Wrapped In Prayer
By Cyndi Norris
Wrapped in prayer … can you imagine anything more comforting?
I recently became involved in a Prayer and Quilt ministry that ultimately wraps those who are ill or in pain in our love and prayers. It is a blessing to me as much as it is to those who receive the wrap.
It all started with a friend at church who went to visit a sick friend in the hospital. Her friend was wrapped in a beautifully knit shawl, a prayer shawl that someone from her church made. My friend’s curiosity was piqued. She searched the Internet and found sites full of patterns, prayers and ideas.
She began to knit and pray for those in our church who were ill at home or in hospital. When she finished a shawl she passed it on to our rector who delivered it (as well as a card of description and prayers) to the patient. I talked to several of these people about their shawls and they all hold them dear. One said it stays on “her” chair. Every morning and every evening she sits wrapped in it while she says her prayers in which she includes the person who knit the shawl for her. Another recipient said she loved the colour and feel of her shawl too and found great comfort in being wrapped in it as she prayed the prayers that were included with it.
My friend started knitting prayer shawls in August 2006 and to date has made, prayed and given 10 shawls (nine for women and one, a prayer mantle, for a man). She keeps a journal of the shawls she makes complete with photos of the shawls and little crosses knit from the wool she used in each one. She continues to pray for the shawls and whoever received them. Some of her journal entries include how the shawl was made, interesting things that happened during it’s creation and why it was made.
The pattern is simple, K3, P3. The three represents the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The rules are basic! Pray for the recipient as you pick out the wool. Pray for the recipient as you knit. Pray that God will wrap that person in His compassionate love. When the shawl is finished it is full of prayers for that recipient.
I use Harmony yarn by Bernat for its snuggly textures and washability. Those who wrap themselves in it can feel the warmth and love that the prayers and yarn have incorporated in the shawl.
When my friend told me about this ministry I got goose bumps. I thought to myself: “I can do this!” I felt a strong pull toward the ministry then I doubted my knitting skills. I am a beginning knitter and very slow. It would take me forever to complete a shawl. I mentioned this to one of my quilting/knitting friends and she told me it was possible to quilt a prayer shawl.
This time I went to the Internet and found just as many sites for prayer quilts as there were for prayer shawls. I also found three books about prayer shawls and quilts: Knitting the Mystery by Susan Jorgensen & Susan Izard; Prayer Shawl Ministry, Reaching Those In Need by Lion Brand, and Fabric of Faith by Kimberly Winston. My friend and I each had someone in mind who needed to be wrapped in prayers right away, so we got to work.
The principals for prayer quilts are the same as for prayer shawls. Pray for God to guide you as you choose the fabric and begin the shawl. You will be amazed at how you are led. I certainly was. The patterns (and there are many from which to choose) are also simple. We wanted to keep the same theme as our knitting friend so we chose the rail fence pattern. It uses three coordinating fabrics cut and sewn into strips of three to make a block. The blocks are sewn together in a vertical then horizontal pattern to make stair steps. The backside of the quilt is special too. A large cross is worked into the fabric using two colors to remind the recipient that she is covered in the prayers of Christ.
When the quilt is all put together the layers are tied rather than quilted. We use embroidery floss. The quilt maker loops of floss all over the quilt but doesn’t tie the loops, she asks others to “tie in a prayer” for the recipient. I often take them to church where adults and children alike can tie prayers. Sometimes I take prayer quilts to work or to the recipient’s home to give friends and family members an opportunity to be involved.
So far I have been involved in five prayer quilts. One was for a very dear and very ill member of our sewing group The Piece Makers. We worked quickly and finished the quilt in just two days. Our prayers as well as the quilt touched our friend and her family. She passed away peacefully several days later and the quilt was wrapped over her at her funeral.
Another quilt was made for a very sick little boy and I am told it goes everywhere with him. We took another quilt to our Mothers’ Union meeting and members tied in prayers for our Canadian Mothers’ Union president Kathleen Snow, who has been suffering with a bad back for months. We delivered it to Fredericton and she told me it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Two mantles have also been quilted for men.
I’ve heard some other good ideas for the shawls and quilts too. Leave several in a quiet corner of your church for those who want to pray for someone or something in their lives. Make one for yourself and wrap up in it for your home prayers, Bible times or in times of need. I’m working on a friendship prayer shawl to celebrate a special friendship wrapped in prayer.
I truly feel blessed to be a part of this ministry. Every experience draws me closer to God and everything I give is returned one hundred fold.
In their book The Knitting Mystery, Susan Jorgensen and Susan Izard tell us: “Through this ministry we can learn to trust the truth that God works through us when we care for friends and strangers alike.”
Cyndi Norris is Mothers’ Union branch leader at St. Mary and St. Bartholomew’s Church in Saint John.
