MU August Newsletter
posted by: Joan Vine | on: Tuesday, 1 August 2023, 11:55
The summer of hope, Sunflower...
Thoughts from your President, Maxine Paul: What a super time I’m having visiting your branches for my “Summer of Hope” challenge. Thank you all for making me so welcome. I have now called at 31 churches out of a possible 48 and I shall continue on my travels throughout August. Catch up with the photos on Facebook.
The Essex countryside is stunning and the variety of places I’ve been is amazing from inner city Leyton to the winding lanes of Great Totham with the London suburbia of Woodford in between and beyond to the seaside parishes of Clacton and Leigh-on-Sea, the sailor’s church on the quay at Maldon and Mersea Island where you can be cut off by the tide and have to linger a couple of hours longer than planned. (We did get the timings right, though!). I even got to have lunch with Anna Firth, MP for Southend West! A great mix of four cities, towns, villages and seaside – God’s diversity is so good to enjoy.
There are two churches though that stand out – totally different, but both so lovely and a complete surprise… If you want a cultural day out down narrow country lanes, head for Copford and the parish of St Michael’s and All Angels; an absolute hidden gem of a church with the oldest church wall and ceiling paintings in the whole country – a breathtaking, wow thank you God experience almost comparable to some of the great Italian churches. Then there was St Barnabas, Hadleigh. 60’s buildings don’t normally do it for me, but maybe it was because it was so light and airy – full of the Holy Spirit or maybe it was the MU stained-glass window of the Blessed Virgin Mary that set me on fire.
I am so looking forward to the Mary Sumner Day Members’ Event at Witham to celebrate the founder of this wonderful movement of Mothers’ Union and pray that many of you will join me and VP Janet to celebrate.
All this day, O Lord, let me touch as many lives as possible for thee;
and every life I touch, do thou by thy spirit quicken, whether through the word I speak, the prayer I breathe, or the life I live. Amen
May God continue to make this a “Summer of Hope” Maxine x
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Posted: 1 Aug 2023 | There are 1 comments
Comments
Comment 1 | From: Neville Bird | Date: 27 August 2023, 11:15
My daughter Felicity Tredwell and I thank you so much for an inspiring afternoon at Witham. So wonderful to have the chance of meeting you and our MU brothers and sisters. Hope is always with us.
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