In 2010 the Deacons decided to begin a “Prayer Shawl Ministry.”  Over the centuries, shawls have come to symbolize shelter, peace, and spiritual sustenance.   Prayer shawls are tangible symbols of love when words can’t be found to adequately express one’s feelings.  They can be warm hugs of happiness, empathy, and support; a private place of escape in which to rest, relax, and renew; something to hold on to when all else seems to be slipping away. 

Prayer Shawls are knitted or crocheted by disciples who lift up to God those in need of comfort, strength, guidance, hope, and the assurance that they are not alone when facing difficult times in their lives.  Prayer Shawls are created with love and prayer in each stitch.  Each stitch is knitted with thankfulness of the blessings received by God and the desire to pass those blessings along to another in a concrete way. 

When the Prayer Shawls have been completed and dedicated to God, they are then given away to persons in need along with a prayer that God’s love will be present in the lives of those receiving the shawls.  Wrapping another in a shawl interlaced with prayers and loving thoughts is a gift not only for the one receiving the shawl but for the creator as well.  When we dedicate the prayer shawls in worship, the entire congregation prays that both the recipients and the people who created them will receive God’s blessings.