Mothers' Union: Many churches recognise the need to chat​​​​​​​

By Julia Tum, Mothers’ Union branch leader, St John the Divine, Rastrick

It should be called The Chatty Scrumptious Café! We all need someone to chat to. Whether you are undergoing some health issues which may appear frightening and you may think you are on your own. Or you may have relationship problems within your family; choices of new jobs on the horizon; how to make ends meet with soaring prices and the reducing value of income in our purses. Or to just take an opportunity to chat about the weather or what’s on TV or the latest interesting novel that you are reading. Chatting is SO valuable.

Many churches recognise this need and at St John’s in Rastrick every month there is a hot two course community lunch followed by a film show. Every month on Saturday mornings there is coffee, cake and conversation in the Church itself from 10am. Central Methodist in Brighouse is open every Saturday morning for coffee and chat. The Hub Café at St Luke’s Church, Norland is open every Wednesday for hot drinks, toasties and other baked treats. Well worth a visit for very friendly conversations, conviviality and great food!

There are many churches which open their doors to enable friendship and fellowship to flourish within their Parish. They recognise the need that we all need to chat to each other, share funny stories, pass on messages and catch up with what is going on. Even following important meetings, we may close with hot drinks and a piece of cake – to cement our relationships and to meld together our friendships.

Before I joined the MU, I thought that that was what the organisation was about – meeting to chat and to share friendly gossip and update each other about what is current.

How wrong I was! Yes, it is all about that but much more! I joined to get involved with all of the activities and fundraising for overseas projects… improving numeracy and literacy in Burundi; supporting educational programmes in Nigeria and in Tanzania; creating emergency bags for those people who find themselves unexpectedly in hospital in the UK without a toothbrush; supporting funding for those families who cannot afford a week’s holiday in a caravan on the east coast, knitting and crafting (not me!) items for the elderly in nursing homes, knitting hats for the homeless in Leeds, practically supporting baby banks and raising awareness and leading campaigns against those who inflict domestic abuse; supporting refugees with clothing and friendship, leading cookery sessions in the nearby prison with the women there, and supporting them in Mother and Baby Units and offering visitors a hot drink and biscuit.

And now I’ve got a host more friends than ever before, all focused on friendship and helping others, who may be their neighbour or a stranger from overseas. We can lend our ears to listen to people and lend our time to help others who may be less fortunate than ourselves.

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