Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center:
Where Women Find their Way
1780 Thurman Creek Road
Matfield Green, Kansas 66862
620.753.3465
Rev. Billie Blair, Director
Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center
Where Women Find Their Way
"Shawls ... made for centuries universal and embracing, symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving, God. They wrap, enfold, comfort, cover, give solace,
mother, hug, shelter and beautify.
Those who have received these shawls have been uplifted and affirmed, as if given wings to
fly above their troubles…”
Written in 1998 by: Janet Bristow
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Kay Shandler learned to knit in 4-H as a child and resumed this art in the late '80s when she started making dish cloths out of cotton yarn. After making hundreds of dish cloths, Kay read an article about prayer shawls in a magazine. The first shawl she made was presented on October 10, 2004 and since then she has made over 1000 shawls.
Kay started a Prayer Shawl Ministry at Grace United Methodist Church in Emporia. There are now over 24 women and men who meet monthly to bless the shawls they have made and to share the joy of knitting and crocheting together.
Knitting prayer shawls has become a passion for Kay. Combining her love of knitting with the power of prayer allows her to create
the perfect gift for others while sharing God's love with them.
Prayer Shawls:
Knitting with the Power of Prayer
September 26-27Fri 7pm-Sat 4pmFee: $75 Facilitator: Kay Shandler
Learn how to make and present a knitted or crocheted prayer shawl to give to a person you want to help feel the presence of God. You will also learn how to share this powerful prayer shawl ministry with others. Please bring 550 yards of yarn for knitting and 750 yards of yarn for crocheting a shawl. Also bring size 11, 13 or 15 knitting needles, if you want to start your knitted shawl this weekend.
Prayer Shawl Ministry began in 1998 by Janet Bristow and Vicky Galo and has since spread around the world. Prayer shawls have been given to thousands of people as a tangible sign of God's presence in the midst of life's trials and joys. Each shawl is prayed over as it is being made and is blessed when it is completed so that God may bless both the giver and the receiver of each shawl with God's presence and love. Participants of this retreat will learn how to make a shawl using a simple K3 P3 pattern (no prior knitting experience required) and learn how to start a Prayer Shawl Ministry in her home town.
Take some extra time to meet with others who knit and crochet.
Towels and bed linens provided, as well as a Continental breakfast and lunch on Saturday.
Prayer Shawls . . . blessed and . . . ready to bless another
. . . ready to bless another
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Whether they are called: "Prayer Shawls," "Comfort Shawls," "Peace Shawls," or "Mantles," the knitter begins each shawl with prayers and blessings for the recipient. Intentions are continued throughout the creation of the shawl. When the shawl is completed it is presented in a final ritual of blessing before being sent along its way.
Some recipients have continued the kindness by making one themselves and passing it on to someone in need. Thus, the blessing is rippled from person to person, with both the giver and receiver feeling the unconditional embrace of a sheltering, mothering God!
The shawls can also be crocheted, quilted, woven or machine knitted, as well!
