Football, Women and Africa
Now what is the common factor?
The answer is of course the Mothers’ Union.
Imagine over 4000 MU members packed into the Britannia Stand at Portman Road, the home ground of Ipswich Town Football Club on Saturday 25th June. We were not there to watch football, although there was plenty of football terminology around. It was the General Meeting 2005 of the MU and everyone was there from Trish Heywood, the Worldwide President and all the twenty-five Provincial Presidents from the twenty-five Provinces of the Anglican Communion, to the branch members from every continent.
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Fashion statements were very evident in the brightly coloured dresses and big hats of the African ladies, which rather overshadowed what we British ladies were wearing.
With the theme of football running through the day, we ‘kicked off’ with Trish Heywood giving an inspiring speech about ‘What is the MU?’ and linking this with what it is to be a good neighbour. Four children then played the Giant Millennium Goals Game, which consisted of a huge board like you have to play Snakes and Ladders. The two children representing the richer countries easily overtook the two representing the less developed countries. This was because they |
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had better living conditions, a better standard of education and healthcare and clean water on tap and no loss of parents through Aids.
There then followed a team talk by the four Unit Coordinators from Mary Sumner House, (MU HQ). The usual Midday Prayers became Half Time Prayers and the morning ended with a videoed interview with Gordon Brown. He said that he had recently met with some extraordinary women on a visit to Africa who were MU members. He thought that the MU had created an atmosphere with its part in the ‘Make Poverty History’ Campaign so that something had to be done by world leaders to cancel third world debts and improve the standard of living, health and education of African people.
During the afternoon, Diane Louise Jordan (of Blue Peter fame) interviewed the Provincial Presidents of South Africa, the West Indies and Uganda. The interviews were dispersed with video clips showing some of the work that the MU does in these countries and the problems faced by the people there.
As the closing act of worship finished, the members left the stadium inspired and enthused to go out and continue the work of the MU in their individual parishes and some will be looking forward to the next General Meeting in Ireland in 2006.
Mary Shaw