Glasgow & Galloway 2013

Diocese of Glasgow & Galloway

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Glasgow and Galloway 2013

Sowing the Future Together

Mothers’ Union members from across Glasgow and Galloway Diocese engaged in their version of Church and Community Mobilisation Process in 2013, when the Mothers’ Union theme was ‘the seeds we sow flourish’. There is evidence that with prayer and with God’s help relationships have developed so that now Mothers’ Union members across the diocese, prisoners, their families and staff at HMP Low Moss are sowing their future together - the theme for 2014.

The aim of our CCMP was to support the mission of St James the Less Church, Bishopbriggs, the Church where members worshipped for their Festival Service. One strand of the mission of St James the Less is to support prisoners and their families at a nearly prison HMP Low Moss. Members of Mothers’ Union also form part of the team of volunteers at Low Moss.

Members from branches and diocese used their talents to produce cloths which illustrate their particular mission. At the Festival Service members spoke of their mission and each of their cloths were blessed by +Gregor Duncan.

The individual cloths were then combined to produce a wonderful Wall Hanging (above) by Katherine King, a member of the Community Church in Bishopbriggs. Katherine was so moved by the Wall Hanging that prayers for all at HMP Low Moss, and members of Mothers’ Union were offered over the Wall Hanging, at a 2 hour prayer meeting.

The staff at HMP Low Moss expressed their delight on receiving the Wall Hanging, which now hangs in the Multi-Faith Centre of HMP Low Moss. On November 20th, 2013 the Wall Hanging was again blessed by +Gregor during the Dedication of the Multi Faith Centre.

It is hoped the MU Wall Hanging will be a potent symbol of God's unconditional and transformative love in HMP Low Moss. Prayer cards using the image of the Wall Hanging will be produced for members, prisoners and their families at HMP Low Moss.

Ending the Silence on

Domestic Abuse

Midday prayers are said every Wednesday in our diocesan offices, but the week of 27th November 2013 was different. We had the launch of the worship and study resource for ‘Ending the Silence on Domestic Abuse’, developed by the Diocesan team for Prayer and Spirituality and the Mothers’ Union. We prayed together, very touching liturgy (click here to see it) and then heard Ann Glenesk’s account of her time attending the Commission for Status of Women at the United Nations this year.

Their theme this year was the Elimination and Prevention of Violence against women and girls.

To sum up:

6000 women and men from civil society along with politicians and their entourage gathered in New York to try to get consensus on how to advance the rights of women and girls across the globe. As the UN has no power to implement the Agreed conclusions the plight of women and girls in countries, like Iran, Syria, Egypt to name a few is a major concern for the whole of humanity
Women between the ages of 15 and 44 run a greater risk worldwide of being the victims of rape or ABUSE IN THE HOME than they do of contracting cancer or malaria or an accident.
Being a Christian does not protect us from being a victim or survivor of domestic abuse, sadly neither does being a Christian excludes us from being perpetrators.
We can be advocates of our neighbours – this was palpable in New York – people of faith, all faiths and none, cannot stand idling back and let the injustice of domestic abuse go unchallenged. Precious lives cannot be allowed to be controlled, terrorised, brutalised – power can be seen to be used creatively rather than as a tool of oppression.
The shame of abuse, belongs to the perpetrators, but is shouldered by the victims and survivors The shame can be reduced every time the injustice of DOMESTIC ABUSE is included in prayers and worship – mentioned, spoken about in churches. The silence in churches has compounded the abuse as it has left victims and survivors isolated, protected perpetrators and impaired healing.
All domestic abuse is a sin, a sin against God, we all have been complicit in the abuse by our silence, and I pray that these resources and all resources available will be used to improve the lives of women, girls, men and boys and to our Creator God.

We finished by looking at the resources available over lunch.