. I ve never seen the Sahara only on television but have seen the deserts of Arizona and marvelled at them. I ve always been careful with water especially after 1976 another drought year. I immediately started to support WaterAid. Water is Life. Without water, there is no life. We can live for weeks without food, but we must have water. How do desert creatures and plants survive? It s hard to imagine, but there is dew after a cold night for some moisture and the cacti have special storage cells. It is amazing all the same. God must know what He is doing!! I never understand why He doesn t spread the rainfall around the world! But then I read that it is us destroying the forests over the centuries that has caused the unusual weather patterns. Very thought provoking and hard to grasp. However, at the moment, we say, Is it ever going to stop? So much in the Bible centres around water. In the Old Testament, Noah and the Flood and the Crossing of the Red Sea are major events, as is Moses striking the rock to produce water. In the New Testament, Jesus is based at Capernaum by Lake Galilee. He called His disciples mainly fishermen to begin His ministry. He calms the storm on Lake Galilee. He walks on water. He heals a man by the Pool of Siloam. He is on the road from Jericho to Galilee when he arrives at Sychar in Samaria. Tired and thirsty, He sits by Jacob s Well. At noon, a Samaritan woman comes to draw water and He asks her for a drink of water. She queries His request and Jesus replies, Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring which will prove life giving and give him eternal life. We all know that the blessed life-giving water is poured onto us at Baptism and we are baptised with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist appeared in the desert preaching and baptising and then had the honour of baptising Jesus in the River Jordan. After Jesus Ascension to His Father in heaven, his disciples continued to preach and baptise new followers and His church grew. God, our Father, whose son Jesus Christ gives water of eternal life: may we thirst for You, the spring of all life and source of all goodness, through Him who is alive and reigns now and forever. Amen (prayer after Festival Communion) Elaine Williams, Prayer & Spirituality THE MOTHERS UNION SOUTHWARK DIOCESE Linked with the Dioceses of Aba, Calabar, Niger Delta North & Uyo in Nigeria, Butere in Kenya, Northern Territory in Australia and Oxford in UK Patron: Diocesan President: Secretary: Chaplain: Treasurer: MU Enterprise Rep: Safeguarding Officer: Editor: The Lord Bishop of the Diocese Mrs Elizabeth Pullen liz@pullen.me.uk Mrs Anne Love, Southwark Mothers Union, Trinity House, 4 Chapel Court, Borough High Street, London SE1 1HW Tel (Mon, Tues, Weds & Fri term-time, 10.30am 3.30pm) anne.love@southwark.anglican.org Revd. Kevin Scott Mrs Jean Hatton jean.hatton@btinernet.com Mrs Jenny Holroyd Jennyholroyd@aol.com Mrs Mary Garman mary_garman@hotmail.com Mrs Mary Harrison maryharrison@qcinternet.co.uk Website: The Southwark Mothers Union is a registered charity No Next copy date: 5 Sept 2012