Dedication of Mothers
The Methodist connections to Mother’s Day are often overlooked or under-appreciated. The devotion that Anna Jarvis demonstrated to her mother and the inspiration that she provided to recognize the contributions of mothers has helped elevate the attention given to mothers for over 100 years. Mother’s Day is obviously much more than a denominational observance. Anna’s mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, and Julia Ward Howe realized the influence of mothers far beyond their homes. Their Mothers’ Day Work Clubs were not intended to celebrate women, instead, their efforts were focused upon conditions in the community that compromised the quality of life.
Infant mortality was a concern of Ann Jarvis, in part, because of her personal experiences in which she witnessed the deaths of nine of her thirteen children. Julia Howe was concerned not only about the large numbers of casualties during the Civil War, she also wanted to address the lingering domestic hostilities that remained, especially in situations that involved family members who had fought in the war on different sides. In an effort labeled Mothers’ Friendship Day and Mothers Peace Day, these women highlighted the outsized roles of wine to provide leadership, peace and the value of life.
While the roles of all mothers were initially emphasized, Anna desired to express gratitude for the unique impact that her mother had upon their family. She stressed the importance of the placement of the apostrophe to indicate that the holiday should acknowledge the sacrifices and influence of each mother. Although the first mother’s days acknowledged the collective efforts of women in the community, the phenomenal impact of a mother upon her family AND the community cannot be overemphasized.
This year, we’ve invited the congregation to submit photos that reflect the generations of women who’ve impacted each family. In some cases, it may be years after the death of a mother before the family truly appreciates the extent of her impact upon the family and the community. It was in 1907, two years after the death of Ann Jarvis, that her daughter, Anna, organized the first service to honor her mother on the second Sunday of May at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The following year, the celebration at Andrews ME Church was also hosted by a church in Philadelphia. White carnations were presented to mothers, sons, and daughters as part of the celebration.
In addition to flowers, there are many ways families can celebrate and acknowledge the gift of motherhood to families, churches and communities. For many congregations, attendance at Mother’s Day is only exceeded by Christmas and Easter. Certainly, mothers are among the many blessings that we receive from God, but on Mother’s Day, we find many, many ways to express love and gratitude.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!
In Christ,
Jon McCoy
