“I can’t wait to go back to prison on Friday.” Those were words Connie Forney of First United Methodist Church in Millington, TN never thought she would say, but every syllable was music to my ears. 

 

Last fall I spoke to the United Methodist Women at Millington First and expressed a desire to have a prayer shawl ministry as part of Grace Place Ministries at Mark Luttrell Correctional Center for Women. Connie seized on the idea and is now the organizer of a group from her church who, along with a volunteer from Grimes United Methodist Church, leads the Grace Place Prayer Shawl Ministry at the women’s prison. 

 

The ladies meet in the prison Chapel every Friday afternoon. They spend time with 24 residents of the prison crocheting, praying, having a devotional, laughing and sometimes crying as women always do when they gather.  Each week has brought new testimonies to what this ministry means to the women involved.

 

Connie shared this story in her church newsletter: “Week before last, one of the women had finished her first prayer shawl and asked that we mail it to her mother, who she has not seen since she has been incarcerated. Last week she learned, after the fact, that her mother had to have surgery and that the shawl arrived just in time. She spoke of the comfort it gave her to ‘wrap her mother in prayers’ when she couldn’t be with her.”

 

For that hour and a half each week, women who live in the cold, drab, harsh world of a prison where they are more a number than a name, gather and discover that although they may be living in a prison, the love of God knows no boundaries. They find that they can be disciples of Jesus Christ right where they are. 

 

As Connie describes it, “The tension and stress eases from faces and smiles take their place.” We see women helping each other with a stitch or saying, “No, girl, you’ve got to pull that out and start over!” 

 

Left-over yarn from shawl projects is being used to make hats and scarves for the homeless.  Grace Place provides the mailing envelopes, labels and the postage. This ministry is so popular we have a waiting list to join. 

 

When a project is completed the woman who made it determines to whom it will go. If she doesn’t know someone who needs it, it is given to the ministry to be offered as needs arise. 

 

Connie and her group are working hard to make this a viable ministry but they need your help. They have made a tremendous commitment to be there every Friday with yarn and supplies. There is also the cost of packaging and mailing the shawls. 

 

Some people say to us, “I want to help but I just can’t go into a prison.” Well, we have good news for you. Everyone who donates to this ministry is helping.

 

You can help by donating yarn (soft, machine-washable and 1000 yards per project) or by making a contribution to help cover the cost of supplies and mailing. 

 

You can send your donations to Grace Place Ministries, 6050 Summer Avenue, Memphis, TN 38134. If you would like to donate yarn in lieu of funds or would like to be a volunteer, please contact Connie Forney at 901-829-2923 or at budforne@aol.com.