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Touching Lives Through 'Prayer and Knitting'
By Craig Pinley
NORTH EASTON, MA (December 8, 2004) - Prayer and knitting are part of many
Covenant churches, but the combination through the work of Covenant
Congregational Church has provided a special touch that has been noticed
by many area families.
The church and its parishioners have made and delivered 85 shawls to
family, friends and
acquaintances, bringing comfort, love and care, according to church
staff. It is one of many works being done through Covenant Health
Ministry, a service arm of the church.
"If it was a ministry that was up to (associate pastor) Johnny Agurkis
and me to get started, it wouldn't have," said pastor Mark Pattie. "It's
been a wonderful example of everybody being a minister in their church,
with people using the gifts God gave them to do things others wouldn't
have dreamed of. I can't tell you how many people I've heard from that
have told me that they sleep with their prayer shawl or that someone had
it as part of their ministry."
Lyn Carroll, a parishioner, is currently organizing the prayer shawl
work through Covenant Health Ministry, which has been coordinated by
Armenie Varadian. An aunt had a brain tumor and Carroll wanted to
minister to her - she found www.shawlministry.com on the Internet and
discovered a ministry that she thought she could ultimately bring to her
church.
Individuals knit shawls and bring them to the church. Often the
individual will send a card with the shawl or bring the shawl to the one
who is suffering. An angel pattern that she found has helped her in
creating a dish towel that gives them a tangible reminder that God's
angels are with them.
Carroll - a stay-at-home mom who also helps new mothers as a volunteer
breastfeeding educator – has heard how parishioners have been ministered
to by the ministry. An acquaintance told Carroll about how a person was
so affected by the prayer shawl that when the person died, they had the
shawl buried with them.
She described how a family member's illness two years ago became the
catalyst for the ministry at Covenant Congregational. "Since my aunt was
down in Ocala, Florida, I couldn't hand deliver it, but my folks were
there and delivered the shawl to her," Carroll recalled. "The day before
she went into the hospital, she told my mother that she wanted to have
the shawl with her when she went into surgery. About two hours after
recovery, she had the shawl wrapped around her, explaining to nurses
about the meaning of the shawl. They (the hospital staff) later found
that my aunt's sight would be restored after they removed the tumor. Mom
says that she still keeps the shawl close - and that's a year and a half
later.
"I don't know who's getting more out of this, me or the ones I help,"
Carroll continued. "We have five or six people involved and we're amazed
by what people write in cards they send us and what we are told. It's
incredible."
Covenant Health Ministry has run a number of other programs both inside
and outside the church during the past four years, even coordinating a
health ministry hour after church for people inquiring about various
services. The ministry offers weekly blood pressure
tests free of charge and sends monthly cards and care packages to
college students affiliated with the congregation. Those volunteers via
"Covenant Campus Notes" also pray regularly for the students.
"The idea (of parish nursing) intrigued me," said Varadian, who had
served as admissions director for a health and rehabilitation center.
"But in going to networking groups, I got a lot of encouragement. The
key was in taking baby steps in ministry. I put out a notice that a
group was starting to form and before I knew, there were a dozen people
who were from the health profession (in the church) looking for a way to
give of themselves."
Pattie also mentioned a "Boo Boo Bunny" ministry whereby parishioners
bring new mothers a handmade item and information after they arrive home
from the hospital. The myriad ways of caring for the congregation of 340
has been an ongoing source of joy
for the senior pastor of 11 years.
"It's one little step at a time," said Pattie about the many volunteer
hours given through Covenant Health Ministry. "But there are a lot of
people that have been ministered to by this group and it has meant a
lot. We've got people throughout our congregation that have had their
lives transformed by Covenant Health Ministry. I'm also amazed at the
amount of fun they're having in doing this."
To learn more about Covenant Health Ministry at Covenant Congregational
Church, call Armenie Varadian at 781-762-0029. To learn more about the
prayer shawl ministry, call Carroll at 508-238-0861 or email her at
lwcarroll@comcast.net.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
