Prayer Shawl Ministry
Fundraiser: Our local food pantry
Location: FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - SANCTUARY
Address: 33 Park Place, Goshen NY 10924
Telephone: 845-294-7991
Date: Saturday, November 20, 2010
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Come and see HEIRLOOM QUILTS & beautiful handmade items of yesteryear.
We will also be featuring many new quilts. On display will be shared treasures of the members of the congregation & friends of the church.
A walk down memory lane, plus view Louis C. Tiffany's famous Stained Glass Windows in the Sanctuary.
Craft Fair & Bake Sale will be ongoing during Quilt Show in the Church Fellowship Hall
Suggested donation to Quilt Show: A nonperishable food item or $1.00
All donations will be given to the Local Food Pantry.
If you are interested in displaying an item, please send your:
FULL NAME
ADDRESS
TELEPHONE
PHOTO or DESCRIPTION OF ITEM TO DISPLAY
to the...
Quilt Show Committee
c/o First Presbyterian Church
33 Park Place
Goshen NY 10924
Thank you.
As we all seem to notice, the summer weeks flew by, and although they were extremely warm, some of our ladies still managed to get new shawls made.
Personally, I had a moving experience. A friend of mine saw me at the local deli and asked if I could make a shawl for one of his friends who was dying. He knew her from the gym.
I quickly got one to him with a number of our "comforting prayers." About six weeks later, the lady passed away, and Andy called me to say the shawl was of great comfort to her in her last few weeks. That Saturday, I looked in the obituaries and noticed that a lady who was my age and who had owned the local gym had died. I then realized that we were classmates in high school. She had taught me to ski. We ate lunch together and shared many good times. I did not know where the shawl I was making was going, but, as they say, "God works in mysterious ways," and I guess he knew. I am so pleased that she was comforted in her last days.
I would like to share a few of the many thank-you cards that have come to us. Here are a few of the excerpts from the notes:
"Thank you for the beautiful shawl. They let me take it to the O.R. with me, and it was on my bed in recovery. It kept me warm when I had the chills and gave me comfort when I was in pain, and it remains with me. Orra Wood."
"Thank you for attending my mom’s wake and for the prayer shawl of comfort. I couldn’t read the prayers without shedding a tear. Joan and Pat Noonan."
"Ladies, I wanted to thank you and Heather from the bottom of my heart for the beautiful prayer shawl. I cannot even begin to explain the comfort you have given to me. What a wonderful gift I have been blessed with. The poems and prayers are where I can read them each day and they remind me I am never alone. God bless all of you. In Christian faith and love, Tammy Rose." (Tammy is one of the ladies from the National Guard unit whose husband is away.)
"Dear Ladies of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, Your loving cards and your prayers surround me like the beautiful shawl I wrap myself in. Thinking of the many caring stitches and the work involved warmed my heart. I love the blue and white colors and the sparkly blue stripe in the middle. Many thanks for the prayers that were brought to me and brought me home at last. Thankfully, Fran Hoffmann."
"Dear Friends, Thank you each for the love, comfort, and support you have given to me through my cancer journey. I feel closer to all because of your beautiful shawls. I cover myself from my neck to my toes. You are amazing. I read the prayers and poems over and over and they give me comfort. Love Gabriel Bittner, Hawley, PA."
So, my friends, as you can see, we are reaching out and touching many. This is just a small sampling of the wonderful notes that have come to us.
Please remember that we will continue to take yarn, gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons, etc., for our gifts that are sent out from the church. Thank you to all who have brought some of these supplies for us. The Prayer Shawl Ministry has decided to meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. in the parlor. In September, the dates are the 7th and 21st. Anyone who would like to come join us or just come sit in and learn the art of crocheting is welcome. Bring a friend! Hope you will join this worthwhile ministry.
God bless each of you, and consider yourselves hugged,
Wendy Lee Paffenroth
Journal Keeper, PSM