“Mother’s Day was Sunday, May 12, 2013. ON this day it seems fitting to remember the mothers and families of Susquehanna County through your sharing and contribution to the work of the “Adopt-a-Family” program of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre MIssion District. Why do we link the two?
First, do you know the original “Mother’s Day” was begun as a church related function? In 1868, Ann Jarvis created a committee to establish a “Mother’s Friendship Day” with the purpose of “reuniting families that had been divided during the Civil War.” Previously she had organized a “Mother’s Day Work Club” to improve the sanitation and health for both Union and Confederate encampments undergoing a typhoid outbreak. After her death, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, with the assistance of Philadelphia merchant John Wannamaker, established the official “Mother’s Day.” On May 12, 1907, a special service was held in Andrew’s Methodist Episcopal Church, Grafton, West Virginia where Anna’s mother had taught Sunday School.
Second, the mothers and families of Susquehanna County find themselves in similar situations. Families are divided and sanitation and health are threatened. However, in today’s environment, the cause is not Civil War but violence and abuse, economics, education, socialization, and fear.
This month consider the women and families in Susquehanna County. Perhaps Pastors, Lecturers and Chaplains will highlight the “Adopt-A-Family” program in talks and prayers. Your efforts and assistance is valued and needed in this ministry. With your help, we can create opportunities there!