Mothers Union
Christian care for families
Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham
WAVE OF PRAYER
SERVICE
17th to 19th September
The information for the reflections in this Service were sent to
us By our Line Dioceses and we have used their words just as
they were written They also chose the Bibe verse which
introduces the section for their country.
LEADER.· Jesus said, "i am the light of the world."
ALL: Listen to Him and walk in his way.
LEADER; Jesus said, "Stand up and don’t be afraid."
ALL: Listen to Him and walk in his way.
LEADER: Jesus said, "You are my friends?
ALL: Listen to Him and walk in his way.
LEADER: Jesus said, "l am with you always.”
ALL: Listen to Him and walk in his way.
AMEN
A HYMN or SONG may be sung
LEADER: We come to God as one from whom no secrets are hidden
to ask for his forgiveness and peace. You made us to be one family
yet we have divided humanity
ALL: Lord have mercy
LEADER: You were born a Jew to reconcile all people,
yet we have brought disharmony amongst races.
ALL: Christ have mercy
LEADER: You rejoice in our differences,
yet we make them a cause of enmity.
ALL: Lord have mercy
LEADER: May the love of God bring us back to
himself, forgive us our sins and assure us of his
eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord
ALL: AMEN
The Lord’s Prayer is said by all in its traditional form.
A HYMN or SONG may be sung
BUYE DIOCESE in the PROVINCE of BURUNDI
LEADER ..., from Genesis chapter 24 verse 29
"Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me;
and if not, tell me, so I will know which way to turn."
READER: ( more than one if' desired)
An Anglican presence was established in Burundi Province in the 1930s
and BUYE diocese was formed in 1965, as a result of rapid growth in the
African Church due to the East Africa Revival. The Church’s major
concerns include peace and reconciliation, teaching on advocacy, health
education, literacy and financial education and community development.
It is committed to mission and evangelism and is keen to support
theological education and training for ministry.
Faith is at the forefront of all Mothers’ Union stands for and is a major
part of all Mothers' Union activities which include:
Worship, spreading the Gospel of Christ, prayers for the sick and Bible
Studies.
Mothers' Union projects in the diocese include:
1} Literacy and Financial Education Programmes.
2) Providing a small loan scheme for members, resulting in major life
changes for needy families. Many poor families struggling to provide one
meal per day can now experience an improved life style. Mothers can
now provide nourishing meals, clothes for the family and are able to pay
school fees and medical expenses. This is all as a result of gaining a small
profit from their small businesses set up with the help of a lVlothers'
Union loan. Some of these businesses are selling vegetables or charcoal,
others are rearing hens and goats.
in December 2013, Mothers’ Union members across the province
participated in International Tree Day, when the Anglican Church in
Burundi planted thousands of trees. In one community in BUYE, more
than 2500 trees were planted. The aim was to contribute to efforts to
reforest the mountains and hills where many trees have been cut down
and to raise awareness of the need to care for the environment.
READER: We light a candle for our link diocese of BUYE
A CANDLE is LIT
ln the stillness we think about Clothilde, the Diocesan President and all
the members.
SILENCE is kept
LEADER: Let us pray
ALL:
Loving Lord, we offer to you our prayers for the future of Mothers'
Union in BUYE. Bind us together as living stones, united in love and
founded in Christ. May God be with members in BUYE in every part of
their lives, encouraging them and leading them, sheltering them and
strengthening them, so they may work to your praise and glory.
A SONG or HYMIN may be sung or a short piece of quiet music played.
SEBEI DIOCESE in the PROVINCE of UGANDA
LEADER: from Proverbs chapter 30 verse 5
" God keeps every promise He makes. He is like a shield for all
who seek His protection?
READER:
SEBEI is located in Eastern Uganda on the slopes of Mt. Elgon. The
terrain is predominantly hilly and many roads are impassable during the
rainy season. The majority of the population are farmers.
Mothers’ Union is active in the diocese. They have seminars on
Family Life, on Social and Economic issues and on Women’s Health,
especially female genital mutilation. (FGM)
Their projects include small scale farming ( including a heifer project),
home visits and Sunday school and day school involvement.
READER: We light a candle for our link diocese of SEBEI
In the stillness we think about Mrs. Diana Yamangusho, the Diocesan
President and all the members.
A CANDLE is LIT
SILENCE is kept
LEADER: Let us pray
ALL:
Loving Lord, we offer to you our prayers for the future of Mothers'
Union, Bind us together as living Stunes, united in love and founded in
Christ. May God be with members in SEBEI in every part of their lives,
encouraging them and leading them, sheltering them and
strengthening them, so they may work to your praise and glory.
AMEN ·
A SONG or HYMN may be sung or a short piece of quiet music played.
ABAKALIKI DIOCESE in the PROVINCE of NIGERIA
LEADER .. from the prophesy of Isaiah chapter 6 verses 6-7
”Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let
the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let
them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God,
for He will freely pardon.
READERS
In ABAKLIKl Mothers' Union, Women's Guild and Girls’ Guild work
closely together. Their activities include:
Evangelism, nurturing new churches, organising Sunday Schools, holding
Easter retreats for children, student holidays and camps, prayers for
widows, single parents and the aged, visits to hospitals, schools and old
peoples' homes, help and visits to orphanages.
Among the problems facing members are poverty, child neglect, illiteracy
and early marriage.
EKITI — OKE DIOCESE in the PROVINCE of NIGERIA
in EKITI-OKE outreach work revolves around educating and raising
awareness of family life, and the role that young people have to play.
Members organise conferences and help to run four Anglican girls’
i-losteis. They also have an annual conference on the yearly prayer
theme and run \Nomen’s World Day of Prayer Services,
READERS:
We light canciles for our link dioceses of ABAKALIKI and EKITI – OKE
2 CANDLES are LIT
In the stillness we think about Christine, the Diocesan President in
Abakaliki, and Mrs Olubowale, the Diocesan President in Eki—Oke and all
their members.
SILENCE is kept
LEADER: Let us pray
ALL:
Loving Lord, we offer to you our prayers for the future of Mothers’
Union in ABAKILKI and EKITI - OKE. Bind us together as living stones,
united in love and founded in Christ. May God be with members in
ABAKLIKI and EKITL ··OKE in every part of their lives, encouraging them
and leading them, sheltering them and strengthening them, so they
may work to your praise and glory.
AMEN
A SONG or HYMN may be sung or 0 short piece of quiet music played.
BELIZE in the PROVINCE of BELIZE
LEADER: from Exodus, chapter 34 verse 6
"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming ," the Lord, the Lord, the
compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness?
READER: Family life for some in Belize can be a struggle with the number
of single headed households and large numbers of the population
affected by poverty. According to one source, almost 40% of all children
aged 17 and younger live in poverty and the proportion is even higher in
rural areas and among some ethnic groups. The Church and Mothers’
Union play a crucial role in supporting family life with a number of
outreach and empowerment programmes.
In 2013 members welcomed the Provincial President and Provincial
Trainer who were visiting the diocese. During their visit a seminar was
held which was attended by 33 women - a mixture of Mothers' Union
members and non-members, including women from the Church of the
Nazarene and the Women's Auxiliary. The Right Reverend Philip Wright,
Bishop of Belize, opened and closed the seminar and talked about the
work of Mothers' Union in Belize in the context of the diocesan vision.
Sessions at the seminar focused on Mothers' Union, team building,
leadership and capacity building. A fo||ow up retreat was held for the
Mothers’ Union Executive in November 2013.
Mothers’ Union in Belize are in the process of launching the Worldwide
Parenting Programme. While membership is small (75), Mothers’ Union
plays an important role in the outreach of the wider church to local
communities. It is hoped that, through the p programme, many more
grassroots communities will be positively impacted through the work of
Mothers Union.
READER: We light a candle for our link diocese of BELIZE
A CANDLE is LIT
In the stillness we think about Lorna, the Diocesan President, Jennifer,
the Provincial President, I\/Iarlecell, the Provincial Trainer and all the
members.
SILENCE is kept
LEADER: Let us pray
ALL:
Loving Lord, we offer to you our prayers for the future of Mothers’
Union in BELIZE . Bind us together as living stones, united in love and
founded in Christ. May God be with members in BELIZE in every part of
their lives, encouraging them and leading them, sheltering them and
strengthening them, so they may work to your praise and glory. AMEN
A SONG or HYMN may be sung or :2 short piece of quiet music played.
SOUTHWELL & NOTTINGHAM DIOCESE in the PROVINCE of YORK
LEADER: from 2 Timothy chapter 1, verses 5-7
" I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your
grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, l am persuaded, now
lives in you also. For this reason i remind you to fan into flame the gift of
God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the spirit
God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-.
Discipline"
READER
There are currently 1206 members in the diocese. Among these are a
growing number of Diocesan Members who do not feel able to commit
to Branch meetings but who wish to support the objectives of Mothers’
Union through prayer, fund raising and volunteering in projects,
Mothers' Union projects in the diocese include:
Away From it All holidays —families spend a week in a caravan at the
seaside and receive hampers at Christmas.
Contact Centre, where non—resident parents can spend time with their
children
Prison Creche.
Time Travelling — bringing hundreds of Primary School children each year
to the cathedral to learn about the Christian Faith through fun activities.
Ba by feeding and changing facilities at Agricultural Shows
Parenting groups, Toddler groups and Messy Church in parishes
Telephone prayer chain to support any in crisis e g hospitalisation,
surgery etc.
Branches support Women’s Aid, and knit trauma teddies for police
convoys and emergency services, tiny clothes for neo natal units,
'breasts’ for Health visitors to use in teaching new mums to breast feed.
Members have taken part in campaigning:
The Big Promise — when across the country couples were encouraged to
come to church to reaffirm their marriage vows
Bye Buy Childhood
16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence.
A CANDLE is LIT
SILENCE is kept
LEADER: In the stillness we pray that God will surround Lucille, our
Diocesan President, and all of us with His love, fill us with His grace,
strengthen us for His service and transform our lives so that we may
accomplish His purpose.
SILENCE is kept
LEADER: As we look back with gratitude and praise for what has been
achieved, so we look forward with faith and hope for what is to come,
so let us pray
1st READER: God of mercy and compassion, weave your dream for the
world into the fabric of our lives. Remove the scales from our eyes and
lift the indifference for our hearts so that we may see your vision a new
reign ofjustice and compassion that will transform the world.
2nd READER: Give us a new urgency and a new commitment to feed the
hungry, shelter the homeless and visit those who live in isolation. Help
us to reach out to those no one else will touch, to accept the
unacceptable, and to embrace the enemy.
3rd READER: Help us to sow a future together which will enable our work
to flourish through far reaching vision and commitment to your will. We
place our trust in our loving God who calls us to follow Him then walks
alongside us all the way.
LEADER: We unite our prayers as we say the Mothers’ Union Prayer
Together
Loving Lord,
We thank you for your love so freely given to us all. We pray for
families around the world. Bless the work of the Mothers’ Union as
we seek to share your love through the encouragement,
strengthening and support of marriage and family life. Empowered
by your spirit, may we be united in prayer and in worship, and in
love and in service reach out as your hands across the world.
AMEN
A SONG or HYMN may be sung or or short piece of quiet music played.
The Service ends with everyone saying The Grace together.