About ODPC Prayer Shawl Ministry

Do you knit or crochet? Would you like to learn? From beginners to advanced, all are welcome to join the ODPC Prayer Shawl Ministry! You may work with others in weekly meetings or by yourself in the comfort of your own home. Instruction, yarn, needles, patterns and loving support are provided. Different prayer shawl ministries may define a prayer shawl in different ways.

The ODPC Prayer Shawl Ministry uses the term “prayer shawl” to refer to a shawl, a lap robe, socks, hats, and hand warmers that are handmade by volunteers and gifted to individuals in need of comfort. They are not for sale.
 
What does a Prayer Shawl Ministry do?

Mission: The Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church Prayer Shawl Ministry, located in North Myrtle Beach, SC, combines Christian service and the love of knitting and crocheting into a prayer outreach ministry that comforts those in need. This includes illness, surgery, divorce, relocation, grief, stress, pain and depression.

Our forty active volunteers are invited to meet every Thursday in the church Board Room from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM to knit or crochet prayer shawls for recipients they may or may not have met. At meetings, volunteers select project patterns, yarn, and needles from supplies provided through church funding and love gifts. Weekly attendance averages twenty to twenty-five.

While volunteers are not required to use specific patterns or yarns, they are expected to begin their work with prayer and continue those intentions throughout their creations. As the volunteers work together, blessings ripple from person to person, with everyone involved feeling the unconditional embrace of a sheltering, nurturing God. When completed, shawls are packaged, tagged and personally delivered.

While shawls are gifted throughout the year, pastors conduct an annual fall blessing of work completed during the summer months. At the “Blessing of the Shawls,” volunteers drape the altar with wraps displaying splashes of color, varying yarn textures, and patterns of all shapes and sizes. This collective display makes a powerful statement for service. Countless thank-you notes and love gifts confirm God’s blessing of this unique ministry.

If you would like to become involved in our North Myrtle Beach Prayer Shawl Ministry or know of someone in need of a prayer shawl, please contact Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church at 843.249.2312 or contact Susie Huggins via email or at 843.222.0222.