Chicks with Sticks June 24th

Joys and blessings: As the saying goes, God is good all the time! Wednesday evening we had eleven women at our meeting with lots of stories, sharing fellowship, laughter, and of course our needles and hooks were flying! We were blessed with five new Prayer Shawls and two new scarves to pray over and put in the cabinet.

Working together: We were so glad to see faces we hadn’t seen for a while (I didn’t want to say old faces), as well as new faces. Jenny was back learning to knit under Ellen’s expert tutoring.

Alida’s granny squares (about 1/3 of them) made a nice blanket and there are still quite a few left to use. Teamwork makes the work fun. God has called us for something He has given us the time and talent to do.

Watch for information: Thank you Nancy, for arranging for the information about the Prayer Shawl Ministry to be in the Sunday bulletin and on a PowerPoint slide for the Sunday service. The brochures around the church are helping to spread the word about our ministry also. Requests have been received for a Prayer Shawl and for more information making items for the ministry based on the brochure.

New Members: Please welcome JoAnn to the Prayer Shawl Ministry. The Wednesday evening meetings don’t fit in to her schedule, but she has volunteered to crochet items and deliver them to us. We welcome you with open arms, JoAnn, and look forward to meeting you.

Prayer Shawl Opportunities: We have frequent opportunities to help individuals with Prayer Shawls and Blankets and often don’t think about it. Please be mindful of helping people over their difficult times.

Simple Gifts: As we all watch our money, there are more and more articles written about going back to simple gifts for special occasions. It seems the talents we have are becoming more popular to learn and the items more valued as gifts.
Love and blessings,

Beverly

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength, - Philippians 4:13

Prayer Shawl Ministry in Action

I received this email this morning. I have abbreviated the names down to their initials to protect the privacy of the individuals involved but this is the perfect example of the body of Chris at work.

I just got a call from A. B. and he let me know that Mrs. E. E., who was the older lady beaten so badly in a home invasion recently has passed away. A fellow officer that A.B. serves with on the police force wanted to let us know that the prayer shawl A. B. gave her has been with her since the day he brought it to her and she will be buried with it. The family was so deeply touched by this gift of grace and prayer for someone we did not even know that they wanted us to be aware of their gratitude. I told Alan that I would pass this along to you ladies. This is why we do what we do each day, isn’t it?

Love,

S.

June 17th in The Parlor

Wednesday Evening: If we were playing games in The Parlor on the 17^th, we definitely had a “Full House” with 10 members in attendance! We also were playing Checkers with Granny Squares thanks to Alidal. Alida crocheted a bag full of squares needing just the trimming and sewing together. So while trying to decide the color order and what to make out of them, the squares were spread around on the floor.

New Member: Welcome Loretta to the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Thank you, Dana, for bringing Loretta to our ministry. The best way to add new members is to invite our friends.

Many Blessings: We had the privilege of praying over several new shawls, scarves, and one fleece blanket. Barbara is so talented she doesn’t stop at working with yarn, but uses her time to sew also. Thanks for retiring, Barbara.

In addition, prayers for recipients of items distributed in June were offered. The Prayer Shawl Ministry allows us to pray while we’re crocheting or knitting, when an item is completed, and again for the recipient that God has chosen for each item.

The best way for us to continue to enjoy the many blessings and to share the many blessings is to find ways to touch as many lives as possible!

Moving Forward: As of the end of May, the Prayer Shawl Ministry Steering Committee came up with a list of several projects to pursue. It’s time to move forward on these projects, like the Fall Festival. We’re still open to other projects and working with other ministries and groups so please bring your ideas. It’s a great way to make sure our ministry known to the rest of the church and the community.

Thanks: The Priscilla Circle invited Ellen and me to make a presentation at their June 2^nd meeting. What a wonderful group of ladies. They asked many great questions and made a donation of cash and two prayer shawls to our ministry.

In Our Prayers: Please keep the following members in your thoughts and prayers:

Dee, we hope you are feeling well enough to join us again soon

Barbara, traveling to her sister’s to help during foot surgery

Logan, reaching the end of her recovery from back surgery

Martha, knee problems

Those with unspoken needs

Tip of the Day: Knitting You all know I don’t knit so if this is obvious, I apologize, but I think I’ve heard this discussed before so when I read this, I thought I would share.

Trying to figure out how far from the end of the yarn to make your slip knot? Measure off the length of your needle once (if using a long one) or twice (a shorter one) then wrap your yarn around the needle once for each stitch. Make your slip knot and start casting on.

Love and Blessings,

Beverly

Count your blessings, not your troubles. – Dale Carnegie