FLUMC Lay Leader Update

Mother’s Day Weekend Update

Just in case you forgot, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. If that causes you to panic - don’t. You still have time to get a card, a plant, send flowers, or simply call (don’t just text – trust me on this, you really should call). However, you are likely out of luck in getting a last-minute reservation to that favorite restaurant for brunch or dinner . . . so go with Plan B and fire up the grill.

Did you know that the official start of Mother’s Day has its roots in Methodism? Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis, started Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children. In May of 1908, after gaining financial support from Philadelphia department store owner John Wanamaker, she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at Andrew Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. It’s surprising that a national holiday would come from such an unassuming place. Grafton is a small town - make that a very small town, the population today is around 5,500 (it’s located in the northern part of West Virginia, I know this because I am a true coal miner’s daughter born in the southern part of the state). And should your travels take you to Grafton, the answer is yes, the church is still there on Main Street.

Daughter Anna was born the ninth of eleven children born to Rev. Granville and Ann Reeves Jarvis. As the story goes, when Anna was 12 her mother taught a Sunday School lesson on Mothers of the Bible and closed the lesson by saying, “I hope that someone, sometime will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. They are certainly deserving of it.”

It seems that Mother Reeves was a both peacemaker and an activist at heart. In 1852, she organized a series of Mother’s Day Work Clubs to improve the health and sanitation of homes in Grafton and nearby towns where child mortality rates were high. The clubs provided medicine for the indigent, hired women to work for families in which the mother was ill, and inspected bottled milk and food to ensure its safety. (Sounds like relevant mission work to me!)

Unfortunately, the Civil War made Grafton, and the surrounding area, a hot spot as there were several train lines that ran though the local train depot. Mrs. Reeves knew the war could cause division and disrupt the work of the Mother’s Day Work Clubs. So, she called on all club members, “To make a sworn-to agreement between members that friendship and good will should obtain in the clubs for the duration and aftermath of the war. That all efforts to divide the churches and lodges should not only be frowned upon but prevented. We are comprised of both the Blue and the Gray.” Stay focused on mission and make room for all even though divided, isn’t that just sound Methodist practice??

Mother Ann Reeves Jarvis died on May 9, 1905 at the age of 72. On the day she was buried, Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in the small town of Grafton rang the church bell 72 times in her honor. The following year on the anniversary of her death, Anna hosted the first Mother’s Day service and encouraged the wearing of a white (in memory) or a red (in honor) carnation in honor of all mothers (by the way, this is an old school practice that I remember as a child). Over the years Anna continued to push for national recognition of Mother’s Day and in 1908 the first major Mother’s Day celebrations took place in various parts of the nation.

Now much can be said about the downside of Mother’s Day, like the commercialization the holiday has taken over the years and the fact that not every family relationship is a happy or healthy one. But I do find the story of the official start of Mother’s Day one that we should take note of for its Methodist connection and its calling to be the hands and feet of Christ in a relevant way to the communities in which we live.

On a personal note, this Mother’s Day I will be remembering and missing Blanche Marie Williams, the beautiful, strong, faithful Christ follower, and imperfect woman who gave my sister and me life, love, and a ton of amazing memories. I will also give thanks for all those women (living and deceased) as Grandmothers, Aunts, adopted Moms, and friends, who have poured their love, wisdom, and encouragement into me over all these years. So grateful and blessed to have each one in my life.

Grace and peace,
Alice Williams - Co-Lay Leader of the Florida Conference