Prayer shawls needed for Katrina celebration

Ever since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast nearly two years ago, United Methodist Communications has worked with the conferences in that region to raise funds, recruit volunteers and share stories of the church in action and response.

A celebration is slated for Sept. 6-7 in New Orleans to mark the second anniversary of the hurricanes and—more importantly—to:

.Thank volunteers who sacrificed time and money to make a difference
.Recruit additional volunteers, particularly skilled laborers
.Establish partnerships between Gulf Coast churches and congregations across the United Methodist connection
.Raise funds for the Bishops’ Katrina Church Recovery Appeal

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the Mississippi Area wants to honor approximately 200 special volunteers from across the connection who have given greatly of their time and talents to the recovery effort. Reflecting on the Isaiah 61:3 reference to “mantles of praise,” she—and her colleague bishops—would like to present each volunteer with a prayer shawl.

The challenge now is to find individuals and church groups willing to knit or crochet prayer shawls for this celebration. Barbara Dunlap-Berg, creative resources editor for the Connectional Giving Team, is spearheading the prayer-shawl drive. She has spoken with several Tennessee Conference churches and has some commitments. However, more help is needed.

If you can provide prayer shawls for this ministry, Barbara would love to hear from you. The shawls are needed by Aug. 1. Please call (742-5489) or e-mail (bdunlap-berg@umcom.org) Barbara if you wish to get involved with this project.