What are Prayer Shawls?
What Happens when a Prayer Shawl is Given Away?
How can I join?
How we Started...
Thoughts from a Knitter...
Thoughts from a Prayer Shawl Recipient...
What are prayer shawls?
Prayer shawls are different from other knitting in a few ways. The purpose of a prayer shawl is to give someone who is suffering, a tangible example of God's love and care. The shawl is made of soft yarn so the recipient can wrap up in it and feel God's arms around him or her. A prayer shawl is knit with prayer. Knitters pray before, during, and after they work on the shawl. Sometimes we know who we are knitting for, and sometimes we don't, but we pray for the person just the same.
The prayer shawl itself is knit in a way to reflect God's Trinitarian nature. The number of stitches "cast on" is divisible by three, and if you look at one of our prayer shawls, you will see that it is made up of many columns of three stitches each.
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What happens when a prayer shawl is given away?
Giving a shawl is a very moving experience. We have given them to new mothers, grieving mothers, grieving widows, brides, people moving, people struggling with chronic illnesses, people with injuries, and people we just thought needed to be reminded that God really cares about them.
After hurricane Katrina, we were contacted by a lady in Florida, who was in a Prayer Shawl Ministry there. She had about 10 shawls that were unspoken for and said God put it on her heart to give them to the Katrina survivors. Her pastor advised her to get on the Internet and search for a Presbyterian church in Houston that had a prayer shawl ministry. She contacted us and sent the shawls. One was given to a lady who had lost 2 family members. She was very touched and just cried over it.
We were also contacted by a woman in Georgia who had 2 daughters, one severely disabled. She was surfing the net one night and ran across our page. We were able to send a shawl for her as well as both of her daughters.
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How can I join?
The wonderful thing about our prayer shawl ministry is that anyone can join! Whether you are an experienced knitter, have not tried since your grandmother taught you, or would like to learn, you are welcome. If the idea of knitting an item for someone that carries such meaning appeals to you, please consider becoming a part of our ministry. We meet regularly to share tips, to teach and help the new knitters, and to enjoy fellowship. We have several members who can't attend the meetings, but knit their shawls at home and bring them to the group for dedication. Crocheters are also welcome and we have instructions available for crocheted prayer shawls.
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How we started...
Julie Giles, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, started St. Andrew's Prayer Shawl Ministry in March of 2004. She started it, as she says, "Because God told me to". A friend had rekindled her interest in knitting, which she hadn't done since she was a child. After knitting a scarf for everyone she knew for Christmas, Julie began to feel like God wanted her to keep knitting, but do a little more with it. She found out about prayer shawl ministries, talked to Pastor Jane about it, and set up the meeting. The rest, as they say, is history. Our prayer shawl ministry has made shawls for over 80 people in the past three years.
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Thoughts from a knitter...
“This has been one of the coolest things I have done in my life. It is something that is really so simple to do that you tend to take it for granted. You carry it around in your bag and knit while the kids are at gymnastics or whatever. That's when I get the bulk of my knitting done, during times when I would normally just be sitting and waiting. I try to find some quiet time with each shawl as well, usually when I get started and when I finish. But by far the greatest part is when you hand it to someone who probably didn't expect it but is so greatly touched that you took the time to hand-make something for them.
The first one I gave away really affected the recipient. She just stood there and silently stared at me for what seemed like an eternity, tears welling up in her eyes. It's an amazing thing when you can touch someone like that. It makes you value your gifts more. God doesn't give us anything lightly. When something comes easily for you, you tend to take it for granted and devalue it. This has taught me not to do that. What is simple to me may mean the world to someone else.” - Julie Giles
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Thoughts from a prayer shawl recipient...
“When Molly gave me the luxurious, deep green prayer shawl, I was speechless. I never imagined I’d ever own one. I thought just getting it was the gift, but it was only the beginning. I instantly grew attached to it. When I felt the softness of it and saw its painstakingly tied fringe, it soothed me. Touching it had a calming effect. I felt the many prayers of Molly and the gals must have said over it seep into my being. I began sleeping with it because it helped me doze off more quickly, feeling secure being surrounded by tangible love. We are all beings needing tenderness. The act of creating this beautiful, useful artwork; the act of repeated prayers, the act of love in the offering struck resonating chords of tenderness in me. Those chords are reverberating still.” - Shellynda M.
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