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Romsey Branch is going from strength to strength and membership is now 64, which includes the Vicar and a retired member of the clergy. Yes, the M.U. welcomes men, and the Bishop of Winchester is also a member, though not at Romsey Branch. We have an 'Indoor Member' who is unable to come to meetings and members ill at home or in hospital are visited and supported.
The Branch has nine meetings a year with speakers on a wide range of topics, and two meetings when a service is held in the Abbey. There is also an outing each summer. In addition there is a prayer meeting every month at 10.00 am on the first Thursday in the Abbey and an M.U. Lent Course each year, open to everyone in the parish. Members receive 'Home and Family' magazine, which is also available on tape for those with sight problems.
That describes the basic activities in Romsey Branch, but is only part of the story. Actually members are involved in a surprising range of other activities in the parish too. They are often called upon to cater for parish events, including some Harvest Suppers (they also decorate a pillar at Harvest Festival), ordinations, farewell parties, etc. They provide catering as a means of fund-raising: teas for visiting groups (whether MU. groups or not), town functions and some funeral receptions for members of the congregation or their families. These funds are then donated to various good causes: the M.U. Family Holiday Scheme, which provides holidays on the Isle of Wight for families experiencing some hardship; to Kitgum in Uganda where the M.U. has a project to keep children from being forced to fight as soldiers; and to providing funds for the education of orphans in South Rwenzori (Romsey Deanery's link diocese in Uganda). The Branch has recently been able to donate £600 to these causes.
The Branch maintains links with M.U. members in Australia and Myanmar. Many members have collecting boxes for or make donations to M.U. Overseas work. Cake sales and cream teas have also been run specifically to provide additional funds for the South Rwenzori orphans, and in the past also to help support the young people from this parish who visited South Rwenzori, our link diocese in Uganda.
Various needs within this parish are met by members of the Mothers' Union.
Every Mothering Sunday it is they who make up some 250 posies to be handed out at the service. The Thursday parish lunches were started by M.U. members, and the monthly collections of food and cleaning materials for the Basics Bank in Southampton were set up by the M.U. after a speaker from there had described the work of this charity at a Branch meeting.
M.U. members are there in the background on other occasions, providing elevenses to children and parents at the Toddler Fellowship meetings and providing coffee for the monthly baptism classes.
Romsey often acts as hosts for Deanery M.U. events and is able to give financial support for these.
One hears how the Mothers' Union members in Africa are a vital force in each parish. I think you will agree that they play a very active role in Romsey .too!
For Further details of the Mothers' Union in the Winchester Diocese go to