During June, July and August, the Women of Grace gatherings usually scheduled for the first Thursday of the month, as well as the small (Circles) groups that meet on the third Thursdays of the month, will not meet. However, the service groups (Projects Day and the Prayer Shawl Ministry) will continue meeting.
Projects Day will meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 24, in Fellowship Hall. Those new to Projects Day are welcome! The group takes a “come when you can and leave when you wish” approach to the day. A mid-morning coffee break will be provided; those staying for lunch usually bring a sandwich. People who can sew but who cannot attend Projects Day are invited to pick up at-home sewing projects, such as quilt kits, in the basket outside of the chapel. Tote bags also need to be sewn for women leaving department of corrections facilities; the distribution of tote bags is a project of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. The totes are fairly simple to make and all materials and instructions are available in the kits.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet throughout the summer from 7 to 9 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. In addition to shawls, members are working on baby blankets, sweaters, scarves, mittens, hats and bed socks. Both beginners and those who have become a little “rusty” are invited to hone their skills! Patterns, needles and support are available.
In April, 250 health kits, 49 quilts, 20 layettes and 4 blankets began their journeys through Lutheran World Relief to Haiti and other locations. The Ruth and Martha circles, as well as volunteers who assembled layettes at Projects Day, made this amazing feat possible! Women of Grace thanks everyone who donated items for the kits and those who worked on the quilts. The group also thanks the dedicated volunteers who put in extra hours, including coming in additional work days and making many quilt tops at home, to accomplish in four months more than is normally accomplished in a year of Projects Days!
While this group has a lot to celebrate, they are always looking ahead! They have posted a list of needed items in the Communication Center in Fellowship Hall so they can continue their work. Bars of soap are always needed, as are items for school kits for Haiti and other locations. Volunteers usually work on kits after school supplies are on sale in August. If supplies are donated earlier, they can get the kits completed and shipped sooner. All donated items can be dropped off at the Women of Grace kiosk in the Communication Center. Donating to this cause allows Women of Grace to be God’s hands in the world.
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