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Prayer Shawl Ministry

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”, and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

Luke 10:27

Prayer Shawls are given to celebrate the gift of love, friendship and caring. They offer comfort during illness, and for those undergoing surgery, medical procedures or the loss of a loved one. They may be used to celebrate the joy of a new baby, weddings, birthdays, baptisms, ordinations, going to college and other life transitions.

The knitters gather for two hours each session. We begin with an opening prayer asking God’s blessing on the knitters and His guidance as we work. After prayer, we knit and share stories about the shawls, knitting and prayer concerns. New knitters are given instructions and assistance as they begin their shawls. Each shawl is knit with love and prayers for the recipient. During the last thirty minutes, those who have completed shawls share their reasons for giving the shawls. Each shawl is passed through loving, caring hands as prayers for blessings are offered for the receiver and the knitter.

In the Beginning

The Prayer Shawl Ministry at Englewood United Methodist Church began in February 2005. This ministry, which combines the love of knitting with God’s commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself ”, was the vision of members of the Circle of Joy. They were inspired by reading the book, Knitting into the Mystery, and by the shawl Meredith Howell received while she was a patient at Duke Medical Center.

They immediately began knitting shawls, spreading enthusiasm for the shawl ministry by speaking to other groups in the church and offering knitting lessons. Their love for this mission quickly spread and the number of knitters continues to increase.

Although most of the knitting is done at home, meetings are organized for knitting instructions, fellowship, prayer and blessings for the recipients of the shawls. Meetings are relaxed and informal. Two meetings are scheduled each month, on the second Tuesday evening from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm and on the fourth Tuesday morning from

10:00 am until noon, in the church parlor. All age groups are represented in our circle of knitters. Everyone is welcome.

Prayer of Blessing (Prayer for a completed shawl)

May God’s grace be upon this shawl… warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing. May this mantle be a safe haven...a sacred place of security and well-being… sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones. May the one who receives this shawl be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love...Blessed Be!

By: Janet Bristow 2000

Giving Away a Shawl

Much love and attention are given to the act of “giving away a shawl.” Shawls are usually wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with a strand of leftover yarn. A written blessing and a card (available at meetings) with the name of the knitter and the recipient are included with the shawl. A brief description of this knitting ministry is also included.

A strand of yarn is saved from each shawl and, along with the name of the recipient and knitter, is posted in the groups’ journal/scrapbook. A group journal is kept to honor the gift that this ministry brings to both the knitter and the recipient.

The guidelines for our prayer shawl ministry were adopted from the book, Knitting into the Mystery, by Susan S. Jorgensen and Susan S. Izard.

Download our Prayer Shawl Ministry Brochure

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Welcome * Features * Calendar * Newsletter * Ministries
Preschool * UMW * Prayer Shawl Ministry * Contact Us

Email: EnglewoodUMC@earthlink.net

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