Imagine the arms of God, your family and your friends encircling you as you put a knit prayer shawl around your shoulders; a shawl filled with prayers of comfort and warmth and blessed by our ministry.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry was begun at St. Nicholas in 2004 to give those in our community that kind of comfort. The vision came from two graduates of the Women’s Leadership Institute in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1998. It has spread across all traditions and faiths.  We use the book Knitting into the Mystery, as our guide.  By now we have made many, many shawls, which are always received with appreciation.

We receive referrals from parish staff and fellow parishioners, then proceed to decide the kind of the yarn we’ll use, the color, and the size needles we’ll use.

The shawls grow with each knit and purl stitch, each prayer. We give them in church, small groups, homes, hospitals and nursing homes to fellow parishioners and their families.  They may use the shawls in times of joy and celebration, in sorrow, for warmth, courage, or just because they feel like it.

We gather in the parlor of the St. Nicholas office building the first and third Thursdays of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m.  We are in companionship with the joy and privilege of knitting these shawls.  Come join us when you can (you don’t need to commit to every meeting).

For more information, please contact Sandy Hubbard at 847.674.0778 or mahubb35@aol.com.