Being a 'ministry mum' is tough but they are a blessing to the churches they serve

Rev Jules Middleton shares the realities of being a 'ministry mum' this Mothering Sunday.

It’s somewhat ironic that as I write this piece I can see last Mothering Sunday’s spa gift voucher, still stuck to the fridge, unused. Mothering Sunday is an interesting time to reflect on being a "ministry mum". Mums up and down the country will be experiencing breakfast in bed, chocolates, hand drawn cards, perhaps even a lovely family lunch, which they have not had to cook. Not so much for a ministry mum - the thousands of us across the country balancing a role in ministry with being a parent. 

We might be starting Mothering Sunday sneaking out of the house at dawn for an early service while the family dozes on; or desperately trying to corral an errant toddler or two to be on time for the 9am; or perhaps dealing with a poonami that has exploded all over our freshly laundered cassock, right before we leave the house.