A McMinnville First United Methodist Church ministry entering its 25th year crocheting and knitting prayer shawls to support locals struggling through hardship.
Ministry Co-Chair Cindy Ratz said the women crochet for members of the church and those in the broader community needing comfort and care. Ratz said the women crochet for those in mourning, experiencing major illness, high risk pregnancy and to comfort military families. The ministry has gifted about 2,000 shawls to the community.
“We believe in God’s healing and we want to be apart of a ministry that we can share gods love and our love for those who are in need and are hurting,” Ratz said.
Ratz said the women make shawls, prayer cloths and chemo-caps for the community to be given out through the month. Ratz said at the end of each group meeting, the women pray over the cloths and shawls to be handed out to the community the following month.
Ratz said the Methodist Church began the ministry after the First United Methodist Church in Springville gifted a prayer shawl to late-Church Member Faye Layne. Ratz said Layne had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Ratz said the Springville ministry aimed to gift her hope, comfort and peace through the shawl.
“She was very touched by this act of kindness,” Ratz said. “And that planted a seed to start our ministry.”
Ratz said the ministry gifts prayer shawls to Veteran Affairs, gifting the shawls to veterans in need of them. Ratz said the group delivers chemo-caps to local cancer patients, as well.
Ratz said the group uses a specific type of yarn to create the shawls, often buying the supplies used to make the shawls. Ratz said the group accepts donations through the church to support the creation of shawls and prayer cloths.
“I believe it gives them comfort,” Ratz said. “They have a physical shawl to wrap themselves up in to feel a physical comfort and a spiritual comfort.”