First Congregational Church - Greenfield, MA

With hopes and prayers of warming the sick and lonely and celebrating with the joyful, every Tuesday afternoon, an interfaith group of about a dozen women meet at First Church with knitting supplies in hand. This is our Prayer Shawl Ministry, a ministry in Pastor Judith Kinley knits a prayer shawl (Photo by Jeff Brown)

Pastor Judith Kinley knits a prayer shawl (Photo by Jeff Brown)

which prayer shawls are made and blessed during prayer sessions. As the women sit in a circle in the church parlor, a candle is lit and a prayer is offered. “May God touch your shawls with warmth,” one prays, and the work of God begins. As each knitter knits her shawl, she prays for the person who will receive it.

Every shawl is knit with groups of three purl and three knit stitches, the groups of three symbolizing the Christian Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You can find the pattern for prayer shawls on the Prayer Shawl Ministry website (click here).

The first prayer shawl ministry group was created by two graduates of the Women’s Leadership Institute at the Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1998. Today, there are hundreds of these ministries around the world in all church denominations.

Since the First Church’s Prayer Shawl Ministry began, the ministry members have given away more than 241 prayer shawls to breast cancer patients, the elderly, to mothers in Beslan, Russia, whose children were killed when their school was seized by Islamic guerillas, and many others. The shawls are given in both sympathy and celebration and always with the intent of compassion. The thank-you notes that pour in from around the world are heartwarming, making this ministry rewarding for all concerned. Some recipients are moved to donate money to the ministry for yarn and supplies or even to join the group to pass on the blessings that they have received.

All are welcome to attend the First Church’s Prayer Shawl Ministry meetings, including beginners, on Tuesday afternoons at 4:00 in the church parlor. Come and share in the blessings!

the franklin area survival center

Begun in 1981, through the efforts of members of First Church in collaboration with those from other local churches, The Franklin Area Survival Center currently provides a safety net for needy families in the area. Located on 4th Street in Turners Falls, MA, the Survival Center has stocked a pantry through purchases from the USDA Food Bank at greatly reduced prices, and the generous donations of area churches, local businesses, and other organizations, food drives held by the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and individuals. Last year sixty seven thousand pounds of food were donated by these sources. The Survival Center also now boasts a Thrift Shop, where those who are in need can purchase at a very low price or receive free from charge clothing and household necessities, which are also donated.

Volunteers from First Church and other churches and organizations staff the Survival Center, which is open from 10 AM to 1:30 PM Monday through Friday, coordinated by two paid staff members. Currently the Franklin Area Survival Center provides emergency food to an average of 300 families per month. Contact the pastor if you are interested in volunteering for this very important ministry. A couple hours a week could make a big difference, both to you who give and to the people who receive.

first annual alternative gift fair

The Mission Board held its first annual Alternative Gift Fair in November of 2006. For two consecutive Sundays, after the morning worship service, both church members and the general public came to browse for unique Christmas gifts while extending a hand to people and worthy projects close to home and far away. This mission is of threefold value: for the recipient of these wonderful gifts, for the people helped by the sale, and for the giver in the form of ease in selecting truly special gifts and knowing that they have helped those in need by doing so. It's a welcome alternative to the heavy commercialization of Christmas giving.

The gift tables last November included gifts from the Greater Gift ministry, Fair Trade Coffee, Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International, the Honduras School Project, and the Women's Educational Mission Project in Turkey. Items for sale included unique gifts from around the world from SERRV; regular and decaffeinated coffee; note cards, pins and Eric Carle prints and gift cards; tee shirts, note cards, water bottles; local artist, Bev Phelps' paintings and note paper; and beautiful hand finished scarves by the women of Turkey to support their education programs. If you missed the Alternative Gift Fair last November, rest easy. It will return next November in time for Christmas 2007. It makes gift-giving twice as rewarding.