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Report to the Annual Meeting of the Mothers’ Union 2005
Thank you for all your cards and good wishes when I stupidly
tried to come down the stairs too fast. I really wasn’t plastered-only the
next day!
Are we sitting back, satisfied with what
we’re doing?
Or are we the grit in the oyster? Perhaps
asking the awkward question? Challenging when we know things could be better
in MU, in Church or in daily life.
What does the grit in the oyster produce? A
pearl of great price, as it says in the Bible.
This was one of the illustrations produced by
Trish Heywood, our Worldwide President on the first day of World wide
Council to which Hilary and I went last month.
Although we were at Swanwick in the beautiful
Derbyshire countryside, it was no holiday.
Prayers at 7.30 am followed by Bible study
and then a full day of presentations, discussion groups, consultations and
other business until we were let out after evening prayers for a quick drink
in the bar before sinking into bed.
I came back with lots of ideas and information that I want
to share with you, especially through our groups later in the day but what
always impresses me is the sheer enthusiasm of the staff both paid and
unpaid at these meetings and the preparation that is put in to make both
worship and business really inspiring.
In the Bristol Diocese we do try to make
trustees’ and Annual and Council meetings both informative, well ordered and
even inspiring. We hope to set an example for deanery and branch meetings
and for deanery festivals and quiet days. I’m sure most of you do have
well-run meetings and I know you put a lot of thought and prayer into
festivals but I have heard some hair-raising stories from speakers about
less than courteous treatment. One diocesan president, (far from here, I
hasten to add,) reported that she had arrived at a branch meeting and been
greeted with ,’We’re not ready for you yet. You’d better go in the kitchen!’
I hope our welcomes are better than that!
Do branches still have the forms to send to
speakers to give them all the information needed for their comfort and your
satisfaction? What about our MU services, or our Sunday ones?
If Christ, or indeed a stranger came to one
of them, how would He rate our response to, ‘The Lord is here!’ You don’t
need a lot of training to make the reply joyful! And you feel better for
having said it joyfully. I look round at people singing hymns of praise and
they usually look so miserable I wonder why they’re there!
Did you see pictures of Gordon Brown in
Africa after Christmas? Not snapping elephants on game reserves but visiting
villages like I did and others from our diocese in Uganda?
I quote, ‘The greatest surprise was to find a
generation of practical women with the potential and impatience to secure
change. Women are the victims here but they seem to be the solution. There
is a leadership of women emerging in Africa that have potential to change
the face of the continent. They are not going to stand by and let these
problems remain neglected for much longer.’ We know MU is behind much of
what is being achieved. But I don’t have to sell MU to Gordon Brown. He is a
great fan and is often seen in Tufton Street.
Talking of politics, we are very near a
general election. Do quiz candidates about their policy on marriage and
family support. Do ask them about overseas aid. The ‘grey’ vote is very much
sought after. Our generation is most likely to vote so make sure it is a
thoughtful vote! I thought too that the Archbishop of Canterbury had some
very wise things to say to the three parties a couple of weeks ago.’
If any of you have Saga magazine, you will
also have seen their recent survey of the Grey vote which underlines the
point that we are far more likely to vote than the under fifties. May we use
that vote prayerfully.
I have two pieces of good news to finish
with.
As some of you will know, there is no
Mothers’ Union branch in Stoke Gifford where I live but I have just started
a Young Mothers’ Union group- all young mums with small children. It’s
really only because they live around me and I have made friends with them .
It can be done!
Secondly, I have been invited to give a
presentation to the Diocesan Synod in May. 10 minutes presentation and 10
minutes questions and answer session which is much more daunting. I shall
need all your prayers that I say the right things.
It only remains to thank you for a good year,
for all your hard work which went into the picnic in the Cathedral and for
the day to day hard work in the units and the deaneries and branches and
projects. I am very lucky to have such a good team around me. God bless you
all. |
