Issue 119 - the Pembury Village Website

NEW MOTHERS’ UNION BANNER FOR
ST. PETER’S, PEMBURY
THE MOTHERS’ UNION is part of the Anglican Communion. Its purpose is to
promote Christian marriage and family life. It was founded by Mary Sumner in 1876
to enable mothers of all classes to unite in faith and prayer and to find support for the
enormous responsibilities of motherhood. In the early 20th century many trade unions
adopted their own banners as did the many branches of the Mothers’ Union. Today the
MU is an organisation with more than three million members in over 70 countries.
There was a branch of the MU at St. Peter’s Church, Pembury in the first part of the 20th
century. However, our present branch was reformed through the influence of the Reverend
Colin Pilgrim in 1986. The branch successfully increased its membership. During the 1990s
Jean Aust became Branch leader, encouraged and supported by her husband Sidney.
As the old MU banner had become rather faded, the idea of having a new one was
promoted. Sidney’s death from cancer in 2000 focused the minds of members on creating
a new banner in his memory.
Gillian Norman-Draper created the design and a small group of needlewomen from
St. Peter’s Branch interpreted it. The Virgin Mary is the mother figure and because
St. Peters is a country parish, birds, butterflies and flowers were included. The banner
was dedicated by the Reverend Stephen Sealy at the Parish Eucharist on 13 June 2004 –
during the International Year of the Family.
Mary Adams
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