St. Francis Needlework Guild: 2008 Was Great!

The St. Francis Needlework Guild was named for the patron saint of needleworkers. A quote from the first chapter of 2 Corinthians expresses the goal of this group: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

In the late fall of 2005, it was suggested that it might be a good thing to start a prayer shawl ministry at Good Shepherd. I don't think that any of us could have predicted the comfort that would be bestowed upon others as a result of that little seed being planted.  In January of 2006, an organizational meeting was held, and the ladies of the St. Francis Guild have been very busy with their knitting needles and crochet hooks ever since.  To date 530 items have been made, blessed by our clergy, and distributed to our community and beyond. This number includes:  88 prayer shawls, 31 angel buntings for stillborn babies at Wake Med, and 322 newborn baby caps for Rex Hospital.

The Guild members have also made scarves and hats for the Christmas at Sea Program at the Seaman's Institute of New York, baby blankets and hats for parishioners and the Community Outreach Program, and ponchos, hats, and scarves for the Healing Place for Women. These items have been made and given to provide comfort to the recipient.

To demonstrate how these items have comforted people, I would like to share a story with you. One of our clergy delivered a prayer shawl to a parishioner, who was in the hospital recovering from surgery. With a smile of gratitude, she took the shawl and with her hands crossed on her chest fell asleep, still clutching the soft shawl in her hands.  We have also received many notes of gratitude, and I would like to share parts of two notes with you. The first said, "Thank you so very much for the beautiful prayer shawl. It's gentle colors and softness comfort me. I feel the arms of God embracing me when I wear it. It gives me hope, strength and guidance to face months of treatment. I feel graced with peace and wrapped in love. Your prayers and kindness have touched my heart and given me a life long treasure."

And from the second note, "I want to express to all of you how very touched and humbled I feel to have received one of your prayer shawls. The shawl is a wonderful expression of the love and caring that the Church of the Good Shepherd is known for, not only in outreach to the community, but also in ‘inreach' to our own who have special needs. The prayer shawl, to me, is a symbol of Christian community, knitted tightly together to form a network of individuals, loving and caring for each other. It also serves as an object of God's love that I use to feel closer to him and, in a sense, feel a more direct and intimate relationship with him. I had a thought about the Peanuts cartoon character, Linus, and his blanket. As Linus was always connected to his blanket, we are always connected to God by use of the prayer shawl. When I use the shawl I feel an encompassing sense of peace, calm, and serenity, as if feeling God's arms wrapped around me."

The Duncan Giersch Parish Life Center has provided a place for this group to meet, support each other, and a place to store supplies and finished items ready for distribution. Currently there are approximately 75 items ready to be distributed in a time of need, and a few months ago the Guild was the recipient of several boxes of beautiful yarn which now waits to be crafted into items that could bring comfort and joy to someone in our church community and beyond in this new year.