Heathfield Benefice

The Church of England in Your Community

Mothers' Union News and Projects 2020

New Altar Cloths for All Saints' & St Richards School


Mothers Union members busy making Altar Cloths 


 

Heather, Hazel and Nora of St Richard’s Mother’s Union, sewing three new Altar Cloths for use during the Church services at ASSR Primary School. 

Although the school have a White Altar Cloth, Reverend Mitch thought it would be nice to have a full set of Altar Cloths and asked if MU could organise something. Heather discovered some material, remnants from when new Altar Cloths were made for St Richard’s Church, sitting in a drawer waiting for just such a project! We hemmed the cloths by machine and made a cross out of gold ribbon which we hand stitched on to each cloth.



 

The Altar Cloth colours used throughout the year represent special Church occasions: White is traditionally used for seasons of joy and celebration such as Christmas, Epiphany (the arrival of the three Kings) and Easter time; Purple represents penitence and is used during Advent leading up to Christmas and also during Lent; Red represents the Holy Spirit and is used at Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and also on Saints’ days as their ministry was inspired by the Holy Spirit; Green, the most commonly occurring colour in the world, is used for the remainder of the year which we refer to as Ordinary times.



New Altar Cloths for the School 


 

Nora Millward, Communications Officer, St Richard’s MU 




Happy 100th Birthday Pip!

Mothers Union member Pip in her chair celebrating her 100th Birthday


 

2020 was always going to be a special year in our ‘Mothers Union members birthday calendar’ but little did we realise that planned celebrations, including tea and cake, would have to be put on hold due to lockdown!



 

Our much-loved friend and member Pip Yellen celebrated her 100th birthday in early December. 



 

A member for many years and a past leader of our Heathfield branch, Pip still keeps up to date with events and offers full support in all that we do, from the comfort of her chair. 



 

Looking back at photos over the years she is always to be found with a smile upon her face  - nothing has changed despite the trials and tribulations she encounters in life today.



 

With an active mind, interested in all that goes on in and around the Heathfield Benefice she is a joy to talk to and her words of encouragement and wisdom valuable to ponder upon.  



 

If all of us that read the Community magazine followed Pips lead – circulation would increase.  She eagerly awaits delivery of 4 copies each month, thus ensuring she ‘does her bit’ by passing the extra copies to friends. 



 

Both from your friends at Mothers Union and the St Richards and Benefice family we send our love and congratulations on reaching you milestone birthday. 




 

Heather Bruce

Mother Union Contact, St Richards branch 


A Special Christmas Gift


Fluffy lambs homemade by Mothers' Union member


 

At our Mothers’ Union Zoom meeting early in December we discussed ways we might make this Christmas a bit special.  We put our thinking hats on - perhaps a prayer, light a candle or an Advent candle daily or make a nativity scene and we decided we would each choose something special that we could do at home.



 

One of our members, decided to make these delightful pompom lambs for each of her family to hang on their trees. She shared this photo of her ‘gift idea’ with the MU members together with this email message:  



 

‘I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Christmas. I am sure that the pandemic has made us all look at things from a slightly different perspective and I decided that making a simple gift of a lamb seemed very apt this year. My thinking was to put a smile on the faces of those opening the gift and I am hoping that it will make you smile too!!’ 



 

A little belated perhaps but I wanted to share it with you in the hope it makes you smile too!



 

Nora Millward


Mothers’ Union 



Mother’s Union Zoom Meeting


Members of Mothers' Union on zoom meeting



 

We were very privileged to have our MU Diocesan President, Karen Hill join a recent Zoom meeting to give us an update. She told us how successful the four week food collections had been for the East Sussex FSW (Family Support Work) when Diocesan MU Branch members generously donated tins of food to help people struggling to feed their families during lockdown. 

 

She also informed us that the two holiday caravans will soon be available. Each will need to be chemically sprayed between visits to make them Covid safe but sadly, the children’s beach toys will have to be removed which has tugged at the heart strings of St Richard’s MU members so, true to form, we have discussed ways we might provide each family with a children’s bucket and spade. One of our members recently raised sponsorship money and set some aside for a future project. She decided that this would be the perfect cause to donate the money to and MU branch members have agreed to make up any difference in order to provide 23 buckets and spades. 





Prayer Mission to Nazareth

Photo of Penny holding new born baby






Penny Button recently gave a fascinating talk to St Richard’s Mothers Union about a her week-long prayer mission with a team of six people from the Crowhurst Christian Healing Centre to The Nazareth Christian Hospital, a Charitable Trust with 130 beds offering medical care for anyone.



 

The team prayed with patients, family and staff where requested. Penny also prayed for several new mothers and their babies in the maternity wards and incubators and she had the opportunity to give a Prayer shawl, knitted by a member of St Richard’s Mothers’ Union, to a young Student from The Nursing School who had just given birth to triplets! She also prayed for a young Mum who had just given birth to her first baby with her Mother being present - Penny is holding holding the new born baby in the photo. 




Mothers’ Union Virtual Meetings

Freeman of Chester Brooch



St Richard’s Mothers’ Union have been staying in touch through weekly Zoom meetings. The first week we discussed positive things that had resulted from ‘lock down’ and we all agreed that life seemed more relaxed as there was more time to do things. The next two weeks we each presented a piece of jewellery that had a special memory. Earrings, necklaces and brooches were proudly displayed. 




 

However one brooch in particular had a very special meaning for Frances Jones - her Freedom of Chester brooch and she recounted the following story: 

 

After retiring, my father, Bob Coleclough, traced his ancestors to Chester and went there with my husband, Malcolm. Examining graves and visiting the archives in the County Records Office, he traced his ancestors back to the 1660's. However one interesting gentleman born in 1789, (my Great, Great, Great Grandfather) was recorded on his Marriage Certificate as Samuel Coleclough, Freeman. The Archivist explained that Samuel was a Freeman of Chester City. "So, Bob," said Malcolm, "you are descended from a Freeman.” The Archivist enquired of Malcolm "Is this gentleman descended down the male line and can you prove it?"  "Certainly," replied Malcolm, reaching for a fat file of documents. To my father’s amazement the Archivist replied "Do you realise, Mr Coleclough, you are entitled to claim the Freedom of the City?” 

 



Some months later, we attended a splendid mediaeval style ceremony Chester’s Moot Hall where the Mayor, Aldermen and other Freemen, all fully robed, admitted my father and his brother as Freemen of the City. After a good party we left having discovered that the Freedom didn't even allow us free parking! It does however allow us to drive cattle across the main bridge over the River Dee. We didn’t try it but this was probably very useful for Samuel as he was a butcher and had married a farmer’s daughter – a shrewd move on his behalf! 

 

Years later following the death of my father, I received a letter saying Her Majesty the Queen had promulgated (passed) an Order in Council allowing Freedoms to pass to Ladies. So I am now proudly, albeit remotely, a Freeman of Chester with a badge to show for it bought by my daughters. Hopefully my family will carry on the tradition in due course. 

 

 


If you would like to join our Zoom meetings on Wednesdays @ 11am for half an hour, please contact Heather Bruce   

 



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