PARKVIEW UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

THE BEGINNING

In August of 2006, we attended a United Methodist Women meeting about the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Many of us did not know anything about the ministry. After the meeting, I investigated the website, “shawlministry.com” and purchased the book, Knitting into the Ministry. I also, purchased prayer Shawls which had several patterns (one triangular pattern has become our favorite).

 My friend, Sally, was going in for surgery and I wanted to make her a prayer shawl. I had made a small red and gray one, but wanted something special for her. I started crocheting, using some multi-color (pink, green, and cranberry, white) yarn I already had and trying to use solid colors that matched. I had not crocheted for a long time and had to redo many rows several times. I felt compelled to use pink, green, and white yarn. 

Meaning of Colors

While reading the pattern book, I discovered that pink represents friendship; and green, healing. She was presented with her shawl in August, 2006 OUR FIRST ONE!!!! The red and gray one was sent to our organist's father who was experiencing medical problems. An announcement was placed in the church newsletter asking if anyone was interested in a prayer shawl ministry. Several ladies answered the call.  Joan McVay has made over 30 shawls and has spoken to other groups about starting a ministry.

Several shawls have interesting stories:

I started a pale yellow shawl for the manager of a hospital gift shop where I volunteer. She was going in for surgery (which proved to be more extensive than planned). I planned to take the shawl to our neighborhood Catholic Church to have it blessed but didn't get it there. I gave it to her and she said she would take it to her church to have it blessed. Her husband took it to church. There was a visiting priest. He was the chaplain from the hospital. The nurses at the hospital called her ''the lady with the beautiful shawl." Her pastor came to visit and saw the shawl and added his blessing to it. She found a practical use- wearing it around the waist to cover the backless hospital gown. (She told me, recently, that she had been in the hospital again and took her prayer shawl with her).  

I purchased some purple yarn (my favorite color). I decided not to make a shawl immediately (to rest my fingers), but found myself crocheting the purple yarn. I was almost finished when a friend (her favorite color was purple, also) told me that she had a recurrence of cancer. I finished the shawl and took it to our senior chorus and had them bless it. Unfortunately, she only survived five months after her diagnosis. Our pastor told of people's reaction to receiving shawls. Many of them cry.

Shawl Uses

The shawls are a tangible expression of prayers. They have gone to hospitals, nursing homes, and for medical tests. They have brought comfort to those who are ill and to their families. They show that their church family is thinking of them and praying for them, we have given out shawls for retirements (our pastor and office manager), to welcome our new pastor, graduations, and for baptisms. It is sad to see them on caskets with those we have prayed for. Some have been buried with them. We have given out over 75 prayer shawls in one year. Most of them have been crocheted, but some are sewn. Our scrapbook contains pictures of the recipients in their shawls and a sample of yarn. When it became difficult to get pictures of the recipients, we started taking pictures of the shawls. We have received many special thank you notes.

Shawl Workshop

In October, 2007, four of us attended a Prayer Shawl Workshop at Lord of Life Lutheran Church. The originators of the Prayer Shawl Ministry website were featured speakers. They told of the history of the ministry and we did several activities. We each received a copy of Debbie Macomber's book ''Knit Together.'' Many of her books talk about knitting and in one, a person actually made a prayer shawl. 

Presentations Given

We have given out our 115th shawl.  Eleanor and I gave a presentation to Young at Heart. We presented Joan with a shawl of her own. A woman from another church was amazed by the number of Thank You Notes we receive. She said they don't receive many. We have been blessed by this ministry. Our recipients are very appreciatiative and love receiving them. It is a tangible expression of our prayers.

We now have special hang tags for our shawls. Nancy Rutan is making ''angel'' hangtags. They are wonderful Beverly Kaiser makes ''cuddle cloths.'' We have sent these to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Shawls have also been sent to Mt. Carmel Medical Center's palliative care unit. Other members of the cluster joined in this effort. 

Another interesting story:

Nancy and Tom Rutan asked if we had any maize and blue prayer shawls. They wanted one for their friend who had been a University of Michigan football player. I was working on a blue and white one. We found some ''maize'' yarn in the cupboard and added it to the shawl. Nancy made a special ''maize'' angel hangtag. You don't know who you're making a shawl for, but, sometimes, it's just what is needed. Cheryl Nuber passed on Ysabel's prayer shawl to a lady in the care center where Ysabel had resided. We gave a prayer shawl to a friend of Carol Rood, for his 90 year old mother. When she, recently, passed away, he took the shawl to his home.

As of August, 2010, we have given out 183 prayer shawls. We have outgrown our scrapbook and have started a new one. One is for the years 2006, 2007, 2008, the other, for 2009 and 2010. We also have a ''memory book'' for those who have gone to be with Jesus.