MU Connected Magazine Spring 2021

Page 42

T

he Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, once said of Mothers’ Union: ‘The Mothers’ Union campaigns excellently, it nurtures wonderfully, but above all and beneath all, it prays – thank God’. And he’s absolutely right – we do! Everything we undertake in the name of Mothers’ Union; our projects and initiatives, our campaigning for social justice, our care for one another, all are built on a foundation of prayer. And once up and running, are supported by an ongoing reliance on prayer. So far so true! But if we’re honest, many of us would admit to finding it hard to always know what to pray and to know how to pray, whether in our own personal times or with others. When we read in the Bible directions such

as pray continually, or pray and don’t give up we can sometimes see this as an impossibility rather than an inspiration! It’s not that we don’t believe in the power of prayer or the willingness of God to answer, it’s just that the actual mechanics of engaging meaningfully in the process can often prove to be a challenge. Or am I the only one who has surreptitiously looked at my watch during a time of prayer, finding to my dismay that only five minutes have gone and I can’t think of one more thing to say? Of course, we all know people who seem to have a real gift of praying and whose prayers are inspiring and effective – and I’ve met many of you through my work with Mothers’ Union. But God values every faltering attempt as much

as the articulate offerings of the gifted. So the aim behind Praying with Purpose is to make it as easy as possible for everyone to naturally engage in prayer, and to find it encouraging and meaningful. It does this by offering different ways for both groups and individuals at home to create a prayer time which is accessible and enjoyable. Praying with Purpose consists of a number of resources which you can use to select prayer suggestions to put together a “bespoke” prayer time for a particular need. At the heart of these resources are templates for prayer times into which you can incorporate your chosen ideas. These follow a pattern, which starts by building faith, giving thanks for answered prayer, intercession for

Sometimes praying can be really hard, but God appreciates all our efforts, says Catherine Kyte

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Articles inside

Best foot forward: Gozo and Malta members tackle the 5K challenge

5min
pages 50-53

Speaking volumes: The latest book reviews by members

8min
pages 46-49

Faith in action: Persevere when you pray and be close to God, says Catherine Kyte

8min
pages 42-45

Simply better: A Ugandan project shows how basic tools can transform

2min
page 38

Better relations: An Ethiopian group builds a bright future

1min
page 39

Create a greeting: Enter our Christmas card competition

2min
page 41

Festive joy: How the Big Give Christmas Campaign will help in the DRC

1min
page 40

Summer of Hope: Our plans to celebrate MU founder Mary Sumner

2min
page 34

Growing Leadership: MU needs leaders, could it be you, asks Marian Pope

6min
pages 35-37

Reflection: Love lights up the dark times along with humour, says Angie Jones

4min
pages 32-33

Online shop: Putting our new products and old favourites on display

2min
pages 30-31

Devotional: Bishop Emma Ineson shares her thoughts on the value of kindness

4min
pages 28-29

Burdens lightened: Bags of love that can help people cope with loss

3min
pages 26-27

COVID-19 and After: How we aim to survive and thrive in spite of the pandemic

4min
pages 24-25

Hot Topics: Two Bishops give their views on the role of foodbanks

9min
pages 20-23

Stronger together: Mothers’ Union partners who help us to speak out and be heard

4min
pages 16-17

Peace and Safety: How we are making a difference in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Hereford

4min
pages 10-11

Self-reliance: Projects making progress in Tanzania, South Sudan and Portsmouth

3min
pages 12-13

MU at the UN: How we are working with the UNCSW to help women globally

3min
pages 18-19

WWP Welcome: Sheran Harper introduces you to our new members’ magazine

4min
pages 4-5

CEO Letter: Bev Julien shares Mothers’ Union’s global vision

4min
pages 6-7
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