OutreachMagazine.com: Blankets of Care

Blankets of Care
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Diana Durie on 10/13/2009

Church provides hurting people tangible reminders of God's love and power

St. Andrew United Methodist Church, Marietta, Ga. is sharing warm hospitality
with those grieving or suffering from a serious illness. By giving homemade
blankets to people facing challenging times, St. Andrew members hope to show
people in the community they care, as well as provide a tangible reminder of
God’s power to comfort, strengthen and heal.
How to Do It:
— Ask church members to submit the names and addresses of local, unchurched
family members and friends who are ill or grieving the death of a loved one.
Also, ask for donations to cover material costs; encourage small groups or
Sunday school classes to donate.
— Enlist volunteers to purchase supplies. Each 58-by-54-inch blanket requires
1.5 yards of fleece. Also needed: fabric scissors and measuring tape.
— Host a blanket-making event. St. Andrew volunteers follow Hancock
Fabrics’s free, no-sew pattern. Print your church name and a Scripture verse
(St. Andrew uses Rom. 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the
Holy Spirit”) on an 8.5-by-11-inch washable fabric sheet. Then, volunteers cut
and iron or sew labels onto each blanket.
— Write a brief note letting receivers know they are cared for and remembered
in prayers. St. Andrew volunteers tuck the blanket, a personal note and a
connection card into a gift bag. “We continue to hear how much not only the
blanket, but the personal note and delivery means to people,” says Sandy
Klingler, St. Andrew’s congregational care coordinator.
— Make delivery day a churchwide event. Encourage volunteers to meet and pray
over the blankets and those who will receive them. Give each group a card with
an address and a little information about the recipient before they depart.
Cost:
Each blanket costs approximately $9 and takes one to two hours to make.
Results:
Three blankets went to Karen Dean and her two young children after her husband
died unexpectedly in a boating accident. “It just made me feel so good that
people I didn’t even know at St. Andrew were thinking of us and our
situation,” says Dean. “We were thrilled to receive something we could keep
that will always be comforting and remind us of everyone’s kindness.”
From the Outreach magazine archives, January/February 2006
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