Dear Glen Mar friends,

I was taking a picture or two for “Woven,” this week’s worship theme, and I snapped a picture of a prayer shawl from our own Dancing Needles. I often keep a prayer shawl in my car, for rushed hospital visits and encounters with Jesus in the form of strangers who engage me in conversation and are going through hard times. Prayer shawls are knitted with love and with prayer, and act as a tangible reminder of the presence and love of God. Many of you have these in your homes from times you have needed extra prayers, love and support. Some of you may have several!

I’m so grateful for this powerful ministry of Dancing Needles and for the people who deliver and share those shawls with others. Often, the Holy Spirit manages to deliver a shawl that is a favorite color, or a significant pattern, in the life of the person who receives it. That’s the Holy Spirit at work through the one who provided the yarn, the one who made it, the one who chose it, the one who delivered it and the one who received it! Talk about “woven.”

Prayer shawls have been significant ways the love of Jesus has been shared. They help people move from one home to another, or from home to college or even hard moves from independent living to more managed care, by symbolizing “home” and “God’s presence” in both places. They can be wrapped around a person in grief or in pain, showing that when we cannot pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us “with sighs too deep for words.” They show, in tangible ways, the love of God, unearned and unconditional, given to us as a gift. It looks like a lovely shawl (and it is!) but it’s really about the love, joy, hope and peace of Christ. If you would like to join the Dancing Needles, email ca****@gl********.org and we’ll put you in touch with the team.

In that way, it reminds me of another great way to bless others—Jewels for Hope. This is a gently used jewelry sale (most items $5 and under!) to benefit HopeWorks, Howard County’s Domestic Violence hotline and resource center. As Christmas comes, we know Christmas is not our personal birthdays, it’s the birthday of Jesus … and this is a really great way to honor him, by getting a present that will bless Jesus in the form of people who need to heal from and escape from domestic violence. It looks like lovely jewelry (and it is!) but it’s really about the love, joy hope and peace of Christ. You can make  “Jewels for Hope” a success—tell everyone you know about the sale on Sat, Nov. 5.  100% of the proceeds benefit HopeWorks.

This weekend, I hope you’ll join us for “Woven,” online if you have to, in person if you can. I’m grateful for your ministry as a member and/or friend of Glen Mar and I hope if there’s a way we can serve you better, you’ll let us know.

See you in Church,

Pastor Mandy

PS  The Lay Leadership Team is in search of folks who might like to serve on our Finance or Stewardship committees in 2023. You do not have to be a “professional numbers person” to serve on Finance (not being afraid of numbers helps though). Stewardship is really about helping cultivate a culture of generosity, and stewarding God’s gifts well. Folks with gifts in this area would be people who have hearts of gratitude and who know God as a provider, and who seek to be faithful in their own stewardship. If you would like to join either of these teams, please let us know!

For more information on what’s going on at Glen Mar, check out our blog “This Just In.”