Symbols of the faithYears ago I went to Canada on the business of the missions office of the Episcopal Church. My time north of the border was spent with Anglicans from Canada, the Caribbean and Africa as well as American Episcopalians, and it struck me then how, though we spring from the same root and share many things, Anglicanism and Episcopalianism can at times seem dissimilar. I get this feeling again while in Botswana. The organizational structure of the Mothers’ Union and Episcopal Church Women is very similar, as are the goals of some of our ministries. But in the U.S., every woman of the Episcopal Church is automatically considered an Episcopal Church Woman (the level of involvement in ECW activities is up to her) while in Botswana, and other countries, someone wishing to join the Mothers’ Union must first complete the MU catechism. Among other things, a woman working with a MU instructor (oftentimes the wife of a priest) learns the MU service book backward and forward, studies scripture, and develops in a very deliberate way a more mature prayer life. 
Gladys Mudereri and new MU member in Tsabong There’s even testing involved in all this; it’s an impressive commitment, for sure. In Tsabong, the Kalahari Desert outpost hosting the annual conference of the Mothers’ Union, four women are ready to be inducted into the MU. During the final Eucharist, they approach the altar where the Rev. Andrew Mudereri, the MU chaplain for the Diocese of Botswana, and senior ranking MU members await them. They promise to be faithful members of the Mothers’ Union; prayers are spoken; their sisters in Christ complete their MU uniforms by knotting belts around their waists, putting the dark MU hat on their heads, and placing crosses around their necks.
Another welcome of a new MU member