Mothers Union

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About Us

The Mothers’ Union is a Christian women organization of the Anglican Communion.The Mothers’ Union of the Anglican Church of Kenya is affiliated to the Mothers’ Union Worldwide and operates under the guidance of the Archbishop and the Diocesan Bishops. The Mothers’ Union has over four million members (as at 2018) in 83 countries globally.

Mothers’ Union was founded by Mary Sumner in the year 1876 AD. She wanted to create an organization for women that brought together the rich and the poor, the talented and the unskilled, the educated and the illiterate, to build a network that would support Mothers’ of all kinds as they bring up their children in the Christian faith.

The Mothers’ Union was started in 1918 at All Saints’ Cathedral but only among the European Ladies. On 4 March 1956, the first African Mothers’ Union members were enrolled. At that time the whole country fell under the Diocese of Mombasa. This took place at Mwongoiya Church which is within the present Anglican Diocese of Mount Kenya South. Mrs. Gladys Beecher, wife to the first Bishop Leonard Beecher, was instrumental in beginning the Mothers’ Union among African ladies in Kenya. She invited Mrs. Fisher, the wife of the then Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Fisher, to speak to the Mothers Union-Europeans and Africans–who gathered at All Saints’ Cathedral Nairobi. The Archbishop and Mrs. Fisher visited Mwongoiya Church to encourage and strengthen those first Mothers’ Union members and to see the place where the Mothers’ Union started among the Africans.

The Mothers’ Union grew from strength to strength under the leadership of Mrs.; Gladys Beecher. She organized Kenyan and Tanzanian Mothers’ Union members to meet occasionally here in Kenya or in Tanzania. When the Archbishop and Mrs. Beecher retired and the Church of the Province of East Africa was divided into the Provinces of Kenya and Tanzania, Archbishop Olang’ became the first Archbishop of Anglican Church, the Church of Province of Kenya (CPK). Mrs. Eseri Olang’, his wife, became the leader of the Mothers’ Union movement in Kenya. Successively, the wives to ACK Bishops have automatically assumed the roles of leaders of the Mother’s union with those of the Bishops taking leadership at the Diocesan level.

Objectives of Mother's Union

To uphold Christ’s teaching on the nature of marriage and to promote its wider understanding.

To encourage parents to bring up their children in the faith and life of the Church.

To maintain a world-wide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service.

To help the church to understand her responsibility towards young people.

To promote conditions in society favorable to stable family life and the protection of children.

To empower young people to live responsible and meaningful lives spiritually, morally, socially, economically and politically

To help and comfort those met with adversity.