Prayer shawls

Illness and bereavement can bring on a need for warmth and comfort.

That need is being fulfilled through a prayer shawl ministry.

At Maple United Methodist Church a shawl ministry was born two years ago when member Mary Spell, during story time with children in a morning service, told how she was given a prayer shawl to remind her and her family of God's love and care when her daughter Jennifer was ill.

Doris Hodges, right, Mary Schwieger, center, and Vera Koen knitted prayer shawls at Maple United Methodist Church. (Fred Lynch)

That gift of comfort and prayer led to a group of about two dozen women in the church who crochet or knit shawls to give comfort and let people know that they are cared for. About eight of them get together weekly at the church for fellowship while their crochet hooks loop through colorful yarn. Last year, they made 110 shawls. Now, they have about 40 stored away in a closet at the church waiting for someone to fill out a request form to send one to someone who needs a little warmth and care.

The shawls are "a reminder of God's love for us," said Verna Bingenheimer, who with Diane Taylor coordinates the ministry at Maple. "We as a church love and care for the person receiving it."

The shawl ministry is not unique to Maple. Many churches in the area have them; Spell received her shawl from a friend at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church. Grace United Methodist Church had a ministry before Maple, and Bingenheimer said she helped start one at New McKendree in Jackson. Zion Methodist in Gordonville has a shawl ministry, and Hobbs Chapel is considering one. Taylor says she almost always runs into someone involved in a prayer shawl ministry whenever she is out buying yarn. Many denominations have made this an ecumenical way of showing concern.

"It's a tie that binds us with the Christian community," Bingenheimer said.

The ministry began originally in Hartford, Conn., by Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo who were graduates of the 1997 Women's Leadership Institute. It has since spread warmth and comfort throughout the world.

Women who make the shawls begin their work with a prayer for the person who will receive it, even though they don't know who that will be.

"It's a spiritual connection," Bingenheimer said. "We express God's love. We want to share our love because we have experienced God's love."

Once a month at communion service, completed shawls are dedicated at the altar before being given away.

One member of Maple's group sent matching "mother-daughter" shawls to a friend of hers who had adopted several special needs children, one of whom was seriously ill.

Diane Taylor showed one of the prayer shawls that are made by a group of women at Maple United Methodist Church.

"She got a reply saying 'These shawls came at the lowest point in my life,'" Bingenheimer said.

Not only was the mother facing the child's serious illness, but her husband of 25 years had left her the day she received the shawls. She thought God had deserted her until the shawls arrived and helped restore her faith.

"The 4-year-old said, 'Jesus sent my shawl,'" Bingenheimer said.

Some shawls are sent on happy occasions. Babies in the church are given one at baptism. One member of the ministry sent one to a friend on his 100th birthday. As a community project, the women sent one to each of the women staying at Vision House on her birthday. Some are given to nursing home residents who find them comforting.

The shawls -- and sometimes afghans -- can be any size, any pattern, any color. At Maple most of the women crochet their shawls; others at other locations knit them. Some, like Bingenheimer, are beginners; others are more advanced. There is no competition among them. The focus is on the comfort the shawls bring.

"It's such a blessing we are doing this," said Taylor. "So many thoughts and prayers go into each one of them. It's nice to know something we enjoy is making a difference in somebody else's life."

It's the simplicity of the ministry that makes it work so well.

"It's a tangible reminder of God's love," Bingenheimer said.

For information about starting a shawl ministry, go to www.shawlministry.com.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160