September 9th in our new space

New Space:  God is good all the time!  With His divine intervention, we held the September 9^th meeting in rooms 308 and 309.  All of our yarn, patterns, and other supplies are in the storage closet (with lots of extra room for expansion) at the end of the hall.  And there is more room for growth of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, so please bring your friends and continue to spread the word about what we do.

Helmet Liners and Scarves:  Martha turned in the first helmet liner Wednesday evening and Zena turned in the first scarf – thank you so much for your work.  When the September Prayers and Concerns list was reviewed, there were 21 individuals from our congregation, or who are friends or relatives of members of our congregation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, or another area who would appreciate a wool helmet liner or scarf during the time of year coming up.  Dana knew of one other individual not on the list.  I’ll continue to check with Nancy to make sure we have enough items for the number of Care Packages the Church is sending.  Please do what you can on this project.  Thank you for supporting it.

Prayer Shawls:  As always, there are so many people in need of God’s love, comfort, and healing.  The question came up again on Wednesday evening about the qualifications for an individual receiving an item we make.  Quite some time ago it was decided that the person did not need to be a member of the congregation, did not need to have a specific malady, just needed God’s love, comfort, and healing.  The items are not meant to be gifts such as “an over the hill” birthday gift.  Other than that, the qualification was between the individual and God.

If you attended either the 9:30 or the 11:00 service on the 6^th, you witnessed the draw of the Prayer Shawls and the Prayer Blankets on the altar rail.  So many individuals stopped to touch them or stayed and prayed over them after communion, and after the service.  After the 11:00 service, the last person left the altar rail about 12:45.  What a precious and holy moment!

  Prayer Shawl Cabinet:  As stated so eloquently by Meredith, when she saw the Prayer Shawl cabinet for the first time on Wednesday evening, the cabinet was overflowing before the Prayer Shawls for six individuals were taken from it.  Yarn items take up a lot of space so when you put six items in.  It looks very full.  Conversely, when you take six items out, it looks empty.  I know of three more shawls that will be delivered in the next week.  No doubt by next Wednesday, it will look very empty again.

Prayers and Concerns:  Thank you for sharing your own prayers and concerns on Wednesday evening, as well as praying for others and the completed items.  If it is all right with everyone, I would like to make that part of our meetings.  We tend to overlook our needs in our quest to do the Prayer Shawl Ministry’s work for the glory of God.

Food Co-Op:  Robin has asked us to bring a can of food for the Co-Op each week – a simple request for a worthy cause.  I have to confess that I forget almost every week.  Please try to remember your can of food for the 16^th and surprise Robin with a can from each of us!

Snowflakes:  Most of us collect something – baskets, figurines, yarn, etc.  I recently read an article about a woman who collects snowflakes – not the ones that fall from the sky, but snowflakes made of all kinds of materials.  Her reason for collecting them is a handwritten sermon prepared by her deceased Methodist preacher grandfather in the 1960s, and delivered at the Mulberry Street United Methodist Church in downtown Macon, Georgia.  “His message was we are all called to be individuals, but stand as one.  Snowflakes are breathtakingly beautiful when they fall; when they hit the ground they become one.”   Her grandfather’s premise was we should all emulate snowflakes.

When I read this story, I thought about how each of the members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry are so unique, but also so loving to others, which allows us to act as one body to glorify God by providing tangible evidence of his love, comfort, and healing.  Thank you for all you do each and every day!

See you on the 16^th.

Love and blessings,

Beverly

Don’t be afraid, just believe! – Rev. Alan H., September 6^th, 2009