Edgebrook Covenant Church - After a very blessed 2007 for the Angels, the Angels are ready to get their hooks and needles out and GET GOING!! I am amazed at the number of emails I've gotten already this year, asking what we'll be doing, what needs to be made, and saying HURRY UP, ALREADY!!

So here goes --
Organizations/projects we have already been involved with and will continue to support:
-- Cornerstone Community Outreach -- located on the northwest side of Chicago, Cornerstone provides a wide variety of services for homeless families and people. The majority of items Angels make go to all of their programs. They need washable hats, scarves, and mittens, in sizes from infant to seniors; afghans; blankets; shawls; and soft toys for the children. The Angels collect items for Cornerstone all year long, and deliver them to the programs in time for Christmas.

-- Swedish Covenant Hosptial -- also located on the northwest side of Chicago, Swedish Covenant Hospital services the most ethnically diverse area in Chicago, and its maternity ward serves a very large number of needy, refugee, and homeless moms and their new babies. They need washable hats, baby blankets, booties, and baby sweaters in sizes preemie to newborn. The Angels collect items for Swedish Covenant all year long, delivering items as needed during the year, but primarily distributing items in time for Christmas.

-- Edgebrook Covenant Church -- also located on the northwest side of Chicago, the Angels provide prayer shawls for women and "comfort afghans" for men going through difficult periods in their lives or their family's lives, are hospitalized, or suffer from serious illness. It would be nice if the yarn for these projects was washable, but the primary requirement is that the yarn be soft and cheery. The Angels collect the shawls and afghans all year long, and distribute them as they are needed.

-- The Red Scarf Project -- The Orphan Foundation of America supports students who have "aged out" of the foster care system, and are now trying to build lives of their own and go to trade school or college, or are participating in a training program. Around Valentine's Day, OFA sends a "care package" to these kids, and likes to include handmade knitted or crocheted red scarves -- as a visible symbol that someone cares for the student and is concerned about their welfare. OFA has requirements for the scarves in terms of minimum length and width, and the yarn used must be washable. Red is the preferred color, but any unisex color can be used. The Angels collect scarves for The Red Scarf Project until the end of August, then send them to OFA to be packed up with the care packages.

-- Afghans For Afghans -- A4A provides warm items for needy families in Afghanistan, which are delivered by aid workers through relief stations and hospitals. Baby blankets and caps, and hats and scarves for children are needed -- and all items must be made of 100% wool yarn in bright colors that won't show soil. The Angels collect these items all year long, and ship them to A4A in response to calls throughout the year.

And here's what's new for 2008!
There are two new projects the Angels will support in 2008! At Stitches Midwest, I had the pleasure to meet Amy Berman, who founded The Mother Bear Project , after reading about the rape of young girls and infants in South Africa. She wanted to do something to comfort those children, and her young sons suggested that she make and send them stuffed bears similar to the ones she had made for them.

One thing led to another, knitters and crocheters told their friends, and by 2007, over 24,450 bears have been sent to South Africa, Zambia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi, Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries where hurting children need comforting.

The Mother Bear Project provides patterns for a knitted or crocheted bear, and prefers that we use their patterns (that way all the children receive bears of similar size) and washable yarn, but Angels can personalize the bears however they wish. The patterns are available from the Mother Bear Project's website for a small fee, which helps cover the cost of shipping bears overseas. $3 is required for each bear when they are sent in - that $3 is used to pay for shipment of the bears overseas. The Angels will be holding a fundraiser at church prior to Christmas to raise the funds need to cover this cost, so Angels can feel free to make as many bears as they wish!! We believe that this is a very worthy effort - and each hurting child needs a bear to hug. We are very excited to support The Mother Bear Project in 2008!

We are also very excited to announce that the Angels will be supporting Christmas At Sea - a program sponsored by The Seamen's Church Institute which provides warm hats and scarves to seamen (and seawomen) and mariners around the world who work so very hard to handle shipments of our food, oil, cars, clothing -- just about anything that moves on water that is shipped from one country to another -- and who catch, process, and deliver all the fish and seafood we eat.

Most of the mariners and seamen and women live at or below the poverty level, and are away from their families for most of the year -- it is a very hard life at sea. The Christmas-at-Sea program brings hospitality and love to deep-sea and river mariners with Christmas gifts containing handmade scarves, caps, vests, helmets or socks. These items are knitted or crocheted by more than 3,500 volunteers across the country. Each year, more than 16,000 gifts are distributed.

Christmas At Sea provides a variety of easy patterns for knitting and crocheting on their website, and yarn must be washable and unisex in color. The Angels will be receiving items for them through September 1, 2008, and then they will be shipped out to New York so that they can be packed in Christmas gift packages and distributed in time for Christmas.

Whew! 2008 will be a busy year for the Angels and I predict that thousands of lives will be touched by all of you!! Come join us, as we help change our community, country, and the world -- one stitch at a time!! It promises to be a very exciting ride!

Come join us at our next meeting on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 10:30 AM at Chris Pokorny's home at 6357 N. Leoti Ave. in Chicago.  We'll ohh! and ahh! over completed projects, stock up on yarn and patterns, and share fellowship, food and fun.  Don't miss it!

2007 was a significant year for the Crafty Angels. Nearly 80 women, from 44 cities in 7 states, made over 4,000 items using over $18,000 worth of donated yarn and uncountable hours of work to show God's love for people they will never even meet -- the "least of these" -- locally, nationally, and internationally. The items the Angels made have been distributed:
• in Chicago -- through Cornerstone Community Outreach's homeless shelters, soup kitchen, Friendly Towers (their home for needy seniors), Leland House (their home for moms and their children) and Naomi's house (their home for single women) and Swedish Covenant Hospital's maternity ward serving needy moms and their new babies;
• across the US -- through Orphan Foundation of America's Red Scarf Project serving former foster kids now in college and training programs (our scarves were distributed in time for Valentine's Day);
• in Afghanistan -- through Afghans for Afghans, a project caring for children and their mothers in war-torn Afghanistan (our goods were distributed in November);
• in Africa -- through Save the Children's project to distribute hats to newborns across Africa to help them survive their first few months of life (our hats were distributed by relief workers in February and March);
• and in Mongolia -- through Project Dulaan, and effort to provide warm clothing for poverty-stricken children and their families across Mongolia (our clothing was distributed by relief workers in November)

By our most conservative estimates, over 5,000 lives were touched by the Angels in 2007. Just let that number sink in for a minute...... Some people may say "It's just a hat or scarf or blanket" -- but who knows how God can use a hat, a scarf, a toy, or a blanket to change someone's life - and maybe bring them closer to Christ? That is very, very powerful -- and the Angels are truly changing their world -- one stitch at a time!!!

We also continued our Prayer Shawl Ministry to our own congregation, delivering many prayer shawls this year – and “comfort afghans” to men.  The Angels also presented handmade blankets to our engaged couples at their wedding showers at the church, and baby blankets to our new moms at their baby showers.  We plan to continue these ministries in 2008.

God just amazed the Angels this year by the continual appearance of unsolicited boxes and bags of yarn, just when we needed it!  We are truly thankful for His provision!  

We are truly thankful for each and every Angel – women who work every day for people them will never meet, and who have a passion for serving others so that they can help God bring people one step closer to Him.


Have you seen the September-October edition of “Today’s Christian Woman”?  If you have, you saw the wonderful mention of the Crafty Angels in an article by Keri Wyatt entitled “Praying and Purling.”  If you haven’t seen it—you can view it on their website at:  
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2007/sepoct/2.26.html

Check out our blog for breaking news at:  www.crafty-angels.blogspot.com

"And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need.  These are the sacrafices that are pleasing to God."  Hebrews 13:16

For the last five years, the Crafty Angels have done just that. 2006 has been a year of changes for the Crafty Angels – for the first time, we have more honorary Crafty Angels than Edgebrook Crafty Angels, and those talented women made over 60% of the over 3000 items we produced this year.  So we’ve started both a quarterly newsletter and a website to link these caring women around the country and provide for communication and idea sharing.

The Angels also greatly expanded their scope this year – locally, nationally, and globally.  Previously, all of our items went to the North Park Friendship Center – but this year we strongly felt the Holy Spirit’s leading to move beyond what had become a “safe” zone to reach new people and show them God’s love.  Much prayer led us to Cornerstone Community Outreach Ministries – and the vast majority of the items you see here today will be distributed through their 3 homeless shelters, Leland House, Friendly Towers needy senior’s residence, soup kitchen, and Free Store.

But the Angels felt pushed by the Holy Spirit to reach out even further to people others don’t often think about – and to help advocate and affect change as well as provide comfort and care.  

Through the Red Scarf Project, we’re reaching out to kids released from foster care across the country who are trying to build lives of their own at age 18.  

Through Caps for the Capital, we’re reaching out to moms and babies in impoverished areas in Africa and advocating for increased funding for health care and education for these moms and their children.  

Through Project Dulaan, we’re reaching out to the poor and homeless in Mongolian cities, who are trying to find better lives for their families.

And we're very excited to announce that all of the baby things we’ve made will be going to Swedish Covenant Hospital – as we develop a close relationship with the maternity unit there and the needy and refugee moms and babies it serves.

This year, the Crafty Angels have epitomized two of important quotes:

First, from Mahatma Gandhi:  “You must become the change you want to see in the world.”

And second, from Mother Teresa:  “It is not what we do that is important, but how much love we put into what we do: we should do small things with great love.”  

The Crafty Angels have done small things with great love, and are becoming a force for change in their world.  Please join us in prayer now for each of these loving, caring women:

Father God, we are so very, very thankful for each and every one of these loving women, your precious daughters, dedicated to caring for “the least of these.”  They are Covenant, Jewish, Unitarian, Catholic, Muslim, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Hindu, Episcopal, and of no professed faith.  But all are committed to caring for Your children and showing them Your love, using their time, talents, and treasure.  Please bless:

Doris Ahlstedt
Ethel-Mae Gundlach
Peggy Kingsley
Lisa Kowar
Debbie Kreusch
Audrey Malone
Jeannine Patt
Chris Pokorny
Sandy Rice
Jessica Sawyer
Phyllis Snodgrass
Alma Wamsley

Jill Lind, Judy Raab, Penelope Sawczak, Eva Szynal – Chicago, IL

Alice Cruikshank and Cathie Trohman – Winnetka, IL

Debbie Anderson – Auburn, IL
Eileen Beaver – Buffalo Grove, IL
Greta Demaso – Naperville, IL
Catherine Falkenstein – Loomis, CA
Carol Flowers – Bolingbrook, IL
Kristin Green – Oak Park, IL
Margo Hablutzel – Plano, TX
The Happy Charity Klickers – all 15 of them – in Loogootee, IN
Pamela Horton – Crete, IL
JoAnne LaBrack – Des Plaines, IL
Alexis Leuth – Winter Springs, FL
Rama Patel – Downers Grove, IL
Cindy Pond – Solomons, MD
Marya Preston – Naperville, IL
Carol Stephan – Forest Park, IL
Sherry Sussman – Waukegan, IL
Regina Thomas – St. Charles, IL
Sherry Walker – Balwin, MO
Helen Watson – Wadsworth, IL

Please keep their fingers nimble, their needles and hooks strong, their yarn tangle-free, and their hearts continually open to Your leading to care for those they will never even meet so that You can use a hat, a scarf, a blanket or a doll to bring someone closer to You.  We ask this all in your son Jesus’ name, Amen.

Check Our Our Blog
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Cornerstone Community Outreach Ministries
Cornerstone Community Outreach (CCO) is the outreach arm of Jesus People Covenant Church in Chicago, IL.  Since the early 1970’s, Jesus People Covenant Church has chosen to be intentionally and actively involved in the immediate community in which it is located, and has worked to better the lives of its neighbors.  

Located on the north side of the city in a very poor neighborhood, CCO has grown to encompass the following ministries:
- Friendly Towers—a retirement home for over 100 seniors on very limited incomes
- Hannah’s House—a shelter for homeless families providing up to 120 days of shelter and services
- Leland House—providing a home for 18 homeless women and their children for one year as they rebuild their lives
- Naomi’s Place—a shelter serving over 100 homeless single women every night
- Sylvia Center—a shelter for 150 homeless families every night
- Dinner Guest Program—serving 150-200 people free meals one day a week
- Free Store—providing food and clothing to anyone who walks through its doors

Edgebrook Covenant Church has supported these ministries for many years, and this year the Crafty Angels decided to expand its reach to touch the lives of the people served by all of CCO’s ministries.  Warm hats, scarves, mittens, shawls, and baby items made by Crafty Angels and Honorary Crafty Angels will be distributed to the families and women in all of these ministries in time for the holidays in early December.  For many of these folks, our handiwork may be the only Christmas gift they receive — and will become treasured possessions.

We will continue to work on creating items for people served by these important ministries throughout 2007—and you can help!  The only requirement is that your handiwork needs to be made from washable yarn, as the recipients typically only have access to Laundromat-type washing facilities.

Can you help?  It’s very cold on the streets in the winter in Chicago—and your hat or scarf can make a significant impact on a homeless person’s life!

Help Us With Project Dulaan 2007
“Dulaan” is the Mongolian word for warm.  We think of it as a word not just for  being physically warm, but also for the special warmth of a human heart reaching out to touch another human heart—and showing God’s love on the other side of the world.

Mongolia’s winter is extreme, often –40 degrees at night.  To survive, many of the homeless live in heating ducts below the cities.  Warm hats, scarves, mittens, neck warmers, socks, and sweaters can allow a child to go to school or an adult to look for work.  They can also restore a sense of  dignity, and in some cases, literally save a life.

An effort of the Flagstaff International Relief Effort (FIRE), Project Dulaan is collecting warm, handmade items to be carried to Mongolia in 2007 to be  distributed by relief workers.  The only requirement is that the yarn must contain wool (wool keeps people warmer than all-synthetic yarn).  The Crafty Angels will be dedicating their knitting/crocheting time during January and February, 2007 to Project Dulaan, and we will be sending a shipment in early March.  

Can YOU help?  Check your stash and make a hat or two!  Send your completed items to us no later than February 28, 2007, and we will ship them to FIRE the first week of March.  YOU can keep someone warm across the globe!

Our Prayer Shawl Ministry
This year the Crafty Angels officially began a prayer shawl ministry.  God showed us that members of our congregation and among our friends and families were suffering—and that there was a way we could help ease their suffering and extend our love to them in addition to prayer.  And that was by making a prayer shawl for them.

Prayer shawls do more than just keep a person physically warm — they can be a loving reminder of God’s grace and our care and concern at a time when someone needs that the most. The shawls are given to people suffering from a serious illness, coping with the death of a loved one, in crisis, or serving as caregiver for someone who is seriously ill.  

Recipients are suggested by our senior pastor, Rev. Greg Mesimore, our Deacon Board, the Crafty Angels, and our small group leaders.  Each gift was prayed over and specially wrapped before presentation.

Every one of the recipients was profoundly touched by the gift of a prayer shawl—and YOU can be an instrument of God’s grace when you make a shawl.  Any pattern, type of yarn, or color can be used—just knit or crochet in lots of love and prayers!

“She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;  she can laugh at the days to come.”
--- Proverbs 31:13, 17,  19-22, 25 (NIV)