Mothers Union
The Mothers’ Union is a Christian organization with more than 3.6 million members in 76 countries. Though our lives and our experience of the Mothers’ Union may differ widely depending on where we live in the world, we are united by our shared belief in the importance of family values.
The Mothers’ Union promotes the wellbeing of families worldwide.
The aim of the Society is the advancement of the Christian religion in the sphere of marriage and family life.The Mothers’ Union was founded by Mary Elizabeth Sumner in 1876. The first branch of the Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Nova Scotia, that of the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax, was formed in 1935, although meetings had been held along the lines of the organization for almost two years before a proper enrollment took place. Mrs. Whalley, wife of the Dean of Nova Scotia, was the Enrolling Member of the new branch. After the Second World War the work of the Mothers’ Union changed, as did the world, and regular meetings ceased. Archdeacon G.S. Tanton was responsible for the re-birth of the Mother’s Union in this Diocese. At St. Mark’s Church, Halifax, meetings resumed in April 1960. Other branches were enrolled as the years passed. By 1985 there were 22 branches in Nova Scotia and 3 in Prince Edward Island. (taken from 100th anniversary, Anglican Women’s Work in Canada, 1885-1985.)
TODAY
There are 18 branches of Mothers' Union in the Diocese of NS and PEI. One is in PEI at St. John's Church, Milton, and they just celebrated their 25th anniversary in November. The others are spread over NS from North Sydney to Shelburne. The newest branch is in Lantz with mainly young members. Most branches are in the metro area.
There is a Diocesan Council with an executive and representation from each branch. Our diocesan project is assistance at the Mission to Seafarers' monthly luncheons. We provide desserts and people to serve and help with clean-up. Our national projects are the Northern Clergy Families' Fund which provides about 10 no-strings-attached gifts each year to the spouses of clergy serving in the Dioceses of the North, and the PWRDF to which Councils, some branches and individuals donate. Mothers' Union is not a money raising group, since we are service oriented. Our dues are $25 a year and our 3 issue newsletter is included. We do have one fund raiser a year to donate to our travel fund. Each branch has a project. These range from staffing the church nursery, making baptismal banners, providing monthly afternoon tea at seniors' residences, leading Marriage Preparation Programs, knitting squares for Blankets for Canadians, and many other imaginative service projects. On an international level, we donate to the Mothers' Union Overseas and Development Fund which provides Christian care for families worldwide in as many ways as possible, through training in Literacy, Family Life, and Parenting. This is our newest endeavor, since our diocesan chaplain has taken the training program and plans to lead a Parenting Course in our diocese in 2009.