Moderator

It was 8:00 o’clock in the morning. I was staying with The Rev. Glenn and Lorna Ball in Brandon, Manitoba. Glenn is the regional staff person in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario and had helped organize my trip to visit congregations and presbyteries in Manitoba. Glenn and I were just getting ready to head out the door for a tour of the Brandon area and then travel to Winnipeg for the Presbytery of Winnipeg’s meeting at St. James’ Church in Winnipeg. Suddenly the doorbell rang. “Who could be at the door this early in the morning?” I wondered. To my surprise it was Arlene Robertson from First Church in Brandon. In her hand was a gift bag, which she promptly placed in my hands. “This is for your wife, Shirley,” she said with a smile. “My guess is that she often gets lonely with your being on the road so much. Maybe this will keep her warm when you’re away from home.” Inside the bag was a hand knit shawl along with a note:

Dear Shirley (Mrs. Moderator),

As this shawl was being knit, its lightness became very apparent. Thinking about its lightness, we recall Jesus’ words from Matthew’s gospel:

“Come to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble of heart,
and you will find rest for your soul.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

It is our prayer that as you wear this shawl, you will sense the warmth of God’s loving arms around you, giving you strength for each day and that as you wear it, you will feel its lightness and be reminded of Jesus’ words.

May God bless you and keep you always.

Sincerely,

Mary Edgar and Arlene Robertson

On behalf of the Prayer Shawl ministry of First Presbyterian Church, Brandon, MB

Our shawls are knit with ‘prayers in every stitch’.

What a wonderful gift of love and support so early in the morning! In the Roundtable discussion I had with representatives from congregations in the Brandon Presbytery the previous day, Arlene and other representatives from First Church in Brandon had shared the story of their Prayer Shawl Ministry and the 300+ shawls they had distributed to shut-ins, the grieving, people in hospital, etc. over the past six years. Arlene’s gift was actually the second prayer shawl I had received during my travels as moderator. The first prayer shawl was a gift for me from the knitting group in Kildonan Community Church in Winnipeg. Now, with the gift from First Church, Brandon, both Shirley and I (a.k.a. “Mr. and Mrs. Moderator”) have prayer shawls of our own.

By the way, the Prayer Shawl Ministry has an interesting history. The idea for the ministry originated in 1998 with Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo, two graduates of the 1997 Women’s Leadership Institute at The Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, under the direction of Sister Miriam Therese Winter, who is a member of the Medical Mission Sisters and a singer/songwriter and teacher (two of her hymns are in our own Book of Praise). Janet and Victoria wanted to figure out a way to combine the spiritual discipline of prayer with a practical expression of love and compassion, and so the idea for the Prayer Shawl Ministry was born and has spread to individuals and congregations of every denomination around the world.

I share this story, not only as a story of generosity, but also as a special invitation to Presbyterian congregations across Canada who have an active Prayer Shawl Ministry. I am inviting you to share your love and prayers and hand knit prayer shawls with the residents of the Boarding Homes Ministry. Boarding Homes Ministry is the recipient of this year’s E. H. Johnson award that will be presented to The Rev. Rodger Hunter, a Presbyterian minister and the founder and the director/chaplain of the ministry, at the 137th General Assembly in London, Ontario. Since its founding in the fall of 1996, the number of boarding homes served by the Boarding Homes Ministry has grown to thirteen, serving 359 residents. The residents of the boarding homes often feel left out and abandoned – thus the genuine need for the kind of support provided by the volunteers who visit regularly with the residents through the ministry. What better way to let the residents know that they haven’t been forgotten than by each of them receiving a prayer shawl, “knit with ‘prayers in every stitch,” from Presbyterians across Canada?

In my travels across Canada, I have discovered many congregations actively engaged in the Prayer Shawl Ministry. So to all of those involved in the Prayer Shawl Ministry, I invite you to share your love and prayers with the residents of the Boarding Homes Ministry by sending a prayer shawl (or two or three or four) to this year’s General Assembly. The volunteers in the Boarding Homes Ministry will then distribute the prayer shawls to the residents during their visits. My hope is that we will have a prayer shawl for each of the 359 residents in time for presentation at the Assembly. I can’t think of a better way to culminate my focus on growing the generosity of the church than through a flood of prayer shawls arriving in time to be presented at General Assembly.

I also hope that this will provide an opportunity to learn which congregations across Canada have an active Prayer Shawl Ministry and to link that vital ministry with the vital Boarding Homes Ministry. There may also be individual knitters across Canada who are not part of a Prayer Shawl Ministry in their congregation but who would like to knit a prayer shawl for a resident in the Boarding Homes Ministry. This could be your opportunity to combine your prayers with your knitting skills to provide a tangible expression of support for one of the boarding home residents. If you are interested in participating, please contact:

Sheryl Sutton, Planned Giving Program Coordinator
ssutton@presbyterian.ca
1-800-619-7301, ext. 265

Sheryl has volunteered to keep track of the congregations who will be participating in the great Prayer Shawl give-away for the residents of the Boarding Homes Ministry. You may either send your prayer shawls to Sheryl’s attention at:

The Presbyterian Church in Canada
50 Wynford Drive, Toronto, ON M3C1J7

Or you may send them directly to General Assembly with a commissioner from your presbytery. Whatever way you choose to get the shawls to Assembly, please let Sheryl Sutton know of your intentions, so that we can have a record of donors. Be sure to attach a note to each prayer shawl indicating the congregation from which it comes and offering your prayers for the recipient. And God bless you in advance for your generosity!