The Contemplative ShawlMakers Ministry was formed in late 2005.  As of  October 2007, we have 38 active shawl makers and have produced 340 shawls. At an estimated 30 hours per shawl, over 10,200 hours have been volunteered toward this effort.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
2008 Meeting Schedule
Contemplative Shawlmaking in the Chapel
Wednesdays 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Thursdays 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

What is the Prayer Shawl Ministry in our church?
By Rev. Jacque Franklin

A Prayer Shawl is for the sole purpose of prayer and comfort during a time of trial. In each knitted knot is a prayer intended for healing. Those who wear the prayer shawl are reminded that the “Ground of our Being”, a “Higher Power”, “Creator God” cares for each of us and especially during this time. It also reminds the wearer that there is a community of the faithful who are there for support and encouragement.

How does one get a prayer shawl? A prayer shawl must be requested by another member of our faith community. The shawl is anonymously chosen from the supply of shawls knitted meditatively by the people in our church. They are blessed in our worship service and then lovingly delivered. The pastor of visitation or anyone from our church can deliver the prayer shawl. It is delivered with the same intentional prayerfulness that it was created. Some people choose to keep their prayer shawl long after their troubled time has past. Some have chosen to be buried with them. Still others give them to someone else in need of a reminder that we do not face this life and its troubles alone.

What if you just need a prayer shawl for a short time and want to request one for yourself for prayer and meditation and to feel connected with the fellowship of likeminded folks? We have Sabbath Shawls. These shawls are knitted by the same meditative knitters. They come with a bag complete with the book Sabbath Keeping, written by Donna Schaper. There is also a prayer journal that is passed from one Sabbath Shawl keeper to the next. My Sabbath shawl has kept me company through long hours of prayer for my mother while in ICU and after the news of her decline. I am wearing it now for grief work. I have worn it while writing sermons and prayers for our worship service. It is now located in my office at church and I am not ready yet to part with it. It is a comfort to know that I am not the only one who has prayed with this shawl. It is a comfort to know that I will pass the goodness of this shawl to the next person.

What if you would like to knit prayer shawls for the prayer shawl ministry? Contact Marilyn Robbins (632-3816) who birthed this ministry in our church. You can be a veteran knitter from way back or someone who just wants to learn. Come by and visit the prayer shawl knitters as they quietly sit in each other’s presence knitting every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in the Chapel.

Our prayer shawl ministry reaches out to other areas of the world. Prayer Shawls have been delivered to a hospice in Africa, our own Pikes Peak Hospice, and to family members throughout the country. Some have been delivered to celebrities, politicians, children with cancer and abused women in a local shelter. The church has received many thank-you cards for the prayer shawls received. They are all read to the knitters to bless them in their work. Thank-you, prayer shawl ministers. Your gift is greatly appreciated.