14 years of Knitting; How a Somerset church ministry gives back

SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Back in 2010, a group of four women opened a magazine to find ways to help out their local parish.

After flipping through the pages, the group agreed to dedicate their time to the ministry through needles and balls of yarn. There it was, St. Paul’s Presbyterian had a prayer shawl ministry.

Since its founding, the group of women gather in the church’s library every other Tuesday to knit and catch up. They’ve create multiple items, such as blankets, scarves, hats and prayer squares, all for good causes.

“We give to individuals for many reasons,” Janice Forry, one of the four founding members of St. Paul’s Prayer Shawl Ministry said. “Illnesses, for deaths, for weddings, for graduations. We’ve done scarves for confirmation.”

The ministry has made over 500 prayer shawls and 1,000 prayer squares over 14 years of operation. Some of these creations have led to comforting those in times of need.

“This child was one that was taken away from her home because of a drug situation,” Forry said. “We were happy to give her the gift of a shawl. Her response to us was that she takes it with her to bed all the time, and that’s a comfort to her. And that’s a joy, you know when we realize that we can help someone to experience that.”

Over the years, some members have come and gone through the halls of the parish. With each transition, it provides one person the opportunity to make a difference.

“It’s nice to say, “This is for you” and say, “We were just thinking about you and praying about you” and then say a prayer with them as if you’re hurting,” Vicky Weimer, a member of the Prayer Shawl Ministry said. “I like it when they do it with me, so why wouldn’t people like it when I do it for them?”

With each shawl, a photo is taken and placed into a scrapbook. Looking back at all the crafts the group has made caused Forry to reflect on how she served through the ministry and hope she delivered on the promise that she made back in 2010.

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From one magazine over 14 years ago, the art of knitting and crocheting has created a close-knit bond of women, both inside and outside the church. “We go every week to eat, and it’s nice to have some fun,” Weimer said. “It’s nice to have people to talk to.”

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