Prayer Shawls

I had the honor this year of presenting prayer shawls to the two women who make our meals every day at the ASP facility.    

While telling the women about our church’s Prayer Shawl Ministry, and the meaning of the shawls, I explained that the small group of people from BBPC that they could now see was just the tip of the iceberg, representatives of a larger congregation that they couldn’t see—a larger congregation that loved and supported them just the same:

·         Those in the Compassion-Knits who knit our shawls, thinking about and praying for their eventual recipients with each stitch.  (The shawls we gave out this year were knitted by Jane Settle, Jan Holmlund and Amanda Decker.)

·         Those who financially support our ASP trips, through pasta dinners, coffee houses, t shirt auctions and car washes.  (You know who you are!)

·         Even those who—though no longer part of our temporal family of faith—will always remain guiding spirits in all we do together.  (Someone like the late Peggy Sutherland comes to mind—someone who made innumerable prayer shawls herself, who continually gave financially in support of ASP and so many other church mission projects, and whose profound impact continues to shape the life of our congregation and the lives of its members.)             

Through the always powerful presentation of the BBPC prayer shawls to ASP staff and families, we were humbled to represent our larger congregation, were reminded of those who went before us yet still go with us, and were grateful to be members of the larger Church Universal—which stitches together New Jersey with West Virginia, prosperity with poverty, mortal with the Eternal.        

Steve