"Knit & Pray" is the prayer shawl ministry of the Parish of the Valley. Compassion and a love for knitting or crocheting are combined into a prayerful ministry and spiritual practice that can be done from our homes or in groups gathered together. It is an opportunity for us to reach out to those in need of comfort and solace.
When we knit or crochet a prayer shawl, we might light a candle and then begin with a prayer:
We ask a blessing from all who have come before us;
whose hands have been instruments of creation and beauty;
who have used humble tools and hand-spun wool in order to provide cover and warmth for
themselves and those they loved;
who have felt, as we will feel, the yarn in their fingers;
who have seen, as we will see, the growth of the fabric;
who have heard, as we will hear, the click of the needles.
Guide our attention to stay on course.
Hold us close and ground us.
Bless, also, this yarn and these needles.
May any negative energy connected to them be cast away as we cast on;
and all positive energy bound in as we bind off.
In their simplicity, may we find comfort and solace.
Bless our hands...
Often just appendages at the end of our arms...
workers doing their job without appreciation...looked at, yet not really seen.
These instruments of love have done mundane tasks, yet also create beauty.
They reach out, touch, stroke, scrub, lift, grasp, gesture and guide.
These hands, our hands, gifts of great importance,
Blessings be on them and in them as we begin.
May the fruits of their labour be good! Amen.
We then knit or crochet a simple pattern to create lovely shawls. When completed, the shawls are blessed during a Sunday worship service, and then distributed by our clergy and lay pastoral care teams as we become made aware of needs. We are blessed by the gifts of many talented knitters and crocheters across the parish, and are grateful for being able to offer a tangible reminder of the love and comfort of our God and the prayers of our parish to surround those in need.
The in-person meetings of Knit & Pray are currently on hiatus, but knitting continues in our homes! If you have any questions, please speak with Rev. Gillian. The pattern for knitting or crocheting a prayer shawl is available to download here.
For more information about the global prayer shawl movement, please see https://www.shawlministry.com/.