Waltham Abbey Church - Mothers' Union

Registered Charity Number (Chelmsford Diocese Mothers' Union): 249736

Welcome to the Waltham Abbey branch of Mothers' Union.

Mothers’ Union (MU) is a Christian organisation supporting families worldwide for over 140 years. Founded by Mary Sumner in 1876, MU has grown into an international charity with over 4 million members in 84 countries. As a Christian membership charity, we demonstrate our faith in action. This happens as we work towards stopping poverty, inequality and injustice. Our members work at grassroots level around the world bringing hope and practical support to millions of people every year through parenting, literacy and community development programmes. Our Waltham Abbey branch has 26 members and can trace its history back to 1892 (learn more...).

We aim to:

encourage parents in their role to develop the faith of their children;
maintain a worldwide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service;
promote conditions in society favourable to stable family life and the protection of children;
help those whose family life has met with adversity;
promote and support married life.

Our theme in 2025 is JOIN US JOIN IN

MU is changing lives. This theme builds on Transformation Now! which looks at how MU can continue to be relevant and reflect the needs of churches and communities in the 21st century. The clear message is that MU is evolving, and MU needs to grow if we are going to continue as a movement of members delivering change in communities across the globe. This theme asks us to proactively share about MU and encourage anyone who supports what we do, to join us and join in. It also asks existing members to take a look at what they feel able to do in their churches and communities, and to join in.

Membership

There are three types of membership open to all:

As a branch member;
As a Diocesan Member (someone who can't or doesn't want to be part of a branch);
As a Friend (for those who have not been baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity or who do not wish to be a full member).

A vital part of our prayer links is the Indoor Members' Prayer Circle consisting of branch members who cannot attend meetings.

Projects and Fundraising

Locally, we support the work with children in our parish by giving age related bibles to children who are baptized. Since the branch began donating bibles, we have donated almost £4,000 to cover the cost and are grateful for the monthly donations we receive. We always look forward to welcoming baptism families back to the church when possible.

In the Diocese, our projects are:

English for Women: Helps women of foreign nationalities to improve their English in a safe and friendly space. English for Women is funded by donations from MU members, several churches as corporate donors, and grants from various trusts. It currently meets 4 times a week in term time, with one session including male learners (English for all) and one online. For further information such as volunteering or to donate please contact admin@englishforwomen.org.
AFIA (Away from it All): AFIA provides days out and holidays for single people or families under stress.

Our Link dioceses in the world are Jamaica & Cayman Islands in the West Indies, Rejav in the Sudan, Doko and Owo in Nigeria and the Military Episcopate in Kenya.

Through donations and fundraising, our members support our diocesan projects and central MU projects in the United Kingdom. We are able to help abroad by supporting MU enterprises through the purchase of Ethical Gifts. We also support our central funds to enable the MU to provide the required workers when a disaster occurs in an overseas diocese where we already have a presence.

During 2024 we were able to donate, with the support of our members, church congregations and friends, over £1000 to good causes including English for Women, Mary Sumner House, Mothers’ Union Enterprises Ethical gifts and our own church Sunday Club.

Thank you to everyone who supported our work during the year.

Meetings

We meet roughly every other month, usually on a Tuesday at 7.30 p.m. in the Abbey Church and have a full programme of events with speakers, outings, fundraising events and services. Learn more...

Contact us

If you wish to know more about our work, please contact the Parish Office.