Shawl Ministry

Our Shawl Ministry was started in May 2004. Our guide is the book KNITTING INTO THE MYSTERY, by Susan Izard and Susan Jorgenson. Much of our knitting is done in private, but we meet periodically to knit and pray corporately.

The goal of the ministry is to knit shawls in a contemplative way and give them away with a prayer:

• To heal the sick
• To comfort the lonely
• To welcome the stranger
• To help one through a transition
• To rejoice at a birth
• To celebrate an anniversary or special event
• To let the recipient know that First Congregational Church members are thinking of them

Once or twice a year the completed shawls are presented during the Sunday worship service to be blessed.

Meetings open with prayer as we gather to knit. We review names of persons who will receive shawls and confer with Pastor Carrie regarding upcoming infant baptisms. We are touched by the reading of thank you notes which help us realize the importance of the program.

A special part of every meeting is the time for “Pass and Pray”. Knitting and chatter end as knitters gather in a circle around a low table which is covered with finished shawls or works in progress. Each person takes a shawl to hold for a minute or two and prays silently or aloud for someone who will receive it. Each shawl is then passed to the next
person and the process is repeated until each person has held and prayed over each shawl. We hope in this way that our best wishes for healing, joy and love will go with the shawls to warm the recipient.

The next meeting of Shawl Ministry will be Sunday morning, February 17, at 9:30, in the church parlor. Several shawls have already been turned in to be added to those brought in on the 17th for “pass and pray” time. Knitters bring your shawls-in-progress to knit during the meeting and newcomers please join us.