Baby Baptismal Shawls

Shawls are given to all babies baptized atNazareth. The following guidelines are suggestedwhen making baby shawls.

• Baby shawls may be knitted or crochetedusing a pattern of your choice.• Use a lightweight yarn appropriate forbabies.• White or pastel colors are preferred.• Approximate size should be 36" x 36".• Completed shawls can be brought to thechurch office.

Other ItemsMembers of the Prayer Shawl Ministry knit chemohats for cancer patients and small teddy bearsfor hospitalized children. Patterns are available.Call Marilyn Young at 830-3400 for moreinformation.

Learn More About Prayer Shawls

Knitting Into the Mystery: A Guide to the Shawl-Knitting Ministry by Susan S. Jorgensen and SusanS. Izard is available from the Nazareth library.

The Prayer Shawl Companion: 38 Knitted Designsto Embrace, Inspire, and Celebrate Life by JanetBristow, Victoria A. Cole-Galo and Tom Hopkins

The Prayer Shawl Ministry: Reaching Those in Needby Leisure Arts

PrayersPrayersPrayersPrayersEvery prayer shawl is made with prayer.The following prayers can be used when starting a new shawl,

but please feel free to use your own prayers. The prayers you pray when making your shawl

will make it a unique gift of gracethat combines your talent and compassionwith God’s love and healing power.

Prayer IMay God's grace be upon this shawl,

warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing.May this mantle be a safe haven,

a sacred place of security and well-being,sustaining and embracing in good times

as well as difficult ones.May the one who receives this shawl

be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace,and wrapped in love.

Prayer IIDear Lord,Fill my heart with positive thoughts and feelings asI work on this shawl of comfort. Guide my handsas they work. Let me make each stitch with loveand a prayer in my heart for the one whoreceives this shawl. May she or he be comforted,and may it represent Your love and Your powerto heal any hurt. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

NazarethNazarethNazarethNazarethEvangelical Lutheran ChurchEvangelical Lutheran ChurchEvangelical Lutheran ChurchEvangelical Lutheran Church7401 University AvenueCedar Falls, Iowa 50613

319-266-7589 • www.naz.org

For more information about the Prayer Shawl Ministry,contact Marilyn Young at 830-3400.

NazarethNazarethNazarethNazarethEvangelical Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran ChurChurChurChurchchchch

Prayer Shawl Ministry

We come together and offer our hands.

In this simple act

of knitting and crocheting shawls,

our hands become God’s hands.

What is the Prayer Shawl Ministry?

In 1998, two women from Connecticut started asimple ministry based on compassion for others andthe love of knitting and crocheting. The PrayerShawl Ministry has since spread to hundreds ofchurches across the nation.

Hand-knitted or crocheted prayer shawls are givento those in need of healing and comfort. A prayershawl can also mark a joyous celebration in the lifeof the recipient.

Made with prayer and given with compassion,prayer shawls are a commemoration of the gift oflove, friendship, and caring.

At Nazareth, the Prayer Shawl Ministry servespeople who are undergoing life transitions:

• Those in need of comfort following the death ofa loved one.

• Those in need of peace during an illness.• Those in need of encouragement during loss orhardship.

• Those who are celebrating a graduation, aretirement, a marriage, or the birth of a child.

These are only a few of the occasions that call forthe tangible comfort a prayer shawl can provide.

Who makes prayer shawls?

The Nazareth Prayer Shawl Ministry is a group ofknitters and crocheters who either work together atthe church or work individually at home. Anyone iswelcome to join the ministry.

When does the Prayer Shawl Ministry meet?

The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets the 1st & 3rd

Tuesdays of the month at 9:00 a.m. in Room 158.

How can I give a prayer shawl to someone?

• You can contact the Prayer Shawl Ministry andsuggest the name of someone you know whowould benefit from receiving a shawl. CallMarilyn Young at 830-3400.

• You can make a shawl and give it to someone.

• You can select a shawl from storage. Please askfor assistance at the Reception Desk.

• Gift cards are available for inclusion with theshawls. The cards contain prayers and indicatethat the shawl was given by the Nazareth PrayerShawl Ministry.

• To help with record keeping and to avoidduplicate gifts, please notify the Prayer ShawlMinistry when you give a shawl. Call MarilynYoung at 830-3400.

I want to support the ministry, but I don’t knit orcrochet. How can I help?

Financial contributions for the purchase of yarn arealways needed and gratefully accepted. Yourprayers for the ministry and for the recipients of theshawls are also appreciated.

Prayer Shawl Patterns

Books containing prayer shawl patterns are nowavailable in bookstores and craft stores. Many freeshawl patterns can be found online. Suggestedwebs i tes i nc lude l ionbrand .com andshawlministry.com.

The following patterns can also be used.

Knitting Directions I Materials: 3 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun YarnSize 11 or 13 knitting needlesPattern: Cast on 57 stitches.Row 1: Knit to end of row. Turn.Row 2: Knit to end of row 2 (garter stitch).Repeat rows 1 and 2 until the shawl is 3’ x 7’

Knitting Directions II (Triangle Shawl)Materials: 2 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun YarnSize 11 knitting needlesPattern: Cast on 3 stitches.Add one stitch at the beginning of each row until150 stitches are made. Bind off.

Crocheting DirectionsUsing the hook and yarn of your choice, create achain the width of your intended shawl. Make surethe total number of stitches on your chain is divisibleby 3. Then, chain one more.ROW 1: In the second stitch from the chain, DC, TC, *SC, DC, TC*repeat from * to end of chain, chain 1 and turn.ROW 2: Chain 1 (counts as first sc). DC, TC, *SC,DC, TC* repeat from * to end of row.Repeat 2nd row until piece measures desired length(approximately 3' x 7').

Prayer Shawl Ministry. . . the gift of our hands

Can you touch a prayer?

Can you pull it close and feel its comfort?

You can if it comes as a gift

in the form of a Prayer Shawl.

– First Christian Church, Scottsdale AZ