BY FRANK SOJAK
Women at five United Methodist churches
in the Johnstown area are the needle and thread that God has created to bring his warmth to people.
The women are crocheting and knitting prayer shawls that they donate to people facing sad times or celebrating joyous ones.
The women started their cooperative Prayer Shawl Ministry a year ago and so far have made nearly 700 of them. Most stay in this region but many have been delivered to people throughout the United States and other countries. Military personnel also have received the shawls.
Before being delivered, the shawls are blessed by a pastor during a service at each church – Garfield Street United Methodist in Morrellville; Albright United Methodist and Bowserdale United Methodist, both in Tanneryville; Cramer United Methodist in Cramer; and Jackson-Mount Olive United Methodist in Jackson Township.
Parishioners at each church hold hands to signify that the entire congregation supports the ministry, said Thelma Griffith, the ministry’s coordinator who started the program.
The women make the shawls in various colors schemes in their homes and pray for the recipients while doing so. The recipients are members of all faiths, she said.
“It’s a way to reach out to people,” she said. “It’s a tangible expression of our love for other people.”
Darlene Shingler, coordinator at the Cramer church, said it’s amazing how the shawls benefit people.
“Some use it during their prayer time while others use it if they feel cold,” she said. “But everyone tells us that when they put it on, they can feel God’s comfort.”
Adalee Lambing, assistant coordinator at Mount Olive, said the shawls are meaningful.
“People who believe that prayer helps in any circumstance feel a closeness to God through the prayers that have been placed during the making of the shawl,” she said.
She said her church’s coordinator, Sharon Allison, does a fine job of organizing their role in the ministry.
Betty Adams, coordinator for the Albright church, said the shawls show people experiencing a difficult time that others care about them.
“It not only touches the person who receives it, but everybody in the person’s family,” she said.
Robin Rummel, coordinator at the Bowserdale church, said the shawls also are given to people during joyous occasions.
“It shows them that people are thinking about them and want to share in their joy,” she said.
Shirley Wasilisian, coordinator for the Garfield Street church, said the women in all five churches are devoted to making the shawls.
“I am most humbled that God would allow us to be part of this ministry so that we could be touching lives,” she said.
For their efforts, the five, all Johnstown area residents, are the Persons of the Week.
