You are welcome to join us!

Do you know of someone who is trying to cope with a difficult life circumstance and needs to be reminded that God is by their side? Wesley’s Prayer Shawl Ministry provides prayer shawls to comfort those in need to remind them that God loves them. In the vestibule outside the sanctuary is a basket containing two prayer shawls. Please feel free to take one to give to someone in need. Have you ever felt the arms of God wrap around you in a time of joy or sadness, stress or exhilaration?  Have you ever felt the prayers of your friends, the church or even strangers during those times also?  Perhaps you have heard of prayer shawl ministries.

History 

After returning from a women's leadership institute in 1998, two women began what is now known throughout the world as Prayer Shawl Ministry.  One of the women says, "I searched for ways to use my new insight and awareness about myself as a faith filled spiritual woman.  Prayerfully creating a shawl for those going through difficult as well as celebratory life event seemed to be a perfect metaphor for what I had experienced at Women's Leadership Institute."   Janet Bristow

In the spring of 2012, Wesley Church reached out to those interested in learning about what a prayer shawl is, how to make prayer shawls (there are no rules), and what a prayer shawl ministry does.  It has grown from there....to people at Wesley Church, people in Macomb and areas around, people in other states and also globally in several countries.  

Who decides the people who will receive a shawl?  Anyone....from the pastors to the congregation to a neighbor (who may not go to Wesley Church) who is concerned about someone needing comfort and prayers.  

Recently, the team has expanded to making and giving out other handmade items, including knitted hats for local area children, scarves for Scarves for Troops, baby blankets, hats, and booties to the Birthright of Macomb, scarves distributed by Macomb Public Library and the WIU Food Pantry, Angel Blankets and Rainbow Blankets to MDH’s Delores K. Switzer Women’s Center for new mothers, and 314 masks during the pandemic.

Eight or nine times a year, Wesley's prayer shawl ministry meets the second Tuesday of the month at 2 pm in the Lodge Parlor at the church.  (Generally, the Prayer Shawl Ministry does not meet in the summer.) Please check the church calendar to see when we meet next.  Do you knit, do you crochet, do you quilt???  We need all the makers we can get!  

Anyone interested in our Prayer Shawl Ministry is encouraged to become involved!

Contact persons for this ministry is Cindy Hare and Judy Mowery.  Please call the church office for further information.

More Information and Pictures

• Click here for a Google Slides slideshow.
• Click here for the information as a PDF.

Prayer shawls are given in a wide variety of places, in a wide variety of ways, to a wide variety of people. One example, is on the Youth Group mission trips.

The Youth Group has taking prayer shawls on their mission trips each year since 2013.  Prayer shawls were given to individuals in 2013 in Mission, SD on the Native American Reservation, in 2014 and 2015 in Denver, CO at the ministries served, and in 2016 & 2021 at Little Grassy United Methodist Camp.

We present a prayer shawl to the cook on our mission trip in 2016.

 Jim Olsen presents a prayer shawl to James Simpson, the Facilities director at Little Grassy United Methodist Camp.

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