President's Spring Letter

And Lady Day Reflection.

My Dear Friends,

As I write this, it is still cold and we have lately had snow, but I am nevertheless filled with hope and confidence that spring is happening, the temperature will rise, the birds will nest and already there is an abundance of spring flowers in my garden. God is good.

There are also signs of growth in our Mothers’ Union groups in Bristol. We sadly mourn the loss of several long serving and faithful members, but I am thrilled by the number of new member forms that I am frequently being sent to process. If you are one of these members reading this now, welcome! It is wonderful to have you amongst us, congratulations on having joined this amazing global organisation! Congratulations also to the wonderful ladies who have been commissioned as Branch Leaders in the last few months, we are grateful and delighted that you have felt God call you to take on leadership roles and I wish you well. At the recent, well attended AGM and Member’s Day, I was excited to launch the President’s Challenge ’23. 10 bags, each

containing £23 have gone out to Groups. The challenge is to make something of this money, to use imagination and skill to grow and use wisely. The stories and returns will be collected at

the Autumn Gathering in October. A prize will be presented to the Group that is the most innovative and successful. Good luck!

If you were unable to attend the AGM day, you might like to view some of the photographs taken during the morning. In the afternoon we had a guest speaker, Sean Suleman, from the Blonde Angels Street Team. He spoke movingly about their work and told stories of hope as they work with the Homeless and help to move them forwards in their lives, showing care and compassion. We have already been supporting them with gifts of food and warm clothing etc. but now we have agreed to officially take this on as a project. #makingadifference being totally in line with our aims and objectives.

New straplines from Central MU state that we aim to: Stop Poverty, Stop Violence and Stop Injustice. We support this entirely, and by sharing God’s love with those around us, and

those in need, we are helping to make Jesus visible through the selfless work of the Mothers’ Union. 'And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.’ Romans 5:5

With my love and prayers and Easter blessings.

Jacky x

MU President Bristol

A Personal Reflection for Lady Day 25 March 2023

‘Inspire us in our faith that all things are possible with God’.

Lady Day - the Feast of the Annunciation - has been a significant day of prayer, intercession and thanksgiving for Mothers’ Union since 1897.

Bible reading: Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over

the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. ;The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God. I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said.

Luke 1: 30-33; 35-38

When you come to us

with gentle whisper

or mighty wind,

and ask what seems impossible

to human minds,

as you did to Mary,

may our response

not be to hesitate,

make excuses

or run away,

but to echo instead

those trusting

and beautiful words,

“I am the Lord’s servant:

may your word be fulfilled in me”

For Mary’s faithfulness

and her life of service

we thank you, Lord.

© John Birch

A Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ

give us, we pray,

the graces of Mary;

faith, patience,

ready obedience,

thankfulness

and courage. Amen

Download and print.

Prayer For International Mother's Day 2023

Heavenly Father, You created us all yet we men have not treated women as their equals. Your Son, Jesus Christ was perhaps the first male feminist in his treatment of women, and in the example he set. His example could be followed my man more men around the world. While as a man I believe that women’s status has improved, they are still not treated as equals in most places.

We pray for the Mothers’ Union and all organisations and individuals who through action or prayer are trying to improve the status of women through equality and equity. Gracious God, guide and support all those supporting the initiative to #EmbraceEquity in whatever way they are able.

Educate men who treat women as second class citizens to the value of women, their ideas and thoughts. Prompt leaders and governments to introduce policies leading to impartiality and equality for women. We do not ask for special treatment. We ask for justice, equality and equitable treatment, to be judged on merit not sex.

Gracious God, bless women of every colour, religion, political persuasion, race, able bodied, differently abled, rich or poor, married or single, old and young. Empower every woman to meet men on equal terms in whatever field of endeavour they choose to pursue.

Lord and Father, on this Women’s Day we pray to you in particular for the women of Ukraine, trying to protect themselves and their families from invasion and war.

We set this prayer before you God and Father in the name of Your Son and of women everywhere.

Amen.

Diocesan News February 2023

Exciting times ahead for Mothers’ Union this year as we look to simplify structures and concentrate on growing our membership so that we can continue to put our faith in action and support young families, the homeless, refugees and those on the edges of society. We are taking steps to engage more fully with members of the Clergy in the Diocese and with Bristol Cathedral. Mothers’ Union support all the marks of mission and are integral to the task of ‘Making Jesus Visible’ If you are a Clergy member and are not yet an MU supporter, please find out more.

We are delighted that we are once more able to support parents with children in the Children’s

Hospital as the ‘Friends for Parents’ can be a presence on the wards again, in addition to our gifts of tea and coffee for the parent’s rooms which have been consistent throughout the last few years. We have extended our welcoming of visitors to prisoners at Ashfield Prison to Sunday afternoons as well as Saturdays. Visitors report how grateful they are to see a friendly face at this stressful time for families and friends. We are growing connections with Children’s Centres in several Bristol regions. We have been happy to help to provide items for a new born baby girl, born to one of our local Ukrainian guests. We have a growing online presence here on our website and Facebook page.

I hope this provides a snapshot of some of our ongoing projects. We are looking forward to

launching a new ‘Online group’ for young (or not so young) members soon, with a focus on mutual support, prayer, campaigning and caring for the environment. Watch this space!

Various categories of membership and supporter exist to suit different lifestyles. Going to Branch

meetings is not a requirement! To find out more on this website click here, you can visit our Facebook page, pick up a leaflet or talk to me!

Jacky Fredrickson

MU President Bristol