Religion

DOTHAN — Each week, the group of women gather in a classroom at Covenant United Methodist Church. They laugh, talk, knit and pray over baby blankets, shawls and quilts all made for someone in need of comfort.

"Every time I've done one, I've never known who it goes to," said Carol Lee. "But as soon as I'm done, there's a need."

Faithful Fingers, a prayer shawl ministry located at the Dothan church, started last year during Lent. It was intended to be a project of spiritual discovery for the women participating and was to end at Easter. Each woman would knit and purl in a rhythm of threes, praying quietly as they worked for the recipient of the shawl.

But when the 40 days of Lent was over, the women kept knitting and sewing. With two van-loads of donated fabric and yarn, a new ministry was born at Covenant.

Now the members come together on Wednesday nights and Thursday afternoons to work on their projects. They have a closet full of material and a storage room full of finished items and more material. Some blankets and shawls are made for whoever needs it when its finished. Others are made through specific requests.

Each of the group's members will hold a shawl or blanket and pray over it when it's finished. Quilts are tied and knotted so that each member can pray as they tie a knot onto the quilt.

Faithful Fingers' members said they get as much out of it as the recipients.

"It's a real gift to yourself," Lee said.

They make a baby blanket for a new addition to the church's family, a lap quilt for an elderly member who has fallen ill, or a shawl for someone to wrap up in and hopefully feel the comfort intended. They made bed linens and curtains for the Chrysalis home for girls. They've made items for the Hope Center for women, the Child Advocacy Center and the House of Ruth.

"It's as much a blessing for us to be able to do this with our hands and give it to someone as it is to receive," said Susan Landreneau.

The group has been putting in extra hours lately getting ready for a bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 22. They plan to sell items the group has made — carrier covers for baby carriers, hand-stitched blankets, aprons for little girls and heirloom kitchen towels just to name a few. Proceeds will help buy materials so the group can make needlepoint kneelers for Covenant's new sanctuary currently under construction.

The Faithful Fingers ministry is always looking for new members, and members do not have to attend Covenant. They're also always on the lookout for donated material.

Evelyn Harris became involved after attending a prayer shawl workshop. In no time, they had her quilting blankets. Now, she's there when the group gets together.

"It's just fun," Harris said. "I really look forward to it."

As much as the women want to comfort others, they also comfort each other.

"We have sort of become a support group for each other," Lee said. "The more we meet, the more I realize how important that is in women's lives."