Prayer Shawl Gathering - 1st Wednesday of the month - 1:00-3:00 PM - Contact Lorna at 715-590-2159 for more information.

WHAT IS A PRAYER SHAWL?

Prayer shawls are handmade gifts of well wishes, into which blessings and prayers have been lovingly stitched for the recipients, offering comfort, warmth and joy.

Through knitting and crocheting, our Prayer Shawl Ministry at Osseo Evangelical Lutheran Church has begun this “spiritual practice” of creating shawls filled with prayers, good thoughts, well wishes and blessings from our hearts - to the work of our hands.    Every stitch is a seed and every seed is a blessing as these shawls begin their journey.  When the prayer shawl is finished, its journey with the shawl maker ends and it must travel onward to the recipient.  Blessing a prayer shawl before it goes on to the recipient – as many prayer shawl groups and churches do – represents a symbolic release of the prayer shawl from the maker.

YARN AND COLOR
Yarns selected for our prayer and baptismal shawls must be very soft in nature.  Color can also convey the sentiments we wish to share with our shawl recipients.  Many colors have symbolic meanings and we thoughtfully select a particular color or palette to reflect a recipient’s situation or interest.  For example, our Baptismal Shawls are white, which represent the Holy Spirit, innocence and purity.  Blues and greens reflect healing, peace and tranquility, yellows – faith, wisdom, friendship, along with many other representations of the color palette. 

 WHO WILL RECEIVE THE SHAWL?
Prayer shawls often begin with a recipient in mind, but they may also be inspired by a tempting pattern or yarn.   Many times, we do not have a recipient in mind when they are created, but we may learn about someone who is in need of a shawl as we continue, and our prayers will concentrate on that individual's need or celebration.  Our OELC Prayer Shawl Ministry depends on our congregation members to provide us with the names and the need of a person or persons who may find this a peaceful surrounding, of our prayers and Heavenly Father's arms, to wrap themselves in. If you would like to request a shawl, please contact the church office at 715-597-3213 or Lorna Peterson at 715-590-2159.

PRAYER CLOTHS
OELC’s Prayer Shawl Ministry is now also offering prayer/pocket cloths with attached prayer cards that may be found on the table in the Narthex.  These “cousins” to the prayer shawl are the perfect touch to let someone know you are thinking about them and of the power of prayer.   They may be tucked into a card or handed to a friend, loved one or neighbor to be placed in a pocket, backpack, briefcase or side table to let them know God is always near.